Character Profile: Kailee

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One character that I feel that I constantly am overlooking in terms of the plot and of my favourite characters is Kailee. Partly due to my constantly calling K-lee, rather than the Khi-lee that is the right way to pronounce her name, and partly due to the fact that she has little to do in the final section besides officiating Shade and Nikki’s wedding, I’m constantly reminded of how important she truly is to this story as I’m rereading the formatted version of the book to make final adjustments before publishing. And the truth is, the story as it is would never happen if it weren’t for Kailee.

For those of you who don’t know who Kailee is, let me give you the highlights that make up her character. The younger of two daughters of the once proud but fallen from grace Lex family, Kailee is a kind, if meek, woman that grew up in the boarder town of OJA. Due to the actions taken by Hados when she was a child, Kailee grew up being subconsciously scared of men and with the looks of the goddess Nina. Despite all this, Kailee eventually grew to possess a confidence that, while not always present, gave her the strength to defy her family’s wishes and come to Terang to offer her help in bringing peace to the Royal family and leave Braria for 10 years with only her love Sabrina as comfort. She was constantly writing her parents and sister so they knew that she was alright and happy with Sabrina. After meeting Iselda, the two became fast friends to the point where Iselda having barely known her for more than a couple of months considered naming one of her children after Kailee. And it was Kailee who Iselda chose to be her surrogate mother to her children when she was kidnapped by the Empress of Toxai. Despite growing up a basic nobody, Kailee has become more than she could ever have hoped to be: loved by her extended family, a confidant to the Royal family and a well respected member of her community, as well as having removed the stigma that had followed her family for generations.

For those of you who have read the early versions of the story on fictionpress, let me know your thoughts on Kailee. Did you overlook her as I constantly have? Or did you realize her worth to the story from her first introduction? Do you wish she featured more in the third part of the story; or did you not like her character? Please comment and let me know your thoughts so I know what you want to hear more about from the world of Bolfodier.

Updates and The Mirror of Rheta

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First, as tomorrow is St. Patty’s Day, I’d like to wish everyone the luck of the Irish and a safe day of drinking for those of you old enough to do so. Secondly, I’m posting this week’s post early because I don’t believe I’ll have time to do so before it’s too late in the day. Thirdly, I’d like to give you all an update about how the book’s publishing process is coming along: greatly! On Wednesday I received the formatted version of the book to go over and make sure everything looks good. And I have to say that, as a whole (I haven’t taken the time to read every word yet), it looks pretty cool. It’s going to be about 600 pages, so hopefully you all will take the time to read each page; I included a special ‘Thank You’ page at the start, in which I give my deepest gratitude to you all for your support of not only The Kanta Chronicles, but of me as well. Lastly, I’d like to add another thank you to my friend Alicia, for agreeing to draw some character and location designs for those appearing in the book (I’ll leave a link to her art page below).
Now, for those of you who don’t know this about me, I love me some Beauty and the Beast and can’t wait to see the new movie. Belle was always my favourite princess and now to have the one and only Hermione Granger aka Emma Watson playing her is going to be just perfect. Now, I bring this up because, as one of my favourite Disney films, something from Beauty and the Beast of course makes a cameo in The Kanta Chronicles. And that something is the Beast’s magic mirror, which I used as my visual inspiration for the Mirror of Rheta. Those who have read the story on fictionpress (or more accurately, the third and final part) will know that the Mirror of Rheta is a minor MacGuffin that kicks off the start of the final chunk of the story. But something that you may not know is that the Mirror of Rheta’s power doesn’t come from it’s namesake, but is actually from Rheta’s lover Cosmar. On the eve of his death, Cosmar presented the Mirror to Rheta at a party to celebrate her upcoming birthday. Having a sorceress from Singia enchant the Mirror with its unique properties, Cosmar then convinced Rheta to use the Mirror in front of everyone to declare their love. But besides their eternal love for one another, the Mirror also revealed that Rheta was pregnant with Cosmar’s child. Sadly she miscarried due to the grief and stress of Cosmar’s death.

