The Beastmaster
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
The gates to the city of Aruk are raised, and Maax (Rip Torn), high priest of the city's patron god, Ar, rides in with two underling priests. He goes to the central ziggurat that serves as the city's temple, and meets with three witch-women in its interior. The witches appear as shapely women with hideously disfigured faces. The witches tell Maax that he is doomed by a prophecy; he will die at the hands of the son of King Zed (Rod Loomis). Zed's wife is still pregnant with the child, and the prince will grow into a man that will kill Maax. The high priest defies the prophecy and announces that the unborn son will die. Maax sees Ar as a bloodthirsty god who demands the life of Aruk's children in sacrifice, and offering the king's son will prevent the prophecy from coming true.At that moment, King Zed storms into the temple with Seth (John Amos), the captain of the guard, and three other city guards who have swords ready. Zed has heard that Maax intends to offer innocent children in sacrifice to Ar, and he announces he won't allow it. Zed declares that Maax is to be banished from Aruk to dwell in the outlands among the barbarian Juns. When Maax boldly declares that Zed's own son must be cut from his mother, branded with the sign of Ar and sacrificed, Seth advances on Maax, sword at the ready, and King Zed warns Maax that he could have him executed for such talk. Maax looks over both shoulders at his underling priests, who hang themselves. Zed looks on this with only scorn and contempt, and orders Maax removed from the city. Maax is put on a horse and escorted out, passing by an old woman with a cow.This old woman is one of Maax's witch-women in disguise. At night, as Zed and his wife (Vanna Bonta) sleep, the witch creeps into their bedchamber. She pours a foul liquid across their throats, paralyzing them and rendering them mute. Zed and his wife awaken to find the witch focusing on the wife's pregnant abdomen, waving her hands over it. Zed's wife convulses in silent agony as the unborn baby is transferred out of her womb into the cow. Zed can only watch as his beloved wife dies from the violation, and the witch, with a dark cackle, tells him that his unborn son belongs to her, before vanishing.The witch takes the cow out into the fields, and cuts it open, extracting the baby. But as she brands the baby with the symbol of Ar, the dark ritual is seen by a passing traveler who is armed with a sword and a throwing weapon called a kapa. Despite the witch's dark powers, the traveler is able to slay her and rescue the baby. He brings the baby back to his home village of Emir to raise as his own son.The boy is named Dar, and grows into an energetic youth. His father raises and teaches him well. One day, when Dar is a youth, he and his father are practicing swordplay. His father demonstrates how to throw the kapa, and, as a prank, uses it to pluck off the headwrap of a villager named Tiis. The kapa lodges in a tree that Tiis is near, and Dar and his father laugh. But Dar stops laughing as he sees a rustle in the tree line, and then urgently tells his father to run. As Tiis tries to retrieve his headwrap, something concealed by the tree line yanks him out of view, and there are sounds of growling before Tiis is hurled back out. A huge bear has grabbed Tiis and mauled him to death, and it emerges from the tree line toward Dar and his father. Dar's father loses his balance and twists his ankle. He yells at Dar to run and save himself. But Dar slowly walks toward the bear, continuing to stare at it. Dar's father watches in wonder as the bear quietly sinks back down to all fours and turns, walking away. They can do nothing for Tiis, but Dar's father sees that his adopted son has very curious powers neither of them understand; he can touch the mind of a beast. He holds Dar's hand, where the brand is still visible, and tells him that the gods have put their mark on him, and it will be his guide until he finds out why.More years pass, and Dar is a tall, handsome, strapping man (now played by Marc Singer). Dar takes his dog, Todo, and goes out with a number of other young village men to work in a field outside the village.As the men work, Dar picks up a stick and smiles at Todo. He throws the stick for Todo to fetch. But on reaching the stick, Todo doesn't return. He stands his ground and begins to bark. At first, Dar just smiles at his pet and companion, but as Todo continues barking, Dar and the other villagers realize the dog is aware of danger. They all run up to where the dog stands. Far in the distance, a great cloud of dust and the rumbling sound of galloping horses, approach Emir; a band of marauding Jun barbarians.Dar's father and a few other village elders draw their swords and stand at the village perimeter as the Jun horde approaches, but they are quickly overrun by the mounted barbarians. By the time Dar and the village men arrive, the barbarians are attacking everyone and setting the village on fire. The terrified villagers all fight with desperation. Dar manages to grab up a sword and, picking out the Jun leader (Tony Epper), charges toward him. Another Jun barbarian comes riding up behind Dar and clubs him