Kingdom of Daventry

The Kingdom of Daventry (aka the Realm of Daventry or the Land of Daventry) is the most populated kingdom in the world of Daventry. It is part of the continent of Serenia (aka continent of Daventry), having been a united country for centuries. Daventry is but a small spot among many larger lands (at least at the time between KQ2 and KQ3). Daventry is (at least in the view of noted Daventry writer Derek Karlavaegen) the greatest kingdom on the continent, and there is a great deal of evidence to support his belief.

Background
King Edward had evidently consolidated the present kingdom of Daventry, increasing its size severalfold. However when he lost the magic shield, invaders began shrinking its borders. The kingdom saw growth for a time after Graham saved the kingdom. Under Graham it had grown to four hundred and eighty-seven heptanes-square, an area bounded by forests including the Old Woods. Although the kingdom was said to be a small spot among the many larger lands surrounding the kingdom. Graham had no authority beyond the limits of the fields, and no desire to rule more. Castle Daventry was located about four miles away from the Old Wood to the east. The kingdom's borders were reduced again during the attacks by the three-headed dragon. It was back to its height by the time Mordack stole the Castle.

The land is a monarchy and is a very peaceful and fair land, ruled by King Graham, who was ruled the realm for over two decades. He is renowned as a mighty, just and strong king, and is a beloved hero and leader to his subjects, and runs his Kingdom fairly and wisely. Under Graham, the kingdom has grown to be rich and strong, a great turnaround from many years of poverty and weakness, and it's population has grown to great numbers.

Magical beings, such as Elves and Fairies roam the land, but the humans make up the majority of the population. At one time, the land was infested with evil creatures such as Ogres, Dark Elves, and Witches but those fell beasts were banished from the Kingdom long ago through force during the rule of Graham.

Daventry is a a strong nation, defended by a large army and a good number of loyal and devoted knights and the Castle Guard (lead by Captain Roderick). Daventry also supports a Naval Fleet, whose flagship was at one time the lost Johannes Bey.

The land is bordered on the north and the east by the Great Mountains, which separate Daventry from the land of Serenia to the north, and the Kingdom of Sorrow to the east. Also beyond Daventry's borders to the north and east lie the Swamp. The Old Wood borders Daventry to the north, north-west, east and south. One edge of the Old Wood lies four miles from the castle to the east. Another ancient and dark forest borders the western edge of the kingdom, where the wizard Morowyn lives just north of the Old Wood (and may even be part of that wood). . Daventry has at least one main population center, the town of Daventry lying to the south of the castle, under the shadow of the castle. The community that Connor, Julia, Sarah and others reside in is a small farming community south of Castle Daventry on the edge of Daventry town.

Daventry has a population of thousands of people. The citizens of Daventry are scattered, some live in Daventry town, others in farms throughout the kingdom.

Of the great countries of the world, greatest is the Kingdom of Daventry, a land of wonder and marvels. It is home to King Graham, his queen, Valanice, and their children, Alexander and Rosella. Twins these two are, and courageous beyond words, as are their parents. Here too abide monsters and magicians, giants and little folk, witches and fairies, cruel beasts and human people, commoners and kings.

Great troubles have beset this illustrious kingdom for years, pausing only to allow troubles that seem greater still to befall. Great too are the tales that have been told and sung of the struggles to vanquish those difficulties. Good King Edward gave his life for the sake of his people and kingdom, as King Graham and his children almost have.

Daventry is the most populated part of the world; it is renowned for its great keep, Castle Daventry, and its gentle lakes, which are so numerous as to be almost beyond counting. Many lakes are fed by the greatest of streams, the River Fools. Daventry's awesome mountains, the Great Mountains, punch upwards through the clouds to snowcapped summits daring to be scaled. Giants walk those clouds, yeti prowl the snows, and the great Roc's nest in its most in its most inaccessible peaks. Dragons own the land's innards and share it with leprechauns; witches on their brooms fly the skies along with giant condors; and ogres and trolls and dwarfs and elves and gnomes fill the secret spaces known only to themselves. Magic flows through everything.

