The North

The North (aka northern Serenia) was a northern continent in the world of Daventry, and is also the name of the realm which Queen Icebella rules over as the Queen of the North. As a separate continent, it was a land created through Harlin the Malevolent's powerful magic, and was where he once lived.

Background

It was located in the far north of the Western Sea and Northern Sea, over a vast ocean of his own devising. The North was made up of half of the continent of Daventry, and the northern portions of the divided Land of Serenia. The land or most of it, likely ceased to exist when the continent was restored some point after Alexander's return to Daventry.

It lay directly north of the Island, and north east of kingdom of Serenia. Harlin's name for the continent is unclear, but has been described as the North. The continent itself and the ocean that lapped against it were not natural or in their original position, for Harlin had used great powers to create the ocean and move the Great Mountains and create other obstacles to divide Serenia in two. This was done in order to create obstacles against those who would try to defeat him. The continent was dominated by the Great Mountains, a region that normally lies north and east of Serenia, at the time had broken off or was shifted due to magical flux caused by Harlin's own dark power. In their place Harlin used his magic to surround the village of Serenia with the Endless Desert.

The shoreline of the continent leads to the foothills of the land, which head up into the Great Mountains. The mountains were divided between east and west by a deep gorge with a rickety bridge that crosses over it also created by Harlin's power. In the north western edge of the mountains west of the gorge is a magic cave (the words of a locket, "Lucy" deposit all one holds there). Harlin's towering castle lie in the foothills beyond the Great Mountains. The Great Mountains were returned to their original location, as was the Endless Desert, some time after Harlin's defeat at the hands of the Wanderer and Alexander's defeat of the Three-headed Dragon, and the kingdom was restored to its original state. This occured roughly around the time powerful magics were unleashed to restore the kingdom of Daventry and heal the land. This took place not long before Graham was forced to travel north to Serenia to save his family.

While the mountains returned to their original location, its not clear if the areas to the north of the mountains; the hills and Harlin's Castle were part of original continent of Serenia, and if those areas returned to their previous location or not. It is possible that those areas were actually part of the original continent, and still remain in the north.

Icebella is said to be the Queen of the North, she rules the world's polar regions from the Great Mountains.

Geography and seasons

Despite being described as the North, seasonally the continent does not appear to be located as far north as the North Pole or the Arctic at the time the wanderer was on his journey (or he traveled there during the spring or summer). However, it likely to still lie south of the pole at the time as the Wanderer continued to travel north through the continent.

However, it may still be within the polar regions. The Great Mountains are the home of Icebella in KQ5, she is also said to be the Queen of the North, and it is said that she lives near the polar regions. Icebella's realm would have been moved far north along with the mountains (unless her kingdom remained behind and was near the area that Alexander passed through, see Half Dome). Alternatively it could mean that Icebella's realm stretched between the Great Mountains all the way into the Arctic.

The Great Mountains later returned to the original continent location by the time Graham had to cross the mountains.

The land at the time of the Wanderer, seemed to be a rather temperate place with a slight drizzle and rainbows. But most of the time it appears to be a rather sunny land of green grass and trees perhaps in spring and early summer (rather than the place of winter that Icebella rules over). Even many of the beaches surrounding the continent appear to be lush (redrawn as sand covered beach in the Japanese version). This too was probably controlled by Harlin's magic, as further tricks and obstacles to test those who would come for him.

Locations

• Beach
• Foothills
• Great Mountains
• Harlin's Castle

Inhabitants

• Peasant woman
• Giant
• Peddler
• Harlin
• Boar

Behind the scenes

'The North' is a term that originates out of the manual for Adventure in Serenia. 'The North' in fact can describe many of the regions to the north of the village of Serenia where Priscilla was kidnapped.

The mountains on the northern continent in Wizard and the Princess, and the mountains seen north and east of Serenia in KQ5 are both known as the Great Mountains in those games. The reference to the name Great Mountains in KQ5 was a nod to the reference on the back of the Wizard and the Princess box (in the box prologue and C64 description). The King's Quest Companion further describes the mountains in King's Quest I (Door into Mountain and Land of the Clouds) and King's Quest III on the northern edge of the continent of Daventry (at the time Serenia was completely missing) as being part of the Great Mountains.

In Wizard and the Princess/Adventure in Serenia, the mountains are roughly north east of the Village of Serenia but separated by many miles. While the village of Serenia itself is surrounded by the Endless Desert for a long ways in every direction with no mountains in view. In KQ5, the desert is west of the town beyond the forest of Serenia, and the mountains lie to the east, and can be seen rising above the town. This of course causes more questions than it explains anything as far as geographical continuity.

The King's Quest Companion explains these discrepancies away as the world continually being in a state of magical flux that moves lands around. The updated version of the manual for Wizard and the Princess also contains an explanation, that Harlin himself had created the deserts that at the time surrounded the village of Serenia, he also created the ocean that split the continent in half, he created the Great Mountains themselves, and even created the chasms that divided the lands (one between the desert and woods, and the one dividing the great mountains in two). These were all put in place to block those who would try to defeat him. While he suggests he literally created them (this should be seen to be more moving things around than actually creating things out of nothing).

Also much of the material for Wizard and the Princess and even Adventure in Serenia suggests that the areas explored in the game are collectively known as the land of Serenia.

Between Wizard and the Princess; prologue and the King's Quest Companion, this builds an explanation for why most of the northern continent of Daventry (aka Serenia) was missing during the events of KQ3, when Alexander returned home.

In the Japanese port of the game, the beach of the North is made to look more beach-like and has sand.

In the backstory for Wizard and the Princess, the wanderer is offered half the kingdom. It is unclear if his half included northern Serenia.

This is a possible location for Greys and even the nearby land that Crispin was visiting.