from behind with a flail, knocking him unconscious. The Juns proceed to slaughter all of the villages, women and children included, and even Todo, as he tries to drag Dar to safety, is hit by a crossbow bolt loosed by one of the Juns. As the Juns finish their work, Maax rides up to the village with a number of priests and flashes a terrible smile. Looking pleased, he fails to notice Dar laying on the ground just a few feet in front of his horse; the brand of Ar on his palm. Todo grabs Dar by his clothing again and resumes pulling him away.Dar slowly awakens, becoming aware of the land rushing past him as if he were a great avian in flight. He blinks, and hie eyesight refocuses and returns. He sits up and sees Todo lying near him, a crossbow bolt protruding from his side. Todo had managed to drag him to safety before collaping and dying from his wound. Dar walks in a daze among the ruins of his village; the corpses of many of the villagers have been impaled on the village's wooden beams. Perched on one of the perimeter beams is a great brown eagle. Dar locks eyes with the raptor, the two looking close at each other for a couple of moments.Dar discards his upper garment and pulls a leather gauntlet over his hand to hide the brand. He arranges all the slain villagers in a circular formation, laying Todo across the body of Dar's father, with the father's arm placed around Todo's neck. Dar burns the bodies and takes his father's sword and throwing kapa. He remembers his father's words about the mark on his hand being his guide, and that if anything happened to the father, Dar should look for their enemies, the Juns, and seek his destiny in the valley of Aruk.As Dar begins walking away from the ruins of Emir, he passes by the eagle again. Once more they lock eyes, and Dar forges a bond with the eagle, and it begins to follow him as a companion. (NOTE: though Dar never speaks a name for the eagle, we learn in the two Beastmaster sequels that the eagle was named Sherak, so that name will be used in this synopsis for the sake of uniformity).Dar runs through a shallow stream toward his clothing after having bathed. As he is dressing, two ferrets come creeping through the brush. Dar turns in surprise as the ferrets grab hold of his leather skirt and begin running off with it. Dar chases them, losing sight of them in the brush, and takes a wrong turn, tumbling from a cliff and landing in quicksand. The ferrets, curious, crawl along an overhanging branch of a tree. Dar cannot reach the branch himself, and tells the ferrets that since they got him into the situation, they need to help get him out. The little animals, of course, don't understand spoken human speech, but Dar is no ordinary human. He looks up intently at the ferrets, concentrating. One of the ferrets crawls further along the branch, weighing it down, as the other begins gnawing on it. The branch tips down enough for Dar to grab it and pull himself to safety. The ferret who had crawled along the branch, slips off into the quicksand, but Dar is able to pluck it out and rescue it. Dar names the ferrets Kodo and Podo, his newest friends.Dar continues walking as Kodo and Podo ride in his belt pouch. He pauses along a cliff to rest, Sherak landing near him. Dar starts looking around, concerned. He hears the growling of a great feline and sees several mounted Juns chasing a beast, through the eyes of the beast. He sees one of the Juns snare the beast with a heavy rope lasso, and then sees one end of the lasso tied around a heavy wooden stake driven into the ground. Running to investigate, he sees the Juns tormenting a great black tiger they've captured. Taking Kodo and Podo from his pouch, Dar tells them that the tiger should be rescued.Before Dar can throw his kapa, one of the Juns ambushes him from behind, but Dar his fast enough to grab the Jun's arm and throw him over his shoulder. They both tumble down the hillside to the ground where another Jun readies his crossbow. Dar throws his kapa, and the Jun ducks before again aiming his crossbow, but the kapa circles around like a boomerang, hitting the Jun square in the back. As another Jun rides up, crossbow at the ready, Dar gives a high pitched squawking sound toward Sherak and grabs the one he's grappling with, using him as a human shield against the crossbow bolt. Sherak then swoops down on the mounted Jun, clawing at his eyes through the eyeholes in his leather hood, causing him to tumble from his horse. The two wranglers run for their weapons, but Kodo and Podo dart forward, snatching the bolts out of their crossbows. The wranglers grab their swords and run at Dar, who kicks one away and slays the second. Dar then grabs his kapa and hurls it, cutting through the rope lasso and freeing the tiger, who shows the last wrangler what it's like to face him on even terms. As Dar collects his belongings, he pauses, looking at Sherak and the two ferrets, who are his eyes and cunning; and now having befriended the tiger, he has great strength as well. He names the tiger Ruh and sets out again.Dar happens across two beautiful young women, one blonde and one brunette, swimming by a waterfall. He's intrigued and is moved to some mischief in order to introduce himself. He sends Kodo and Podo