At the moment the Kingdom of Daventry seems whole, having rebuilt itself from years of flaming terror caused, at various ill times, by a three-headed dragon, constant earthquakes, and the Great Tear which ripped the Castle itself from the ground before plunging it back later. Castle Daventry returned unscratched; the ground had less of an easy time accepting it. These terrors destroyed much of the beautiful land, forcing many folk to flee to the western and southern kingdoms. Vast chasms appeared, ripping the earth apart much as one would open a ripe fruit. Whole sides of mountains collapsed, burying some landmarks and creating others. Great walls were built throughout Daventry to contain the terrible beast so it would not maraud the entire continent. These walls succeeded, but they also magnified the damage done within the kingdom.

Now, though, the walls are down as if they never were, and the stone used to build homes for the returning population. The rains have been good, perhaps in celebration of deliverance, and the natural world healed itself again. The fresh greens of new trees and shrubs and bushes and plants had completely wiped the black sand browns of formerly burnt landscapes. Great magics were unleashed; once unable to destroy a dragon, they rebuilt and reclaimed the land. Once might suspect dread technology at work, so quickly went the transformation.

To the north and west of Daventry, beyond the River Fools and the Great Mountains lies the Sovereignty of Serenia. Although they lie somewhat near to each other, very little trading or communication goes on between them, due to the barries that lie between the two nations.

History of the Kingdom
Daventry is a very old kingdom, and it has had its share of kings, both good and bad, over the thousands of years since it was founded. The land has held strong and extremely rich for hundreds of years with the help of the Three Great Treasures; the Magic Mirror, the Magic Shield and the Magic Chest.

However, tragedy befell the land as King Edward the Benevolent lost the treasures one by one, and in the years that followed the loss of the treasures, Daventry became a poor and weak country, wracked with poverty, famine and war. Again and again Daventry was invaded, it's once mighty borders growing smaller and smaller. The famine had reduced the population again and again, until few remained in Daventry. Even if an army could have been raised, no gold existed to pay for it. The castle's moat with its flesh-eating beasts, and thick metal-clad door was all that protected the kingdom. The weakening spells of long departed sorcerers, backed by the sword-arms of fewer than 100 worn-out and battered knights were the kingdom's final defenses. . As time passed Edward grew older and weaker until one day, years later,before the immanent death of the aged ruler, King Edward sent for his noblest and bravest knight, Sir Graham, and charged him with a great quest, to find the lost treasures which would restore the land to it's former glory. If he succeeded, he would succeed Edward, and become the King of Daventry. At the time Graham was looking for the treasures the land was almost completely surrounded by containment barriers, which prevented travel outside the kingdom bending the edges of the kingdom back on itself. The restoration of the kingdom due to the return of the treasures broke the spells creating the barriers. The Raging River, River Fools, Merelee River, and the river through Connor's community are several rivers that pass through the kingdom. Lake Maylie lies to the north of the castle, close to the castle's northern walls.

Graham was successful in his perilous adventure, and thus became the King of Daventry, and began a long rule which continues to this day. A couple of years after his coronation, Graham embarked on a quest to find a bride and queen for his kingdom, and at the culmination of his long and perilous quest he married Valanice, a princess of the Land of Kolyma and soon the King and Queen provided the Kingdom with heirs, twins; a son and daughter named Alexander and Rosella and all seemed well.

However, during Graham's reign other disasters befell the long besieged kingdom, but they were healed. The son of Graham and Valanice was stolen from his cradle in the castle nursery by the shores of Lake Maylie. He wouldn't return home for almost 18 years, when the kingdom was ravaged by a three-headed dragon. Daventry at the time was surrounded by many stone walls built by other kingdoms to prevent the dragon from leaving Daventry and ravaging their lands, and the Great Tear ripped Castle Daventry from its foundations and settled it back on the ground unscathed (though the tear left the moat drained).

A year later the castle and the Royal family, with the exception of Graham, were minimized by Mordack in order for him to try to break the spell on his brother Manannan.

