Just for fun, I whipped up a cover for Forgotten Era. You can see more details (not to mention a larger picture) here at my DeviantART.
And now, long-overdue Frequently Asked Questions!!
(Last updated on 2/4/09)
WARNING!!! SPOILER HEAVY!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE NOVEL!!!
How did the character of Eravisté come about?
It all started in summer of 2007. I had summer school that year for failing algebra, but the summer course was incredibly easy. I ended up bringing a book to school after a few sessions to burn some of the extra time I had after completing assignments. One of those books was Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells, a book that I still consider one of my favorite books (if not my favorite).
I was fascinated by the character of Arisilde, a very soft-spoken sorcerer who had destroyed his mind with a nasty concoction of drugs. I don't know what made me fall so madly in love with his character, but I couldn't get the guy out of my head! Eventually, I did what I always do when I get inspired: I drew. I ended up drawing an effeminate man with a long ponytail and glasses in my sketchbook (back when I still actually drew in sketchbooks and not almost exclusively on the computer). I've changed his design somewhat since then, but he has always been a very lighthearted, caring, and calm person.
Eventually my math spiral started overflowing with drawings of this weird new character, who actually refused to have a name at first. I called him "Arisilde" for a long time, at least until I was finally able to get a finished Photoshopped drawing of him done. He stuck with me like frickin' glue. I couldn't get him out of my head.
In fact, a bonus funny story: I had a class with a good friend of mine the semester after the summer I created Era. (Say that three times fast!) At that point, my Era obsession was at an all-time high. That fucking mage was on my mind ALL. THE. TIME. So one morning in class, the teacher turned off the lights. I reached up to adjust my glasses.
Wait... I don't WEAR glasses. I have NEVER worn glasses. Why was I trying to adjust my non-existant glasses!?
I just kind of froze mid-wtf-moment, and I got a really odd look from said friend. Yeah, guess who I was thinking of at the time who DOES wear glasses? XD
Can I get some quick stats on all the characters?
Sure~
- Era Dalgard/Lucien Baines is 26 years old (though physically 23 since he didn't age for three years) and was born on September 15. His Mage-Name is Eravisté. He is 6' 7" and weighs 144 lbs. His hair is pale blonde and so long that he can sit on it, so he often pulls it back. His eyes are white-gold (though they used to be violet blue) and his skin is pale, leaning towards peach more than tan. He is far-sighted and wears solid gold half-moon glasses. Era's build is very thin and lanky with little muscle mass, and he has a sickle-shaped scar on the left side of his neck and a roughly diamond-shaped scar right beneath his sternum and on the right of his spine on his back, courtesy of Caine. His hands are very strong, despite his otherwise lack of muscle mass. If Era were an animal, he would be a barn owl (though he used to be a great horned owl before that whole Death debacle).
- Gabriel Dalgard is 42 years old and was born on July 7. He does not canonically have a Mage-Name, but if he did, it would be Aszmaard. He is 6' 4" and weighs 201 lbs. His hair is nearly-black brown and fairly short (though he does sport a connected moustache and beard). His eyes are ice blue with orange rings around his pupils and his skin is tan from all the outside work he does. Gabriel is very fit - he's not overly muscular or broad-shouldered, but he's stronger than he looks and certainly has much more muscle than most spellcasters do. He has a number of minor scars from various accidents throughout his lifetime, mostly on his hands. He has a tattoo on his right shoulder of a red tribal design, which he chose because "it looked badass." If Gabriel were an animal, he would be a spectacled bear.
- Crisilla Baines is 17 years old and was born on December 2. She is 5' 5" and weighs 114 lbs. Her hair is chocolate brown, wavy, and goes down to her mid-back. Her eyes are forest green and her skin is healthily pale. Crisilla, having been raised in nobility, doesn't have much muscle to her at all, though she is thin without being bony. She has a scar on one knee from scraping it deeply on a rock when she was younger, and despite the fact that it's usually covered by her clothing, she (jokingly) says it "mars my otherwise flawless feminine appeal." If Crisilla were an animal, she would be a Turkish Angora breed of domestic cat.
- Jarred Blake is 32 years old and was born on May 18. He is 6' 1" and weighs 175 lbs. His hair is dirty blonde and cut halfway between the bottoms of his ears and his shoulders. He also has a small goatee. His eyes are light brown and his skin is naturally pale but tan from being in the sun. He is fairly muscular and broad-shouldered, though he is more suited for a sprint than a marathon, so to speak. He has a number of minor scars from his fencing and horseback hobbies, though he wears them with pride. If Jarred were an animal, he would be a West Siberian Laika breed of dog.
