Escape From
Kraznir
Learning objective:
To explore the FANTASY GENRE.
To extend a story using a variety of writing
formats and styles.
The Quest
To prevent the peaceful country of
Slinsil being conquered by the warlike
Kraznir.
Kraznir
Kraznir is a barren, poor land high
in the mountains. The people are
fierce and warlike. They are ruled
by a cruel and evil king named
Krill. The people of Kraznir can
no longer live there as they do not
have enough food and water to
survive. Krill realizes that to save
his kingdom he must conquer
Slinsil at any cost. After much
deliberation Krill and his followers
have drawn up plans to attack
Slinsil, take over the land and
enslave the people.
Slinsil
Slinsil lies to the south of Kraznir.
It is a rich and beautiful country
surrounded by tall trees, flowing
rivers and many flowers and
animals. The people are peaceful
and fun loving but have received
rumours that Krill plans to attack
and are hurriedly preparing to
defend themselves.
The king is preparing to send 5
brave volunteers to spy on Krill
and find out the battle plans.
The
Slinsil
Spies
Continue
The Warrior
Skills
Doughty the Warrior
Doughty wears strong
armour and is very skilled
with a sword and staff. You
may choose whether
Doughty is male or female.
He/she is the strongest and
bravest of the Slinsil spies
and can be relied upon to
face any danger.
Back
The Wizard
Skills
Touchfire the Wizard
Touchfire can make himself
invisible. He can turn evil
creatures to stone, but this
spell only lasts five minutes.
Touchfire can also use his
magic to throw fire balls. His
magic however does not work
around water.
Back
The Hobbit
Skills
Littlejohn the Hobbit
Littlejohn is very small, only
about a metre tall. He is quick
and light footed, but not very
strong. He carries a small
dagger. Because he is so nimble
he can usually escape from
danger, provided he is not too
tired.
Back
The Dwarf
Skills
Athor the Dwarf
You may choose the gender of
Athor, who is quite short, but is
broad and strong. He /she is
accustomed to living
underground, so can see in the
dark and can make him / herself
almost invisible by hiding in
shadows. He /she is very brave
and carries a battle axe.
Back
The Leader
Task: To
create a
suitable leader
for the Slinsil
spies
Strengths and Weaknesses
• Make a profile chart in your book about
each character (you may decide on
gender for each character but it is
important that you keep the same names):
character
Strength
weakness
Strong, brave,
wears armour.
Too big to crawl
through small
spaces
Leader (your
leader’s name)
Doughty (male)
Touchfire
Athor (female)
Littlejohn
Character Profile
• Your task is to draw (or use a computer)
an image of your leader. You will need to
know your leader very well because YOU
will be the leader in this epic tale. You may
have special talents that makes you great
that no-one can see, therefore, you will
need to include the details of these talents
along with your description.
The leader of the Slinsil Spies
You are going to create your alter ego as the
leader of the Slinsil spies.
Task 1
Give yourself a name.
Draw an image of yourself.
Brainstorm ideas for your description.
Can give commands
Violet eyes
clever
inventive
Druilin
Genasa
• Now that you have a name and a few
ideas about your physical appearance and
your talents, you will need to write a more
detailed description when introducing
yourself.
• Write in full sentences. Don’t forget to try a
range of sentence types. Use words that
help your reader to imagine what you look
like. Remember to use adjectives, similes
and metaphors. Read the following
extracts to help you decide about how you
will introduce your character.
Deep down here by the dark water lived
old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don't
know where he came from, nor who or
what he was. He was Gollum - as dark as
darkness, except for two big round pale
eyes in his thin face. He had a little boat,
and he rowed about quite quietly on the
lake; for
lake it was, wide and deep and deadly
cold.
How is Golum introduced?
Who is introducing him?
Perhaps it had something to do with living
in a dark cupboard, but Harry has always
been small and skinny for his age. He
looked even smaller and skinnier than he
really was because he had to wear old
clothes of Dudley's and Dudley was about
four times bigger than he was. Harry had a
thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and
bright-green eyes. He wore round glasses
held together with a lot of Sellotape
because of all the times Dudley had
punched him on the nose. The only thing
Harry liked about his own appearance was
a very thin scar on his forehead which was
shaped like a bolt of lightning.
How is Harry introduced?
Who is introducing him?
Druilin was a natural leader. Being the son of the Slinsil
King helped because he had always known that one
day he would have to rule the kingdom. He was
handsome enough, with his smiling, bright yellow eyes
that shone like golden stars and his mop of wavy seagreen hair, but lately he was frowning all the time. He
was clever, he could organise and command others to
get the job done. He was the natural choice to become
the leader of the Slinsil spies.
