Friday, 14 August 2015

Vardan (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)

First Appearance: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Played By: Jim May

A talking wolf born during the reign of Jadis the self proclaimed Queen of Narnia and the one hundred year winter. 

At some point in his life, he joined the White Witch's Secret Police force being a supporter of her claim to the throne. 


"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"

Vardan is among the members of the Secret Police to be tasked to hunt down and kill both of the Beavers and the Pevensie children at the Beaver's Damn. 

Reaching the Damn, Vardan and the rest of the pack begin to break into the house, but are told to hurry by Maugrime. Finally getting inside, they begin to tear the place apart until they find the Beaver's escape tunnel and follow it. 

He and the pack watch Maugrime as he interrogates the fox, falling for the Fox's ploy to send them North in order to allow the children to get to the Stone Table. 

The pack eventually pick up the correct trail and confront the Pevensie Children at the Waterfall and frozen river crossing, where they corner the children. However he and the other wolves are sent crashing under the water when the ice thaws and creates a powerful wave. 

Surviving the incident, Vardan and the other members of the pack find the Fox gathering "rebels" near the shuddering woods and helps bring him before the Queen: watching him being turned stone, before being ordered to continue to the "Stone Table" after Edmund revealed the location of Aslan and his army. 

Vardan and Maugrime hunt down the Pevensie's at the camp, where they shock Lucy and Susan- while the two girls were playing in the river- by appearing behind their towel that was hanging on a branch. Varden follows Maugrime's statement of their tiredness by stating that they wanted to kill them "quickly." However Susan distracts them long enough to reach for her horn and contact Peter and climb up a tree. Both wolves try and bite at their legs as Peter arrives and draws his sword on them.

Varden circles Peter as Maugrime mocks Peter for standing up to him again with the sword- having done it at the river- and is about to attack when Aslan arrives with Oreius and traps under him the lion's paw. He watches in shock as Peter kills Maugrime and sprints away as soon as he is released, inadvertently leading Oreius and several other of Alsan's forces to the Witch's camp.  

Varden was injured during Edmund's rescue and is subsequently killed by an irate Jadis with a sword for failure.

General Otmin (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)

First Appearance: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

Played By: Shane Rangi
A minotaur living during the reign of Jadis the Queen of Narnia, Otim was the General of the White Witch's army and her second in command, joining and supporting her cause at some point prior to the arrival of the Pevensie children.


"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"

Minutes before the arrival of Oreius and the other creatures in his party to rescue Edmund from the White Witch's military camp, Otim stood before Jadis, proposing the strategy they should use during the upcoming battle between their army and Aslan's. He reveals that he will "send the Minotaur's on the left flank and keep the Giant's on reserve, sending the dwarves in first." 

Hearing the clashing of blades and hoof beats, Otim realises that their bargaining chip- Edmund- was in danger of being taken away from them and alerts the Queen, following her to the tree where Edmund had been kept. He watches as the Queen frees Ginarrbrick and looks to her for new orders. She tells him that "they have work to do."

Otim acted as Jadis' bodyguard during her parle with Aslan and her attempt to regain Edmund in order to sacrifice on the Stone Table. He leaves after the proposal to exchange Aslan's life with Edmund's was agreed by the two leaders. 

Later that evening, Otim stood near the Stone Table as Aslan made his way up the stairs towards the Witch. On her signal, he knocks Aslan out with his axe and enjoys the sight of the Lion being bound, shaved and dragged before the Queen. Upon the "death" of Aslan, the White Witch  tells him to "ready the troops" and he gives a loud bellowing moo to the other members of her army.

Otim is the first to come over the mountain, giving the signal for the rest of the army to advance, waiting for the Queen and her polar bear driven chariot. She tells him that she "has no interest in prisoners, Kill them all," and he commands them to advance. Jumping into the fray he charges towards Aslan's army. However he notices the flock of gryphons in the air, warning the soldiers to "look to the sky." Otim unsheathes his sword and brings down two centaurs

He is forced back by the Pheonix's fire, but continues his assault once the Witch douses the wall with her magic. 

