The story begins in the first book in the series, '' The Merchant Of Death ''. Bobby Pendragon grows up in Stony Brook, Connecticut, and at age fourteen, his uncle takes him to an abandoned subway station where he and Bobby travel through a portal through space-time called a flume. Bobby soon finds himself in a different territory called Denduron where he discovers that he was chosen to be a Traveler, a defender of the universe from an evil villain, Saint Dane, who wants to destroy it. To save the universe, Bobby must rescue all ten territories from destruction.
So far, Bobby has travelled to Denduron, Cloral, First Earth (Earth in the year 1937), Veelox, Eelong, and Zadaa, each time trying to keep Saint Dane from destroying the territory. In the upcoming seventh book, '' The Quillan Games '', Bobby will travel to Quillan as well.
One interesting thing to note is that half of the first six books deal with class differences as one of the main themes.
The Travelers are a group of people with incredible wit and talent and are usually very unique to their own territory. This group believes in a natural fate-like theory that gives them the motto; ''This is the way it was meant to be.''
Any mortal hand that we know of does not pick the Travelers, and so far we have only determined that they are born and raised for the purpose of being a Traveler. For example, when Bobby was younger his "uncle" took him on expeditions and otherwise to prepare him for some of the things he would have to do as a Traveler. This was also the way it was for Loor, and as far as we know, Spader.
There should be only one Traveler from each territory, and at the time when there are two travelers, the more previous of the two will soon die. The previous traveler, however, is allowed a certain amount of time to train the new traveler in ways of judgment and responsibility.
The purpose of the Travelers is to save Halla from Saint Dane, who is also a traveler. The Travelers have apparently been around for a very long time, but if this were always the case it would make Saint Dane ancient.
See more information on the travellers in the List Of Characters
Men and women who help the travelers. The Acolytes use their knowledge of Halla to help the travelers defeat Saint Dane. They supply the travelers with information and supplies, such as transportation and clothing. They, however, cannot travel between territories as far the original rules state. But they each receive a ring. Through that ring they can receive things from the travelers, but they can only send things to another acolyte. There is one acolyte per territory, but in Bobby's case, he has two. Although, when there is a new Acolyte, the old Acolyte does not die, as with Tom Dorney. They are his best friends Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. On Cloral, Vo Spader's acolyte is Wu Yenza his boss. On Veelox, Aja's acolyte is Evangeline. On Eelong, Kasha's acolyte is her friend Boon. On Zadaa, Loor's acolyte is Saangi, her little sister. On Denduron Alder's acolyte is the Milago woman whose husband died in a Transfer ceremony.
A realm of space-time. The territory that Bobby Pendragon comes from is called Second Earth. Most of the territories are similar to Second Earth. For example, most have the same kinds of plants, animals, and people in them. Most territories have a normal sun in the sky, with the exceptions of Denduron and Eelong, and the possible exceptions of Quillian and Ibara.
Territories are interconnected by flumes, tunnels through space-time. Only Travelers can use the flumes.
Here is a list of the ten different territories:
- - The territory where Bobby comes from. Earth in modern times. Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde are Bobby's friends and become his acolytes in the fourth book, '' The Reality Bug ''. The Quigs of this territory are large dogs.
- - Loor's home territory. Mostly desert, with two civilized tribes: The Rokador and the Batu. All the other tribes in Zadaa are uncivilized cannibals. Loor comes from the Batu tribe. Loor's acolyte is a girl named Saangi, also from the Batu tribe. Bobby visits Zadaa in the sixth book, '' The Rivers Of Zadaa ''. The quigs of this territory are large snakes.
- - Earth in the year 1937. A man named Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke is the Traveler from First Earth. (See the list of Characters for more detail). Bobby comes to First Earth in the third book, '' The Never War ''.
- - Earth in the year 5010. Now the Earth is in peace, pollution has been taken care of, and people are colonizing other planets and moons in our solar system. The Traveller from Third Earth is called Patrick.
