King's Quest Omnipedia
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Greattear

The Great Tear was a giant series of chasms splitting the earth, created by the constant earthquakes that started around the same time the Three-headed Dragon ravaged the Kingdom of Daventry.

Background[]

For years, Daventry suffered flaming terror caused by the Three-headed Dragon, and constant earthquakes. Vast chasms appeared, ripping the earth apart much as one would open a ripe fruit. 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. Whole sides of mountains collapsed, burying some landmarks and creating others. These terrors destroyed much of the beautiful land, forcing many folk to flee to the western and southern kingdoms. 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.[1]

The deep chasm had split the earth on the south side of the Door into Mountain, near the southern edge Daventry town and the Ancient Well nearby Castle Daventry. It was caused by an earthquake that had once struck Daventry and caused the destruction seen throughout the land. There was nothing of interest beyond the Great Tear, there was nothing but more charred countryside. There was very little evidence of the former town as it was destroyed by the chasm, by fallen boulders from the mountain, and the dragon's own destruction. Only mixed debris of boulders and rocks used to build the town were left.[2][3]

The Great Tear was twenty meters deep.

Behind the scenes[]

The Great Tear was part of the hard times and destruction that hit Daventry after Alexander's kidnapping. It was caused by the earth quakes that rent the land. In KQ3 it is suggested that the hard times started not long after Alexander was kidnapped. However in Kingdom of Sorrow and See No Weevil things were relatively peaceful and there was no evidence of the terrible earthquakes. Rather the novels would suggest that the earthquakes began after See No Weevil. However both novels could be part of the 'terrible times' as both events ravaged Daventry. The first put Daventry into an extended winter (affecting a year's harvest). The second left many of Daventry's fields and flora ravaged and many of the farm animals and wildlife killed from weevils and carnivorous slocks (again affecting the food supply in the kingdom).

References[]

  1. KQC2E, pg
  2. Narrator (KQ3): "A deep chasm has split the earth on this side of the mountain. You wonder if an earthquake had once struck Daventry and caused the destruction you see before you. You see nothing of interested across it.", "A deep chasm splits the earth. Possibly an earthquake ripped through Daventry at one time. Looking across the chasm, you see nothing but more charred countryside."
  3. TOBOKQ3E, pg
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