The Snows of Terror

Hello Doctor,

We’ve still seen no sight of you in Millennius. Where can you be hiding?

I believe Barbara left off as we arrived in the snowy region of Marinus. We soon lost consciousness in the cold, and would have died had Altos not convinced a local trapper, Vasor, to rescue us and bring us to his cabin. Of course, we were unaware of Altos’ involvement until later. It seems he had lost track of Susan and Sabetha and had left us in Vasor’s care while he went to find them.

Barbara woke first, and I woke with her gently massaging my hands to alleviate frost bite. I bartered my travel dial away for some more appropriate clothes and set off in search of the others, leaving Barbara in Vasor’s care.

I found Altos soon enough, but also quickly realized that the bag of provisions Vasor had provided me contained raw meat, which I believe he counted on to draw the wolves in the area to attack me. I threw the bag away, and realising Vasor was not to be trusted, urged Altos to hurry with me back to the cabin.

I suspect I made it just in time. Barbara had apparently found Sabetha’s chain and confronted Vasor. Altos and I forced him to take us to where he had left Susan and Sabetha in a cave in the mountains.

We finally found the girls deep in the caves when Vasor severed the rope bridge that would bring us back out.

Inside we found the third key frozen in a block of ice surrounded by a group of three knights who were equally as frozen in their positions. We set the heat from the volcanic spring to work on melting the ice and set about fixing the bridge. Unfortunately, in addition to freeing the key the heat also re-animated the ice-knights and we had to fend them off as we sought to escape the mountain.

We succeeded, obviously, and now here we are in Millennius anxious to rendezvous with you, but you are nowhere to be found. I’ve followed up on a lead to the fourth key, however, and am on my way to the vault where I believe it is kept. Hopefully, I’ll be able to recover and catch you up soon, so we can return the keys to Arbitan as quickly as possible.

-Ian Chesterton

Based upon the teleplay by Terry Nation, first broadcast on BBC 2nd May 1964

The Screaming Jungle

Dear Doctor,

I hope you won't mind. Susan told us you were keeping a diary. I think it's rather sweet. And obviously of great historical value considering all your travels. Anyway, I thought I should write and let you know what we've been up to while you're in Millennius seeking the fourth key, so you can include these events as well.

Oh, Ian has just asked me to spell his name for you "C-H-E-S-T-E-R-T-O-N," and to say he hopes you're having a wonderful holiday! Seriously, though, we all know you're working very hard on finding the key so we can help Arbitan and get back to the TARDIS.

When we arrived in the jungle, Susan was screaming as if something were attacking her. We didn't see anything at the time, though perhaps we should have looked more closely. Ian took Altos and Sabetha with him to explore, leaving Susan and I waiting just where we'd arrived.

I swear, sometimes he treats us like Dresden china. I know he means well, but we really are capable on our own. While we were searching the area, Susan was attacked by a living creeping vine. I pulled it off her. She knew what it was, but I couldn't believe it at that time.

I pushed through the wall of foliage behind us and found a grotesque idol back there. Upon further examination, I saw it had what looked like one of the key circuits we were looking for implanted on its forehead. Ian and the others arrived about this time, and so I decided to climb upon the idol and snatch the key.

I must have triggered some mechanism in the wall, however, because it swung round, trapping me on the other side. I'd thrown the key aside, though, so Ian sent Altos, Sabetha and Susan on after the second key and soon followed after me by climbing on the idol and re-triggering the mechanism.

The whole jungle here seemed to be booby-trapped, and I was soon captured by a friend of Arbitan's, Darrius, who thought we were working with the Voord to steal the keys. Unfortunately, before we could convince him, he was attacked by one of the creeping tree limbs. Ian managed to arrive and beat the limbs away from him, but it was too late. Darrius was dying.

We had gained his trust, however, and so he told us where to find the second key and gave us a clue, which turned out to be the chemical formula on the jar the key was hidden in. We also found that the people here had apparently mastered "growth acceleration," which changed the natural tempo of destruction. This was the source of the attacking plant life. They could accelerate their growth to approximate attack. It really was very frightening.

Having found the key, we turned our travel dials toward our next destination to re-join the others. When we arrived, however, we were unprepared for the extreme cold. It must be below zero, and neither of us are dressed for this weather, least of all Ian in those clothes Marco Polo gave him.

I fear if we do not find shelter soon, we shall freeze to death!

-Barbara Wright

Based upon the teleplay by Terry Nation, first broadcast on BBC 25th April 1964

The Velvet Web

Dear Diary,

After an initial moment of panic, and against my advice, Chesterton pushed through a set of double doors to find Miss Wright. And find her we did! Lounging on a chaise, attended by beautiful young ladies, and eating grapes! It was a veritable Garden of Earthly, well, Marinusian Delights.

