The Virtual Realm

CITADEL OF SHADOW

SUMMARY

The kids are walking through a valley, talking about what has just happened. Sheila has just done a thieving job that almost went disastrously wrong, and she’s getting teased by Eric. But they did manage to get what they went for, a ring.

But they are unaware that they are walking into a trap, until they are suddenly surrounded by an Orc army!

They make a run for it, into a dark forest, where the Orcs refuse to follow; there are strange and sinister gargoyles carved into the rocks nearby. Instead they make a camp outside.

As they rest away from the Orcs, Eric starts going on again about how Sheila almost failed, and reminds them that, without him they wouldn’t have the ring at all!

But the ring is only the first step to the way home, and in the morning they will have to go and find the next part.

They sleep, but early before the others are awake, Sheila is awakened by the sound of crying and someone calling for help, and Uni hears it too. However, Sheila decides not to wake the others, and goes off to investigate alone.

She goes through the forest, and finds a cave. Inside, there is a blonde haired girl, sitting behind a wall of magic, and she can’t get out.

The girl tells Sheila to reach her hand through the wall and try and pull her out. Sheila struggles, but eventually succeeds. The girl is free.

Elsewhere in the Realm, Venger knows she is free, and gets angry; she has to be stopped!

The others are busy looking for Sheila, they are all worried about her. Dungeonmaster appears, and they ask him for help. They already know the first part of the riddle, that “only when the ring of the heart is placed within and above the ring of the mind will a power be released that can send you home”. But they must go where their hearts lead and “in shadow lies great danger, and great reward”.

As Dungeonmaster disappears, there is an earthquake, and the stones around them start to close in.

Sheila and her new friend, Karena, are looking for Karena’s Ring of Power. It’s kept in the Citadel of Shadow. Karena keeps them moving forward, but Uni is starting to suspect that the new girl isn’t what she seems to be.

The others are still struggling to save themselves from the falling rock. Presto pulls some dynamite out of his Hat and, despite what Eric says about needing a detonator, when Presto throws it away, it blows a hole on the rocks.

Ahead, they see a shadowy castle – the same one that Sheila was heading for.

She and Karena have gone inside, but the inner doors are guarded against the other girl, her brother has put a spell on the doors, so she can’t get in. Sheila will have to go inside and get the ring on her own. In spite of Uni’s worries, she does.

Inside, the ring is across a narrow rock bridge and Sheila gets to it safely. But after she takes the ring, the bridge starts to collapse and she barely makes it out in time. At Karena’s insistence, Sheila hands over the ring.

The moment Karena puts it on, she changes, telling Sheila she has served her purpose and she is no longer needed. Just then, the others arrives, and are pleased Sheila has found a powerful ally. Wsorse, she doesn’t get the chance to talk to the others before Venger appears too!

But Venger is only interested in Karena. She greets him as her brother!

As Karena and Venger fight it out, with Karena using the power of her ring, the kids run. Only once outside, do they stop and watch what happens. The Citadel blows itself apart. Venger flies off, and Karena struggles to get out of the rubble.

The kids, bar Sheila, go and help her up, as she doesn’t trust her anymore. The Young Ones want to help, and ask her to join them, but Sheila isn’t so sure.

Karena announces that she must have the other ring, and only then will she have “absolute power!”.

Then Dungeonmaster suddenly appears, and tells her that that ring isn’t hers and Venger has only been vanquished temporarily. And, at a stand off, Karena uses her ring to vanish.

Dungeonmaster tells the Young Ones that there was once a struggle for power between Venger and Karena. In the end, Venger won, imprisoned her, and took her ring.

Eric guesses correctly that Karena’s ring is the other ring they need to get home!

They go to find Venger’s castle; and hopefully Karena’s ring.

But things are not going as Karena wanted, back at the castle. The Orcs wont fight for her, as their loyalty is to Venger, and most of them have already left.

The kids reach the outside of the castle, and are working out a way to get in, when Bobby suddenly realises Sheila has gone without them!

Sheila find Karena, but she’s hidden by the Cloak and grabs the ring. She leaves Karena, even though she is defenceless, and returns to the others. They have defeated the Orcs, and now they have both rings and can use them to get home.

As Sheila tries to fit the rings together she hears Karena screaming; Venger has returned for revenge. But Sheila can’t let Venger destroy Karena and runs back. She throws both rings at Venger, trapping him, but is catch in the backlash of magic and falls to the floor, unconscious.

The other Young Ones arrive just in time to stop Karena from going anywhere, or going near Sheila, and Dungeonmaster arrives as well. There is just one ring left, Karena’s original ring, and she uses that to revive Sheila.

Unfortunately, the ring which could have sent them home has become Venger’s prison and freed Karena of evil!

The kids leave once more, searching for a way home.

