Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal

Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal is a children's fantasy novel by Australian author Emily Rodda. It is the third book in the Rowan of Rin series.

Plot summary

The Keeper of the Crystal - leader of the Maris people - is dying and a messenger brings this news to Rin cquote|The Crystal dims. The Chooser is summoned... Rowan of Rin learns that his mother, Jiller, is to choose the new leader from one of the three warring Maris clans. Doss of Pandellis, Asha of Umbray and Seaborn of Fisk are their names. When she falls victim to a strong poison, however, Rowan finds himself in the chooser's position as well as trying to create the antidote to wake his mother from Death Sleep. Rowan then receives a riddle of how to make an antidote by bonding with the crystal and finding the recipe against the Keeper's will.

cquote|To mix the brew that wakes death sleep Fill one spread hand with silver deep. In a hungry pool moons raise their heads: Pluck one and add the tears it sheds. Stir slowly with new fighters quill, Three times, no more, and let it still. Add venom from your greatest fear-- One drop--and then the truth is clear.

They then exit the cavern of the keeper to go to the island where Orin the first keeper went to make the antidote. They think that the water will be the answer to the second line, however Doss says that it is too obvious and that it wound not be the sea water. Rowan then sights a slight glint in the trees and runs toward it. they discover that it is a pool of clear water. Seaborn is then asked to retrieve the water but once his hand touches the water clear tubular leeches then get attached to his hand. He screams in pain and gives Rowan the water. Then a bird swoops down towards them but is actually diving toward to the pool to grab some leeches. The pool then turns silver as the leeches bury themselves under the silver sand. In the centre of the pool is a moon flower and they decide that they will have to grab the flow with their hands since the "tears" that they need is the sap. Rowan then remembers that in Rin they use scarecrows to scare away crows and they construct a bird like kite using Seaborn's cape and sticks. They fly the kite near the pool and Rowan puts his and in the pool and grabs for the moonflower because all the other refuse to do it.

The 5th line means a quill from the bird that has not been plucked and exposed to air for a long time. They use Asha's cape which is silver as a mirror to attract the bird.

The venom of your greatest fear is the venom from the Great Serpent. They got the venom from the serpent while it was laying it's eggs into the pool where Rowan got the moonflower from.

Rowan,Jiller, Star and John return to Rin safely.=Characters=

* "Asha of Umbray", one of the three candidates, tall for a Maris.
* "Doss of Pandellis", one of the three candidates, youngest of all the candidates.
* "Seaborn of Fisk", one of the three candidates, taller than Asha.
* "Orin of Mirill", the first keeper and the first brewer of the death sleep antidote.
* "Rowan of Rin" or "Rowan of the Bukshah", a young boy that becomes the chooser after his mother Jiller is victimized.
* "Jiller", Rowan's mother and the Chooser.
* "Keeper", the keeper of the crystal.
* "Strong John of the Orchard", a strong man from Rin.
* "Star", Rowan's bukshah and the most elite of the bukshah herd.
* "Annad", Rowan's little sister.
* "Timon", the teacher of Rin.
* "Perlain", a Marris man that's life is the choosers.
* "Zebak- Evil people" that have tried time and time again to destroy and capture Marris and Rin.

Groups of people

* "Umbray", silver cape, skilled at deceiving.
* "Pandellis", blue cape.
* "Fisk", green cape.
* "Mirill", experts in poison, for every poison they make has an antidote.
* "Rin", a group of people that live in a valley far away from the coast which all the others live close to.