Hello, Readers! Clevenger here.

So the last entry in this series is character. So far, you’ve heard Graham and I’s take on our favorite set pieces, magic, and races. All of these are essential elements of the background to set the stage for our characters to shine. The trouble was selecting my “favorite.” And I could only choose from “Manticore’s Shadow,” Graham and I both have favorites that don’t appear until book 2. But a lack of characters is not the problem.

We have an amazing cast of characters to choose from. I could focus on my main character (MC), Symon, the twenty-year-old Ennedi (catfolk) blacksmith trying to cope with a life that fails to satisfy him. Or I could talk about Graham’s MC, Jesse, the sixteen-year-old street urchin trying to survive a treacherous underworld. I could also dive deeper into our supporting characters such as Thorn, Jesse’s Goblin companion, or Argyle, Jesse’s Gargoyle associate, or Kyrn, Symon’s father. Each of them adding elements to our MCs’ perspectives. It also tempted me to dig into our “rogues” gallery for a spotlight. Grendel, Olivar, Xerian, or Rhon would all make a wonderful article.

But when I think of my favorite character, there is one face that springs to mind. An old friend…

Graham and I have spoken in multiple posts about the origin of Sainan as a Table-Top Role Playing Game (TTRPG) setting. The magic, items, races, and other elements all had their origin at our tables. And because of that love, we have dug out several cameos of past games and adventures. Characters like Hasukawa make little cameo appearances from games long past, just to say hi.

But Zenesul D’Adynell is something more. In 1999, when Graham and I first met, I had done a bit of TTRPG. No games had really gotten past more than a few sessions, but the concept of the game intrigued me. Graham decided to introduce me to a new system and run a campaign. I brought forth the idea of a Fire Mage named Zenesul. With some tweaks, he became part Fire/part Earth magic, and he was born.

A bit of a rebel, a bit of a philosopher, cool and confident, but dangerously combustable under pressure, the, at the time, young Wizard was a force. He is to date, my favorite TTRPG character, and the adventures that Graham took him on with me were epic. When we needed a mentor for Jesse and Symon, Zenesul resurfaced. Not a cameo, but a supporting character.

Now an old man, he adds wisdom and gravitas to the story. His philosophical nature means he often teaches the boys by the Socratic method, allowing our characters’ POV to shine and provide exposition, or self reflecting during critical story development scenes. The old man is now the best version of the character, and he develops more and more throughout the series.

“Hello, young man,” Symon heard behind him. He looked at Zenesul, who had come in the courtyard door. The old man was quite striking. Long silver hair framed his dark brown face and a neatly trimmed goatee stood out against his skin in stark contrast. A human in his later years, he wore his age well, and had a healthy glow to his intense eyes. He wore a simple, maroon set of robes that were slim cut and made his build, which many would describe as lanky, seem stately. His voice wasn’t as deep as Symon would have guessed, but was warm and soothing.

“Good day, Master Zenesul,” Symon said, inclining his head.

Excerpt from Manticore’s Shadow

Every hero’s journey needs the Mentor, and no one (for me) could do it better than he did. In a pipe-dream world, where the rights for the “Stories of Sainan” are optioned in a film, my dream casting for Old Man Zen is the sensational Morgan Freeman (I’ll back down the deep voice for that guy!). My cameo character quickly became integral to the story, and now he deserves his spotlight. Nearly 25 years in the making, the old wizard has come home.

Now, I am will watch with you all to see who Graham selects as his favorite. We don’t discuss this before we write, so we see what you see. And I’m looking forward to the surprise.

Until next time…

Be Kind.

-Clevenger