Ask Dertryn!

Hello, fellow digressors! Well, as seems to be the case quite often these days, I am a little behind schedule. I have not yet written a NaNo post, and this is quite late in the day to be sharing an intro to a character interview. But that's okay -- Dertryn, at least, is used to waiting. And to disappointed, he'd probably say. (He's nice enough, but he's had a rough life. Of course he has -- he's one of my characters, isn't he?) 

Dertryn Jesyn

Dertryn Jesyn is twenty-three, and the second-born child of Sern and Syra Jesyn. His elder brother, Nolan, died at age fifteen, and Syra perished the same night. Despite Sern's efforts to prevent it, the assailants took Dertryn -- then eight years old -- and turned him over to the Saethen in a nearby Lair. Miraculously, he made it out alive, but (contrary to what this extremely hard to find picture might indicate) came out scarred, both mentally and physically, and none of his family remained in the area to help him. (Sern went looking for him, but he went in entirely the wrong direction.) Due to his experiences with the Saethen (demon-dragons), Dertryn had a hard time returning to the dragon-centric culture of the Serdak. But he managed to bond with a more docile dragon named Tyri, and has managed to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a dragon-rider (like Sern). He went looking for his father at age sixteen, but upon their reunion, discovered that Sern had adopted another boy about Dertryn's age. Hurt and outraged, he returned to the mountains with no intention of speaking with either his father or his adoptive brother, Sheth, again. Fate denied his wishes again, however, and he is now tasked with helping Sern, Sheth, and a group of other travelers return home, and has a hard time setting aside old grudges to reconcile and help them. As a child, he was very energetic and friendly. Time has made him more somber, but he still enjoys the occasional joke, so long as he gets to nix anything that he doesn't think is funny. He enjoys archery, solitary rides with Tyri, and the occasional book. While he cannot deny the existence of the supernatural, he is reluctant to acknowledge it, as such acknowledgement brings back unpleasant memories. Many would say he takes after his father, though he would deny it. (Personally, I don't think those protests will hold up for long. He is a lot like Sern.) 

Anyways, Dertryn will be taking your questions from now through Wednesday, and then I will coerce him into answering them and post the results for you to enjoy. I promise, he won't kill anyone. He might want to (since he does take after his father, and Sern fantasizes about punching irritating people more than he'd care to admit), but he won't act on it. He can be friendly when he sets his mind to it. 

Ask Talsyn! (If You Dare.)

Hello again, fellow digressors. As you know, for the past couple of weeks, I've been doing a series of character interviews, in which you ask questions, and the characters have to answer them. Today, I bring you a rather interesting character -- Talsyn Lethar. (Hang on -- I just need a second to revel in how perfectly this picture I found on Pinterest fits him. It's almost exactly how I imagined him. *takes a deep breath* Okay.) 

Talsyn Lethar 

The eldest son of Shamindo parents, Tal has always been used to living without, and to being ostracized for his race and social status. But his life took a turn for the worse at age fourteen, when his parents -- Sylm and Asyra Lethar -- went journeying and never came back. Despite his efforts, Tal was unable to find his parents, and even found evidence (which he refuses to discuss) indicating that they were dead. This tragedy left Tal and his younger brother, Siran, as orphans, and as Tal was not deemed capable of caring for both of them, they were assigned to live with a caretaker. Far from fulfilling the responsibilities tied to her position of caretaker, or of the name she took on, 'Mother' made them do all the work she did not feel inclined to do herself, leaving them to fend for themselves when she wasn't beating them. Tal, unable to shield his brother and provide for the both of them at the same time, searched for an escape but found none that would not involve abandoning the only family he had left. All this made him eager to accept an offer of power and freedom from a dragon who seemed to possess magical abilities, but far from being empowered, Tal became a slave to the creature and did its bidding at the expense of everyone around him, including his little brother. Still, something at his core knew that he made the wrong choice, and still longed to shield his brother from all that he had become. (Let's just say Tal is/was a very conflicted person, and stirred things up quite a bit in 'The Merchant's Son'. I kinda miss having him around, as he's not in my current project.) His skills include thieving, sneaking, intimidation, and knife-throwing. 

Sohrem: Carissa, I want to talk to him.  

I already said no. Go away and let other people ask the questions. 

Sohrem: HE IS MY BROTHER. 

I KNOW THAT. THANKS FOR FINALLY ADMITTING IT. *shoves Sohrem back into the character closet* 

*sigh* Sorry about that. But on a side note, if you notice Sohrem sneaking up behind me with a knife, warn me, okay? Feel free to pose your questions for Talsyn (or Tal, as he's commonly called) in the comments below! I'm not sure what state he'll be in during the interview, especially considering that he's pretty much an antag most of the time. I'll try not to let him drink anything given to him by a dragon for a while beforehand. He'll probably be cranky. Anyways, have at it! I'll post his answers on Wednesday, as per the usual schedule.