- - A territory mostly covered with frozen undiscovered continents, but near the equator are three inhabited continents. One of these continents are where two battling tribes live: The Milago and the Bedoowan. The Milago are forced to hunt for glaze, a kind of valuable mineral, and give it to the Bedoowan. The Traveler from Denduron is a Bedoowan knight called Alder. His acolyte is a Milago woman who lost her husband to the Bedoowan in the first book. Bobby and his Uncle Press visit Denduron in the first book, '' The Merchant Of Death ''. The quigs of this territory are polar bears with large spikes on their backs.
- Territory Era: 124-the year of rising light
- Principal Tribes: Bedoowan, Gallauao, Milago, Novan, Reuenian, Toom
- Population: Approximately 12,300,000
- Three Suns: Noab, Lao, Rigg
- Landmass: Fifteen continents; three inhabited (Bedoo, Nodd, Galla), 12 uncharted
- Oceans: 9. The largest, Tinitebian, surrounds the continent of Bedoo where the Bedoowan and Milago tribes live
- Highest Peak: The mountain of Orloo (on the continent of Nodd). At 29,112 feet, it is taller than Mount Everest of Second Earth and three times as tall as the mountains of loom near the Milago village
- Climate: Inhabited continents along the meridian are temperate. Uncharted continents to the north and south are frozen
- Currency: Quills (one quill=approximately 3 US dollars).
- Time Measured In: Marrs (one marr=approximately 1 hour
- Major Holidays: Feast of Noab (Milago holiday to celebrate on the harvest), Kukura (Nouan holiday that rejoices in the creation of the stars), Runnow Taa (Bedoowan holiday of music)
- - A territory completely covered by water. The inhabitants of Cloral live on huge floating cities called habitats, with the exception of the recently re-discovered Faar. Each city has a job to do. Some cities make all the machinery for Cloral, and some grow all of the food. An energetic man named Vo Spader is the Traveler from Cloral. Spader's acolyte is his boss, Wu Yenza. Bobby and his Uncle Press come to Cloral in the second book, '' The Lost City Of Faar ''. The quigs of this territory are sharks.
- Territory Era: 70470
- Population: Approximately 7,540,000
- Cities: One on land, 524 floating.
- Among Them:
- Grallion (farming community)
- District of Rann (government seat)
- Katimba Laaq (recreation center)
- Panger City (finacial center)
- Corrian (shipbuilding community)
- Faar (arts center)
- Landmass: one islang of approximately five square miles. The rest of the territory is covered with water
- Other notable lopography: the Corrian Trench, an eight-hundred-mile under-water trench that is to deep to explore
- Climate: tropical
- Currency: Eggles (one eggle=approximately 2 US dollars)
- Principal Game Fish: Spinney, Cooger, Kooloo, Preel
- Time Measured In: Pecks (one peck=20 minutes)
- Notable Events: Rediscovery and reclamation of the City of Faar; desruction of the manufacturing city Magorran; "The Cloral Exposion," a giant world's fair type event where an entire floating city was created to host cultural displays and amusements from every city
- Traveler: Vo Spader
- - A territory with cities similar to those on Earth, except for Lifelight, a computer program that can plug your body into a computer and make you feel like you are in a fantasy world. Most of the people in Veelox have abandoned their homes and live in their own fantasies. The Traveler from Veelox is a girl named Aja Killian. Her acolyte is her aunt, Evangeline. (See the list of characters for more detail on Aja and Evangeline.) Bobby visits Veelox in the fourth book, '' The Reality Bug ''.
- - Probably the territory most unlike Earth. Eelong is covered in tropical jungle. The most intelligent creatures there are not human. They are beings called klees. They look like cats, but stand on two legs and have no tail. Humans there are called gars, and are kept as pets. The Traveler from Eelong is a girl Klee called Kasha. The quigs on Eelong are humans, and Bobby visited Eelong in the fifth book, '' Black Water .
- - A territory of games where to lose is to die. Quillan is a territory on the verge of destruction. The people have lost control of their own future. The only chance they have of finding a better life is by playing the Quillan Games -- games in which game masters Veego and LaBerge use the people of Quillan as pawns in competitions that range from physical battles to impossible obstacle courses to computer-driven tests of agility. To triumph in the games is to live the life of a king. To lose is to die
- - Ibara was mentioned once in ''The Guide to The Territories of Halla'' (see below) as the tenth territory.
