THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL I EPISODES
EPISODE 9
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE

FULL EPISODE SYNOPSIS (spoiler!)

The rebels come upon a village where everyone has been killed by a terrible disease. Leon warns his friends not to touch anyone. The Heraclean remembers seeing something similar on the Bronwyn Islands twenty-five years ago. An entire village had been killed by a plague. It had never been proven but a substance called the Yttrium Element was thought to have been the cause. Leon suspects the same cause here and urges them all to leave the area as quickly as possible.

Nearby lives the old scholar Athelston with his apprentice Voss. Athelston catches Voss tempering with the Yttrium Element, having created a version of it that is twenty times stronger than normal. The old scholar is appalled as their research is aiming at finding an antidote to the Yttrium. Athelston takes the element away from Voss, not knowing that his apprentice has already secured a supply of it.

The rebels plan to put up warning signs around the area to warn others of the danger. Will wants to find out the cause of the plague. Kalem appears and advises them to ask Athelston. His research is financed by Xax but the scholar does not work for the Lord Protector freely. Since William and Leon are the most wanted men in the kingdom, Aruna is chosen to go to Athelston, disguised as a young man. Leon teaches Aruna all the knowledge she needs to be accepted by the scholar as an apprentice. Meanwhile Vara and Drogo make some clothes for her disguise.

At the same time Xax and Kreel have an unexpected visitor. The sorcerer Zadrim, banned into the Torrid Zone once, has now returned. Zadrim demands a part of the kingdom for himself to rule over. When Kreel and Xax refuse he threatens them. Xax believes Zadrim is only bluffing but Kreel takes the threat seriously.

William accompanies Aruna to Athelston's house. The plan is for Aruna to stay only for a little while to find out what Athelston is working on and to determine whether he is trustworthy. If he is, she will tell him about the dead people they have seen. Aruna introduces herself to the scholar as Arun. She passes his oral test and is accepted as his apprentice.

William suspects that the people of the village were deliberately killed. Leon agrees, thinking it might have been a demonstration of power. Will rules out Xax and Kreel as they are not known to keep their evil actions secret. Leon is not so sure about that.

Athelston discovers that Voss's manipulations have caused the Yttrium Element to multiply immensely in contact with water. Only a drop of it in a river or lake could have a devastating effect.

Kreel and Xax hear about the killed people. They think immediately of Athelston. The scholar is known to be an honourable man, therefore they do not suspect Athelston himself but his assistant Voss. Commissioner Esdras is send to investigate.

Kalem warns William about the soldiers on their way to Athelston's house. He sets out at once to warn Aruna. Meanwhile Athelston tells the Arborean about Voss being not trustworthy. Voss, who is eavesdropping, puts some of the Yttrium Element in the wine he is serving his master and 'Arun'. Aruna does not drink her wine due to a headache. Voss pours it into the flowers.

The following morning William knocks on Athelston's door. The rebel is disguised as an Arborean merchant and calls himself Telfor from the Committed Regions. He pretends to be Arun's cousin and to come with news of Arun's mother being unwell, demanding his return. When Athelston appears they see immediately that he has been poisoned with Yttrium. Voss manages to escape with a supply of the element, setting the house on fire before he leaves.

The soldiers approach. Will, Aruna and Drogo, who has accompanied Tell, hide. Esdras reports to Kreel with a crystal communicator. The sorcerer orders him to follow Voss. The sorcerer's apprentice uses sleeping gas to put Esdras and his men out of action. The rebels come upon the unconscious Warriors and wonder who Voss is working for if not for Xax. William, Drogo and Aruna arrive just in time to witness how Zadrim is taking a bottle with a neon green liquid from Voss by magic. Then the sorcerer invites the apprentice to visit him in the Torrid Zone.

Voss agrees to sell the Yttrium to Telfor for 1000 Tareen. When they meet Aruna discovers that the liquid Voss offers is just a harmless substance. The conclude that Zadrim already has the Yttrium. William plans to go to the sorcerer as Telfor and talk to him. Drogo is send back to get Leon and Vara.

Zadrim contacts Kreel, telling him that he now has the means to destroy them. If they fail to meet his demands Zadrim wants to poison the kingdom. Xax is determined to take on Zadrim on his own, ignoring Kreel's warning that the power of Shaytana's Eye does not reach into the Torrid Zone.

Aruna discreetly follows William to the Torrid Zone. The sorcerer lives in a spacious Eyrie. It's entrance can only be reached by ladder and is guarded. Again William pretends to be the merchant Telfor and claims to be a mediator for Voss. Zadrim is a little suspicious but receives him. However, a bad surprise awaits Tell there. Xax has arrived ahead of him and reveals the rebel's true identity. Will is chained onto the wall in a cell, while Zadrim and Xax wait for the arrival of Voss who is scheduled to arrive early in the morning. They negotiate. Zadrim wants the southern part of the kingdom for himself. If Xax does not agree to this the sorcerer plans to contaminate the main springs of the largest river running through the entire kingdom. That would effectively exterminate all life in Kale. Voss will do a demonstration of the devastating effect of Yttrium when he comes.

Until then they have a long night ahead of them. Zadrim has "conserved" music, a sort of barrel organ. Will uses the noise cover to pull at his chains. During the night Xax finds out that his deathwand has no power in Zadrim's realm. The sorcerer reveals why he needs Voss. Voss is the only person who can control the Yttrium. Xax demands that the Element is tested on Tell.

Drogo leads Leon and Vara to Aruna, who has been watching the entrance to the Eyrie all the time. She is glad to see her friends.

Deep in the night Xax and Zadrim sleep in their chairs. Will finally manages to pull the ring holding his chains out of the wall. He goes to the window and signals to his friends. They throw a rope up to him. He ties it to another ring in the wall and escapes. Will sends Aruna up to the Eyrie to retrieve the Yttrium Element from the sleeping Zadrim. After that they quickly move away.

At the break of dawn Xax and Zadrim notice the missing Yttrium Element and the escape of their prisoner. Zadrim teleports the both of them and some of his men to the river the rebels are just about to cross. The begin shooting at each other. Tell and his band hide behind great rocks at the river bank. One of Zadrim's men aims at William who is desperately trying to hold on to the bottle of Yttrium while Zadrim is using his magic to pull it towards him. Xax prevents the shot. It is as much in his interest not to let the sorcerer have it as it is in William's. But eventually Zadrim's magic proves stronger than the rebel's muscles and the bottle floats over to him. Will raises his crossbow and shoots an arrow at the bottle. It is destroyed and the Yttrium Element rains down on the sorcerer who dies a horrible death within only a few moments. His men flee. Xax wades across the river towards the rebels. But as he has saved his life, Tell lets him go. The Quest for the Crystal Arrow continues.

© Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment & CLT-UFA International

THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL

EPISODE 9
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
                                  
Original US Airdate: October 25, 1998

Screenplay by Michael Robson
Directed by Declan Eames

 

Cast:
Kieren Hutchison (William Tell)
Katrina Browne (Aruna)
Nathaniel Lees (Leon)
Beth Allen (Vara)
Drew Neemia (Drogo)
Andrew Binns (Xax)
Ray Henwood (Kreel)
Sharon Tyrrell (Kalem)

Guest Cast:
Martyn Sanderson (Athelston)
Ken Blackburn (Commissioner Esdras)
David Telford (Zadrim)
Jess Szusterman (Voss)
Peter McKenzie (Warrior Captain)
Eddie Campbell (Warrior)
Amy Nye (Val)

 

Tell
FOOTNOTE
German Site
Kieren Hutchison