Sometimes, if he concentrated really hard, he could
even walk through solid walls. He would have to close
his eyes, clear his mind of everything except the wall,
wait until he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand
out and then he would step forward, his body sliding
through the solid brick to the other side. It was an
extraordinary talent but he could hardly move
afterwards, his body would be completely drained of all
energy.
Write an introduction
• Use the ideas you have generated to write
an introduction to your story.
• You must make your character seem real.
• Use techniques that incorporate a
description in an imaginative way!
Draw your own map
• Use the information from the booklet to
draw a map of Slinsil, Kraznir and the land
in between.
• Try to make your map as accurate as
possible, you will need it…
Day 1
Escaping the
Dungeon
Writing prose
The spies have been successful. Deep in the cellars
of Castle Krill they find the complete battle plans.
This and many other valuable documents is stored
in a large wooden chest. Now the spies have to get
the chest and all its contents safely back to Slinsil
before Krill attacks.
YOU are the leader of the spies. Therefore you are
responsible for making sure the chest and its
contents arrive safely back in Slinsil. First however,
you must find your way out of the
dungeon…without getting caught!
The Dungeons of Kraznir Castle
Information:
The five spies must try to escape from Castle Krill and begin
their journey home to Slinsil. They need to do three things:
1. Steal provisions for the journey home (and do this
without a general alarm being raised).
2. Work out the safest route out of the dungeons that
includes a stop at the food store.
3. Decide how the chest and stores will be carried and how
to get past the guards on duty at the cliff edge.
NO SPY MUST BE KILLED!
Task:
Write the story of how the Slinsil spies escape from the
dungeon. Remember that you are leader of the spies so
consider the role you will play in the escape carefully. Finish
the story with the companions deciding to spend the night
halfway down the steep, cliff path.
You must use 1st person but you may the choose to write using
past or present tense. Once the decision is made you must
stick with it throughout this section of the story!
Past or present
• Past tense means that the events have
just happened:
We looked back. Athor limped away. We
slept soundly on the hard floor.
• Present tense means that the events are
happening at the moment:
• We look back. Athor limps away. We sleep
soundly on the hard floor.
st
1
person
• Not only are YOU in the story, you are telling the
story!
• You need to write as if you are involved and
observing what is going on around you.
• You will not refer to your own character name
unless it is necessary (for example, if another
character is calling you).
We crept silently around the dark chamber. I heard
Athor stumble and swear under his breath.
“Be quiet!” I hissed.
“Sorry Druilin,” Athor mumbled.
Learning objective:
Extending a story through poetry.
Day 2
Ambush!
Writing poetry
What is the difference between
prose and poetry?
Prose (story / narrative)
• Paragraphs
• The shape is not fixed
• Sentences conform to
grammar rules
Poetry
• Stanzas (verses)
• The shape is fixed
• Sentences are more
flexible and words can be
altered to suit a pattern or
rhyme (poetic licence)
Information:
You have escaped from the castle and are now high up in the
mountains. It is very cold. You have spent the night on a
narrow ledge. It is just getting light. There is a sheer drop
below you and steep cliffs above. Suddenly you hear noises.
They get louder. It is the followers of Krill.
Task:
Decide who the Slinsil spies must face…
Continue Quest
Giant
Spiders
Danger!
The giant spiders are two
metres across and have legs
that are three metres long.
Their bite is poisonous to
every living thing, except
dwarves. The giant spiders
travel in packs of three and
can travel up and down steep
cliff faces very quickly.
Back
Wargs
Danger!
Wargs are vicious and
hungry man-eating wolves,
who also enjoy a meal of elf
and dwarf. They are twice as
big as the biggest dog you
have ever seen. They do not
touch wizards, because they
are terrified of fire. The
wargs travel in packs
of four.
Back
Orcs
Danger!
Orcs are vicious monsters
who eat absolutely any living
creature. They carry sharp
spears and have cruel teeth.
Orcs wear strong armour
and are afraid of nothing.
Their eyesight is poor
however and they rely on
sound and smell to hunt
their prey. They hunt in
packs of three.
Back
Information:
The Slinsil spies CAN NOT lose the plans, their country
depends on them.
1. Decide how the spies will best defend themselves
against their attackers
2. Decide whether anyone is likely to get injured during
the attack. NO SPY MUST DIE!
Task:
Write a poem telling what happens when the enemy attacks.
