#Lief of Del

[lindalofbroome]

behold some jaslief for the soul

[madrone33]

Can I rant for a bit about how cool it is that one of Lief's defining traits is that he's smart? Like, not even necessarily cunning or clever or street smart (though he's totally that too) but just. Book smart. He knows maths and history and english and he uses that knowledge for stuff! And! He's also cunning and clever and street smart and a fighter at the same time!

And I know it's not that big a deal, but normally in adventure stories, especially for a younger audience, the hero's strengths are more in sword fighting or magic casting or being really good at parkour. And here the hero is smart and he's proud of it, and his friends are proud of it, and the world is proud of it! Literally! Deltora Quest as a world and a plot revolves around puzzles and riddles and putting clues together more than it does on physical fights. In almost every battle they get into, the day is won not by being better at fighting than their opponents, but because they realised the loophole or figured out some vital info in the nick of time. (And I say almost every battle, because Jasmine is both willing and able to stab a bitch.)

The Topaz that clears and strengthens the mind is probably the most used Gem in the whole series, because Lief knows its value so well. And even when he can't rely on its strength, when the moon is new or the Belt is covered, he's still using his brains to find his way out of impossible situations! It's just! So cool!

Brain over brawn and all that, except not really, 'cause he's also a badass with the sword! Wtf! Lief why are you so cool??

Deltora is probs my fav series. I am OBSESSED with the characters and worldbuilding, but the codes and riddles and puzzles? That is my jam you guys. I studied those things. Every time a new one came up, I memorised it! I tried recreating it! It was awesome! And the Lief + Jasmine combo of "Basically-A-Nerd Who Is Awesome" and "Badass Fleshed-Out Women My Beloved" who are besties before love-interests was a pinnacle of my childhood.

[sisterofthesouth]

i had to do a jasmine & lief version too (for @mynamesdrstuff)

[hellleo]

i made a video :)

[theoakleafpancake]

I’m rereading DQ and sometimes I forget how wild Lief could be lmao. The scene where they’re about to fight the fear and Barda, Jasmine, and even Glock are collectively warning him to stay back—with Glock threatening to carry him and put him on a perch—and he straight up jumps past Barda to get to the cage 😭

[doomsupportgroup]

I completely forgot I drew this, must've been 5 years ago. Found it today while cleaning my old notebooks.

Lief and Dain first meeting lol

[wickedcriminal]

I like the idea of a deltora quest swap where Jasmine gets to be the sharp tongued hero who wears the magic belt and has a psychic link to the gems but also because I think it would be really funny if the kid that grew up in the forest was the one named Lief

[watermelonseedjan]

As the full moon illuminated the topaz, Lief took the opportunity to touch it. Finally, he got an answer...

[wizerdbattle]

whatever. go my Lieves.

[40lions]

I saw Deltora Quest made it on the Tor yearly book list for the first time and had to post a couple more sketches of the squad! DQ fandom rise up!!!

[meshimellow]

maybe the most niche media ive ever drawn something for. GUESS :)

designs in the first image belong to my friend miles @transhitman btw

[lindalofbroome]

25 - Joy

And at last the dragons were so close together that the tips of their wings were touching. Together they roared, and the colours of their fires mingled in a rainbow blaze. And when that last, great fire had died, nothing remained of the Shadow Lord's terror but a vast circle of blackened ash. [...] And all who looked upon that scene were wept by a great wave of joy and wonder. For they saw that the shining wings of the dragons were like the gems of the Belt of Deltora, blazing in the sky. DELTORA QUEST 3 The Sister of the South Ch 20 Full Circle

bonus doodles:

can't not have barda and lindal in here you know me by now

gla-thon and gers lmao. can't remember if their friendship is canon or i was deflecting my ocs onto them but i stand by it

[madrone33]

So, I've been re-reading the Deltora Quest books for the first time in years because my obsession with them has recently been revived (just finished Valley of the Lost), and man, I don't think I realised before just how, like, absolutely devoted Lief is to getting rid of the Shadow Lord and freeing Deltora. It's especially apparent in the first few books.

The Belt is basically all that matters to him. Not even finding the Heir is more important, honestly the heir is very much secondary to the Belt. They're just the person who will put on and activate the Belt's magic; they are a means to an end. His own life is secondary to the Belt - which isn't to say he's not afraid of dying, he really really is, but when shit gets real and it looks like this is the end, his thoughts almost always go to the Belt. Just like the heir, Lief thinks of himself as a means to an end. (Which is ironic, seeing as how he is the heir.) Lief will make the Belt, and the heir will wear the Belt, but it's the Belt itself that matters most to him. Because it's the Belt that will save them.

'Do not worry about me,' Lief whispered, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. 'Nothing matters but that we seize the gem. If I die in the attempt, it will not be your fault. You must take the Belt from my body and go on alone, as you have wished.'

I must prepare myself for death, Lief thought. But he could only think of the Belt around his waist. If he was killed here, the Belt would lie forgotten with his bones. The gems would never be restored to it. The heir to the throne of Deltora would never be found. The land would remain under the Shadow forever.

'No!' Lief cried. 'Wait!' At this moment of terror, his one thought was for the Belt of Deltora and the topaz fixed to it. If he did nothing to prevent it, this golden eyed giant would surely find the Belt after he was dead, take it from his body- and perhaps give it to Thaegan. Then Deltora would be lost to the Shadow Lord forever. I must throw the Belt over the cliff, he thought desperately. I must make sure that Barda and Jasmine see me do it. Then they will have some chance of finding it again. If only I can delay him until I can do it...

[Literally just died] Lief felt himself pulled to his feet and slung over Barda's shoulder. His head was spinning. He wanted to cry out, 'What of the crown? The opal?' But then he was that the crown was in Barda's hand.

Lief's fingers felt for the clasp of the Belt he wore under his shirt. If necessary, he would unloose it and let it fall into the mud at the bottom of the stream. It would be better for it to lie there than for it to fall into the hands of the Shadow Lord again.

And maybe it didn't really hit me when I first read them 'cause I was approximately A Child, but it's really sinking in now just how bad things have been in Deltora for the last 16 years. When they talk about slavery and fighting arenas and brandings and starvation and executions in the streets. For some reason all these human atrocities are hitting home a lot more than before. It used to be the monsters that seemed the scariest, but now I can see that yes, the monsters are horrifying and traumatising and terrifying, but Lief and Barda and Jasmine continuously choose to keep going, they willingly put themselves through hell, because the Shadow Lord is worse.

Anyway, all this to say, Deltora really couldn't ask for a more selfless and loyal King that Lief. This kid is willing to die so many times over if it means his people are safe.

(The only thing he tends to go off mission for are his friends and family, but even then, I'm thinking of that part in Isle of the Dead where Laughing Jack holds Jasmine hostage and demand the Belt in return. And Lief refuses. Because his people must come first. And he knows Jasmine would never want him to betray their land for her. Like??? So many feels.)

[hellleo]

> For Deltora!

hey have you guys ever read deltora quest . i think i have couvid

[theoakleafpancake]

“The king just stared at me for a moment,” he told his wife. “His eyes were like—like deep wells. His mouth opened, but no words came. It was as if he had forgotten how to speak. Then, he croaked out an answer.”

[Image ID: Lief, from the chest up, is turned towards the viewer. He is in a dark forest with light shining from his left side. He is wearing his Toran cloak and a blue shirt. The cloak is held together by a bronze brooch. His skin is brown, his hair dark and curly, and his eyes are hazel. He is staring at the viewer with wild eyes and his mouth parted open. /End ID]

[dafusedhamsters024]

No Jasmine, you can’t kill Neridah.