Zander's Tale
Zander has always dreamed of adventure. The scepter he finds in a cave seems magical and suddenly he has the chance for excitement. He declares himself a great wizard and soon he is leading an army to conquer the jungle. He becomes king… and is even declared emperor. But when he loses everything, the real adventure begins.
Did the unusual scepter belong to the ancient wizard king Muwame? Before Zander has a chance to ask his teacher that question he is set upon by a ragtag group of bandits. He accidentally discovers the scepter’s secret. Sparks shoot from tubes around the top orb and his voice is amplified. The ruffians cower in fear! Zander declares himself a wizard and leads these bandits on a mission to conquer the jungle. They renovate an ancient, abandoned city and he is declared king. The conquest continues and it isn’t long until much of the world bows to him… and he is crowned emperor. But his power is an illusion. His warden general Benedetto controls the army. Despite being called king or emperor, Zander is not the true ruler of the land.
Zander misses the wise council of his former teacher. He grows lonely and discouraged at his inability to help those struggling because of his army’s continued campaigns. And then his teacher comes to the city and Zander experiences a cloudburst of hope. He imagines everything will suddenly be made right.
But instead, his teacher disappears and sets in motion Zander’s dethroning. Captured, he is led to the dungeons. When he manages to escape, the real adventure begins.
In exile, he becomes convinced that he must set right the wrongs done under his rule. He falls in with traveling, displaced refugees and helps them avoid the scavenging soldiers. But he brushes aside their attempts at deeper friendship because he doesn’t want them to rely on him and is afraid they will reject him. After all, he is the cause of their misfortune.
In his earlier encounters with a giant vulture, a voracious dragon slug and ferocious jungle cats, he never felt so vulnerable.
A movement forms to take back the jungle for all the animals. If it succeeds, there is a good chance Zander will face punishment. For the benefit of all, he helps. One must do what is right, no matter the consequences.