By Kayla Matt

Best that I start this blog post series with the first hero of Legends of Windemere.  First, I’d like to point out that I said first hero and not main hero.  This series is really an ensemble cast with the 6 champions rotating through the focus protagonist role.  Luke Callindor is the first hero we meet in the series, so he has more moments in the spotlight.  Yet, he will fall to the background for a few events.  This is where some interesting character themes come from.  It also causes confusion among readers when they see him being overshadowed by more powerful characters like Nyx.

Courage, Doubt, & Reputation

When we first meet Luke, he is trying to prove that he is worthy of his family’s heroic reputation.  Being raised as a famous name, he has a lot of courage, but he also possesses an underlying doubt.  Luke is always wondering if he’s being treated a certain way because of his deeds or his lineage.  This creates a confidence structure that is easily tampered with.  For the entire series, he will be trying to prove he’s a hero even after the reader and other characters believe it.  There will be moments of frustration and despair when things go wrong because he puts a lot on his shoulders.  In this way, I think Luke mimics me as an author because I still feel like I’m fighting to gain my footing.

Culture Clashing Romance

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

This is part of Luke’s love life because he comes from a culture similar to what many of us are used to.  Date one person to either marry or break up with is how we see the world.  He has trouble adapting to Kira Grasdon’s culture where you date multiple people until you marry and then stay with that person for life.  Oddly enough, this also shows that divorce is acceptable in Luke’s culture and one of the greatest shames in Kira’s.  It’s this plot point that causes the morality issue for some readers.  Yet, Luke has a lot of trouble with this and it puts him in a bad spot when he finds himself in love with two women.  Kira appeals to his idea that he will one day settle day while the other woman appeals to the wanderlust that might never leave.  In truth, Luke has the inevitable tragic romance storyline of this series. (More on this Thursday)

Power & Pulling His Weight

Luke isn’t the magically powerful character like Nyx or the physically powerful character like Timoran Wrath.  Sari has more tricks and a future hero has more brains.  So, Luke gets overshadowed if you’re comparing him to others.  This does bug him at times when he fears that he’s getting left behind.  Yet, his perceived low power is part of his character.  Luke doesn’t go hunting for power and has very little interest in it.  He has his swords and his courage, which carries him through.  He takes more beatings than the others at times, but that’s another part of his character.  This isn’t to say he’s even weak.  Villains underestimate Luke and target him a lot, which forces him to use his real strength: thinking on his feet.  He is the unpredictable hero that could feasibly surprise everyone and defeat a superior opponent.  It is a big part of his story as he finds himself getting left behind in terms of power, especially with the big finale of Curse of the Dark Wind.

Coping with Loss

By Kayla Matt

Something occurred to me when writing The Compass Key.  Luke has seen a lot of death and betrayal in his adventures.  He began with this romanticized vision of what being a hero would be like.  It got destroyed in Prodigy of Rainbow Tower with a friend’s demise, the betrayal of another, and being pushed to his limits.  If anything, Luke is the most innocent hero of the entire series.  Nyx has seen fellow apprentices die and has had no issue killing an enemy with her magic.  Sari has a darkened view of the world after the slaughter of her clan.  The future champions are seasoned warriors.  It’s only Luke who hasn’t really been tested prior to the series.  His emotional calluses are appearing before the readers’ eyes.  This stems from a realization that it is in the The Compass Key that he takes his first non-monster life.  He can rationalize orcs and chaos elves who are monstrous in appearance or reputation.  But the taking of a human life and his reaction to it was something to behold.  In brief, Luke fears that part of him might be dying and he’ll change for the worse.

Growing Up

I’ll fully admit that Luke has the most growing up to do in this book.  He’s a novice transforming into one of the greatest heroes of Windemere.  Not a pristine hero even though he might gain that reputation after his adventures.  He makes mistakes and tries to improve, which is part of his strength.  Luke will never get everything he wants and his immaturity leaves him open to greater levels of loss than the other characters.  This creates a major theme of finding the strength to continue with a damaged heart and soul.  People are going to see Luke having to remain standing after some horrible events.

So, that’s Luke Callindor and his themes.  What do people think?