The listing at the end of the ''Guide'' implies that Third Earth,Ibara, and Second Earth will be the settings for the final three books (in that order) but this has not been confirmed.
- - Bobby is a normal 14 year old boy. He was the best basketball player in his school, but right before the state semi-finals, while he was kissing Courtney Chetwynde, Uncle Press took him to Denduron. He has had a crush on Courtney since the elementary school and she on him. His best friend is Mark Dimond. After awhile his journey led him through many dangerous missions. In the third book, he found out that he was known as the 'Lead traveler' to the other Travelers. Bobby's acolytes are Mark and Courtney Chetwynde.
- - Saint Dane is an evil Traveler that wants to destroy Halla, so he can remake it how he wants it. He first met Bobby in the subway station in the Bronx. Saint Dane is an evil demon who can shape shift and is trying to take over Halla and the ten territories. All he needs is one, he says, and the other Territories will be like dominoes, falling after the first. He usually changes his name and appearance in order to pass unnoticed by the Travelers. His origins are unknown.
- : Press Tilton (or Uncle Press) is Robert "Bobby" Pendragon's uncle. In "The Merchant of Death", he told Bobby he was a Traveler and took him on an adventure. Tilton was a very respected Traveler. On Denduron, the Bedoowan imprisoned him. Tilton died on Cloral (his favorite territory) of a gunshot sent through the flume from First Earth. He is buried in Cloral.
- - Mark is Bobby’s closest friend since kindergarten. He is not very popular and gets bullied by a kid named Andy Mitchell. His room is very messy, and he likes to read books. He once read that eating carrots makes your eyesight better, so he ate them for four months, but all they did was turn his teeth yellow. When he needs privacy, he goes to the boys’ washroom on the third floor, because no one ever goes there. Osa gave him a ring, so he’ll be able to receive Bobby’s journals. He asked Courtney to read it with him, because he knew that she liked Bobby too. Mark is one of Bobby's acolytes.
- - Courtney is the strongest girl in her school, and she plays for the boys’ volleyball team, because she always beats the girls easily. She is described as very attractive and has had a crush on Bobby since 4th grade. She told him about that night before Uncle Press took him to Denduron. She tells Mark what to do, because he’s really scared. Like Mark, she is Bobby's acolyte.
- - Loor is the Traveler from Zadaa and is Bobby’s partner in their adventures in Denduron. She’s a very strong warrior, and doesn’t like people that correct her. Osa is her mother. She always saves Bobby’s life because her mother told her to because he the lead Traveler. She likes Bobby, and is "there when a warrior is needed". In the middle of the sixth book, Bobby tells Mark Dimond that he has feelings for Loor. Loor was killed briefly by Saint Dane, but was brought back to life by Bobby.
- -He is from the territory Cloral, the water territory. He is one of the travelers. He lives on the habitat of Grallion and works as an Aquaneer. He accompanies Bobby on the mission to First Earth and almost ruins the mission because he was blinded by the hate he has for Saint Dane. Saint Dane had killed his father. He also was the cause, by accident, of Bobby's Uncle Press's death. His acolyte is Wu Yenza, his boss and chief Aquaneer.
- - Alder is the traveler from the territory Denduron. He is a Bedoowan knight. He is very tall and a trained knight. He is quite clumsy but has large caring eyes that remind Bobby of a puppy's.
- - An old African American man, Gunny he is Traveler from First Earth. Bobby first meets Gunny when he first visited First Earth in '' The Never War ''. Gunny has also helped Bobby on Eelong and is currently stranded on there with Spader since the flume collapsed.
- - Kasha is a klee(Jungle cat who lives and acts like a human) who is the traveler of Eelong. Her and her acolyte, Boon, find and save Black Water, a civilization that klees usualy dismiss as a gar (human) myth. At the end of Black Water, she was killed by falling rocks.
- - acolyte of Eelong after Bobby finds out that Yorn, the original acolyte of Eelong, was Saint Dane posing as Yorn.
- -Seegen is Kasha's father(Another jungle cat from Eelong)he was the traveler from Eelong before he passed it down to Kasha
#'' The Merchant Of Death ''
There is also '' The Guide To The Territories Of Halla '' (2005) by Victor Lee, D.J. MacHale, and Peter Ferguson.
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