I started Project Two in the last month, and I’ve begun defining a number of character traits. Including my protagonist, Samor, I’m starting to see some life in my soon-to-be colorful cast. Earlier this week, a blurb (i.e. snappy synopsis) for a new character popped into my head and it inspired me to think similarly about my other characters.

So while I’m not ready to share Samor’s cast (Project Two), Tildy’s book is complete (Project One), and I can easily whip up something to share. A bit spoiler-y to those who want to enter the book with no details whatsoever.

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Tildy – Our heroine! A princess smuggled from Evereign as the kingdom fell and her parents died. She was lost in the wilderness, the sole survivor of the caravan taking her to safety. No one knows that she – or her fraternal twin – still live. She is whip-smart, well-read, and fearless, inspired in equal parts by Hermione Granger, Princess Leia Organa, and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. She is a shapeshifter of a sort, which means she can be any kind of girl in the world, whether in skin tone or body shape. Unlike most girls, however, she gets to choose the form she is most comfortable in. Well, sometimes, which makes puberty more challenging. Marvelous as this talent is, her ability to grow wings is what she values most. She hasn’t quite accepted the witch as her adoptive mother, despite their twelve years together.

The witch – Long has she lived as a recluse of dangerous reputation in an equally perilous garden. She has a power hinted, but not seen even by Tildy, and a darkness that sometimes shadows her face. Wants nothing more than to hide her adopted daughter from a world that despises the unusual. Unnamed for now, for it is well-known that one does not use a witch’s true name, even in a book, lest terrible things befall you.

Fietha – A clever merchant of impeccable reputation…to the wary buyer. He is one of the few men the witch seems to trust, and his friendship with Tildy sets her adventure in motion. This is the character readers wanted more of – sorry, you’ll have to wait for Project Three!

Demensen – An old crofter from the witch’s past, lately returned with tales of monsters and death, and nowhere else to turn for help.

Marklin – A lost boy whom Tildy and the witch meet on the road. His bravery exceeds his size, age, and ability, yet proves himself, nonetheless. If Tildy isn’t careful, her first and last best friend.

Baron Greyson Stoneward – A cold, stern man of comforts who rules the lands in which Demensen lives. He is held in contempt by the commonfolk he failed to protect from the unseen monster that stalks the lands around his castle, the legendary Southershard.

Baroness Amaranth Stoneward – Greenwoman of Gardenstem, sent as a gift to the baron to become the Lady of Southershard. She enjoys the freedom of his disappearance. Her gardening prowess might rival the witch.

Fillofillo – An Obsequiant, a race that has a way of knowing things. This makes him an excellent, and proactive, chamberlain to the baron, but causes the secretive Tildy to be wary of him.

Ramora – The baroness’s maid and Tildy’s confidant. From her, Tildy learns that her own special abilities may come with a price.

Whishwhish – A Dryad who teaches Tildy the value of friendship and provides her first glimpse into the Fay world.

The Sarsenith – An unrelenting creature of living stone with an unnatural preoccupation for Tildy.

The Dark God Delosh – The First, the Warden of Lost Souls, the Abyss; a god of diminished importance in the world, It longs for the darkness and the quiet that existed before the Dawn of All Things.

The Slither-withers – An ancient race of snake-like creatures who have returned from oblivion to do their Dark God’s bidding.

The Mellifluent – A trusted servant of Delosh who conveyed the prophecy that connected the royal twins to the Grimborlen – the End of All Things. The Mellifluent has not forgotten that its master killed its entire race.

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There are other secondary and tertiary characters, maybe yet a surprise or two, but those are the main actors in the first book, which is the opening chapter of the series entitled the BOOK OF THE LOST ROYALS.

Welcome to Empyrelia.

–Mike

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© Michael Wallevand, Groundhog’s Day 2020