The battle will last most of the day and no one is guaranteed
to escape uninjured. Only when the enemy is defeated will the
spies get a chance to rest and consider their losses.
Writing your poem
• Make a plan about what happens during
the battle with your chosen creature.
• Add lists of words to each section that
could describe the action.
• Experiment with the order of the words:
add adjectives and adverbs to bring your
nouns and verbs to life!
Plan:
•
•
•
•
•
Noises from the enemy
Describe sleeping spies
Spies roused by noises
The battle
Victory
Twisted
Growling
Creeping
Ugly
Grinning
Slimy
Slicing
Crunching
Spurting blood
Hacking
Falling
Orcs
Doughty Listening
Touchfire Wondering
Athor Prickly Feeling
Littlejohn Strange
Leader ready
Sleeping
Peaceful
Snoring
Twitching
Resting
Cheering
Laughing
Winning
Ready
Time to move
on before
others come
Poem structure
• Each section of action needs a new verse
• Verses do not need to rhyme (unless you
want them to) but they must have a beat
or rhythm.
• Repetition helps to build up tension.
• You must punctuate your poem, even if it
means splitting lines or running lines on.
Ambushed by the Orcs
•
•
•
•
Growling, grizzling, creeping forward,
The orcs are coming,
Faces twisted, teeth snarling,
The orcs are coming.
•
•
•
•
Touchfire stirring, snoring softly,
Littlejohn dreaming of sausages and beer,
Doughty snoozing, leaning on the rockface,
Athor watchful, battle-axe ready.
Wordsearch homework
• Use the wordsearch grid to create an
Escape from Karznir wordsearch. You can
use words from the story including sights
and sounds words from the day 2 ambush.
• Remember to check spellings on your list
before you write them into the grid.
Learning objective:
Using script conventions to tell a story.
Day 3
The River Glin
Writing a script
Time is of the essence…Krill’s
soldiers are still following you.
You must cross the river quickly.
Luckily you have found a small
boat.
Information:
• The boat holds only four people, or the same weight.
• It needs one person to row it and one person to steer it.
• You carry two bags of food. Each bag weighs the same as
one person.
• You carry the chest and it weighs the same as one person.
• The wizard’s magic does not work on this river.
Task:
Work out how many trips it will take to ferry the spies across
the river (Don’t forget that for each trip you have to send
two people back across the river – the boat cannot row and
steer by itself).
As the spies begin the river crossings, something terrible
happens. Decide what happens to the boat and the Slinsil
spies and write it up as a script as you continue with your
story. It will be the middle of the night by the time the
spies have all crossed the River Glin.
Script Conventions:
• Stage directions are usually in italics or
brackets.
• Each speaker on a new line, no need for
speech marks.
For example:
The scene opens as the spies approach a river.
Doughty: Oh, no… We can’t get across that
river, it’s just too fast and deep!
(The spies all look towards the river. Doughty
drops the chest on top of Littlejohn)
Littlejohn: Oi, watch what yer doin’, yer great
big lump! (he rubs his head and
scowls at Doughty)
Putting on a mini-play
Imagine you are going to perform this
section of the story. What costumes would
your cast wear? What props would they
need?
Design costumes and props for your miniplay.
You will also need to design a scenery
backdrop.
Learning objective:
Writing a formal letter to describe and inform.
Day 4
The Stony
Desert
Writing a formal letter
The Stony Desert is a dry and
barren land. No water or food
can be found here. It is a very
dangerous and scary place. The
spies must move quickly.
Information:
After crossing the river the Slinsil spies walk through most of
the night to put as much distance as possible between them
and Krill. They finally reach the Stony Desert but are
exhausted, having not eaten for nearly twenty hours.
It is starting to get light and they decide to make camp in a
rocky place to rest and eat. They find that most of their food
was spoiled by river water and is barely edible. The camp is
just established when they hear is a fearful noise. The spies
look round and find themselves face to face with a terrible
creature.
Task:
1. Decide which the Slinsil spies must face next from the
options below and how they will defend themselves against it.
Dragon
Margatroth
Task
Balrog
Danger!
The dragon is 15 metres long
and breathes flame. It can
kill by burning or by
crushing its prey in its jaws.
The wizard’s spells do not
work on the dragon but he is
able to calm it for short
periods of time. The Dragon
absolutely hates dwarves and
elves.
Back
Danger!
The Margatroth is a huge
many headed creature. It has
fierce teeth and six legs. It is
very dangerous to all living
things, except dwarves. They
are too small for the
Margatroth to see easily. It
can only be killed by cutting
off all its heads.
