THE BOX
SUMMARY
Another normal day in the Realm; Eric’s had a run in with a skunk-creature and now he stinks and has had to wash all his clothes. While they are waiting for him, and having a good laugh as well, there is and earthquake, and the gang are thrown off balance. The ground splits beneath Hank, and he falls through the crevasse.
Once the shaking stops, they descend to help Hank, and hidden in the stones nearby is a big chest; a Box.
They initially think its treasure, or something horrible (depending on who you talk to), then Dungeonmaster appears and warns them not to touch it. “There is much of value on that box, and an equal amount of pain an horror”. But when asked directly what is in the box, Dungeonmaster replies “nothing”.
It is Zandora’s Box. She a good sorceress and Venger banished her into another world. To free Zandora, they must use the Box, an in return, she should be albo to help them get home.
They are given a map and told to take the box to Skull Mountain, and place it under the shadow of the skull at high noon, then open it. But they must never open it anywhere else!
As they pull the box out of the crevasse, they discuss what they have to do, unaware that Shadow Demon is listening. After much grumbling from Eric they move off.
In a swamp, they take a rest, and Eric disagrees with Hank about their next move. While they are arguing, Bullywugs attack and take more of an interest in the box; they open the box, and climb in, then Eric traps them inside. but when the kids push it over to tip them out, the bullywugs are gone.
Diana figures out that the map is really a map of passageways to other dimensions, and it opens a stairway onto another world. It doesn’t tell them which way would lead them home, but Zandora would know, so they rush off to help her.
Shadow Demon meantime has reported back to Venger, who decides to get rid of the kids once and for all.
After more struggling in the jungle, they see Skull Mountain ahead, even though they haven’t walked for long enough. They put the box where they were told, and open it. A stairway appears inside, and Hank, Sheila, Bobby, Uni and Diana all go down, with Presto and Eric “guarding” it.
They enter a wonderfully bizarre checkerboard-world, with a giant clock in the centre. The clock strikes and they fall through the floor, into a giant cage. They all manage to grab something to stop their fall, but a nasty giant insect flies up, thinking it’s food time. Presto and Eric hear the cries as the others fall, and (eventually) go to help, but Shadow Demon flies down and shuts the box behind them. The ladder disintegrates and the two boys fall, right on to the wasp’s head. If that wasn’t bad enough, Presto tries the Hat for some bug spray, but instead it makes two insects!
Hank has a plan! He jumps, and as he falls, he fires back up, and ties up their wings together so they can’t fly. Then he fires another extremely long arrow up, to catch on the ladder, giving them a way out.
At the top, they find the lid closed, but the box is still in the same position, so Bobby uses the Club and knocks it open, so they can climb out.
Confused they think Dungeonmaster might have been wrong, but he appears, and tells them it was just an “illusion”. The mountain they were under disappears, and they move on, looking for the real Skull Mountain.
Shadow Demon reports back that the kids escaped, and V decides to intervene himself, as with Z free, Dungeonmaster will have even more power.
The Young Ones travel through a barren desert towards the Mountain, and get there just as the suns are moving. They push the box into position and open it. Smoke comes out, and solidifies into a small woman – Zandora.
The Sorceress is very pleased to be free, and as a reward she can get them home!
She transports them to an unstable stone arch, opens the Box then tells them to climb in and go home!
They go down, and fall into a roller-coaster car, and it seems that everything will go as planned and they will get home.
But Venger appears riding his Nightmare. He barges past Zandora and enters the Box, following the kids home.
The Young One can hardly believe it. They are home!
It’s dark, everything looks shut, but they still celebrate like there’s no tomorrow. But their happiness is very brief, as Venger appears and demands the weapons. Worse, they have no way of defending themselves, as their weapons won’t work. But Vengers magic still does, and he knows they have no power in this world.
They realise that if they stay, Venger will destroy their world in order to get the weapons. And if they do give him the weapons, he’ll go back and destroy Dungeonmaster and the whole Realm.
There is only one thing to do; they have to lead Venger back to the Realm. They all run for the roller-coaster car (Eric needs a little persuasion!), and it rides off back to the Realm.
Zandora is still by the box, and is very surprise when they come back out. Venger flies out following them, demanding the weapons and the Box, or he will go back and turn their home to “a smouldering cinder”. Zandora acts quickly; she moves the Box using her won magic, and puts the weapons inside.
Venger attacks, destroying the stone arch bridge. But the Box is moved, so when he opens it, it’s now empty. He goes inside and descends the steps to search for them, but eventually, he meets a very peeved Taimat!
Zandora closes the Box and returns it to the place where she put the weapons in, returning them to their owners. But the arch is broken, and they can’t get home. When Eric tries at a point close to where the bridge ended, the bullywugs from earlier are released.
