Major Charactres: Sinbad, Maeve, Dermott, Doubar, Rongar, Firouz, Aptor, Rumina, Scratch, Turok
Minor Charactres: Villagers, Man Who Has Been to Skull Mountain
(The crew is on the Nomad, nearing an island)
Sinbad: Steady as she goes, Doubar.
Doubar: It’s not the sea that’s giving us trouble, little brother. It’s something else.
(They see smoke coming from the island)
Sinbad: By all that is holy!
(Dermott chirps)
Sinbad: Black magic.
Maeve: This island is a nest of it. It’s practically raining evil.
Doubar: And I suggest we avoid it at all cost.
Sinbad: Ssh. Listen.
Doubar: I hear nothing but the wind.
Sinbad: Then you’re not listening hard enough!
(They hear yells coming from the island)
Sinbad: Magic allows us to hear those screams, when we’re so far from shore.
Doubar: Sounds like someone’s in need of help!
Sinbad: And it looks like we’re the only help around! Head for shore, big brother!
Doubar: Aye, aye, Captain!
Sinbad: Firouz! Rongar! Prepare the longboat! And stand alert, arms at the ready!
(The crew is in the longboat, heading to shore; they pull it ashore)
Sinbad: I can’t tell where the sounds are coming from!
Firouz: We’re not likely to, the way this wind is blowing in all directions.
Sinbad: Maeve!
Maeve: I can’t tell for sure. It’s as if every pore of this land is screaming with hatred.
Sinbad: Keep Dermott close by. Everybody split up! If you see anything, yell as if your lives depended on it!
(The crew splits up)
(Tira and children are being attacked by a harpy)
Tira: Get away! Leave us alone! Get away!
(Doubar comes over the hill and sees them being attacked)
Doubar: Sinbad! Over here! (runs to the aid of the woman and child)
Tira: Leave us alone!
(Doubar fights the harpy)
Firouz: What’s going on?
Sinbad: It’s Doubar! This way!
Maeve: Dermott, stay there. We don’t know what awaits us.
(They run to Doubar)
Sinbad: Doubar!
(The harpy picks up Doubar and carries him away)
Doubar: Sinbad!
Sinbad: Doubar!
Firouz: (to Tira and children) You’re safe now.
Sinbad: Everything will be all right, Doubar. Everything will be all right.
(Opening Credits)
(Doubar is in a nearby village, fighting off a number of harpies that threatened the villagers)
(The rest of the crew is talking to Tira and children)
Tira: Why is this happening to us? We’ve always lived in harmony with nature. We’ve always take what we needed and paid homage to the spirits. These dark forces just descended upon us.
Sinbad: Those demons we saw. When did they appear?
Tira: This morning. We starred up to the sky, and it grew dark. It was like a tidal wave of monsters. They hit our town wave after wave after wave.
Sinbad: Your village. It’s right over that hill.
Tira: Yes. My husband thought it would be safe for me to be down here—
Sinbad: Will you take us there? We’ll do all we can to help.
Tira: I’ll show you the way. Come.
(Tira leads them to her village)
(Doubar is still trying to help the villagers fight off all the harpies)
Doubar: (after a few minutes of fighting) Drive them into the alleyway! (can’t make out what he says here)
(They all continue fighting)
(The rest of the crew arrive in the village)
Sinbad: (to Tira) Stay here, and you’ll be safe!
(They run out to help)
Sinbad: Doubar!
Doubar: Sinbad! What took you so long?
(They all fight)
Sinbad: Maeve! We could use a little magic here!
(Maeve puts her sword into the ground, then throws a few fireballs, killing a few harpies; the rest all fly off)
Sinbad: Doubar!
(The crew regroups)
Sinbad: That a girl, Maeve. Nice shot.
Maeve: Well, I aim to please.
(Tira, children, and Aptor walk up to the group)
Aptor: My wife Tira tells me you saved her and the children. For that, I thank you.