to snatch an outer garment by the riverbank. The brunette (Tanya Roberts) runs in pursuit, but quickly loses sight of them. Suddenly Ruh comes into view and stands in front of the girl, growling. As she stares at the tiger in fear, Dar grabs her from behind, telling her that they might escape if they show no fear. He then uses his mental link to Ruh to tell him to stand down and move out of sight.Dar tells Kiri she owes him her life, but he'll accept 'this as payment,' and then kisses her. The girl trips Dar to the ground and kneels astride him, demanding to know who he is. Dar tells her his name, and that his village of Emir was destroyed by the Juns, and he's following. The girl thinks this is funny, as Dar is alone. Dar manages to roll over on top of her and asks, in turn, who she is. The girl's necklace slips from her neck as Dar rolls over. She tells him that her name is Kiri, and she's a slave to the temple of Ar's priests. Dar is horrified to find whip marks across her back and shoulders, under her garment, but she reminds him again, that she's a slave. She can't run away because the priests will kill her family. She tells Dar that he should continue following the Juns, because they will at least grant him a death more befitting a strong man, than the priests of Ar would.Retrieving Kiri's dropped necklace, Dar decides to follow her, but he's given her too much of a head start. As he looks around, trying to pick up her trail, he catches an ominous sight: a great, dark tree on a high cliff, with several cocoon-like objects hanging from it.Investigating, Dar finds the cocoon-like objects to seemingly be alive. Also hanging from the tree is a cage with a man in it, and before the base of the tree is a bird-like carving and a cauldron filled with a foul liquid. When a human head suddenly floats to the top of the cauldron, Dar turns away with disgust, and finds himself looking at several humanoids with only eyes, but no noses, mouths, or ears on their heads, and great bat-like wings wrapped around themselves.Dar draws his sword and breaks open the cage, freeing the prisoner, who tries to flee. One of the bat-bird-men unfolds its wings and envelops the prisoner. The man gives horrible muffled screams as a foul liquid pools at the creature's feet. The creature unfolds and opens its wings, and the prisoner's bones, stripped clean of all organic matter, tumble to the ground. Silently the bat-bird-men advance on Dar and Ruh, as Dar holds his sword at the ready. But as Sherak descends and lands on Dar's outstretched wrist, the bird-creatures retreat quickly. They revere birds as gods, and to see an eagle having befriended Dar means he is protected by their gods. Still wary, Dar starts to leave. One of the bird-creatures gives Dar a medallion with a bird symbol on it.Morning comes, and Dar awakens from sleep. Sherak lands nearby with a squawk. Dar understands the eagle sees something, and goes to look; he's arrived at the city of Aruk.The road into Aruk is lined with wooden poles from which hang dessicated humanoid corpses. Dar looks around with a grim expression, and tells Ruh to stay out of sight.The bridge is extended over the city moat, which is filled with tar instead of water. The gate is up. Dar enters the city and finds the streets all but deserted. He finds a robe hung outside one of the huts and dons it. Alerted to the sound of shouting, he makes his way to the great ziggurat which serves as the Temple of Ar.Maax has usurped control of the city and keeps the people in line through fear. He performs regular child sacrifices, that Ar be appeased and continue to protect the city. Dar watches in disgust as Maax holds aloft a baby boy, and casts it into a burning fire at the top of the ziggurat, as the townspeople bow their heads fearfully.Maax announces that Ar is not yet satisfied, and that another child must be sacrificed. He points, and his priests seize a baby girl as town guards restrain her parents, who scream and weep in protest. Dar pushes his way to the front of the crowd until he reaches the perimeter of soldiers, who bar him from moving further. As the girl is carried to the top of the ziggurat, Dar sees a number of slave girls standing along the steps of the ziggurat; Kiri is among them.Sherak circles the sky high above the city as Maax lifts the baby girl and makes offers of sacrifice to Ar. Dar lowers the hood of his robe and concentrates. Maax places the girl into the slope that leads down into the flames. But as the baby girl slides inexorably toward her death, Sherak swoops from the skies with a majestic cry, seizes the child in its talons and flies off with her. All of the townspeople prostrate themselves on the ground in awe, except for Dar. Kiri starts to fall to her knees when she sees Dar and looks at him in wonder.Maax notices, and looks at Dar intently. He doesn't recognize Dar for who he is, but he does understand that he controlled the great eagle. Maax watches the eagle carry the baby girl, and then looks back to where Dar was standing-- but Dar is no longer there. Looking to save face for himself, Maax points after the bird and shouts to the townspeople that Ar has spoken personally to them, saying he wants their children.Nighttime in Aruk. Dar