- Caine Lapointe is 38 years old and was born on January 30. His Mage-Name is Surront. He is 6' 3" and weighs 149 lbs. His hair is muted brown and just barely long enough to brush his shoulders. He also usually has a light stubble on his face from forgetting to shave. His eyes are a striking shade of green and his skin is not quite pale, but not tan, either. Caine has a bit of upper arm strength to him since he used to be quite fond of swordplay, but otherwise his build is fairly weak. If Caine were an animal, he would be a harpy eagle.
- Dashito Eros is 23 years old and was born March 19. His Mage-Name is Tralneir. He is 6’2 and weighs 152 lbs. His hair is black and reaches slightly below his chin. His eyes are blue-grey and his skin is somewhat pale. Dashito is thin, but he has some muscle mass for his size. If Dashito were an animal, he would be a mourning dove. (Dashito is also a character borrowed from my good friend Beth. Love you, dearie! <3)
Yes you did, and yes it is. I'm certainly not condoning it, and you'll find no mention of it in the story itself. It was a different time with different standards of decency. In fact, most girls in that era married a few years earlier than Crisilla did, and like hers, the marriages were arranged. She also got lucky in that they ended up very compatible with one another - they're very much in love. And considering that her other options were all men ranging from their mid-40s to early 60s, I think she lucked out. (No, that wasn't in the story either, so just trust me on that one. =P)
Why did you include the Grim Reaper in the story?
Besides the fact that I find the figure of the Grim Reaper fascinating? :D Alright, alright, there IS a legitimate reason.
Era was the Grim Reaper in his original plot. Mage all alone in a tower by day, Grim Reaper by night. Even though he lived on the edge of a little village all alone in a gloomy tower, he was a very nice fellow. A sweet little girl looking for work ended up being his apprentice, learning his secret, and they fell into a chaste sort of love for one another. She, if you haven't guessed, was the inspiration for Crisilla. Yes, Crisilla was originally a love interest before I dropped the idea entirely. So that's why Death appears in the story: I try to keep little bits of my original character plots in the final versions if I can help it.
What's with Era's middle name, "Dior"?
I'm not very into the fashion scene, so I didn't really realize that there was already a very famous Dior out there when I came up with Era's name. XD I picked it for the meaning, not to pay homage to Christian Dior (no offense meant).
What does Era's full name mean, anyway?
"Lucien" roughly translates to "light." I've also seen it translated as "man of light." "Dior," as far as I can tell, means "golden," which certainly fits Era's character design. "Baines" means "bones," and apparently was a nickname for a thin person. XD
"Eravisté" is a name I came up with myself using the sentence "I destroyed something he loved" as inspiration. Read Death of the Necromancer if you wanna get that reference.
Are you going to try and get this published?
In all likelihood, no, ESPECIALLY not this draft of it! I've always intended Forgotten Era to be a graphic novel anyway, so if I do want to end up going places with this story, I want it to be in the medium I'm comfortable with. Besides, there's a lot I missed this time around, such as mentioning how Death shaped his current personality. Not to mention I'm already thinking up major shifts in the plot and Era's characterization that may or may not be permanent.
Wait, what!?
Yeah, there's a lot I left out of this draft of the novel simply by accident. No outline was used in this since I went purely by dialogue and gut instinct. Plus I've got a neat "what if" situation that completely takes Death out of the picture.
Care to elaborate on that?
Eh, why not? :D
This incarnation of Era is cheery, happy-go-lucky, and a bit bumbling at times. In my original characterization of Era, he was much more of a mysterious figure. He was that person you see at the park every Saturday at noon, feeding the pigeons with a melancholy smile on his face. That's the kind of feeling I wanted him to evoke... and this story doesn't provide that. I like his current characterization, sure, but it's a lot different than how I originally imagined him.
Basically what happens is this: instead of taking the abuse that Era inflicts upon him, Caine speaks up. He, a man many years Era's senior, begs him to cease his experiments. This shakes him up; the main reason Era went as far as he did was because, in some twisted way, he thought Caine was willing to endure the pain he went through for Era's experiments. Once he realized that wasn't the case, he snapped out of the emotional deadening he'd placed on himself and, after a brief word to the king, he fled the castle. He wandered for a few years, helping people where he could and living a very modest life on the road before eventually coming back at Caine's beckoning, leading to the showdown and him taking back his title as Archmage. To atone for his crimes, he becomes a prisoner in his own tower, unable to leave the castle for years to come.
...At least that's the idea. I might edit it later.
What's with you and Era? Why do you keep addressing him directly?
Because he's a very important figure to me, and he feels nearly real. I know he's not, of course, but I love him even so. He's been a prominent voice in my head for years now, and I can't thank him enough for being there for me.
If you have a question, feel free to post it in the comments! Anonymous comments are allowed!