Back
Danger!
The Balrog has a streaming
mane of fire. Its hands are
stabbing thongs of fire.
When it is enraged it grows
into an enormous flaming
creature. The only weapon
you can use against it is
water and you only have your
small supply of drinking
water. Nothing in its path is
safe.
Back
Information:
The group have not had much food or rest and
are exhausted. Most of their food and water are
gone and there is no chance of finding new
supplies in the desert.
Task:
Continue with your story by writing a letter to
King Slin explaining what happened when your
chosen creature attacked the Slinsil spies.
Touchfire has the power to send just one letter, it
needs to tell the king where you are, what has
happened in the desert and who is left to
complete the mission.
Structure your letter
• Begin with a greeting: Dear Majesty / King Slin /
Highness,
• Tell the king the plans are safe in the chest.
• Explain about the danger you faced in the Stony Desert.
• What happened, how you defeated the creature.
• Report any casualties or fatalities. Recommend bravery
awards for valour.
• Explain that you expect to reach the River Slin in one
day, once you have travelled through the Forest of Haag
and you will need a boat waiting for you.
• Sign off
A Formal Letter Layout
Sender’s
address
Recipient’s
address
date
Greeting
Paragraphed content
Sign off
Learning objective:
Creating a news story for a newspaper front page
Day 5
The Forest of
Haag
Writing a headline story for a newspaper
The Forest of Haag was once a beautiful
forest full of wildlife and home to the forest
dwellers. Now however it has become
the home of the evil magician Nehemath,
the most powerful magician in the world. He
is an ancient enemy of Touchfire and has
vowed to destroy him should they ever meet
again. Nehemath has cast a spell over the
Forest and the forest dwellers are now under
his control. All who enter are drawn into his
evil and few ever leave, unless Nehemath
allows it.
Information:
The Slinsil spies have found their way to Haag Forest, on the
other side of the forest is the River Slin and freedom. The only
thing that stands between them and victory is Nehemath.
Nehemath’s powers are as great asTouchfire’s. In fact
Nehemath and Touchfire are ancient enemies and each has
vowed to destroy the other.
Task;
1. Decide what nasty scheme Nehemath has to stop the
spies passing through the forest.
2. Decide how the spies attempt to survive.
3. Choose a fate for the Slinsil spies from the options below:
Option 1
Option 2 Choose Wisely! Option 3
continue
Continue…
Continue…
Nehemath’s
Challenge
Task: What fate have you selected for the Slinsil spies?
A reporter from ‘The Slinsil Star’ managed to creep into the
Forest of Haag. Write a front page story for a newspaper
telling what happened in the Forest from the time the spies
first entered and discovered what Nehemath was up to.
Home at Last
The Slinsil spies have
escaped from Kraznir!
Information:
Slinsil welcomes back the brave
heroes. Surely the fate of the
country is saved by the brave
actions of these individuals?
Task:
Write about the spies homecoming
and what happens next.
Add the story to your front page!
The Quest has
failed!
Slinsil must prepare for the worst!
Information:
The spies have not returned, the plans are
lost and the country has to face the
prospect of defeat.
The spies are heroes and a decision is
made to honour them and hopefully
use their deeds to inspire others to
fight Krill.
Task:
• Write about the spies bravery and
what happens next.
• Add the story to your front page!
Finishing your story!
• You have written a magnificent account of
the spies quest to save Slinsil.
• It is so marvellous that King Slin has
ordered a copy to be placed in the Royal
Library.
• But it needs a front cover and a contents
page!
Newspaper Front Page Layout
Almost finished!
• You have completed several pieces of
superb writing that needs to be put
together in a booklet that the people of
Slinsil will treasure.
Design your cover
• The title is ‘Escape from Kraznir’
• You will need to make sure your name is
included.
Contents page
This is a list that helps your reader navigate
through your book.
It may be a good idea to put the pages in
order and number them starting with the
drawing of your leader or your introduction.
Include all pages except for the front cover,
the contents page and the back cover.
Contents page
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction……………………………… p1
Day one: Escape from the Dungeon…..p?
Day two: Ambush!...................................p?
Day three: Crossing River Glin…………p?
Day four: The Stony Desert……………..p?
Day five: The Forest of Haag……..…….p?
Well done!
King Slin is proud of you,
your book will be treasured by
the people of Slinsil for
generations to come.
As a reward for your efforts he
has instructed your teacher to
award you a merit! English
Merit