holds a large, bulging sack, and holds Kodo over it, letting the ferret sniff the sack. Dar then sets Kodo on the ground, and it begins to scamper from house to house, looking for more traces of the same scent.The father of the baby girl sits forlornly in his house when there's a knock at the door. His dread turns to curiosity at the sight of Dar, and then to overjoy as Dar produces his daughter from the sack. The father, Sacco (Ralph Strait), pledges his gratitude and service to Dar, offering him anything.Dar decides to ask Sacco about Kiri, though he doesn't say her name; only that she is a friend. Sacco asks Dar into the house, saying he should at least have a meal. At the table, Sacco tells Dar Aruk's story: most of the young men in the city were slain by the Jun horde, which is how Maax overthrew Zed. The king is now imprisoned within the ziggurat while Maax and his witchwomen sit in the seat of power. The remaining townspeople are bred by the Jun priests so their children can be sacrificed by Maax.Dar asks Sacco again about the slave girl, and Sacco says they've been taken back to the temple to prepare them for their own deaths. The Jun horde has gone north, but Maax promises they will return. Thanking Sacco for the meal, Dar assures him that he and his family will see Dar again.Maax's witchwomen have crafted a magical ring for the Jun priests. Maax tells them to find this man, this 'master of the beasts,' and that the ring will lead them to him.Dar and Ruh are tracking the slave girls when Ruh finds a spring trickling from a tree. Taking a drink from the tree, Dar sends Ruh ahead to scout. Hiding in the tree is one of the Jun priests. The stone in the ring is actually the closed lid of an eye. The eye opens and looks on Dar, and Maax and the witchwomen can see what the eye sees, in their cauldron. The eye falls on the mark on Dar's hand, and Maax realizes the man is Zed's son. He tells the priest to kill Dar immediately.The priest snares Dar around the neck with a leather loop as the other priest, on horseback, approaches to kill Dar. But Ruh is also in the tree, above and behind the priest holding the noose. Ruh ambushes the priest, taking him down and killing him. The mounted priest takes off, and Ruh gives pursuit... and falls into a covered pit that the priests prepared for Dar.The priest aims his crossbow to kill Ruh, when he's whacked from behind by a stout wooden staff. Standing there is Seth, with a young boy in his late pre-teens. The priest tries to snare Seth, who blocks the snare with his staff, and knocks the priest into the pit, where he is killed by Ruh. Seth remarks that to face a beast on its own terms, man finds he is not so strong.Dar arrives, and draws his sword at the sight of Seth and the boy, though he does not move to attack. Hearing Ruh roaring, he moves to the pit and looks, seeing Seth saved Ruh rather than trapped him. Voicing his gratitude, Dar moves to a large log, trying unsuccessfully to tip it down into the pit so Ruh can use it to climb out. Seth and the boy help him in this task. Seth introduces himself and his companion, Tal (Joshua Milrad) as 'pilgrims' on their way to worship at the temple of Ar. Understanding what Seth means by worshipping, Dar says he is also on his way to the temple for the same purpose. Seth invites Dar to travel with him and Tal.Over a campfire, Seth tells Dar how he and Tal have spent three years, since fleeing Aruk, trying to raise an army to fight the Juns. As long as Zed lives, he still remains a symbol of hope for those trying to live free of Maax's tyranny. Tal is Zed's son, and meant to free Zed from imprisonment, and one day take the throne. Dar tells how he's always had an uncanny ability to communicate with animals, see through their eyes and hear their thoughts, as they can likewise do with him.Dar lets Tal hold Kodo and Podo, and empties out his pouch, explaining how they steal anything they find of value. Tal picks up the Jun priest's eye-ring, not knowing what it is, and Dar, also unknowing, tells him he can keep it. But also among the items is Kiri's necklace. They see it, and Seth's demeanor turns stern as he demands to know where Dar found it. Despite Seth's protests, Dar insists it came from a slave girl, and Dar is trying to rescue her before she's put to death at the temple. Seth sternly says they leave at dawn, before walking away. Tal and Seth know Kiri-- she's Tal's cousin.At dawn, Dar awakens from sleep and sends Sherak to scout. Dar crouches by a campfire, seeing all that Sherak sees. Tal and Seth awaken and understand what Dar is doing. Through Sherak's eyes, Dar sees five women in white robes surrounded by priests in red. Seth knows this means the slave girls are prepared as sacrifices. He says they must make plans in order to rescue the slave girls.Seth and Dar hijack a barge that the priests must use to cross a great lake. When one of the priests knocks Kiri down after she stumbles, and she kicks him in the groin, the priest grabs her head and pushes it under the water. Dar and Seth ambush the priests, capturing them and rescuing the slave girls. As they begin to depart, more priests arrive, firing crossbows, and Seth realizes the barge is now too heavy to get away. Kiri kicks