Sinbad: Actually, it was my brother, Doubar.
Aptor: Oh, the roaring giant to descend upon the sky. Surely, you were heaven sent!
Doubar: Actually, I was just in the neighborhood, and thought I’d drop in.
(They all laugh)
Doubar: I guess those things aren’t used to heavy lifting.
(They laugh harder)
Aptor: My name is Aptor. I’m the leader of this village. Thank you all for coming to our aid.
Sinbad: Do you have any idea what caused all this?
Aptor: Indeed I do. Although, it still mystifies me. Come.
(The crew follow Aptor through the town)
Aptor: We live within a day’s sailing from Skull Mountain.
Doubar: That would explain the evil Maeve sensed.
Aptor: It is indeed a home to evil. A sorcerer Turok once lived there, with his daughter.
Maeve: Rumina.
Aptor: You know her?
Sinbad: Only by reputation.
(They stop)
Aptor: Neither father nor daughter would ever dare to attack us because of this.
(The crew sees a jewel)
Sinbad: A jewel?
Aptor: It’s more than a jewel. It’s called the gryphon’s egg. According to our ancestors, it’s the crystallization of all that is good.
Firouz: It’s flawless. If it’s that valuable, why do you leave it here in the open?
Aptor: Because no evil presence can touch it.
Maeve: May I?
Aptor: Of course. (takes the jewel and hands it to Maeve)
Maeve: (gasps) This is a powerful talisman. It does hold the power of good. And it is a demon repellent.
Sinbad: Didn’t seem too effective today.
Aptor: This is what puzzles us all. A year ago on this very day, something happened on that Skull Mountain that shook our world. Since then, the dark forces have threatened us. But today, an all-out attack. An attempt to destroy the stone.
Maeve: Sinbad, may I speak to you alone?
Sinbad: Yeah.
Aptor: I’ll tend to the wounded.
Firouz: I’m a physician. I can help.
Aptor: We’ll need help to bury our dead, too.
(Aptor, Firouz, Rongar, and Doubar leave Maeve and Sinbad alone; Dermott lands on Maeve’s arm)
Sinbad: We should be helping them.
Maeve: In a minute. Don’t you see what’s going on here?
Sinbad: Yes. Rumina’s attacking innocent people again.
Maeve: She’s never shown this ferocity before.
Sinbad: True enough. What could be the cause of all this? And why today?
Maeve: Sinbad, you’re the cause. And today, it is a year ago, on this day, that you beheaded her father.
(Rumina is in her lair, crying over her father)
Rumina: I don’t have enough power, Father. I am too weak to avenge you. (pauses as she looks in her pool of water, and sees Sinbad, then throws a rock into the pool) I’ll see you dead, Sinbad. You killed my father, and spurned my love. And now you deny me the Gryphon’s Egg. I promise you, Father, I will increase my power more and more until one day I will send the dark forces of life coursing through your veins once again.
(Scratch appears)
Scratch: My, my, my. Such big plans for such a little lady.
Rumina: Be gone, abomination! How dare you intrude upon my grief! I condemn you to a life of hate and suffering!
(Rumina uses her magic to try to make Scratch disappear, but it doesn’t work; Scratch just laughs)
Scratch: As much as I appreciate the lovely thought, my little enchantress, save your strength. You’ll find your magic too weak to do me any damage.
Rumina: Who are you?
Scratch: Well, let’s just say I’m the answer to every nasty young girl’s prayers.
(Sinbad and Maeve are talking)
Sinbad: Innocence. (can’t make out what he says here)
Maeve: This must be Rumina’s way of honouring her father’s memory. An anniversary present.
Sinbad: She pays tribute to her father, the ultimate practitioner of evil, by destroying all that is good nearby.
Maeve: Sinbad, if Rumina does manage to destroy this village, and the stone…
Sinbad: She has a staging area to launch her attacks on all the rest of the kingdoms nearby. And all because I left the job unfinished! (sighs angrily) I should have destroyed Rumina, when I destroyed Turok!
