Crystania: Legend of the Drifters 1 (novel)

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Crystania:
Legend of the Drifters 1

Author

Ryo Mizuno

Illustrations

Satoshi Urushihara

Japanese title

クリスタニア　漂流伝説1

Romanized title

hyōryū densetsu kurisutania 1

Publication information

Publisher

MediaWorks

Original release

10 June 1993 ^[1]

Chapters

Prologue

The Gods’ Wall
(神の城壁)
To The Kingdom of the Gods
(神の国へ)
The Silver Wolf Girl
(銀狼の娘)
The Blade Fang Duke
(剣の牙の公爵)

Pages

280 ^[1]

ISBN-10

978-4073001102

Novels
← Previous	Next →
Legend of the Heroes	Legend of the Drifters 2

Crystania: Legend of the Drifters 1 is a light novel written by Ryo Mizuno and illustrated by Satoshi Urushihara. Legend of the Drifters is the first novel in the Crystania novel series. Chronologically it is the fourth novel.

　The novel follows Rails, who is a seventeen-year-old young man from Haku, a village in the kingdom of Da’nan, a peninsula of a somewhat uncharted island far to the south of Lodoss island. Da’nan is separated from the rest of the island by an enormous, insurmountable green cliff, called the Gods’ Wall. Beyond these cliffs lies a land called Crystania, believed to be the "Land of the Gods". Despite the insurmountable Gods’ Wall and poisonous clouds lingering around it, Rails hopes to one day be able to pass into Crystania.

Synopsis[]

　Rails and his fifteen-year-old friend Bean are trying to hunt down a bear, that Bean believes he had seen, but they only end up finding two pairs of human footprints. During their search, they meet their friend Sia, a half-elf who lives in the forest outside Haku, near the Gods’ Wall.^[2] They talk about the Gods’ Wall and wanted to go beyond it, like the six adventurers ten years ago.

　When Rails and Bean return to Haku later that day, there is a ruckus in town and a knight of the Royal Guard is present. Rails learns that a thief, with the help of several collaborators, had snuck inside the royal castle.^[3] Rails is asked to help find them. When he returns to his home later, he sees his mother had let two strangers inside, a taller man and a Cha Za devoted dwarf. Believing these guys may be the thieves who the Royal Guard is looking for he decides to turn them in, secretly, during the night. On his way to the station he is spotted by the taller man and the two engage in a fight. It looks like Rails is about to lose, until suddenly the earth begins to tremble and, using this, Rails turns the battle in his favour. He takes the man to the station to turn him in. Much to his surprise, the dwarf, Shiron, also turns himself in, not wanting to abandon his partner.^[4]

　Some days later Rails learns that the two men were trying to save the imprisoned queen, and begins feeling bad about turning the men in. Moreover, he feels like he has become Chancellor Malid's lapdog, like his father. Suddenly, while near the Gods’ Wall with Sia, the two sense more small earthquakes. It reminds them of a similar event ten years prior which caused a crack to appear in the Gods’ Wall and six adventurers used it to enter Crystania and were never seen again.^[5]

　Back in Haku, Rails is eating with his mother and Bean when suddenly another earthquake occurs, heavier than previous ones. Rails goes outside and sees the village in chaos. Bean notices that he doesn't sense Behemoth, the king spirit of the earth, who one would expect to be behind the earthquakes. Sia suddenly appears and informs Rails and Bean that the Gods’ Wall has opened.^[6] At the Gods’ Wall, the trio makes a decision to enter Crystania, each with their own reasons: Rails to unshackle his fate from his father, Bean to practice his magic, and Sia to learn what happened to Nasare, Brian's son and one of the six adventurers from ten years ago.^[7] They head back to Haku to equip and prepare for their adventure. The next day the trio is joined by Basso and Shiron—the two had escaped with help from the earthquakes, and the party of five uses the crack in the wall to enter Crystania.^[8]

　On top of the Gods’ Wall, the party looks over Crystania and see mostly forest. The party enters the forest, and decides to follow a river in hopes of it leading to some form of civilization.^[9] After a long walk without success, the party sets up camp. At night they are attacked by two creatures, but Rails manages to kill both of them. Sia recognizes the creatures as goblins, monsters native to the land of their ancestors, and wonders how they ended up in Crystania. Shortly after, three wolves accompanied by six people emerge, and behind them stood a large silver wolf, Surge, and a young pretty woman with silver hair, Maris. She explains her tribe is in battle with the tribe the goblins belong to.

　Maris invites Rails and the others to her village, where many wolves walk among men. There, she explains about the history of Crystania: during the War of the Gods several gods remained neutral and fled to Crystania, where to took the bodies of animals to hide from pursuing dragon lords. One god sealed himself in a lion, another in a snake, another in a tiger. The god that Maris’ tribe follows, Feness, sealed himself in a wolf. The gods created a so-called Cycle to govern Crystania, granting its inhabitants eternal life.^[10] Three hundred years ago outsiders entered Crystania and founded a kingdom called Beldia, named after one of their legendary rulers. The Crystanians refer to these people as the "People of the Dark", because they follow the god of darkness Phalaris. The Crystanians call themselves the People of the Animals, because of their devotion to their native gods, the animal gods.^[11]

　Originally, outsiders wouldn't have been able to enter Crystania, because of the large wall created by the animal god Rumiss. However, since its creation, Beldia and Da’nan have left the Cycle and their lands were lowered to their original height. Da’nan because its animal god Fuji did not wish the harsh conditions the Cycle had set for her people, and Beldia because the animal god Barbas, currently called the "Gods’ King", lowered it himself to grant the People of the Dark access to his land in exchange for the body of their king. No longer in an animal’s body, Barbas’ has regained much of his original strength, outpowers the other animal gods, and is therefore the "Gods’ King". The People of the Animals oppose him and his minions.^[12]

　Suddenly the village is attacked by the People of the Dark. Rails tries to help, and has some early success. When he sees Maris fight against a giant warrior he tries to help, but the large man suddenly disappears, then re-appears behind Rails and strikes him, leaving Rails on the brink of death.^[13] He wakes up the next day, fully healed, and in the presence of Maris and her large silver wolf Surge. Maris says the giant warrior is from Beldia and is known as the Blade Fang Duke. His skill of re-appearing behind Rails is a talent bestowed upon him by the god he follows, just like healing is her talent (not magic). Maris explained that during the battle she told everyone to abandon the village, including Rails' friends. After the conversation, Rails and Maris decide Rails should return to Da’nan with his friends and, together with Surge, they return to the crack in the Gods’ Wall. When they eventually arrive there, the party encounters the Blade Fang Duke, Grael, and several of his minions. He has taken Bean, Sia, Basso and Shiron captive. Though Maris pleads the Duke to let them go, Grael says he can't because they now know of their existence—as long as Da’nan does not know of his lord Barbas’ plans to conquer all of Crystania, including Da’nan, conquering Da’nan will be much easier. During the conversation, Rails suddenly pulls a knife and throws it at the Duke, hitting him in the right eye. The Duke collapses, and Rails’ companions use the momentum to break free and kill the Duke's henchmen. They decide their adventure is over and should return to their own land, but suddenly Surge leaps in front of them as if trying to protect them and falls on the ground, lifeless. In his forehead the dagger that Rails had thrown at the Duke, who had risen again. He vows revenge and disappears. Though Rails could go return to Da’nan and get help from his father, he decides to stay in Crystania and fight the Duke himself. His companions decide to stay with him.^[14]