Let me know what you think of this backstory to the Mirror of Rheta. And don’t forget to check out Alicia’s art at: https://alicia091.wixsite.com/jtsartville. I’ll be posting her Kanta Chronicles related works as I receive them, both here on Facebook and on my website bolfodier.ca

Some Cool Things About the Ladies of the Night

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While the book explains how the Ladies of the Night came into existence, it doesn’t go into how long they’ve been a part of Bolfodier. The story of Cadel Thymab and her daughter Pandora (the first true queen of the Ladies of the Night) is one of the first things that has a global impact in the story. We learn from Hados that Korena has been Annabelle for 15,000 years; and the creation of the Ladies of the Night was around 500 years after the death of Nina. So needless to say, they are the oldest society in Bolfodier, and having members come from all over the world has also made them one of the most knowledgeable about the secrets of the world. For instance, they knew that the Kanta family was the name the Vigmece clan took when they fled from Nefas, or that Hados was in love with a goddess trapped in the world above and that he couldn’t tell her. The wealth of knowledge that they have gathered over the years hidden away not only at Pandora’s Tomb but their other strongholds (more on those at a later date) would put the combined information of the Valin Twins’ library, the Terang castle libraries and those of the Sanctuary of Darkefyre (again, more to come later) to shame many times over. Basically, they know more about Bolfodier than anyone, save for its creators. For all the Game of Thrones fans, imagine if Littlefinger, Varys, Bloodraven and all the maesters of the Citadel came together to share their knowledge of Westeros and you can start to grasp the magnitude of the amount of history, power, secrets and random bits of trivia these women have at their disposal.
Another interesting fact about the Ladies of the Night is that they live longer lives than most people. Because they only age in moonlight, living up to 120 after their becoming a Lady of the Night, And considering that Pan dies of old age at the age of 67 (keeping in mind the longer years Bolfodier has when compared to Earth), we see how they are able to collect all the information that they’ve amassed over the millennia.

In Defense of Lilith

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While she comes across as a one dimensional evil character in the book, I’d like to dedicate this week’s post to the redeeming qualities of the goddess Lilith. For starters, she truly would have called off Brudas’ assault on Shade and Nikki had they simply forsaken Hados and Korena as their friends and deities. Secondly, despite the previous fact and their current animosity, she still loves Hados and Korena; if not like a brother and sister than as her closest friends. She’s also quite devoted to Bolfodier, as she tells Shade and Nikki when they meet her, she is spending all her godly energies to keep Bolfodier in relative peace. But perhaps the most redeeming action Lilith has ever committed in her saving of Korena’s life on the night that Nina was murdered. She did this not only to give her daughter one last gift in saving the being that was both step-mother and daughter to Nina, but also for the love Lilith had for Hados (both platonic and romantic). Even in the modern setting of the story, Lilith still harbours feelings for Hados, but knows that he can never feel the same way about her. This is why every 100 years or so she searches out a man that reminds her of Hados in some way, shape or form and has a child with him.
Let me know if this helps redeem Lilith in your eyes, or if she even needed redeeming in the first place. I know that when I first envisioned her, she was meant to be the only god the world had while being a subtle jab at Catholicism with her appearance being that of the typical depiction of the Virgin Mary, but bearing the name of the mother of demons/one of the first demons (source depending). As I continued writing the other stories that would become the book, she eventually devolved into the seemingly antagonistic one sided character that she appears to be. And while I’m ok with that in terms of this story, I didn’t want you readers to feel that way about her; she’s like Iselda: the book only shows the Dark Union side to Lilith, not the queen of Braria that we see of Iselda throughout The Kanta Chronicles.

Shadowthyst

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I know I was supposed to post yesterday, but I got caught up in work and doing some other stuff, so I thought I’d make this extra special; one of the 25 secrets that I’ve kept from everyone about the world of Bolfodier.
White shadothyst is the rarest of all substances in Bolfodier and is worth ten times its weight in gold. It is so precious that it is believed that every bit in the world has been mined. But what makes white shadothyst so valuable is not its rarity, but the properties it possesses. When combined with the steel of weapons it imbues the steel with invincibility. Warding carved into it will create the strongest barrier imaginable. And when crushed, it becomes white sorcerer’s sand; a reusable substance to help in performing powerful magical rituals.
Shadowthyst (mostly occuring in black, its white form being the more sought after though) is a material that I invented that is a sort of cross between marble and obsidian. It appears only a few times in the book but is definitely a material I’d like to explore further in future works, so familiarize yourselves with its properties and look for it to play a more significant role in future Bolfodier novels.