Maeve: It’s not your fault. She’s slippery. I’ve been tracking her since—well, for a long time.
Sinbad: It’s time we put an end to her tyranny, once and for all.
Maeve: The stone is the answer. If this jewel, which is pure good, makes contact with pure evil, a violent reaction will occur.
Sinbad: Like one of Firouz’s exploding sticks?
Maeve: Like a hundred of Firouz’s exploding sticks. The evil will be destroyed, but so will the stone.
Sinbad: Then let’s take the stone, and sail to Rumina’s fortress, and put an end to her.
Maeve: It’s not ours to take. Besides, if the villagers do sacrifice the stone, and we fail to kill Rumina. How will they fend off evil?
Sinbad: Like the rest of the world does, Maeve. Through sheer determination. Come on. Let’s talk to Aptor.
(They leave to find Aptor)
(Rumina and Scratch are talking)
Scratch: Might as well stop pacing, deary. I’m here, I’m real, and I’m not going anywhere. So, why don’t we discuss the business at hand?
Rumina: What business could I possibly have with such a repulsive demon as you?
Scratch: Oh, enough compliments, already. But please, stop with the pacing, huh?
Rumina: I will pace if I want to pace.
Scratch: Oh, puh-leese! Sit down.
Rumina: I will sit, when I am good and ready!
Scratch: I said SIT DOWN!
(He uses magic to make her sit down)
Scratch: There, now. Isn’t that better? Now please. Allow me to clear up any misconceptions that you may have about me. I am not a demon. I am not a devil. I am THE demon, THE devil!
(The crew and villagers are all gathered)
Aptor: We’ve reached a decision, Sinbad. We’ll give you the Gryphon’s Egg to destroy the sorceress.
Sinbad: And I promise you we will succeed in our mission.
Aptor: We’ll give you the Gryphon’s Egg, only if you allow every able-bodied man in our village to accompany you.
Sinbad: But that’s impossible.
Aptor: Those are the conditions.
Doubar: (clears throat) Aptor, we respect your feelings. Heck, if I lived here, I’d want to lead the attack myself! But Sinbad is right. To succeed, we must get in and out quickly. The fewer men the better. So, how about a compromise? Let’s choose the fourteen strongest men in the village for this voyage. They will represent you all.
Sinbad: An excellent idea, Doubar. A force that would still be small and swift.
Aptor: And our village will be avenged. What are we waiting for? I’ll start the choosing immediately.
(Aptor and the villagers leave)
Sinbad: You’re becoming quite the diplomat.
Doubar: Mother always did say I had the gift of gab.
(They laugh)
(Rumina and Scratch are talking)
Rumina: If you’re so powerful, why do you need me?
Scratch: Ah, yes. Well, you see, I’ve quite taken over the West, sent millions into eternal damnation. The mere sight of my visage, make people tremble and quake. (laughs)
Rumina: That, I understand.
Scratch: So, now, you see, I need to extend my territory, make a dent in the East. In your neck of the woods.
Rumina: I still don’t see where I fit in.
Scratch: Sinbad!
Rumina: I hate him!
Scratch: Me too! Me too! See? We have a lot in common! Sinbad and his chums slowed down my grand entrance a few moons back. I don’t intend on allowing that to happen a second time. If I could capture his soul, why, I’d have the power to roam this land. I could turn this place into a hell on earth in no time!
Rumina: You’re weakening and loathsome. I like that in a devil.
Scratch: Now, I will confess I do have a few enemies in high places who prevent me from going at this full tilt. You, however, with your earthly magic, could dispatch of Sinbad and his chums for me! I will take their souls, and you would have your revenge!
Rumina: I don’t need your help to get my revenge.
Scratch: I haven’t gotten to the best part yet, little witch. If you help old Scratch, he’ll make your biggest wish come true.