Sisters -- Episode #315

EXTENDED SYNOPSIS:

Zad's Knight, Tarbok (Jean Marc Russ), ambushes Ilira (Jacinta Stapleton), a Sister of Vella, intent on stealing the precious opal band she wears around her arm. Dar (Daniel Goddard) is alerted by Sharak to the scuffle, and races to Ilira's rescue. He fights off Tarbok, but not before the Knight is able to wrestle the armband away from his victim and escape.

Ilira takes Dar and Tao (Jackson Raine) back to the Cloister where she lives with the other Sisters of Vella, a sacred Order that studies and preserves all knowledge. With the world sliding into darkness, and Zad's armies leaving behind only fear and ignorance, people have forgotten much about medicine, farming and building, but the Sisters vow to gain and protect all knowledge. When they learn that Tao is a healer, they insist that he teach them everything he knows. Later, when Ilira inadvertently discovers that Dar is none other than the BeastMaster, she delivers the news to the Vella (Shanyn Asmar).

Meanwhile, the master swordsman, Kerik (Victor Parascos), is now in the service of Zad's soothsayer, Slythius (Ivar Kants). Tarbok brings them news that he has spotted the BeastMaster, and has an armband that proves the existence of the legendary Order of Vella. Slythius orders Kerik to kill Tarbok and find Oltram's Map, which is said to be in the possession of the Order. Eldar's soothsayer, Oltram, was the only one who escaped when Eldar's household was destroyed, and the knowledge on that map would allow Zad to defeat the BeastMaster once and for all.

Dar has had misgivings about this strange Order all along. A disillusioned Tao believed these women were scholars and wanted to share their knowledge, but he has learned that whatever they know, they keep to themselves. He is further convinced when Podo leads him into a dust-covered archive lined with shelves of scrolls and artifacts. He eyes a scroll bearing the rune of Eldar, an ornate map that reveals the current whereabouts of each of Eldar's family members, including Dar's brother, the missing goat.

Tao is anxious to show the map to Dar, but Ilira insists it is time for him to share his knowledge with the Vella. Against his will, he's hauled before Vella who raises her hands to Tao and literally sucks the knowledge out of him.

Meanwhile, after a few encounters with Kerik, Dar warns Ilira that the swordsman will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Ilira finds Kerik and lures him into teaching her the techniques of his craft. But he soon tires of Ilira's game and orders her to show him the location of Oltram's Map.

When Kodo and Podo take Dar to the lair where Tao stands, literally drained, he becomes enraged and raises his sword to Vella. She warns him that if she dies, all her knowledge will go with her. Dar is frustrated by this hoarding of wisdom, arguing that it should be shared with the people. He makes a deal with Vella - his knowledge for the return of Tao. She agrees, and as she holds her palms against Dar's, she experiences all the majesty and wonder of the world. She gasps and breaks away from Dar, staggering in pain and awe at what she's just encountered. Dar helps her to realize that she can't hide her knowledge away, waiting for the dark times to end. Nor can she destroy something in order to learn from it. With that understanding, she siphons Tao's knowledge back into him and brings him back to life.

Newly revitalized, Tao tells Dar about the map. Meanwhile, when Vella is informed that Eldar was Dar's father, she offers Dar the map. Suddenly Kerik appears, and snatches it first. Dar manages to capture Kerik, leading him back to the Cloister to ponder his fate. Dar knows that armed with the knowledge of Oltram's Map, Kerik is too dangerous to set free, so he sends him to the Vella to suck out the crucial knowledge. Kerik reports back to Slythius that he found nothing, and Dar and Tao set out with the map to find the goat they believe to be Dar's brother.