Alas, all was not as it seemed. We were under the spell of a powerful mesmerent, which made us see the place as a new Eden. They said their goal here in Morphoton was to grant everyone’s greatest wish. They promised Susan a new dress and myself a laboratory. Chesterton refused to ask for anything, waiting to hear the price. 

Well, as it turns out he was right.

As we slept, one of the attendants, Sabetha, crept in and placed something called a somnar disk on each of our foreheads. They worked in concert with the mesmerent and would solidify the illusions we saw.

Fortunately, Miss Wright’s disk fell off and when she awoke the next morning, she could see through everything. We had been enjoying a fine, hearty breakfast, but when we offered her some she saw it for the gruel it truly was. We offered her orange juice in fine crystal and she saw it for the unwashed mug it was. Susan showed her her new dress and she saw it as rags.

We were under the spell, however, and thought she was made. One of the fellows took her away, told us she was receiving psychiatric care, and we believed her. In truth, they had taken her for execution!

This city, Morphoton, was apparently run by a group of repellent brain-things which claimed to have outgrown their human bodies. As such they used their power to make humans their slaves by controlling their minds. They could not, however, overcome Miss Wright’s convictions and sought to remove her and also to punish young Sabetha, whom Miss Wright discovered to be Arbitan’s long-lost daughter.

Miss Wright convinced Sabetha to help her escape and she did. When she came to collect us, however, she ran into Chesterton, who, under the influence of the mesmerent, brought her to the “brains” who instructed him to kill her.

He must have struggled inside, because Miss Wright was able to overpower him. She broke free and destroyed the jars housing our captors, breaking the spell.

Riots ensued by the former slaves against their once-masters, and I can’t say as I blame them. We retrieved the first key as well as some spare travel dials, which I have learned to program. Arbitan’s daughter has agreed to join us, and I found and convinced another young fellow, Altos, who had been one of Arbitan’s couriers, to join us as well. Altos had been sent in search of the keys even before Sabetha. He and his partner, a fellow named Eprim, had split up, with him coming here to find the first key and Eprim travelling to the city of Millennius to find the fourth key.

I decided to adopt this strategy as well and, while the rest of our group searches for the second key, I shall journey to Millennius. Susan was not fond of the decision, but I explained to her I would be much relieved to know she was safe with the larger group, while I would be quite safe in the well-ordered society of Millennius. And anyway, we’ve got to do what we can to speed this search along.

Based upon the teleplay by Terry Nation, first broadcast on BBC 18th April 1964

The Sea of Death

Dear Diary,

Having spent a month or so in Earth 1289 A.D. it was nice to once again be back in the TARDIS. Of course, our latest destination has left a bit to be desired.

We arrived here on what we now know as Marinus earlier today on the shores of a great sea of acid, as Susan found out when she dropped her shoe in. As one approached the sea, the shore in fact turned from sand to glass.

We found a few little one-man submarines which were apparently designed to travel beneath the acid, along with the rather gruesome discovery of an empty sort of frog-man suit. It had a rip in it and so we surmised the acid must have gotten to its inhabitant, and, well, I don’t think I need say anymore.

We spotted a great building in the distance and I reasoned that the sea must be some sort of defence mechanism. Susan had gone back to the TARDIS to retrieve a new pair of shoes, so Chesterton, Miss Wright and I went back to the TARDIS to find her and then planned to investigate the distant citadel.
The treacherous child was nowhere about, so we decided to look for her which took us to the building, where we split up.

As it turns  out, several of the frog-men, whom we now know to be called the Voord, were attacking the building, and Susan, Miss Wright and I were all in turn chased or attacked by the creatures, but rescued and then imprisoned by Arbitan, a fellow dressed in Monk’s robes who is the building’s sole inhabitant.

Chesterton was still free, and I must admit he is one resourceful little schoolmaster. He turned the tables by rescuing Arbitan from an attacking Voord, which proved to him we were no enemy and convinced him to let us go free. At least momentarily.

He took us to the heart of the building, a room housing a great construct he explained was The Conscience of Marinus. Their civilisation’s technology had peaked 2,000 years ago with this device which began as a sort of adjudicator machine, an infallible judge and jury. As time went on, it was further developed to influence the people of Marinus, deciding right and wrong for them, eventually eliminating robbery, murder, all crime, even hate and fear from the populace. After about 700 years of this utopian existence, however, there arose one to oppose it, I believe named Yartek. He and his followers, the Voord, began a revolt with the intention of capturing  the Conscience. Knowing how dangerous a weapon the Conscience would be in the wrong hands, the leaders of Marinus scattered the five key circuits throughout Marinus, with only Arbitan knowing the location of all five.

The population of Marinus had dwindled until now only Arbitan remains. He has finally improved the Conscience so it would be immune to Yartek's attempts to subvert it and use it as an ultimate weapon. He must stay to protect the building and the Conscience, however, and so cannot journey to bring back the keys himself. He says he sent his daughter last year, but she has not returned. He asked us to find them for him but we refused, choosing not to get involved and returned to the TARDIS.

