The Colour of Darkness (novel)

The Colour of Darkness is the third book in The Darksmith Legacy series.

Publisher's summary
The Doctor is in pursuit of the robot Agent and the Eternity Crystal. His travels have taken him to the forbidding planet of The Darksmith Collective, Karagula. Before the Doctor can reach the hidden Dark Cathedral, he arrives at a village without any children. It is a mystery that the Doctor must unlock before he can find the Crystal. Will the Doctor solve the mystery and will he find the Crystal before the Darksmiths retrieve it?

This amazing ten-book series follows the Doctor on his exciting journey to discover the origins of the so-called Eternity Crystal and the powerful artisans who created it - the Darksmiths.

Continue the amazing adventures online at www.thedarksmithlegacy.com

Story Summary
The Doctor in pursuit of the Darksmith Agent (who has reclaimed the Eternity Crystal) lands on the Darksmith's homeworld of Karagula (a planet even avoided by the Time Lords at their height). The sun scorched planet, with its twin suns, was colonised by settlers who split into two factions. While the more humanoid Karagulans led a scavenging nomadic existence on the planets surface, living on floating platform settlements that constantly moved to chase the shortest day, the other faction, the Darksmith Collective took to living underground where their skills and ingenuity combined the ancient with the more advanced technologies, enabled them to trade with other alien races throughout the galaxies, earned them a fearsome reputation across many worlds. The Doctor arrives some days after a Dreamspinner a mysterious creature that appeared as a woman in blue, has, in exchange for making the Karagulan's "desires come true" (the dead being reborn, withered hands cured, that sort of thing), named her price and had taken all the children by way of payment. As the Dreamspinner carries the sign of the Darksmiths (a black flame) the Karagulan's, being dependent on the Darksmith's for waste and resources, feel powerless to resist. The Doctor believes the Karagulan's have been tricked and unwittingly aided by the only child remaining, Lorton, (who when the other children left, was unable to travel having been unwell with Sun-fever after having run away) head off to the Dark Cathedral a portal to the underworld of the Darksmith's and last known destination of the Dreamspinner and the children. Once inside the Dark Cathedral the Doctor poses as John Smith a Special Envoy of the Spiel Confederation, seeks the Darksmiths help in bringing back to life a breeding pair of the now extinct Twaddles. Left alone in the Cathedral Library the Doctor uncovers a secret room housing the journal of former-Brother Varlos. With time short the Doctor downloads onto his sonic screwdriver the incomplete journal that details the Eternity Project and more about the Eternity Crystal. Lorton has meanwhile been wandering around in the dark city looking for his sister Bethin when he comes face to face with the Dreamspinner, who is in fact Shas-Raklat, an outcast from her own people the Menim, punished by having her eyes and their incredible gift of sight removed. In defiance, Shas-Raklat, (a cross insect-reptile figure), has enhanced her sense of smell-her olfactory system to great effect being able to alter memories, create visions and stimulate pleasurable emotions with a range of expertly crafted drug-like smells. With the Doctors help Lorton escapes to Shas-Raklat's spacecraft which is prepared and ready to leave. While Lorton sets about releasing the children including his sister, who are being stored aboard for their sensory body parts, The Doctor is found by the Darksmiths and their now fully repaired and restored robot Agent (who had brought the Eternity Crystal back to the Darksmiths). The Doctor creates confusion with a phial containing one of Shas-Raklat smells stolen from the ship and manages to regain possession of the Eternity Crystal. As Bethin pilots Shas-Raklat's spacecraft through a hole in the ceiling, the Darksmith's sense success in the Doctors victory. Now able to trace and follow the Doctor through Space and, if need be Time, the Doctor will lead them to the former Brother Varlos creator of the Eternity Crystal and best hope for completing their only outstanding contract for a special client. Under a clause in the Shadow Proclamation the theft of the Crystal, "an artefact of Karagula", the Deathsmith's are allowed to use "lethal force" in order to procure its recovery. High Minister Drakon, orders the readiness of the Dreadnought-class ship - the Adamantine, to pursue the Doctor. Having returned the children to the Karagulan, and provided them with salvageable components and technologies from Shas-Raklat's spacecraft. The Doctor leaves to try and find Brother Varlos whose last journal entry gave the co-ordinates for the planet Flydon Maxima.

Characters
Karagulans Darksmith Collective
 * Fra' Vallir
 * Fra' Tramlor
 * Fra' Sagral
 * Fra' Ballord
 * Fra' Callord
 * Fra' Jared
 * Tirril
 * Bethin
 * Lorton
 * High Minister Drakon
 * Brother Talen
 * Brother Ardos
 * Brother Varlos
 * Brother Jaxal
 * Brother Krazon
 * Sister Clathine
 * Sister Hellan

Continuity
to be added

The Books

 * The title refers to a Menim's enhanced sense of colour being taken.
 * Interspersed with the main fiction is;
 * TARDIS Data Bank (extra information on 'Karagula' and 'Olfaction')
 * Activity pages x4 (The puzzle solutions give the reader the chance to think like the Doctor!)
 * The Story so far, next installment cover preview and opening preview.


 * The Darksmith Legacy's overall story was devised by Justin Richards who contributed four of the ten titles.
 * The Darksmith Legacy was certificated to 13, with under 13's needing parental approval.
 * This first book in the series was released along with the second before the remaining titles saw a monthly release throughout 2009.
 * Each book in the series was priced £4.99 (UK) and featured a foiled cover with illustration by Peter McKinstry

Interactive Website Content
By visiting the website and participating in the Quest participants can unlock additional content like computer wallpapers to download. The Quest itself features; games - (like finding a specific target in an image, by using the sonic screwdriver as a detector, to hone in (to register 100 on the scale). Once located the 'Target' then provides additional information used in further puzzles involving both words and numbers.

Timeline

 * The Dust of Ages occurs immediately after: TDL: The Graves of Mordane
 * The Dust of Ages occurs immediately before: TDL: The Depths of Despair