Hello, Readers! Clevenger here.

Races! All the races! Graham and I have talked about early stages in the story development phase and how races became a focal point. Reader blogs, BookTubers, and ourselves as readers were clamouring to bring back the Fantastical! To move away from the “gritty” realism and human-centric storylines and return to a world where fae, goblins, dwarves, and all sorts of other races wandered shoulder to shoulder and created a backdrop where your eye is drawn to a new and exciting creature. It all started in 2018..

So when Graham first started developing Sainan for our RPG in 2018, I was excited to be a player. He sat down and provided stats and packages for each of the custom races he developed. Some of them, such as Alva, Ajatar, and Menninkainen, were variations on “Elves” that were readily available and just needed a bit of customization. Others such as Goblins and Minotaurs were found readily as monsters, but had no racial packages and needed work. But I wasn’t satisfied with any of these. So Graham and I had a conversation about a race that I really wanted to play. One that had entered my head as a unique and fun play experience.

Gaming systems are complex, and building the rules around this race was challenging, so while Graham and I didn’t get a complete chance to playtest him, the concept stuck around in the world building. So when the story came up, and we began writing, it was a natural thing for me to go into that box and pull out this race. We needed a thug. A hunter. A savage looking and dangerous opponent for Jesse and Symon to overcome. I wanted to introduce my Ophisi.

Ophisi began as a reptile race with a middle set of limbs that could be used as either extra legs (centaur-style) or as an extra set of arms (many four-armed races). Development and rules made me realize he was like a dangerous, fantasy version of Randall from “Monster’s Inc.” Suddenly, their serpentine movements, the lightning quick reflexes, and barbarism became an inherent feature of the race itself. I really wanted to explore what they could be capable of. Graham and I still have conversations of how we will eventually return to the RPG and build that campaign guide using what we’ve learned about the world of Sainan in the series we have written.

What I love about this process is that it makes us critically think about every character. From our mains to our secondaries to the wandering background characters, each must be considered. Why this race? Why would they be here? What can they provide for our Mains that push them through our plot? By developing all of our races and discussing the cultures behind them, we make a rich tapestry that our series can breathe in.

While we didn’t feature the Ophisi in a “pivotal” role in “Manticore’s Shadow,” the race itself allowed us to delve further into the cosmopolitan nature of Highston. Showing us, and our readers, one more layer of variety in even the simple and menial task of being a gang enforcer. We focused on making sure that even our thugs are not two dimensional “cardboard” foes that our Mains take down with ease. Making each of our opponents varied and unique, they pose challenges to our Mains, and make them rethink their path ways. They serve the story in ways that we could not have planned, but loved once we were done.

Speaking of obstacles… I have an inkling of what Graham will be talking about in the next post, but I’ll let him spring that on you!

Until then…

Be Kind.

-Clevenger