The Dark Secret Saga

"The Dark Secret Saga" is a fantasy story written by the Italian band Rhapsody of Fire. The story is a sequel to The Emerald Sword Saga and it takes place a few years after the events of The Emerald Sword Saga. So far, two parts of the story have been released, split in two CDs:

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*Triumph or Agony

ymphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret

Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret is the beginning of the saga. We are presented with the story of "The Seven Black Books" written by Nekron, son of the Hell God Kron. The books, written with angel blood and then becoming indestructible, tell a part of a prophecy known as the Dark Secret. The prophecy would one day awaken the seven demons who would open the gates to hell, releasing every kind of ancient monsters, alive and dead. Nekron would then be reborn to reign again in the unholy name of cosmic chaos.

A search for the books was conducted. Through the ages, six of the books were found; however, the seventh book, containing the secrets on how to resurrect Nekron, remained unfound. Nevertheless, there was still hope. After he discovered the black books, an angel named Erian had a vision where the Gods of Cosmic Light told him how to stop the prophecy. Erian then wrote, in his own blood, the White Book which revealed how to stop the prophecy. The book represented a threat to the hellish prophecy and to Nekron's resurrection and then, in the age of the Red Moon, 3000 years before, the Lords of the Darklands won their battle against the Army of the Nordic Plains and found Erian's Mystical Book in Ainor's sacred halls. The book was then hidden in the Darklands, in a place known only by the master wizards of the Black Order.

There was hope, however, that the seventh black book held a clue as to where Erian's White Book was hidden, and so The White Dragon's Order, an order dedicated to protect the Enchanted Lands from the Darklands, was founded. A man named Iras Algor wanted to lead a search for the seventh black book. However, no one knew of a way into the darklands. Iras Algor then recalled that Aresius had told him to search for Dargor. Surely he knew the way. There were many objections to this, but Dargor was their only hope, and so Iras Algor, the hero Khaas, princess Lothen and the elven king Tarish, led by Dargor, set out to find the seventh black book hidden in the caves of Dar-Kunor. They took the pass of Erloria, the safer way to reach the grey mountains. At the beginning the journey was full of wonderful visions, in the Dragonlands they found a lot of lovely creatures. But after ten days this sight was over and, when they finally reach the falls of Erloria, the sunlight was over.

Now they were near the grey mountains. The path was full of rocks, the air was cold, but Dargor lead them trough all these dangers. They also had to hide from the Black Order, the soldiers of Nekron. That night, in a magical vision, the father of Dargor, Vankar, appeared to the shadowlord. He reminded Dargor that he was half demon, and now he was a betrayer. Dargor faced him, even when he knew it was the truth.

Then, Iras led them to the mountains of Erinor, the only passage known to men in the plains of the Darklands. When they reached Hargor, it was time for Tarish, the elven king, to find a way through the caverns to Dar Kunor's entrance. The journey was dangerous, but Dargor protected them those two days. Finally they saw in the black and evil marsh, there lied the passageway between snakes and hellish mud. They saw the Dar Kunor river. Tarish knew that the only way was through the black ice water. He dived into the marshes and he soon disappeared. But he soon returned, with good news: he had found the entrance to Dar Kunor.

Symphony of Enchanted Lands II ends here, with the heroes taking a short rest in the Grey Mountains before entering Dar Kunor.

Triumph or Agony

Triumph or Agony, the second part of the Dark Secret Saga, depicts the journey of Khaas, Princess Lothen, Tarish, Dargor and Iras Algor through the caves of Dar-Kunor. It gives some history on the land of Hargor and how it was originally Irith, inhabited by Elves, before Akron rose and took it. It also tells the story of the creation of the Emerald Sword and its sealing behind the gates. In the second-last song, the group journeys into Dar-Kunor. They are halted at a wide gap over a red river, but Iras discovers that Nekron's name is the key — the letters in his name correspond to different numbers in the Nekranos alphabet, aligned in accordance with Black Geometry, they cross on an invisible bridge.

They find the book, but taking it from its pedestal causes hands of rotting flesh to come up out of the ground. The group flees, attempting to escape, however, they reach the river again. This time, they have no time to solve the riddle again, and so, they leap into the river, reasoning that any death is better than the one waiting for them at the hands of the demons behind them. Luckily, they all escape with the final black book. Then, in Orin, the city of the grey walls, Hanos received them, one of the wise kings who believed in the order's plan to save the known world. After a long rest, they began their long jurney back to home. It was time to open the seventh black book.

External links

* [http://www.rhapsodyoffire.com/ Rhapsody of Fire website]