When Peter is thrown from his horse (unicorn), Oreius leads a second charge against Jadis and her forces. Charging at the centaur, Otim is disarmed by a two handed attack and is thrown over Oreius' flank. Trying to hold on and pull him back, Otim had the two blades rammed into his spine and is killed. 

The Narnian Lullaby (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)


First Appearance: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

One of the many Narnian Lullabies played by the Narnians to get them to sleep, Mr. Tumnus learned this piece for his pan pipes.


"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"

During Mr. Tumnus' attempt to kidnap Lucy Pevensie, he asked her whether she wanted to hear any Narnian music. Happily accepting, he goes on to question whether or not she has heard any "Narnian Lullabies" before. He jokingly comments that it was a good thing that she hadn't as "this probably won't sound anything like one" before beginning to play the piece on his pan pipes.

As the music plays, Lucy sees various scenes within the flames as she begins to fall deeper into sleep. When she eventually did fall asleep, Mr. Tumnus continues playing until a vision of Aslan appears in the flames, his roar acting like cold air and blowing out all the candles.

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

The Doorknob (Alice in Wonderland (1951)

 First Appearance: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Played By: Joseph Kearns

Attached to the door at the end of the Rabbit Hole, the Doorknob is the only way for people to enter Wonderland.


"Alice in Wonderland"

When Alice entered the empty room at the end of the passage of doors (opening each one after the other to gain access) she comes across the doorknob fast asleep behind a small curtain at the far end. When she twists the knob, he wakes with a start that shocks her. He accepts her apology, jesting that he had "given me quite a turn" and interrupts her explanation of following the rabbit by complementing his own wordplay. He tells her that "one good turn deserves another" and asks what he can do for her in return. She moves closer to him telling him that she is "looking for a white rabbit". The Doorknob opens it's keyhole wide and she sees the Rabbit and begs that she must get through. However he pulls away saying that she was "much too big" and that the situation was "impassible". She tries to correct him by saying he meant "impossible", but he is defiant that he meant what he said with the justification that nothing can be "impossible."

He directs her to "the bottle on the table" which has just appeared before her and tells her to "read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction." He is confused when Alice talks to herself about the potential for the contents of the bottle being poisonous and watches as she drinks some of the bottle and shrinks to the right size. He chuckles when she asks him what had happened and he replies that "you almost went out like a candle." She points out that she is the right size to pass, but he says that he "forgot to tell you" that he was locked. Thinking she had the key he remarks that she is able to get in and is surprised that she doesn't have it- the key having materialised seconds later on the glass top. He recommends her to "try the box" and eat one of "eat me" biscuits. As Alice grows bigger, he foot presses against his mouth and he makes a comment that is inaudible. Asking what the Doorknob said after removing her foot, he jokes that "a little of that went a long way"

He tries to cheer her up as Alice begins to cry, which results in a large build up of water filling the corridor. He hurriedly points her to the bottle. When she shrinks herself down to a size small enough to fit within the bottle, it is carried on the "tide" and is swallowed by the Doorknob.

While being pursued by the Queen of Hearts, the creatures of Wonderland and the whole pack of playing cards, Alice travels up the purple smoke passage (created by the Caterpillar) and tries to reach out for the door at the end, which is still locked. Alice begs him as the Queen would catch her if she didn't get out, but he states that she is not in Wonderland anymore and tells her to "see for yourself". He opens his mouth and shows the real Alice to be asleep in the meadow where she and her sister had started before, forcing her to bang on the door to wake her up from her dream.

The Fox (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950 Book)

First Appearance: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950 Book): "Chapter Eleven: Aslan is near"

A relatively old fox that lived during the Jadis, The Queen of Narnia's reign and her 100 years of Winter, he was one of the many animals that had been visited by Father Christmas: when her grip over Narnia began to loosen allowing Christmas to happen. He and a party of several woodland residents were given Christmas Food, Wine and Holly.