Chapter 61: Pregnant

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Since Tuesday was Valentine’s Day and Monday is Family Day (at least here in Canada), I’ve decided to give you all a preview about family and love. Enjoy and love to all!

As Nikki ate breakfast with her mother, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. It seemed as though she was always nervous now. In the month that had passed since Jazabel’s funeral, Shade had become obsessed to the point of recklessness with having Brudas captured. He had the entire army stretched thin as they searched every crack in Braria to find Brudas. He’d also called in many favours – even promised some new ones – to all surrounding countries in an attempt to have them help out in the search.
No report had ever come back with any sign of him.
As Nikki thought of all these things, she noticed her mother was trying to talk to her. “Hello? Have you listened to a word I’ve said since we sat down?” she was asking while waving a hand in front of Nikki’s face.
“Wha-Sorry Mom; I was worrying about Shade.”
“That’s understandable. It doesn’t take a Soul’s Twin to realize that he’s stressed about finding Brudas; I think the birds have even noticed.” This made Nikki smile faintly, something that was becoming less frequent of late. “But what about you; how are you feeling, sweetheart?” her mother asked with concern etched in every wrinkle on her face.
“Worried; I’m worried about everything, but mostly Shade: he’s become closed off to everything that isn’t a scouting report, even me. He barely sleeps or eats; he’s shocked to find me at his side after I’ve been there for an hour. Me – you know, the woman who is supposed to be his world! He’s barely touched me since Jazabel’s funeral. The hunt for Brudas has become everything to him.” As Nikki explained her worries, tears started to fall from her eyes.
Seeing her cry, her mother moved seats so she was at Nikki’s side and put her arms around her daughter, stroking her back. After crying for a minute, Nikki realized that her mother was humming Shade’s lullaby to her. And at hearing the soothing rhythm of the melody, Nikki calmed down. Her mother couldn’t know that Shade still hummed that to himself every night before going to sleep. As she finished, Nikki joined her for the last verse as Shade had always done when he was young. “Feel better?” her mother asked with a smile at seeing Nikki’s serene face.
Nikki simply nodded. “Thanks Mom; I don’t know why, but that song always makes me feel better. I’ve heard it all my life, though I’ve never sung it to anyone, not even myself. I am grateful for you singing it to me when I’ve needed it most.”
“Of course, sweetheart. Its what mothers do. Now, eat something; Alix always says that worrying is made easier on a full stomach,” her mother said, indicating the eggs in front of Nikki and pulling her own plate to her new seat.
Giving a nod, Nikki took her fork and loaded it up with scrambled eggs before shoving it in her mouth. But when she put them in her mouth, she couldn’t stand the taste and spat them back out before her stomach forced more than just eggs out her mouth. She had to cover her mouth to prevent more from escaping.
Seeing her spit out the eggs, her mother got a puzzled look on her face, as did some of the cooks and stewards who were nearby. “Since when do you not like scrambled eggs?” she asked.
“I do like them, but something’s wrong with those. They taste awful; it was like I’d put a steel rod in my mouth, it tasted like metal,” Nikki explained.
Taking her own fork, her mother tasted the eggs. “They taste fine to me,” she said, looking down at Nikki with a quizzical look. “Try another forkful.”
Taking her mother’s fork, Nikki again filled it with a slightly smaller amount this time. Before she could put it in her mouth, Nikki smelled the eggs and nearly dropped the fork. Covering her nose and mouth, Nikki pushed herself away from the wooden table and ran to the area of the kitchen where the staff threw all the waste before emptying her stomach. Her mother came running over and held back her hair so it didn’t get anything on it. Now the entire kitchen staff seemed to be watching the movements of the former and current queen.
“Is my cooking really that bad and you’re only just telling me now?” her mother asked when Nikki had finished.
Shaking her head, Nikki said, “You’re a great cook, Mom. But those eggs smell worse than the lake did that summer when all the fish died when Shade and I were twelve.”
Her mother just laughed a tiny bit at the comparison. Then she looked at Nikki strangely, back to the table with the questionable eggs, and finally back to Nikki. As she looked at Nikki, a smile was slowly forming on her face. “Nikki,” she asked slowly, “when was your last time of the moon?”
Not understanding where her mother’s question was heading, Nikki simply answered, “It was supposed to be two days ago; but I’ve been a couple of days late before.” As she answered the two of them walked back over to the table they’d been eating at.
“But have you ever been sick like this on those occasions?” her mother asked with a look in her eyes that Nikki felt was meant to urge her to understand.
“No, I’ve nev-” Nikki started before realizing what her mother was hinting at. “Am I really?” Feeling the waves of happiness that were tentatively rolling off her mother, Nikki felt her own spirits start to rise.
Taking her hand, her mother smiled at Nikki. “There’s only one way to know for sure. Let’s find your father and find out.”
“Find out what?” her father asked with a puzzled look on his face as he entered the kitchen.
Running to her husband with an infectious smile, Nikki’s mother pulled her father back to where she was waiting. “We were just discussing how Nikki seems to have this glow about her, even though she’s constantly worrying about Shade. Can’t you see it, darling?” she asked with a nudge to her husband to look at their daughter.
Like Nikki herself, her father didn’t get what his wife was saying. “She looks the same to me: a little paler and more stressed, but basically the same as always.”
Heaving a sigh of exasperation, her mother took her husband’s hand and placed it on Nikki’s stomach. “Does she look different now?” she asked him while rolling her eyes at Nikki.
Giving a brief look to his hand on Nikki’s stomach and then to his wife, her father finally seemed to clue in. Turning back to Nikki, he looked serious as he concentrated on her stomach. Within thirty seconds, he was smiling and nodding his head. And as the affirmation registered in all their minds, Nikki could literally see the explosion of pure joy they released.
But before her father could say anything, his wife was pushing him out of the way as she pulled Nikki into a tight hug. “CONGRATULATIONS!” she shouted as she and Nikki jumped up and down. When they finally stopped jumping, both of them had tears in their eyes. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandmother!” her mother loudly whispered.
Smiling as big a smile as she’d ever seen on his face, her father gave Nikki the biggest hug he’d ever given her. “Congratulations, sweetheart! You and your brother needed this,” he whispered in her ear.
Releasing herself from the hug, Nikki smiled. “Not a word until I tell Shade, to anyone. And I mean anyone, Mother,” Nikki said, pointing a finger at both of them. Her mother seemed a little upset at this, but they both nodded with understanding. “I’m going to tell Shade, and then we can all talk.” Not waiting for their answer, Nikki headed for the door, unable to wait to tell her brother the good news.

