The Three Great Treasures (aka the Three Treasures of Daventry) are the three treasures that protect the Kingdom of Daventry.
Background[]
It consisted of Merlin's Mirror, the Shield of Achille, and the Chest of Gold.
According to the Chronicles of Daventry Graham recovered them in the order of Merlin's Mirror, the Shield of Achille, and finally the Chest of Gold (much in the order that King Edward sent him on)[1]. While another account says he collected them in the order of Chest of Gold, the Magic Mirror, and then the Shield.[2][3]
Three Great Treasures[]
- Merlin's Mirror (aka Magic Mirror)
- Shield of Achille (aka Magic Shield)
- Chest of Gold (aka Magic Chest)
Behind the scenes[]
Classic Order[]
In the original KQ1 the treasures can be recovered in any order. Most sources follow the in-game order given by Edward: mirror, shield and last the chest.
In the second version of KQ1 manual, the order of loss was mirror, shield, then chest of gold. It places the order of Graham's quest as mirror, shield, and then chest of gold. The in-game command from Edward for original KQ1PCJR, and later AGI versions, place the order of Edward's issued command as mirror, shield and chest.
Sierra's King's Quest I Hintbook places the order of finding the treasures as Mirror, Shield, and then Chest. This is the same order given in the King's Quest Companion's novelization. It's also the same order that Edward tasks Graham to find the treasures (within the game).
In the King's Quest Companion novel it is Edward’s order of mirror, shield and chest. The walkthrough guide for KQ1 also follows this order. The KQ7 Authorized guide also used classic order.
The original order also appeared on About King's Quest I-V, and KQ5 manual.
The classic order also appears in the KQ6 and KQ7 hintbooks.
Remake Order[]
In the SCI remake the Shield of Achille is collected last (but the other two can still be collected in any order). This goes against the order that Edward listed then at beginning of the game, and Graham reiterated at the end (which is the classic order).
The Official Book of King's Quest, 3rd Edition places the order roughly as Chest, Mirror, and then Shield (following the order of the King's Quest I SCI remake). This was similar to the order of Edward's command in the original manual's story; The King's Appeal was in the order of chest, mirror, and then shield.
According to the Official Book of King's Quest originally the magic shield could be picked up in any order, but because players who picked it up first complained that it should be able to protect from all dangers it was moved to being the last treasure in the SCI remake (to limit its destruction or theft).[4].
The remake order also appears in The World of King's Quest: A Brief History of Daventry and The Magical World of King's Quest stories in KQ5 hintbook and InterAction respectively. Putting them into the order of Mirror, Chest, and Shield. Flipping the order of the first two ending with the Shield like in the remake.
The KQ1 remake order also appears in the KQ8 manual, as mirror, chest and shield.
The hint sections of companion has a summary that mentions the remake order: A magic mirror, a magic chest and a magic shield.
Sega order[]
Edward’s in-game order in KQ1 for Sega Master System was; magic shield, magic mirror, and magic chest of gold.
Sega's hintlist for KQ1SMS had the order as Shield, Chest, and finally Mirror.[5]
The manual contained Annette Child’s version the story, the classic order. The back of the box also lists them in the classic order: King's Magic Mirror, the Protective Shield, and the Chest of Gold.
Companion[]
While main focus of the Companion novel follows the classic order: mirror, shield, and chest.
As mentioned there is a variant order in hint guide section that follows the remake order: mirror, chest, and shield.
There is however a third order brought up by Graham discussing clues to where the treasures were lost (not the order he found them). This order is sort of the reverse of the remake order; shield, chest, and mirror.
Official Book[]
The various versions of the Official Book of King’s Queat has two alternative orders listed in two different KQ1 game summaries.
The first as previosly mentioned follows the remake order ending with Shield: Chest, mirror and shield.
The other is a reverse to the classic order: chest of gold, a magic shield, and a magic mirror.
Royal Scribe[]
The Royal Scribe gives sort of a reverse to the remake order as the Shield of Achilles, the Chest of Gold, and Merlin's Mirror.
Reboot Canon[]
In King's Quest: Adventures of Graham states that the mirror was the was the only, and 'last' treasure recovered. In this account the Magic Mirror was the only piece (or the last piece) Graham had to look for.[6] He did however go on other journeys to find other Daventry treasures including Chest and Shield at other times.
In a way making Graham find the mirror in the last place he looks resembles The Royal Scribe order: Shield of Achilles, the Chest of Gold, and Merlin's Mirror. Or the SMS hint order: Shield, Chest, and Mirror. Or one of the three orders given in the Official Book versions: chest of gold, a magic shield, and a magic mirror.
It also resembles Graham’s discussed order in the Companon; shield, chest, and mirror, though in that case he ultimately found them in the order Edward lost them (mirror, shield, and chest).
