THE DRAGON'S GRAVEYARD
SUMMARY
The kids are mid-fight, with a frost-giant, in the middle of a huge ice field. Bobby rescues Uni and smashes the Giant’s club with his own, then destroys the ice underneath him. The Giant falls, and disappears. The kids then look around, Dungeonmaster has told them that “the fire in the ice would show the way home”.
Suddenly there is a beam of light from one of the glaciers, and Hank fires at it. The ice splits apart, revealing a valley with a portal at the end of it!
They run to it, hopes high, but it is destroyed moments before they reach it; by Venger! He fires again, and the ice starts to close in on them. Venger plans to return and retrieve the weapons from the glacier, but Hank fires an energy arrow through the side on the glacier, melting a hole for them to escape through.
Though they escape the glacier, the damage is done to their moral. They collapse at the base, disheartened and in silence.
Sheila tries to cheer people up, but Eric starts on at Bobby. He shouts back, then bursts into tears.
“This is all Venger’s fault,” says Eric. “We aughta do something about that guy!”
Much to Eric’s surprise, Hank agrees!! They are going to do something, they will never get home while Venger is still chasing them! Sheila points out no one can stop Venger, not even Dungeonmaster. But Hank reminds her of Tiamat the Dragon-Queen. They don’t know how to do it, but Hank is determined to use her to stop Venger.
Dungeonmaster appears as they are arguing, and starts to tell they about another mission. Hank cuts him off. Dungeonmaster tries to dissuade Hank, but he seems all the more determined. Dungeonmaster tells them that Tiamat lives in the Dragon’s Graveyard, the place that is the source of their weapons. They must ask her for her help; she might help, but she might not! They have to get to the Graveyard, and Dungeonmaster tells them that they carry the way with them, and “let it begin with you, Ranger!”. He disappears.
Meanwhile Venger has sent Shadow Demon to get the weapons from the glacier, and is furious to find that they’ve gone. He heads off after th kids.
The gang are walking through an empty plain, pondering Dungeonmaster’s riddle. Eric thinks that he meant the weapons, and they are just about to trt the theory out when Venger appears, throwing fireballs at them.
They fight, but Uni is hit and injured. Bobby rushes out to help her. All of them run for some caves. The shock from the blasts weakens the roof, and Diana props up roof until the others are safely in, then the roof collapses. The kids run on, but come to a dead end, and they are trapped. Uni is very ill, and Bobby is VERY angry.
Outside, they can hear Venger blasting the rocks, they have little time to get themselves out. They decide to try and use the weapons to get to the Dragon’s Graveyard; Hank goes first, he fires and the arrow is sucked into Presto’s Hat and comes out larger. It gentle bounces off the Shield, and the Javelin. Sheila covers it with her Cloak, and the glowing ball moves to Bobby. He sees it as a threat to Uni and hits out with the Club and it explodes.
The kids vanish in the explosion, just in time as Venger appears through the rocks and finds they have gone!
They have been transported to the Dragons Graveyard, a huge place, full of huge skeletons. Lying around, they find weapons a little like their own, and try some of them out.
Presto blows a horn, and the sound rouses Tiamat, who reacts very angrily at their invasion. She doesn’t want to listen to them, so Hank fires at her, getting a huge arrow, and an enormous rebound! Tiamat doesn’t calm down until Presto mentions Venger, and suddenly she becomes interested in what they have to say.
She tells them that here, in the Dragon’s Graveyard, their weapons are stronger than Venger! But they have to face him there, and she flies off to get him!
Unsuspecting of anything, Venger is waiting at his castle, and wondering where the kids are. Tiamat smashes through a wall and announces that he will have his chance to get the weapons. She opens a portal behind him, and flaps her wings, sending him back wards through it.
The kids are still waiting, Eric is examining some skeletons and finding more weapons. Close by a portal opens, and Venger appears through it. He looks pleased to be finally confronting them, and they quickly more to fight.
But Venger has a trick up his sleeve. He summons magic and animate some of the dragon skeletons into men to fight for him, using the weapons that are lying around.
Everyone but Hank fights and defeats the skeleton; Hank is busy firing at Venger, who is forced to retreat.
Finally, Venger is backed a against a rock, Bobby uses the Club, and isolates him on an island. P throws some magic at him, and when he catches it, his hands stick to the rock,
pinning him there, helpless.
Hank takes aim with the final arrow. The others wait to see what Hank will do.
He fires, but the arrow frees Venger, who slumps to the ground, totally defeated.
Hank tells Venger that he’s beaten, and he didn’t save him for himself, but because if he’d fired, they would have been no better than him!
Bobby is still very upset, and wants to know what will happen to Uni. Dungeonmaster appears from behind them, and tells him to take heart as not everything in the graveyard is destructive. One of the objects they found lying around, a blanket, revived Uni.
Dungeonmaster then goes to Venger, and tells him to “rise, my son!!!” Then he is transported back to the Realm.
Dungeonmaster is pleased with them and tells them “You have taken your first step home”.
He transports them back to the Realm as well, leaving just Tiamat alone in the Graveyard.
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INTERESTING INFORMATION
Scatter Count - 1
Presto Hat produces –
Goodies –
Baddies –
Walk-ons – “the Duke of Darkness” is mentioned but never seen
Monsters – Frost Giant, skeleton men.
Groovy Objects – all those new weapons!
Named Places – The Dragon’s Graveyard
Starwars References –
Other References –
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First word is Scatter!! Yay!!
