Perilous Lands

"But the people of the north call the area the Perilous Lands. Few who have ever ventured there have lived to tell the tale."

- Gaius to Merlin

The Perilous Lands are a barren wasteland located northeast of Mercia. Once a mighty kingdom ruled by the Fisher King, it is currently home to a flock of Wyverns.

History
Hundreds of years before Uther's reign, the Perilous Lands were a mighty kingdom ruled by a sorcerer called the Fisher King. When the Fisher King was injured in battle, his wound began to fester. The infection spread not just through his body, but through his lands as well, eventually reducing his kingdom to a barren wasteland.

To prove that he was worthy of one day becoming King of Camelot, Arthur embarked on a quest to the Perilous Lands to find the Fisher King's Trident. Before he left, Morgana gave him a phoenix eye bracelet that had been enchanted to drain his life force. This nearly resulted in his death when he stumbled into a mud bog and was unable to pull himself out.

When Merlin discovered Morgana's plan, he and Gwaine went after Arthur to rescue him. They caught up with him at the Fisher King's tower, where they saved him from being killed by Wyverns and helped him search for the Trident. At one point, Merlin became separated from the others and met the Fisher King himself, who had been waiting hundreds of years for an end to his suffering.

The Fisher King gave Merlin a glass vial filled with water from the Lake of Avalon, which he said would provide help in Albion's time of need. In exchange, Merlin gave him the phoenix eye bracelet, which drained the Fisher King's life force and granted him the death he'd been waiting for. Arthur found and retrieved the Fisher King's Trident soon afterwards and the trio returned to Camelot (The Eye of the Phoenix).

Trivia

 * Though they are both referred to as the Dark Tower, the tower depicted on Arthur's map of the Perilous Lands and the tower where Morgana tortured Gwen are two separate locations (The Eye of the Phoenix, The Dark Tower).

Gallery
Terres des Périls