the prisoner priests overboard and they escape. With a little 'coaxing' from Kiri, Dar agrees to help free Zed. As they begin traveling over land back toward Aruk, Seth sets out to find and rally as many people as he can find, to overthrow Maax and free Aruk. Dar, Tal and Kiri are to meet him in the Taran Valley in two nights.Night time over Aruk; Sacco steps outside his hut and sees Sherak perched nearby. Sacco frets and mutters to himself, protesting that he's a coward. But he knows and still respects his vow to Dar, and rides out in his wagon to smuggle Dar, Tal and Kiri past the guards, into the city. But the eye-ring on Tal's hand reveals their presence to Maax, who decides to prepare a welcome.Sacco tells Dar and Kiri that he'll wait for them on the ziggurat's north side. Tal, Ruh, and the ferrets go with Dar and Kiri into the temple. As Ruh scouts ahead, Dar leads the way through a corridor that looks like a potential trap; along both sides of the wall near the floor, are grated openings into some kind of prison chambers. Dar thinks he sees the glowing of bestial eyes from through the grates. Suddenly, with guttural bestial growls, numerous appendages-- or perhaps humanoid limbs-- encased in leather and wicked steel spikes, thrust through the grates, swiping madly at Dar. Seizing a chain that runs the length of the corridor from the ceiling, Dar manages to cross to the other side, safely out of reach. On the other side is a lever that, when pulled, shuts the grated openings so that Kiri and Tal can cross through as well. Tal tells Dar that those were Death Guards, a monstrosity created by Maax's priests, which explains why there were no soldiers or other guards out front.Pressing forward, they find a grate in the floor of one corridor; Kiri says that the chamber below has the keys to the dungeon cells. In the chamber, Jun Priests are in the process of preparing another death guard. Tal explains how a human man is made into a mindless monster through torture. First, the priests encase his limbs in spiked leather sheaths; spikes capable of ripping a man to pieces. Then a foul green liquid and green leeches are put into his ear canal to severely damage his brain. Finally his head is placed into a hardened leather hood with a frightening visage on the front. Stripped of all thought and reason, a death guard will mindlessly kill anything it sees; anything that moves.As Tal explains the procedure, Kiri quietly goes into a side corridor and turns a wall torch. A portion of the wall opens up into a chamber looking like a hidden armory.Tal sees where the cell keys are; Dar says that stealing is best left to thieves. He places Kodo and Podo in a loop of string, and lowers them carefully through the grate down to steal the keys. But just as the ferrets reach the keys, one priest happens to turn, and sees them.But that's the least of the problems; the death guard awakens, bursts its restraints and slaughters the priests. Its spikes snap the string, causing Kodo and Podo to drop to the floor of the cell. They are able to grab the keys and run into an air vent beside the door, but the death guard breaks the door down and madly pursues the little beasts.Despite Dar's clear concern, he assures Tal that Kodo and Podo are fast and cunning, and can handle themselves. They need to proceed with the rescue.Kiri emerges from the armory, now wearing leather boots and a leather girdle with a dagger tucked into it. Tal explains to Dar what Kiri truly is; a Trov warrior, an ancient sect of protectors for Aruk. The ziggurat used to be their home. Kiri is a skilled tracker, and can find the cell where Zed is imprisoned.Arriving at the cell, they find it unlocked. As Kiri and Tal enter the cell, Dar turns; he senses that Ruh has caught up to them, but hasn't come into sight yet. He cautiously starts toward an intersection... nearly walking into an ambush; when in fact it is the ambushing priest that is about to get ambushed, by Ruh, who kills him. Satisfied, Dar hurries back to the cell where Kiri and Tal are tending to Zed. Zed is now old, gray, haggard and feeble... and blinded by Maax's priests.The door to the cell suddenly closes; through the small grate in the door, Maax and one of the witchwomen are visible. The witch assures Maax that Dar is the one of whom the prophecy spoke, and Maax decrees they will all be sacrificed in the morning. Ruh comes charging down the corridor, and Maax and the witchwoman hurriedly enter the cell, closing the door behind them to keep Ruh out. Maax orders the witchwoman to kill Dar.Dar draws his sword and squares off with the witchwoman, who flicks her fingers and makes a flash that blinds Dar. Tal runs at Maax and tries to hit him with his fists, but the youth is still not grown or strong enough to hurt him. Maax pulls a knife and holds it at Tal's throat to keep Kiri at bay.Hissing malevolently, the witchwoman backs against the wall and begins to slither up it, and onto the ceiling, preparing to drop down on Dar from above. But Ruh can still see through the grate, and while Dar is still blinded, he can see through Ruh's eyes. He thrusts his sword straight up and then turns in a half-circle, killing the witchwoman.In the distraction, Kiri pulls a slim silver