Mid fight, Bobby rescues Uni and says “if anything ever happened to you…” Can’t help feeling that was not the time for Bobby-Uni friendship!
“Somebody do something!” Eric
Eric says part of the riddle – “the fire in the ice would show us the way home”.
Uni is going “home” too this time, it seems.
When they get home, Bobby is going to have the worlds biggest pizza
Venger sent the frost giant.
Eric protects them from the falling ice as Hank fires through the ice.
Eric is the one who whips up the anti-Venger feeling. “This is all Venger’s fault, we aughta do something about that guy!”
“Eric’s right!” Hank – and it’s not what you really ever expect Hank to say!
Tiamat is the most dangerous dragon in the Realm.
“The Duke of Darkness has taken over the Land of…” Dungeonmaster, but he never gets to finish!
When the kids surround Dungeonmaster, they all have identical poses.
“The course you are taking will only lead to ruin.” Dungeonmaster.
The Dragon’s Graveyard is where Tiamat lives, where dragons go to die, and the place that is the source of their weapons.
Dungeonmaster asks their permission to go.
“What will we do with him (Venger) once we’ve got him?” Sheila.
“Whatever it takes”. Hank.
Venger is in random destruction mode – sending random fireballs down to the glacier to collapse it.
It appears that Hank has alone time on the top of a very tall spire of rock. What is he thinking??
But if you look VERY closely at the cap, there arein fact TWO people on top of the rock! The storyboards reveal that the other figure is Eric, aho is there, reitereating his support for Hank. (Thanks Kimmy!)
Eric is the one who thinks the riddle is about the weapons.
Bobby is saved from Venger by Eric – but how could Venger miss from such close quarters??? And it’s a pity you don’t see Eric’s face as the blast hits!
Continuity error – Presto is seen entering the cave first after the hat-try fails, but he is then running with the others.
Uni gets left behind, and Venger fires at her. Gleefully!!!
He doesn’t actually fire at her, but just to the side, enough to knock her over. THEN he fires directly at her.
Having tempted Bobby out, Venger fires. And Eric only just gets there in time!
Diana props up roof until the others are safely in, and her Javelin breaks. She can fix it by just pushing the ends together.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, Sheila, feel sorry for Venger!” Bobby
“Where’s Dungeonmaster when you need him?” Eric
“I have the feeling we are on our own this time, Eric!” Hank
Hank’s arrow turns into a fireball.
Presto’s Hat swallows it and turns it purple.
It bounces off the Shield and turns yellow
It touches the Javelin and turns green
It hovers in front of Sheila who puts her Cloak over it, and it goes lilac again.
Bobby just hits it and it explodes!
Class line from Diana – “it’s getting bigger!!”
“I’m glad they don’t grow them that big anymore!” Eric
there are strange skeleton-dragon men, with odd weapons. Who are they – why do they have weapon? What where they doing there?
“Maybe we can use one of these against Venger” Bobby
Seems to imply that Tiamat is hiding in the skull nearby??
When Hank fires, he gets a huge arrow, and an enormous rebound!
Eric’s shield seems to act as a mirror.
Bobby gets a huge earthquake.
Presto is the one who mentions Venger.
“In the Dragons Graveyard your weapon are stronger than Venger!”
Presto glances in the hat, and it spews out magic.
They have to face him in the Graveyard, and Tiamat opens a portal and goes to bring him there!
“I don’t know anything I can do for you Uni, except make Venger sorry!” Bobby
Hank is worried that Bobby hates someone so much at such a young age.
Sheila is looking after Uni.
Venger is in another castle when Tiamat appears.
The kids are all that stand between Venger and complete mastery of the Realm.
Weapons from the Graveyard –
A Sword that cleaves stone like butter (Bobby uses it)
A Horn that calls Tiamat. (Presto uses it)
A Trident, that gives off lightning, and splits rocks. (Eric find that one)
A net-like Blanket, that feels like its alive. (Sheila find it)
A magic Wand, with a red stone.
A Whip-handle they changes when used.
“This is what weve been waiting for” Hank
“Indeed, what we have all been waiting for” Venger
Venger struggles to hold off Hank’s arrows.
Presto throws some magic at him, sticking his hands to the rock.
As Hank aims, Bobby takes a glance at Uni and Sheila – what is he hoping for?
As Hank fires, Sheila turns away, so does Presto. Eric and Diana watch.
“Why did you not finish me?” Venger.
“If I did, we’d be no better than you are!” Hank
Does Bobby look disappointed to you?
The Blanket revives Uni.
Dungeonmaster says to Venger “rise, my son!!!”
Dungeonmaster can travel to the Dragons Graveyard with no bother, and can transport people at the same time!
“But know this, you have taken your first step home” Dungeonmaster.
They disappear, and then camera pans to Tiamat, eyes glinting, still waiting in the graveyard.
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ALTERNATIVES
The obvious choice of alt ending where Hank does kill Venger – the springboard for a number of fics already –
What is Tiamat up to?
Why does Venger have so many castles?
What happened to the skeleton men, and why did they have weapons?
What would have happened if Venger had just killed Uni? (apart from the cheering from the fan-section)
What would have happened if he’d injured one of the kids, not Uni – would Hank have made the same decisions?
What other secrets are hidden in the Dragons Graveyard.
And why is it the “source” of their weapons?
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FANWORKS
The Dragon's Graveyard (photomanip) by Wolfman
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Using the idea that Hank does kill Venger
Unclean by Chrystarr (link to ff.net)
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All it would take was a little nudge in the wrong direction.
Reprise by Sealgirl (Alt Ending)
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