Ask Sheth!

Hey, digressors! Sorry I'm so late with this post; it was a busy day, preceded by busier ones, and there are more of the same fast approaching, so free time has been somewhat restricted. But without further ado, I shall introduce to you this week's character to be interviewed, Sheth Terrem. (Yes, fangirls,  please contain your shrieking, or we'll never get this interview underway.) 

Sheth Terrem

Sheth Terrem was born to Kheleth immigrants, and spent most of his growing-up years in the back of a wagon. His parents were merchants, largely of animals and their byproducts, but also of various other transportable goods. When Sheth was sixteen, the family made a stop in the Reshan-Shamindo bordertown of Lans and, while Sheth guarded the wagon, Shamindo cultists attacked the town and robbed him of both parents. The city council assigned him to live with Sern Jesyn, a Serdak dragon-rider turned evangelist who eventually led him to Yahveh-Jeshua. Seven years after moving in with Sern, Sheth is on his own, and has been called up for service in the Reshan Guard, despite his pacifistic stance. Now traveling with a ragtag combination of Reshen, Khanor, Shamindo, Kiratai, and Serdakai, Sheth struggles to stay strong in his faith without alienating certain others around him. Sheth is an introvert with a dry sense of humor, and loves books and stories. If he could be anywhere in the world, he would likely choose to return to his childhood home-base of Delnam and read a good book with his dog, Tori, beside him. (Poor Tori -- she must miss Sheth quite a bit, as I'm not convinced that the Guard allows recruits to keep pets.) Sheth is currently courting (or whatever you call the process) Yannah Delraen, and is in an uneasy truce with Sohrem Terahl, who assaulted him once for fighting with Yannah and making her cry (long story, Sheth and Yannah have since reconciled, and it wasn't really worth the assault). 

Sheth is the protagonist of 'The Follower', and also (arguably) of 'The Merchant's Son'. He's been bumped from that role for 'The Rescuer', but he's still in there, and he still has fangirls. Hm. I wonder if Yannah ever gets jealous...? 

Anyways, here he is, peopleses. Have fun asking questions. I shall do my best to post the answers a bit earlier in the day on Wednesday. 

Character Interview #5: Dertryn Jesyn

Hello, fellow digressors. I apologize for my lack of activity on the blog lately -- my addled (read: demented) brain has not been cooperating. I did, however, get some work done on a prequel novella focusing on Talsyn Lethar, Siran Lethar, and Rystar Teln. It's fun. And also painful. They're all so cute... *sniffs* Oh, also, I've been on book withdrawal, because I just finished Jill Williamson's 'Blood of Kings' trilogy, and it was pretty much the best thing ever. I've had a hard time moving on. I mean, how do you move on from something so awesome? Anybody have any ideas? 

ANYWAYS. 

This week, Dertryn Jesyn showed up for an interview, and you all were kind enough to submit questions so that his poor author wouldn't have to come up with them on her own. (No really, you have no idea how much I appreciate y'all's participation. *initiates group hug* Now I just need to step up my game a bit. Character interviews are fun, but I do want to offer other things along with them.) 

(Thanks to the lovely Elizabeth Liberty Lewis for adding the scars!)

What exactly happened while you were captured to leave you scarred? 

My author failed to mention that I don't talk about that time of my life. 

*holds up Dertryn's only remaining relative threateningly* 

Fine. It was more or less a branding. I have other, less visible scars, but the ones on my face were deliberate, left there to remind me that I belonged to the Saethen. I believe Kyra Daehr could elaborate on the process. It involved demon-dragons dragging their claws down my face and leaving some burning substance in the wounds that kept them from fading. It was all very twisted, really. I prefer to think of them as battle scars. 

You do that. What were the captors like? 

Madmen and cowards, most of them. The dragons did little with me directly. It was mostly left up to the men in their employ to break me. I think the idea was to either kill me or wear me down so much that I would gladly join them. A few men protested to the idea of torturing a child, but it didn't end well for them. After that, most of the guards gladly did their part. There was one who broke the mold, but I doubt he's still alive. He helped me escape, and I'll be eternally grateful, but if he's still breathing, he's probably had that last shred of decency beaten out of him by now. 

Mhm. I'm sure. Do you have any lady friends? 

...Could you clarify? 

Lady friends. You know, anyone you're romantically interested in or who is similarly interested in you. 

