Into The Labyrinth (TV Series) - Synopsis

Synopsis

The series was based around the struggle of two timeless, feuding sorcerers - the noble Rothgo (Ron Moody) and the evil Belor (Pamela Salem). Each aimed to obtain possession of the Nidus, a magical object of limitless power. The Nidus actually belonged to Rothgo and was the source of his power, but it was stolen by Belor who used her own magic to send it through time and space so that Rothgo would not be able to find it. Without the power of the Nidus, Rothgo would ultimately die. The first two seasons followed a group of modern-day children (Phil, Helen and Terry) who find Rothgo, almost lifeless, in a labyrinthine cave. Rothgo sends the children through different periods of time to search for the Nidus, which is disguised as a different object in each time period and can only be seen in reflection. The children arrive at various points of history (the French Revolution, Ancient Greece, English Civil War, etc.), however their attempts are constantly thwarted by Belor who also appears in each time period, and who uses her magic to hurl the Nidus further through time to prevent Rothgo and the children from obtaining it (using her magical incantation "I deny you the Nidus!" as a bolt of lightning emanates from her fingertips). Belor cannot actually touch the Nidus whilst Rothgo still lives, and so she can only hope to deny him possession of the artefact until he eventually dies. At the end of the first series, the children locate the Nidus (now in the shape of a sword) and finally manage to outwit Belor and return the Nidus to Rothgo, leaving Belor defeated.

In the second series, Belor returns with her own power source, the Albedo, with which she hopes to destroy Rothgo and take possession of the Nidus. However, during their battle, the two power sources collide leaving the Albedo destroyed and the Nidus split into five segments which scatter throughout time and space. As before, Rothgo enlists the help of Phil, Terry and Helen to retrieve the fragments. Again, their efforts are hampered by Belor, until the final episode of the second series, when the children manage to reconstitute the Nidus. However, this time they are unable to escape Belor and so instead they hurl the Nidus into a bottomless pool of water, known as the Waters of Time, where it remained lost forever. Bereft of both the Nidus and the Albego, Belor rapidly ages and decays to nothingness. Fortunately however, Rothgo explains that even though the Nidus is no longer in his sole possession, he can now tap into its power whenever he desires and travel freely through time once again.

In the third and final series, only Phil returned to assist a new sorcerer, Lazlo (played by Chris Harris). Lazlo's source of power was the Scarabeus, a magical amulet that fitted onto a bracelet he wore. Now no longer able to possess the Nidus, that was lost at the end of the previous series, Belor, who has somehow cheated death yet again, attempts to steal Lazlo's Scarabeus by once again hiding it from him in different time periods. Lazlo and Phil try to trace the Scarabeus using the bracelet, but they are constantly thwarted by Belor, until the final episode when they are victorious.