chain from a wrist bracer and snares Maax's knife hand, forcing him to drop the knife. Ruh breaks down the cell door and advances threateningly on the high priest, roaring. Knowing he cannot face down the mighty beast while alone and unarmed, Maax drops down into a hidden back corridor and escapes while Tal tends to Zed. The old king is coming to; he's still alive, still aware, and he assures Dar he can walk.Meanwhile, the death guard continues its pursuit of Kodo and Podo. The clever ferrets run through old pipes along the walls, but the death guard is relentless; when they run underneath a gap at the bottom of a closed door, the death guard simply smashes it apart.Kiri leads the group to a chamber at the bottom of the ziggurat. Tal turns a lever that lifts a heavy stone carved into a skull shape, that conceals a stairway out of the temple. Dar tells Ruh to go first, and to protect Tal, Zed and Kiri while he covers their escape. Kiri begs Dar to come with them, as the stairway is the only means of escaping the city, but Dar says he can't leave without Kodo and Podo.Alerted to the sound of banging, Dar returns to the door. Half a dozen Jun priests with long knives are searching for him. Seeing him peering through the door, they charge at him with bloodthirsty yells. Dar closes and bars the door, and cuts the pulley to drop the skull-stone back over the stairway entrance. This door also happens to be where Kodo and Podo are running toward; still hauling the cell keys with them. They run under the feet of the priests and under a gap in the door, and the priests all turn and scream in terror as they see the death guard running straight toward them.Kiri returns as Dar collects Kodo and Podo. Gathering the rope from the pulley, she tells Dar they can use it to escape via the air shaft. The death guard smashes through the door and mindlessly pursues Dar and Kiri through the shaft. As they climb down the cliffside with the aid of the rope, the death guard swipes madly at the rope with its spike-shod arm. Sherak flies at the death guard, clawing at its hooded head with his talons. The death guard leans too far out of the shaft and plunges to its death.The rope breaks and Dar and Kiri fall-- but Sacco is there, and their fall is broken by the soft hay of his wagon. Sacco snaps the reins for the wagon's horse, spurring it into a run toward the city gates; but Maax has put the gate guards on alert and it is closed. Dar asks if the gate has a counterweight; when Kiri tells him that it does, he puts Kodo and Podo in another loop of string and has Sherak carry them up to the top of the gate tower to gnaw through the heavy ropes that control it, so that it will raise.As the ferrets get to work, Dar and Sacco hear the sounds of monstrous growling. Three death guards are running madly toward them, spurred by a mounted Jun priest wielding a whip. Dar tells Sacco to start full speed for the gate; their only hope is to trust that Kodo and Podo will get it open.The guard in the tower turns and notices Podo gnawing the control ropes. Raising his sword, he takes hold of the ferret's tail and repositions it for a killing blow. Seeing this, Kodo creeps under the guard's skirt and delivers a punishing bite right where it will do the most hurt. Screaming, the guard reflexively brings his sword down, cutting the rope the rest of the way so that the gate's counterweight starts to pull it up. Sacco reaches the gate just as it raises enough so that his wagon can pass through. As they reach the gate, Dar swings his sword and cuts the counterweight rope. The death guards try to slide under the gate, but are not fast enough, and it crushes them all beneath it. Kodo and Podo drop down from the top of the wall into the hay of Sacco's wagon, and he rides off.Everyone is gathered together at the Taran Valley. Seth has put together thirty-five warriors. Zed's spirit is still as strong as ever, but he has become far too single-minded in his desire for vengeance, for his own good. When Dar issues a warning that killing Maax and his priests will only incur the wrath of the Jun horde, and more soldiers are needed to counter this, Zed calls him a freak and shouts that he needs no cowards beside him. Zed's rejection hurts Dar badly, and he leaves the camp with Ruh, a tear rolling down his face. Sitting on a rock, Dar scrawls a rough outline of a circle with a line through it; a symbol of his home village of Emir.Kiri comes up to him, though only for a moment's comfort; she is honor-bound to her duty to Zed, and she cannot speak against or defy her uncle and king. She sadly tells Dar that nobody will oppose Zed after he cast Dar out. Zed is more than just a deposed king; he's still the people's symbol of hope.As Kiri returns to camp, Zed is starting to outline a plan of attack on Aruk to defeat Maax. Tal has dozed off, and the eye-ring on his hand opens. Maax flashes an evil grin as he listens to Zed's attack plan.Seth turns, and notices the open eye in the ring. Maax's grin vanishes as the eye turns toward Seth, and it's clear he sees it and understands what it is. Seth grabs a small stick from the campfire and presses it into the eye, putting it out, before pulling the ring off Tal's hand and tossing it into the