I don't see how that's anyone's business but my own. I'm not attached to anyone, if that's what you're wondering. I've had a few relationships, but they were all short-lived. Apparently. I'm too hardened for most women's tastes, and the women who are attracted to that aspect of my personality aren't exactly the women I'd keep company with, if you see what I mean. 

What was your best memory from when you were a kid? 

Probably the time Paeren took us to the dragon pens. 

Paeren...? 

...Father. You can't tell me you didn't know that. 

For all you readers at home who can't observe Dertryn's physical reactions to my questions, the look he's currently giving me says something akin to, "You are an idiot." 

You fool around too much. Anyhow, when I was young, Paeren took us to the dragon pens. They weren't literal pens, you understand, but they served the same purpose. Think a horse ranch, except with dragons. Paeren even let me ride with him for a few minutes before he had to leave. Nolan wouldn't even go near the things -- said they looked hungry. He was more interested in whatever book he'd brought along that day. This all happened before the Saethan-servants invaded, of course, so I wasn't afraid of the dragons. They excited me. I could talk of nothing else the whole way home. A week before, I would have jabbered on about a trip outdoors in the same way. I was easily excited. 

You were adorable. And hyperactive. I seem to recall that Nolan hardly got a moment of peace. Have you found yourself confronted with any fangirls? Or have the fangirls all avoided you so far? 

Fangirls, no. Interested persons, occasionally. I think my author only wrote me into about three or four scenes in her book, so it's likely that most people have forgotten I exist by now. Which is fine by me. 

You do know that you're a semi-major character in the next book, right? 

...I was trying to forget that, actually. 

Oh, okay. Well, I'll just keep reminding you, then. What is your dragon Tyri like? Does he feel like a friend to you? 

First off, he is a she. And she isn't especially fond of battle. She'll go into it if I urge her enough, but she's more like a big, scaly, winged dog than anything else. She's black, with silver eyes, and doesn't like people in general. I know people have all these ideas about dragon-riders having a mental connection with their dragons, but that's a myth. We form bonds, but it's the same as any bond a man might form with a favorite dog or a horse he often rides into battle. In that sense, Tyri is bonded to me and no-one else. We were sort of assigned to each other years ago. When I got back to Serdakai territory-- 

Serdakai? Wait, is that the possessive form of 'Serdak'? All these vocabulary words... 

You invented these words and these phonetics. Stop pretending you don't know them. 

Fine, Mister Grumpy-Gills. Continue. 

Gills...? *sighs* Anyhow, when I got home, I was terrified of dragons. That was a slight problem, since our entire culture revolves around the breeding, raising, and training of dragons. It's rather hard to navigate one's way through the mountain without them. Too many pits and drop-offs that would be impossible to cross. So my fear of them was unacceptable. But they couldn't get me to go anywhere near the creatures, so they gave up. Then Tyri came along, and they tried preliminary training with her, but she was too skittish. They didn't know what to do with either of us, so an old friend of Paeren's suggested pairing us. She was small and non-threatening enough that she didn't scare me, and I didn't try to force her to do anything until we were used to each other, so I guess I became her person. Eventually I trained her, and over time I was able to work around other dragons, as well. So it worked out. She's still lazy. And very protective. It's like having a jealous girlfriend with claws and sharp teeth. 

I certainly hope she hasn't eaten any real potential girlfriends. That would be unfortunate. Do you have a favorite food? 

I don't have much preference. We have limited resources inside the mountain, and prolonged trips outside are risky, so anything that originates on the surface is a luxury. I suppose I like apples. I had one once a few years ago, and it was good. Otherwise, I'll eat what I'm given. 
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Well, there it is. Mister Grumpy-Gills made an appearance and actually answered the questions given, for the most part. Or should he be Mister Grumpy-Scales, since he's a dragon-rider...? What do you think? Do you have any more questions now that you know a little bit about the character? This whole interview thing is helpful in keeping him away from Kyra and Sohrem. None of them get along particularly well with each other. 

Anyways, I must be off now. Although I have done some work in that novella I mentioned (which currently has no title), I have done nothing in 'The Rescuer' in a couple of days. I need to go do that. *is distracted by her shiny signed copy of 'Captives' by her favorite author*

No. No distractions. I must be productive. I must cease my continual ramblings and focus my attentions on something worthwhile, something that will make the world a better place. I must cease my digressing once and for all!

...Ha.