Kolyma



Kolyma (aka Land of Kolyma and Kingdom of Kolyma  ) was visited during King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne.

Kolyma is the continent (and kingdom of the same name) that Graham traveled to in order to find Valanice, his queen. There, he met a Monk, Little Red Riding Hood, Grandmother, The Wolf, a mermaid, King Neptune, Count Dracula, a fairy, an old lady and a genie.

Background
To the south and east of the continent of Serenia, there is the tropical land of Kolyma, from whence Valanice came. It lies nearby Daventry to its south across the Southern Sea. It bathes in balmy breezes, sea laps its beaches with waves like warm, green tongues. Mermaids sun themselves there and sing the songs that capture people's souls and haunt them always with liquid melodies and the rhythm of eternal tides. The King of the Sea, Neptune, keeps his court and throne near its western shore, so the winds are always gentle there and the skies forever blue and clear.

Few inhabit the western part of Kolyma, despite its beauty. Simple monks give shelter to occasional travelers, lest they be caught outdoors after dark, for vampyres hunt the land at night, with ghouls and ghosts as their grim companions. These undead are truly evil, not like the restless sort of spirit who sometimes haunts the living, seeking release from its torments. The vampyres rule the dark from a cold castle on an island in the middle of a lake so poisonous that a stray splash is fatal.

For these reasons, most good folk make their homes on the eastern side of Kolyma, separated by a spine of high mountains and a great chasm from the greater horrors.The royal family live in a castle there. Only a magic door grants passage from east to west, and even this will send someone elsewhere if they have not the proper key. A great strangeness folds the western land back upon itself to both the north and the south, forever bringing travelers back to where they started. All these barriers have, with only occasional exceptions, kept the Children of the Night isolated.

Kolyma is located southeast of the kingdom of Daventry and directly south of Land of the Green Isles in the Southern Sea. Though at the time of Gwydion's escape it was located almost directly south of the continent of Daventry, but has since drifted to the southeast.

The western side of Kolyma folds back upon itself to both the north and south, forever bringing travelers back to where they started. Geographers say that the "magical law of "containment" operates in the western part of the continent. For reasons forgotten, or perhaps it was whimsy on the part of the multiverse--movement to both the north and south in this part of Kolyma eventually turned back upon itself, contained as if inside some transparent cosmic donut. East and west, one could travel at will until confronted by more physical barriers--the sea or mountains for instance--but those that journeyed far enough north of south, would always get back to where they started.

The Antique shop is located located directly east of Dracula's castle next to the mountain range. It is north of the chasm.

The Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury is located to the south of the chasm. It is where King Graham was married to Valanice.

Landmarks

 * Neptune's Kingdom
 * Mermaid Rocks (Mermaid Beach)
 * Hagatha's Cave
 * Grandma's House
 * Dwarf Tree
 * Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury
 * Ye Olde Antique Shoppe (Antique Store)
 * Poisoned Lake
 * Top of the Cliffs
 * Castle Dracula (Dracula's Castle)
 * Bottomless Chasm
 * Magic Door

Behind the scenes
The full name of the land according to one bit of narration is the Kingdom of Kolyma (though this line doesn't appear to have made it into the final game, or is at least randomized), and also described as the land of Kolyma. This means that the land is likely ruled by it's own royalty. The King's Quest Companion calls it the Land of Kolyma and describes it as a kingdom. It mentions that the land has princes of which Cedric, the father of Valanice belongs. Valanice was a princess of the land. Dracula appears to be another prince and count of the land, he ruled over western Kolyma.

Interestingly enough, while the two lakes to the east of the Poisonous Lake can be seen from the mountain top, the Antique Shop cannot not be seen in between them, despite the fact that it is a rather large landmark (similar in size to each lake).

Kolyma can be seen on the chart on Manannan's wall and in the pirate ship in KQ3. Although this is not specifically mentioned in the narration, and was later confirmed by the King's Quest Companion.

On Earth, the Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. The region is the location of the Kolyma River and mountain range. This is largely unlike the Kolyma in KQ, but is likely inspiration for the name.

KQ2 states that it lies nearby Daventry this likely suggests it is located within a day or two (or a week at the most) of Daventry's shores. The Official Book of King's Quest describes Kolyma as being "distant" to Daventry.

Depending on the version of the Guide Book of King's Quest the land is divided into regions (somewhat arbitrarily and with disregard of the looping):

1st and 2nd editions divides the land into Northeast Kolyma, Northwest Kolyma, Southeast Kolyma, and Southwest Kolyma.

Third Edition divides Daventry into East Kolyma and West Kolyma, West Llewdor and East Llewdor.

Kolyma (unofficial)
Kolyma has appeared in fan fiction and fan games, see Kolyma (unofficial).