Once again, Dungeonmaster appears and congratulates them.
= = =
INTERESTING INFORMATION
Scatter Count –
Presto Hat produces – a gas mask, two giant wasps
Goodies – Zandora
Baddies –
Walk-ons –
Monsters – Giant wasps, Bullywug
Groovy Objects – The Box
Named Places – Skull Mountain
Starwars References –
Other References – Allusion to Pandora’s box, and perhaps the film “Timesliders”, the Twilight Zone
= = =
Naked!Eric; and at the very start of an episode too ;)
Eric’s breastplate is missing from the drying clothes.
Diana teases him about looking as bad as he smells. She’s really down on him in this episode!
That earthquake – how fortunate was that! Perhaps Dungeonmaster had a hand in the timing!
Presto and Eric end up in the water and Eric miraculously gets dressed instantly
It’s Diana to the rescue, (followed by bobby), and Diana is the one all over Hank as he recovers.
Bobby finds a box.
Eric can “smell” valuable things. Metaphorically.
If Zandora has been trapped for so long, why didn’t Dungeonmaster help her? Perhaps because he couldn’t?
Dungeonmaster produces a map for them – it look really like the one in Timesliders, you know!
In the swamp, they will go up the mountain slope to the north.
Eric vs Hank again. “Hands up all those who think I should be the new leader”. But when they rush off to get Zandora, they forget about the whole thing!
“Bullywugs take treasure!!” And Chief Bullywug has a nice little hat!
Diana is the one who makes sense of the map, maybe she’d seen Timesliders!
Venger’s Castle – is still the same one he had before Servant of Evil, so it can’t have been destroyed when the Prison of Agony blew up.
It also has a collection of creatures encased in crystal inside it - “next time, perhaps you will think twice before you deceive me” Venger in saying to the creatures.
Shadow Demon is very worried about talking to Venger this time.
“They’ve found it and their taking it somewhere”. – thanks, SD, that’s all nice and clear!
Zandora is described as Dms old ally.
Random ice destruction from Venger.
And he also has a copy of the map.
In the jungle, Uni finds the way out. So she does have a use.
When they open the Box in the wrong place, A voice encourages them to go down further.
“It’s like walking right into the twilight zone.” Diana.
In the cage, Hank grabs Sheila right out of the air as she falls. It’s a fav moment for a lot of the fans!
But how does Bobby get to safety?
Presto tries the Hat for some bug spray, but instead it makes two bugs.
Eric is last up, and as Hank tries to pull him up he slips.
“Zandora free, Dungeonmaster will have even more power”. Venger. What does he mean, anyway?
SD can zip out into nothing.
Zandora is like a female version of Dungeonmaster!
“I should have known that Dungeonmaster would not forget me!” Zandora.
When the kids leave, Zandora says Uni will have to stay in the Realm, but can stay with her.
“It’s our roller-coaster car” – how does he know it’s theirs in particular?
“Without Dungeonmaster and the weapons of power, you cannot stop me!” Venger to Zandora.
When they get home, Eric does a little dance, but Hank just bends over and goes phew!
At Venger’s reappearance, Eric calls the cops but has no dime to put in the machine!
Venger makes short work of the phone booth, the Ferris wheel, and a poor defenceless hot dog stand.
Venger knows they have no power in this world, but he still does!
“I wouldn’t go back to that crazy place for a million bucks!” Eric. But Hank doesn’t care! He’s going, “With or without you!”
Diana follows Hank. Then presto, with “when in loony land do as the loonys do”. Fans have often used Loonyland” as the name of the fairground. (Chance Zeigist)
That is a good, LOOK Diana gives Eric!
Eric has no intention of going, but Venger threatens him and he runs back to the others and he just gets back to the car in time.
How much time has passed while the kids were back at home?
Venger obviously doesn’t understand how the Box works!
Tiamat cameo!!
The Stone arch is broken, and they can’t get home and it was the only place that led to their own world.
= = =
ALTERNATIVES
The Box has endless possibilities, you can go anywhere! But does it change people in time?
What if Eric had stayed, unaware that Venger stayed too? ( The Art of Revenge (rated R) by Sealgirl)
What if they all had stayed, and Venger was trapped on Earth - (Balance of Power by Rummi)
What if Venger understood how the Box worked and put it back in the right place at the end, before opening it?
= = =
FANWORKS
Zandora Wallpaper by Wolfman
=
Desert (photmanip) by Sealgirl
Venger in Tiamat's Cave (photomanip) by Sealgirl
= = =
What if Eric had stayed, unaware that Venger stayed too?
The Art of Revenge (rated R) by Sealgirl
What if they all had stayed, and Venger was trapped on Earth
Balance of Power by Rummi
= = =
Next episode - The Lost Children
Previous Episode - The Garden of Zinn
= = =