"Chapter Eleven: Aslan is near"

During the Queen's sledge journey towards the Stone Table Jadis discovered the party in the woods, which was being attended by: the Fox, a family of squirrels, two satyrs and one dwarf who were celebrating the return of Father Christmas, who had given them the stuff. The Fox had been about to start a toast when the Queen ordered her sled to stop and demands to know what was happening. When nobody answers her, she snaps to the Fox that if he didn't answer her question she would get her Dwarf to "find a new tongue with his whip" calling him "vermin." She continues to ask "what is the meaning of this gluttony, this waste, this self indulgence?" and describes all the Christmas related stuff as "things."

The Fox politely tells her that they had been given the stuff, before going on to try and have them "drink your majesty's good health." However she ignores this and goes on to question who had given them. Terrified the Fox stammers that it had been "Father Christmas" and Jadis advances on them with fury. She berates them, saying that it was impossible for "him" to have gotten into Narnia. However she changes her tact and tells them that if they tell her it was a "lie" she would forgive them.

However after one of the child squirrels confirms the Fox's statement to be true, Jadis uses her wand to turn the whole party to stone. She smacks Edmund across the face, who had tried to protest telling him that it was his lesson for asking "favor for spies and traitors", before continuing the journey.


The Fox along with all the other animals at the party were freed by Alsan at some point after the death of the White Witch.

Broken Azura's Star (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

First Appearance: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Taken by Malyn Varen, Azura's star was used for his experiments to find a method to prolong his life from a disease he was dying from. 

Getting more desperate in his experiments and the transfer from the College of Winterhold to Illinalta's Deep the star was broken and damaged, being left in the Illinalta's Deluge when he was finally successful in soul trapping himself- lying near the remains of Varen that had turned into a skeleton. 


"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"

Recovering the Broken Star from the Deluge, the Dragonborn returned the Star to Nelacar at the Frozen Hearth. Openly surprised that they had managed to retrieve it, Nelacar examines the Star expressing his concerns about the state the star was in, which had "fissures and cracks" throughout the artifact. He also discovers the artifact had managed to contain Varen's soul and concludes that the Star is sustaining his "life", but stopping it from it's primary function to being used in enchanting.

Nelacar fixes the star and tasks the Dragonborn to rid the artifact of Malyn's soul- fully repairing the star almost to the state it once was.


Alternate Reality:

Upon finding the Broken Azura's Star the Dragonborn returns it to the Shrine of Azura, where Aranea Ienith happily takes the star from them with the declaration that she knew "the Lady of Twilight had sent you for a reason." She tells them that she will commune with Azura and have her repair the Star to it's former state.

Placing it on the alter of the Shrine, Azura fixes the star, but says that she can't make it whole without the exorcism of Malyn's soul from within. Tasking him to go inside and defeat Varen to remove the enchantments that the mage had put up within that made it capable of capturing mortal souls. 

The Black Star (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

First Appearance: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Formally the Daedric artifact- Azura's Star- of the "Queen of Dusk and Dawn", the Star a refillable soul gem that was altered by Malyn Varen's experiments. These resulted in the Star having the ability to only absorb "Black Souls" (the souls of mortals). The Black Star was cut off from Azura temporarily, while it was in Varen's possession and was permanently cut off by the Dragonborn when Nelacar soul trapped him into the star and allowed them to kill Varen.


"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim"

After the Dragonborn killed Malyn Varen within his "sanctuary" of the interior of Azura's Star and returns to the Frozen Hearth Inn, Nelacar congratulates them for cutting off the link between the Star and Azura, altering "the fate of a Daedric item and live" (which is a very event to happen). The Dragonborn asks what they should do with Black Star now and Nelacar replies that they can keep it and use the Black Star to both collect and manipulate black souls for the enchanting process. He tells them that the Black Star "will never decay", but reminds them that they can no longer absorb "White Souls." 


(In game powers of The Black Star)

A soul gem that is capable of being reused after each enchantment involving the soul within the gem is completed.