Nikki found her brother in their chambers, looking over some reports at the desk. Nikki had always been used to the fact that when she entered a room, he would immediately look to her, but he seemed to be taking less and less notice of her lately. Even knowing that he was stressed didn’t make her feel any better about Shade not even looking at her.
But her good mood wasn’t dampened much. And seeing as Shade was in need of some stress release, she sneaked into her closet to change. Pulling the dress and jacket down that she’d worn to Jazabel’s wedding, Nikki paused for the slightest moment at the thought of Jazabel. But then she decided that she couldn’t be sad today; she’d only feel the joy of discovered parenthood.
Ten minutes later, she peaked out her closet doors to find Shade hadn’t moved; he still stood over the desk studying the scouting reports. Turning to the mirror that was at the far end of the closet, Nikki made sure that she looked just as she had the last time she wore this outfit, minus the extended hair. Smiling at the perfection in the mirror, Nikki turned back to the doors. Taking a deep breath as she drew the dark authority she felt this dress gave her, Nikki shoved the closet doors open so they banged against the outside walls.
Her entrance had the desired effect as Shade looked up at the loud noise with a startled expression. Nikki took the briefest of seconds to enjoy his shock before snapping her fingers and pointing to her side. “Come here, NOW, Shade Leo Kanta!” she playfully snarled at him. It was clear Shade didn’t think she was being playful; she could hear him gulp in fear across the room.
But it was also clear that his curiosity greatly outweighed his fear, for he was soon at her side. “Yes?” he asked with a sly smile on his lips.
“Wipe that smirk off your face,” Nikki whispered with menace. She continued as she started to slowly circle her husband. “You’re in big trouble.” And before he could do anything else, she started to drag him to their bed.
“Nikki? What are you doing?” he protested just before she threw him onto the bed, where he stayed.
“Nice to see you still know my name, or recognize me for that matter.” While Nikki didn’t really feel this way, these two statements weren’t an unfair assessment of late.
“What-What are you talking about? How could I ever forget a single thing about you? You’re my everything, Nikki.”
She could feel the fear that was pouring out of him; he didn’t think this was a game anymore, he really thought she was mad at him. And while she was, she didn’t want him to think that. And so, she allowed her face to show some of the pain she’d been feeling lately. “Then would you mind showing that? Did you even see me come in ten minutes ago?” At this question, Shade turned his head away in shame.
Sitting down at his side, she gave him a small smile. “I’m not mad; I just miss you. We haven’t spent any time together since Jazabel’s funeral. And I know you want to have Brudas found, as do I, but if you don’t even notice my presence I think you have a problem. Ok?”
Heaving a sigh, he nodded. “I’m sorry; I realize now how much I’ve neglected you. And I’m sorry you had to resort to such lengths to get me to realize that. Can you forgive me?”
“I already have; just make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she said as she opened her arms and he pulled her in tight. At having him so close, Nikki let out a sigh and was very tempted to show him just how bad she could be. But she had more to talk to him about; more happy things.
“I didn’t come here to yell at you. I don’t think even your depressing obsession could ruin the good mood I’m in,” she said with a smile as he released her from the hug.
“And what could have brought about such a strong good mood?” he asked as he looked deep into her eyes with all the love he hadn’t given her in a month.
Smiling at finally seeing this look on his face, Nikki kissed him. “I just finished talking with Mom and Dad. They seemed to think that I looked different, they said I had this glow about me that they couldn’t put words to. What do you think; am I glowing?” she asked as she stood and turned once for him to see.
Shade got a puzzled look on his face as he tried to pick up on what she was talking about. “You do seem different,” he agreed. “I can’t put my finger on what it is, though. Won’t you tell me so I can be as happy as you are?”
“Besides all this to be over and us to be victorious, what do you want most from your future?”
“To know that you’re happy, and that I’m the reason for that happiness. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, to be the source of your happiness.”
“Good, because that’s exactly what you’ve done. But it’s more than happiness I feel: I feel joy. And it’s all thanks to you, brother,” she said as she kissed him with all the love she felt for him. Before either of them could be consumed by the kiss, Nikki pushed herself away. “I’m pregnant, Shade.”
It took him a moment to comprehend this, but when he did, Shade had the biggest smile she’d seen on anyone. And then he was holding her, kissing her, showing his love for her like he never had before.