campfire. He tells Zed that Maax has overheard the whole conversation and knows the attack plan, and will be prepared. But so utterly single-minded is Zed that he cannot see any turn of events other than total defeat and death for Maax. Seth knows better; it is his forces that will face this fate.Dar awakens in the morning; his animal companions at his side. Looking around, he senses trouble. Getting to higher ground, he sees Sacco riding on a horse, leading another. Dar calls out to Sacco, who tells him that the attack on Maax failed; Zed, Tal, Seth and Kiri were all taken alive, and are set to be sacrificed at the temple of Ar at sunset. Dar quickly mounts the second horse and rides with Sacco back to Aruk.At the temple of Ar, Maax and the last surviving witchwoman stand atop the ziggurat as a wagon brings Seth, Tal, and Kiri. All three are dressed in sacrificial robes; their hands tied with leather strips. Kiri is pulled out of the wagon and dragged up to the top of the ziggurat. Beside the sacrificial fire pit, Zed is tied to a chair. Maax tells the people of Aruk that Zed has defied the will of Ar, and now he and his kin will die.Dar rides into Aruk just as the priests drag Kiri to the top of the ziggurat. The crowd quickly parts as he rides straight for the ziggurat. He tosses his pack into the wagon, and Kodo and Podo dart out, chewing through the leather thongs that bind Tal and Seth. Dar storms the ziggurat, attacking any guards or priests in his way. Sacco and the townspeople throw a sword and staff to Seth and Tal, who join in the battle. Ruh leaps at a guard, who drops his weapon and backs against the wall of the ziggurat, screaming in fear before he is mauled to death.Kiri is thrust down onto the ziggurat as she continues to fight. She bites one priest's hand and starts to break free, before she is clubbed on the head with a sword pommel and knocked out. Maax raises his knife to kill Kiri, but the shouts of the townspeople alert him that Dar is almost at the top of the ziggurat, and all of the townspeople themselves are starting to grapple the guards, wrestling them for their spears. The witchwoman tells Maax that he is doomed; the unborn son has come for him.Maax raises his knife again, but Dar is at the top of the ziggurat, starting to cut through the priests. Maax goes to Zed, holding his knife at the king's chest. Dar finishes all of the priests and swings his sword menacingly in front of Maax. Holding the knife, Maax then reveals to both Zed and Dar that they are father and son; Dar is the unborn child stolen from his mother's womb. His eyes wide, Dar puts his sword down on the floor of the ziggurat roof. But despite this, Maax kills Zed with a rake of his knife through the king's chest, and then lunges at Dar, grappling with him. Fighting his way back to his feet, Dar forces Maax's arms around and down, driving Maax's own knife into his stomach.Retrieving his sword, Dar turns to the last witchwoman, who cowers beside a stone urn. As Dar advances on her, the witchwoman turns away. Dar thrusts his sword at her back, but her cloak is empty; Dar sees a white bird flying away. Dar goes to Kiri, who recovers consciousness and smiles at him. Lifting her in his arms, Dar goes to the edge of the ziggurat's top.Seth, Tal, and the townspeople overpower the remaining guards and rush up the ziggurat in triumph. Maax is overthrown. The townspeople cheer in victory.But in fact, though grievously wounded, Maax is still alive. Pulling the knife from his stomach, he struggles to his feet and staggers toward Dar from behind, intent on killing him.Kodo and Podo have scampered up the ziggurat and reached the top. Maax is almost on top of Dar, who remains unaware of the high priest. Kodo doesn't think twice. Leaping as high as he can, the ferret lands on Maax's shoulder, biting his neck. Maax screams in agony, clutching at Kodo-- and loses his balance, tumbling into the sacrificial fire, taking Kodo with him. Shouting in desperation, Dar darts toward the fire, but cannot reach into it. Kodo is lost. Podo peers sadly into the fire at the loss of its mate before Dar picks the ferret up and holds it against his chest.From his vantage point, Tal sees something on the horizon. A huge dust cloud is moving slowly but inexorably toward Aruk. As Maax had foretold, the Jun horde has returned to Aruk. Seth tells Tal that it's his decision on whether to fight or flee. Tal looks at Dar. Holding Podo close against him, Dar tells the people that it's time to stand and fight.Preparations are made with speed. The bridge is pulled back, and the townspeople furiously shovel dirt over the moat to cover it so that it appears as solid ground. Meanwhile, Dar sits on the steps of the ziggurat. He pulls out the medallion given to him by the bat-bird-men and looks at it. Calling to Sherak, Dar tosses the medallion to the eagle and sends him to the great tree to summon aid.It is night time. The townspeople anxiously wait the arrival of the Juns. As the rumbling of the horde's horses grows louder, Dar mentions to Seth that tar was a rite of manhood and test of strength in Emir. Hopefully the Juns will fail.The Jun horde rides into view, stopping a few dozen yards short of the wall. The people of Aruk and the