Almost a year later, Alexander left from Daventry sailing for three months to the Land of the Green Isles where he married Cassima and became king. Not long after Rosella and Valanice traveled to parallel world of Eldritch, and shortly after returned to castle Daventry to tell King Graham of their adventures.

A few years later, almost every person in Daventry turned into stone when the Mask of Eternity was broken, but they were healed by Connor.

Culture
In the realm of Daventry for entertainment, the people spend their evenings regaling each other with tales of heroic deeds.

There are many holidays and festivals celebrated in the kingdom at different times of the year, and often seasonal. In summer they have the Midsummer Fair, and the Midsummer Fest Dance, in autumn they have the Harvest Festival, which leads up to the Feast of the Harvest Moon, in the spring they have the Sun Festival.

Castle Daventry
Castle Daventry is the castle built by King Edward for his wife Queen Maylie. It is renowned throughout Daventry for it's magnificence and beauty, and is where the Royal Family resides and rules from. The castle also houses the Three Treasures of Daventry, and is the seat of power for the kingdom and the meeting place of the realm's Nobility for Council meetings. It housed the two throne rooms, the Great Hall, and the Throne Room. The castle contains many entrances, some secret and others visible. Surrounded mostly by a Moat infested with Alligators and Moat Monsters, it was the castle seen throughout most of the series.



At one time, Castle Daventry was located in the middle of a serene valley in between several mountains somewhere near the southwestern edge of the continent of Daventry. When Serenia reappeared Daventry and Castle Daventry were still located roughly in southwestern edge of the continent. But not long after, the continent shifted again putting Daventry in the southeastern side of the continent. During the time of the cataclysm the lands shifted again, and it rested on a high mountain near the shores of the Western Sea. It seems likely that the land around it Daventry magically altered several times, and the during the cataclysm even the land under the Castle Daventry was altered (in an event similar to what happened with the Great Tear). Secret passages still pass from the castle to the bottom of the mountain.

Castlekeep Ruins
In the countryside of Daventry (As seen in KQ8) near Connor's Village, lies the Castlekeep Ruins, the mostly abandoned ruins of a much older castle keep that predates Edward's Castle. The ruins contain traps, a strange magical device and a magical teleportation square hidden within its walls.

Towns, Villages, and other Civilization
The town of Daventry is the main center of civilization in Daventry. Castle Daventry lies to the north overlooking the town. Connor lives on the edge of a less populated section of the city. While Daventry is the main center in the Kingdom there are other towns

During the time of the cataclysm a few villages or towns could be seen to the north of the castle.

Gerwain speaks of other villages as well.

Road side inns are located near the dusty roads that pass through the hills of Daventry. Lone farms, cabins, and other homes dot the countryside. On the southern edge of Daventry is a small farm with walls of white stone belongs to a farmer.

Land of lakes, rivers, and streams
Daventry is or has been a land of many lakes. It contains at least seven lakes possibly more, including a clear blue lake, a swampy lake, a mirror-like lake, the Beautiful Lake ('beautiful little lake'), Lake Maylie ('clear mountain lake'), Long Lake, the Small Alpine Lake, the Inviting Lake, and The Lake (a shallow lake where the Wizard's Island. About a half hour of steady walking due south of Castle Daventry leads to a still green pond beside the road leading from the castle. The pond wide banks were thickly overgrown with delicate green vines. The branches of a willow droop low over its shimmering surface. A hidden trail passes near the pond starting from the willow. The faint path angled away from the base of the willow up a steep slope around the rocky bank of the pond. The trail leads overland towards a road, the road is parallel to the eastern edge of the Old Wood to the west of the kingdom.

It also has many rivers, streams, brooks and natural springs; including the River Fools, the Raging River, and Dangerous River to the south, and the Merelee River to the west. Many of these lakes, streams and natural springs feed Daventry's many lakes. A river or stream passes from the Wizard's lake near Daventry, by a Mill in Connor's community. An ancient and dark wood where Morowyn lives that lies west of Castle Daventry has a small brook traveling through it. Another river lies roughly to the south of Daventry near the eastern edge of the Old Woods, it is made up of dangerous rapids and feeds into a boggy marsh down stream, where the witch Sinofas lives. Only a single bridge crosses it near Daventry's farmlands, and it is the only way across for many miles before reaching any areas that can be forded.