There you go; that’s the entirety of chapter 61 from the book. Let me know what you think.

Batman Reference and Reverance

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Since today sees the release of the Lego Batman Movie (which I can’t wait to see btw), I thought that today I share my love of the Caped Crusader by revealing the connection it has to The Kanta Chronicles. As we all know the Dark Knight’s alter ego is Bruce Wayne; and it is in a combination of his two names that he appears in our story. I take great care when it comes to names, so it should be no surprise that when it came to naming Jazabel’s three bats, I gave the biggest one with black fur a name that draws immediate recognition and connotations. By calling the bat Bruce, I hoped to draw in the popularity of Batman into this pet, and by extension the character of Jazabel and story as a whole.
Batman has always been one of my favourite characters and his movies are among my favourites, with Burton’s 89 film being my all-time favourite movie. And short of writing Batman stories, this was the only way I could think of to pay homage to this pop culture and literary icon while still adding my patented blend of recognition and confusion (similar to my Lady Macbeth and Zelda references).
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BATMAN!

 (words to live by)

Pics That Helped Flesh Out Characters and Locations

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As I was writing the last and longest section of the book, I started looking online for pictures of fantasy backgrounds, characters etc. to help with my visual descriptions. Google images and Deviantart were a big help here. Here’s what I used to inspire the character of Jazabel Nyx, the setting of Victorinox and a picture that I feel would make a great side view of Sabrina.

Sneak Peak Into Pan’s Mind

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Here’s a sneak peek to The Kanta Chronicles:

No matter how much he wished it, or how much he tried, this one moment would not be buried. With every step he took, Pan felt the dread build; he hadn’t felt dread on that day ten years ago, but he knew what awaited him at the end of the hall on the other side of that door; closed by magic for a very good reason.
This time though, was different. Every few steps he took, something else took the dread’s place in his attention. At one point it was a celebration he could barely remember, but he didn’t want to remember that night. At another, it was the words his father had spoken, crowning him Nifehan. And when he was but a few steps away from that dreaded door, it was a moan; the moaning of a woman that he still, to this day, could not remember the name of.
And then his hand was on the knob.

Intrigued? Confused? Can’t wait for more? Let me know what you think.