= = =

INTERESTING INFORMATION

Scatter Count -

Presto’s Hat produces –

Goodies – Karena (eventually)

Baddies –

Walk-ons –

Monsters –

Groovy Objects – The Ring of the Heart, The Ring of the Mind

Named Places – The Citadel of Shadow; The Hills of Never

Starwars References –

Other References –

= = =

Eric is teasing Sheila about being scared of the Orcs earlier, and making a mess of the thieving job she did earlier.

They already have a ring.

“Something we’ve never done before… RUN!” Hank. Well, they have, a few times – maybe not from Orcs, though.

Eric is busy taunting the Orcs, and almost gets stabbed.

By the forest there are lots of gargoyles of animals/monsters.

This place is the Hills of Never.

Orcs camp outside and wait.

“Goblins guarding that ring that dm sent us after.” Eric

Eric boasts about getting the gang out of trouble after Sheila botched up stealing the ring.

“You mean cowardly Cavalier, don’t you?” Diana

Diana and Hank are mirroring each other every strongly!

And if Hank’s supposed to be so keen on Sheila, why isn’t he being a bit nicer here?

“Without me we wouldn’t have the ring at all, right Sheila!” Eric

“you know he’s right, I always mess up!”

“he’s just having one of his days, Sheila, ignore him!” Diana

Only Uni and Sheila hear the call of Karena – both “innocent” perhaps??

Uni goes to wake Eric first.

“Please try, I’ve been here ever so long.” Karena. One thousand years, perhaps??

Venger feels the effect of her release immediately. “The spell is broken! She must be stopped!”

Bobby blames Eric for Sheila going missing – “what did you do to my sister, Eric?”

Eric is now quoting Dungeonmaster verbatim! “Only when the ring of the heart is placed within and above the ring of the mind will a power be released that can send you home.”

“why can’t you ever say what you mean?” Eric.

Eric finds footprints? Or something (Why didn’t Hank – he’s supposed to be the Ranger!)

Karena’s ring is kept in The Citadel of Shadow.

Uni is starting to get suspicious.

Strange red light surrounds the ring.

Small Bat guardian. Not very impressive for something so powerful!

After Karena puts on the rind, she has a Venger-like shadow n the floor.

When Venger appears, he starts blowing up doors as usual.

“Welcome, Brother!” Karena, to Venger.

E heads off the wrong way when they run.

The kids, except Sheila her Karena out of the rubble.

Eric offers to let Karena tag along!

“Don’t touch me!” Karena to Eric.

Eric guesses correctly – Karena’s ring is the other ring they need to get home!

The ring of the Heart – it has a little heart inscribed on it.

Eric quotes Dungeonmaster perfectly, in spite of “pretending” not to know what was going on earlier!

“I didn’t want to go home anyway!’ Eric – since WHEN??

They go to find Venger’s castle – another of Venger’s castles!

The Orcs are loyal to Venger only. Why?

Eric slips down the hillside again.

“We shall see which he’d prefer, you or the ring!” Sheila, to Karena.

“I sure hope Venger’s other brothers and sister are more clever than you!”

There is a globe of the Earth there (and it was Venger's castle - a good suggestion is that it was left over from his "research" during the Time Lost Episode. Thanks Kimmy!)

Without her ring Karena is powerless.

Eric runs to Sheila’s defence.

“Goodbye, little sister!” Venger, to Karena. So he’s the older one!

That is a stylish way to destroy Venger!

Clear shot of both rings, so we can see the heart on the red one, and the creepy face on the blue one!

"Stay away from her!" Hank to Karena. Go H/S shipping!! (Thanks Kimmy!)

Only Karena’s ring falls to the floor.

Karena uses her ring to revive Sheila.

“The ring which could have freed you has become Venger’s prison and freed Karena of evil!” Huh?!? The ring – but they needed both, didn’t they? Or is it just a turn of phrase ;)

“Goodbye pizza, goodbye milkshakes, goodbye cheese burgers, saurkraut, homework. Oh well, I suppose it isn’t all bad news!” Eric.

“Welcome home, Karena” Dungeonmaster.

Are Karena and Dungeonmaster related too? You'd have to think yes, esp after the details of Requiem!

Eric falls over and gets stuck outside.

“Need a friend?” Sheila, to Eric.

= = =

ALTERNATIVES

What exactly happened on Sheila’s botched thief-job? And how did Eric “save” them?

What if someone else had rescued Karena? The Ring of The Heart by Sealgirl.

Why was Eric being such a dick about it?

Why did only Sheila and Uni hear Karena?

What actually happened between Karena and Venger?

Does Eric know more about what’s going on than he admits?

“I didn’t want to go home anyway!’ Eric – what brought THAT comment on?

The Orcs are loyal to Venger only. Why?

What is the point of the rings – one is obviously Karena’s, but what about the other? The implication is that it belongs to Venger, but it is not the source of his power.

Why doesn’t Venger need the ring, or rather why does Karena need hers?

= = =

FANWORKS

Karena Wallpapers by Wolfman