Quest of the Wizard
Volume 1 - Wizards of the Golden Star Series
Quest of the Wizard
The first book in the Wizards of the Golden Star series, Quest of the Wizard - Book 1, opens with a scene in which a young boy named Arii is gathering red berries in a meadow near his parents’ home. Before his horrified eyes, the monster Gwaum emerges from the forest, destroys his home and consumes his parents and baby sister. Terrified, Arii flees into the forest.
Rescued by his uncle, Nerza, who is a powerful Wizard of the Golden Star. The story relates Arii's difficult journey to becoming a Wizard of the Golden Star.
In Book II - The Rise of Gwaum, the evil wizard Darnay, in a quest to become the dominant power on Island World, creates the creature Gwaum. In a horrible twist of fate, Gwaum's first meal is of an unfortunate woman who was present at his creation. His first meal of human flesh ignites a powerful lust for that delicacy. The monster soon turns on his creator, consuming him and absorbing his magical powers. Gwaum realizes that if he can consume two more Wizards of the Golden Star, he will become omnipotent. No one would be able to defeat him.
Gwaum proceeds to destroy the kingdom of Napoli. He uses it as a base from which he will operate as he invades and destroys the other five nations of Island World. At length, he longs to stay inside his ruined land and establishesd a band of Raiders that will travel over the Road of Terror which crosses the Ice Mountains. Once across the mountains they raid settlements, capturing people to serve as food for Gwaum. The tallest mountain in the Ice Mountains is the Crystalcrest. This towering spire of this mountain is topped with a brilliant crystal which glitters in the sunlight.
Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in a faraway land. The Lion Kingdom, beset by barbarians, is on the brink of falling. A deadly plague breaks out, decimating the population. King Bearl, his sister Marial and brother Geron manage to gather a small band of survivors and escape their land in three ships. They search for a mountain topped with a brilliant crystal. A servant of King Bearl when he was a boy had related stories to the growing boy about a series of exploratory voyages sponsored by the king, Bearl's father. A storm strikes, separating the ships. The ship bearing the king and his siblings sails on and finally discovers the object of their quest, the crystal topped mountain.
On their first foray ashore in this strange land, they find deserted villages and then encounter the fierce beast Gwaum. They settle on a small island just off the coast and reside there for several years. Their resources on the island depleted, they finally find a refuge on shore, however they live in constant fear of the monster.
Bearl and Arii, now a full-fledged Wizard of the Golden Star, rise to challenge Gwaum.
Quest of the Wizard is a powerful epic, high fantasy tale relating the trials of Arii and King Bearl as they struggled against all odds to defeat the monster. It is the first book in the Wizards of the Golden Star Series.