Jun barbarians stare each other down in a tension filled moment. Then the Jun leader silently raises his massive greatclub and points toward the town, signaling the Juns to attack. The Juns ride forward, slaughter on their minds. Seth's plan pays off as the Juns ride straight into the moat; their horses falling into the tar. The people of Aruk cheer. A lookout just in front of the gate lights a torch and runs to light the moat aflame.But although mired in tar, the Juns are far from down. They begin loosing bolts from their crossbows, taking down the lookout and a sentry perched atop the town gate. Tal runs to the fallen lookout, grabbing his torch, only to be wounded by another crossbow bolt. The wounded sentry manages to release the gate controls to close the gate. Dar and Kiri roll underneath and clear before it closes. As Kiri tends to Tal, a Jun barbarian climbs out of the tar and advances on her, sword raised to cleave her in two. Kiri grabs the torch and thrusts it at the Jun, setting him aflame. Dar runs at the burning barbarian and kicks him back into the tar moat. Sheets of flame roar out across the moat as the tar is ignited. Seth climbs over the gate, joining with Dar and Kiri.More Jun barbarians crawl out of the burning moat; some still riding on horseback. Dar, Kiri and Seth fight with all their fury and strength, taking down several Juns. But still more crawl out of the moat and surround them on all sides, driving the three until they are back to back to back. The Juns fence and poke at them with their swords, looking for openings.The Jun leader spurs his horse, leaping over the burning moat and into the fray. The Jun soldiers part way for him, Pointing his massive greatclub, the Jun leader challenges Dar to single combat. The Jun leader's greatclub has two small blades at the heavy end protruding to either side, and he can detach the pommel to swing the weapon as a flail. He bashes downward and the blade gets stuck in the bridge. Drawing a sword, he picks up the fight. Leaping off the bridge, Dar tackles the Jun leader off his horse and retrieves his sword. Their blades clash and the Jun leader grapples with Dar, slamming him against the bridge so that his sword goes flying, and then throwing him to the ground and retrieving his greatclub. The Jun leader whirls the massive greatclub around by the pommel and chain, again bashing downward, and again one blade lodges in the bridge. Dar stuns the Jun leader with several kicks and grabs the Jun leader's legs, taking them out from under him. As the Jun leader falls, the other blade of his greatclub lodges in his back. The wounded leader struggles to his feet, but Dar looses a swinging round kick to his helmeted head, knocking him down, and then grabs his arm, using it to fling the Jun leader into the flaming tar.Recovering his sword, Dar makes his way back into the circle, back to back to back with Seth and Kiri. The remaining barbarians seem ready to descend on the trio and finish what their fallen leader started. Enough Juns remain that the death of Dar, Kiri and Seth seems certain, no matter how many Juns they take with them.Sherak swoops down, landing on Dar's arm. The rustle of wings signals the arrival of the bat-bird-men. Opening their massive wings, they each envelop a Jun barbarian, devouring their victim. The bat-bird-men rout the remaining Juns; a scant few barbarian survivors fleeing. The leader of the avian humanoids looks at Dar, giving him a small nod before leading his own people back home. The gate is raised and Dar, Seth and Kiri pull a wounded Tal back into the city. The people of Aruk cheer in victory.Some time later, Dar is preparing to leave Aruk. Tal is healing well, although one of his arms will be weak and difficult to use for some time. Dar gives something wrapped in leather to Seth, as a gift to the new king.Seth suddenly grabs Dar's hand, looking closely at the mark there. The brand is a rough likeness of the front face of the temple ziggurat. Having been there when Maax made the pronouncement, Seth knows what the mark means. He tells Dar that he is the rightful king, as firstborn.But Dar has not led a life appropriate to a future ruler. He can't be tied down to a throne. He is sure that Tal will be a great leader, for he already has the best right hand that one could ask for. Dar and Seth clasp forearms in farewell. A number of villagers watch as Dar and Ruh walk side by side toward the gate. As the two pass through the open gate and out of Aruk, Kiri is seen running after Dar.Tal takes the gift Dar left him to the ziggurat temple. Wrapped in the piece of leather is Dar's throwing kapa.Sherak is perched on a totem atop the ziggurat. Seth comes up beside Tal, and the two of them, and Sherak, all look into each other's eyes for a brief moment, before the eagle takes flight again, to rejoin his master.As Dar stands on a high bluff, Kiri comes up behind him. Whether she is bidding him farewell or choosing to go with him is left for the viewer to decide. Kiri kisses Dar passionately as Podo pokes its head out of Dar's belt pouch, sniffing noses with Ruh. Two baby ferrets borne by Podo follow suit. The last shot is Kiri and Dar kissing, from Sherak's birds-eye view as he circles high above.