This water supply makes Daventry a highly fertile land. Fields of crops spread out in all directions from the castle. Along the west lay the fruitful fields of Daventry. Barley, rye, and oats grew in abundance. Orchards of fruit trees occupied the low-lying hills to the south, their branches drooping with their sweet burden. Sheaves of corn and wheat were grown in the southern fields. , an area bordered by the southern brushlands and the Old Woods. The north-south road passed from the Old Woods, through the southern hills, into Daventry town, and finally to the castle. In the northern fields, grain, fruit, apples, vegetables, and comb honey are harvested. Beyond the fields in the east passing fields of barley and rye was the Old Wood which lay beyond the border of Daventry, about a league away. Graham had no authority beyond the limits of the fields, and no desire to rule more These fertile lands offered great harvests which were celebrated through the Harvest Festival.

Forests
The mountain forest of Daventry stretches across the kingdom of Daventry. Some places bright with nice green trees, and meadows and lakes in between. Other areas are swampy.

Other parts of the forest are merely gloomy, leading into the dark part of the forest which is located in the middle of the woods.

The forests are roamed of by ogres, dwarfs, wolfs, and a sorcerer.

The Gingerbread House of the witch Dahlia was located deep into the darkest part of the forest. Though at times even that part of the forest appeared as beautiful and lush as the rest of the forest, with green grass growing around gingerbread house, likely an illusion put up by the late Dahlia to lure unsuspecting victims to her home.

To the north and west of Daventry's forest lands lies the Old Wood.

Geography and location
In highly stylized maps sent by Derek Karlavaegen, Daventry's geography and location has changed over the years. However, these maps never show the exact location of the towns of Daventry (implying they must be outside the bounds of edges of the maps).

In earliest maps sent by Derek, Castle Daventry was located roughly in southwest corner of the Continent of Daventry, and the Kingdom took up most of the continent. Around this time the great Wizard Harlin had used his terrible magicks to shift much of the continent of Serenia into the North beyond an ocean of his creation into the Unknown, leaving what was known as the continent of Daventry to the south. The lake district was located to the northeast of the castle.

By the time of KQV, Daventry was still located more or less in the southwest portion of the restored continent of Serenia, by this time Harlin had been defeated several years before and the continents were merged again (but Daventry only took up a very small portion of the continent). The lake district was still located more or less northeast of the castle (but south of Serenia, and west of an unmarked peninsula).

By the time of KQ6, however the continent had shifted again, and the Kingdom of Daventry was located more to the south eastern corner of the continent (but more inland). The lakes more or less surrounded the castle.

By KQ8 it seems that it had shifted again towards the western edge of the continent.

During springtime, there is winds from the western sea, and warm rains in Daventry.

The hills of Daventry are said to have dusty roads with roadside inns.

Landmarks

 * Castle Daventry
 * Gnome's Island (Gnome Isle)
 * Gingerbread House
 * Mushroom Isle
 * Beautiful Lake
 * Ancient Well
 * Door into Mountain
 * Lake Maylie
 * Long Lake
 * Inviting Lake
 * Goat Pen
 * River Fools
 * Raging River
 * Merelee River
 * Woodcutter's Cottage (Wood Cutter's Cottage/Woodcutter Cottage)

Behind the scenes
"Well, ya, King's Quest is on earth. Daventry is very old city from a long time ago. It's in ruins now and people aren't quite sure exactly where it used to be. There are some archaeologists searching through the ruins, they think they know its Daventry. But its somewhere on Earth.'" -Roberta Williams, Talkspot Interview, part 1 (1:20:40 to 1:59:58)

The appearance of the Kingdom of Daventry, and the location of landmarks are not consistent throughout the game series (although the appearance of the castle in KQ1AGI and KQ1 roughly similar, the landmarks are not in the same locations). The castle's appearance and location in the kingdom changes as well.