When we reached the TARDIS, however, the old blackmailer had placed a force barrier around it, refusing to allow us into our ship unless we helped him find his precious “keys.”

And so we were forced to agree and he outfitted each of us with a little teleportation bracelet, a sort of travel dial, pre-programmed to take us to the hidden location of the keys. Miss Wright, either out of curiosity or impatience, triggered hers first and we quickly followed.

When we arrived, however, Miss Wright was nowhere to be found. Chesterton did find her travel dial, however. With blood on it.


Based upon the teleplay by Terry Nation, first broadcast on BBC 11th April 1964

Assassin at Peking

Dear Diary,

The Khan and I had a delightful time playing backgammon. At one point, I had won 35 elephants with ceremonial trappings, 4,000 white stallions, 25 tigers and the sacred tooth of Buddha! I wagered them all against the TARDIS, however, and lost. Still, he gave me a most interesting cane I think I shall keep.

Chesterton and Ping-Cho finally arrived, in Tegana’s custody. The two-faced villain accused them of trying to steal the TARDIS. As it turned out, he was working with the Khan’s enemy Noghai all along, and had been responsible for many of our delays in transit.

Once Chesterton explained all this to me, I helped him break out of his cell to warn Marco that Tegana was planning to assassinate the Khan. We reached the throne room just in time to scuttle the attack. Rather than surrender to Polo, Tegana impaled himself on one of the guards’ swords. Polo slipped us the keys to the TARDIS and ushered us out quickly.

Looking back, I wonder why we rushed away so. Given the old Khan’s backgammon habit, I’d have won the TARDIS back sooner or later.

Based upon the teleplay by John Lucarotti, first broadcast on BBC 4th April 1964

Mighty Kublai Khan

Dear Diary,

We soon found that the old devil Tegana was holding Susan. Marco arrived and demanded my key, but I refused until Tegal unhanded my granddaughter. Marco eventually persuaded him to let her go, and I relinquished the key.

We then left the TARDIS at the way-station and set out for five hard days' ride on horseback to reach Shang-Tu. My back is in excruciating pain, and I don't care if I ever ride another horse in my life.

A short time after we set off, Ping-Cho disappeared, to find passage to her home in Samarkand according to Susan. Chesterton volunteered to backtrack and find her. When he didn't return Tegana set off to find them both.

And now here we are in the palace of the mighty Kublai Khan. His vizier tried to force me to kowtow at his entrance, but my back wouldn't allow it. While the vizier was incensed, I think I rather amused the Khan. The old fellow seems to have a bad case of gout himself and has offered to let me ride in his carriage of state tomorrow on our way to Peking. He also told me of some healing waters here at the palace that work wonders on his gout, and has offered to see what they will do for my back. I'm quite sure it's all rubbish, but it can't hurt I suppose.

Based upon the teleplay by John Lucarotti, first broadcast on BBC 28th March 1964

Rider from Shang-Tu

Dear Diary,

Chesterton succeeded in cutting a hole in the tent, but when we made our escape we discovered our guard had been killed by bandits. Against my advice, Chesterton decided to scrap our escape plans and warn Polo.

Chesterton, Polo, Tegana and I armed ourselves with swords to defend against the bandits. Knowing we were most likely outnumbered and needed an advantage, Chesterton suggested we throw some bamboo on the fire in the hope that the ensuing explosion would frighten the superstitious devils. It sounded a good plan, and so we waited for the attack. I’m afraid I fell asleep, but they woke me at the appropriate time. Whether it was the explosions that drove them off, or, as I suspect, the death of their leader, we were successful in fending off the attack.

In the morning, we buried the dead and once again set off across the plain, Marco’s prisoners once more.  We soon encountered a messenger from the Khan, who claimed to had ridden 300 miles in one day from Shang-Tu. It’s a seemingly impossible task, most men can ride no more than 25.

His message to Marco was such that the Khan wished him to come to Shang-Tu at once, and so Polo planned to ride six hard days to Cheng-Ting and from there hire horses for the final journey to Shang-Tu. We would need to leave all our possessions, including the TARDIS behind in Cheng-Ting to follow by trade caravan.

I knew Cheng-Ting was our last chance. I knew the idiot manager of this way-station stored the TARDIS in the stable, my work on the circuit was complete, all I needed now was my keys back from Marco, which as luck would have it Ping-Cho stole so that Susan might someday return to her home.

Oh, if only that were possible.

Still, we have more pressing matters. Plans were made and, undercover of night, Chesterton, Miss Wright and I stole for the TARDIS, but Susan isn’t here. We must find her before it’s too late.

Based upon the teleplay by John Lucarotti, first broadcast on BBC 21st March 1964