Quest for the Crown SCI
Overall the geography is very different. The forest is thicker, and generally darker, and less wide open. Certain parts of the forest appear to have a rotting aspect to them. Some of the geography has shifted or represented differently. For example the rock with the cave exit to the Dragon's lair exists only one screen in the remake (whereas it was on two screens in the original). The mountain with the Door into Mountain is on two screens, where it was originally on one screen. Some of the lakes are longer. One lake appears on three screens even, when it was on two screen in the original. The streams from the beautiful lake that lead into the distance or into the foreground are gone (though it still retains a waterfall at least).

Where as hills and other cliffs were only suggested in the background details of artwork in the original. In the remake, there are places where Graham will climb over and behind a hill before moving onto the next screen.

Castle Daventry is on three screens rather than two. Although it fits within a general two screen area that surrounds it.

To Heir is Human
In KQ3 the landmarks somewhat resemble the same landmarks from KQ1AGI (although weathered, broken and beaten). Although their geographical locations have been scrambled placing them in completely different places than they appeared in the previous game. The Ancient Well was moved directly next to Door into the Mountain. Both landmarks were moved south of the castle, rather than 'north' of the castle, and basically directly south of the former Raging River (aka River Fools), in KQ3 a dry river bed (and location of Rumplestiltskin's shack).

This new scrambled geography is directly reflected and shown on the Magic Map.

Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder


In KQ5, the geography of Daventry is largely different than it was in previous games.

In KQ5, Graham is shown walking near a small lake or pond (Lake Maylie according to KQ6 Hintbook) picking a flower. He travels east coming up over the rise of a hill not far from the castle to its south. The architecture of the castle is completely different than it appeared in KQ1-3 (including both versions of KQ1), or the KQ1 remake. Trees of a well-manicured garden line a road passing from the drawbridge to the bottom of the hill. The game also includes a few close-ups of the tree Cedric had landed on. There is also a brief flyover of an area between Daventry and Serenia. With a river, and mountains (the desert appears in the distance to the left).

The hill south of the castle did exist there in both KQ1, or the re-scrambled geography of KQ3. As mentioned Lake Maylie switched locations from north of the castle, to southwest of the castle above the rise.

The Princeless Bride
In KQ7, there are a few areas of Daventry shown when Rosella is singing 'world beyond dreams'. Rosella is shown singing on top of a grassy plateau, she is singing from an outcrop hanging above edge of the cliff. A waterfall falls down the cliff nearby. The plateau overlooks a deeply forested valley below. A path or road lined by trees leads off from the cliff to an unknown location.

In the next scene Rosella can also be seen in what looks like a dense and overgrown forested area with large trees, vines, boulders and a pond (this is said to be a garden outside the castle in the King's Quest Companion). Interesting enough Rosella is holding a red rose like the one she could be seen holding in the first scene (which quickly blows away in the breeze), suggesting that both scenes do not take long after each other. Valanice also appears to be tending a bush in one scene (which would also suggest that it is a garden). It would seem to be implied that the garden is located outside of the castle in KQC. So perhaps the path from the first scene leads off into the castle garden (and she was never very far away from garden when she was singing). If this is the case, perhaps the waterfall is similar to the The Waterfall in KQ8 that drains off from the castle's moat.

Mask of Eternity
Mask of Eternity shows Connor's community, a less populated section of Daventry town which is located outside of Castle Daventry. This was an area of Daventry or one of the areas of Daventry referenced in the earlier games (see references to 'towns/villages' in earlier games/manuals/books) but not shown in any previous game. His community is located in a small valley near a lake, stream, and a hill where Castlekeep Ruins are located.

King's Quest 1 second manual mentions "Daventry's church..." However, this location is not shown in the game. It is shown for the first time in KQ8.

Castle Daventry is located on a mountaintop (perhaps similar to its implied location in KQ7, but still different than in the earliest games (KQ1, KQ2, KQ3, and KQ5). A moat surrounds the castle, and a river drains down a waterfall into the lake below.

Daventry (unofficial)
Daventry appears in fan fiction including fan games, see Daventry (unofficial).