Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
On October 9th, I made a post asking for questions that Nyx can answer. This is to help kick off the hype and final march towards Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age. Let’s start.
Victoria Zigler asked: Do you remember the day you learned of your destiny, and how you learned it?
It was my fifth birthday and my adoptive parents waited until after the party. I was still tired from everything, but they saw I kept using an energizing spell on myself to avoid falling asleep. They sat me down in the library and told me about Baron Kernaghan, which I first heard as this great darkness. As the conversation continued, I began hearing his name and that was the final piece of the puzzle. They told me I was destined to fight against him when he tries to return, which I’m learning isn’t as simple as it sounds. Not the fighting, but the situation. After that, I focused a lot more on my magic training and other studies while my etiquette lessons came secondary. Willow really wasn’t happy about that.
Colin Noel-Johnson asked: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? If you could change into a member of any race, which one would you choose? If you could relive your life in another profession, what would you be instead of a caster?
- It might come off as cliche, but I really love chocolate. Sadly, I don’t have it as much as I used to since I started adventuring. Not sure how they do it in your world, but Windemere has a lot of varieties that have special effects on the body. My favorites are the kinds that give you an energy boost, which helped me get through late-night study sessions. It’s tastier and has less of a crash than if I used my magic. Although, it can build up if you overdo it and then you end up sleeping for an entire weekend.
- Not really sure I would since I’m a half-elf. I’ve never really felt connected to one race or the other, which goes for a lot of my kind. Maybe I would want to be a calico for the tail and ear tufts? I like cats, so that could work.
- Bartender. It appeals to my interest in creating things, I like being in a tavern, and it would be nice to watch a bar fight instead of getting into one. Not sure I would want to own a business though. That doesn’t really appeal to me since it’s a lot of responsibility and I’m still mastering the art of finances. You really don’t have to worry about budgeting when you’re wandering the land. Then again, I’d probably learn about it if that was my life.
Nicholas Rossis asked: With your destiny preordained, do you ever feel you’re not really free? Would you choose your path all over again if you were free to reject it, or would you follow a different one?
Windemere isn’t like your world where free will rules all. So, all of us feel the pull of some destiny, but it just happens that I’m more in its thrall than most. For most of my life, I never really considered my freedom and was proud of being chosen for such a role. That’s why I worked so hard to excel in magic and toughen myself up for fighting. It did change when I finally left Gaia. No matter how much a person prepares for destiny, they can’t be ready for the real world’s cruelty. Losing friends and seeing destruction on such a scale as I have makes me feel like I’m a pawn. I can be hurt and tormented, but Gabriel would never let me die, which could be a blessing and a curse. Makes it difficult to plan a future as well because I either think I’m destined to continue losing people or my life ends in the final battle. I mean, why bother keeping a weapon around once it’s done what it was designed to do?
Now, would I choose my path again if I could reject it? While I might do things differently, I don’t think I would step away. Being destined is a major part of what I am, regardless of it being a source of pain or not. Not to mention, somebody else would be put in my place if I walked away. If this person isn’t up to the task then the Baron wins and Windemere suffers, which means I would be draw into a fight whether I like it or not. Somebody with my level of power doesn’t really have the luxury of bowing out of grand events.
L. Marie asked: What, if anything, is your biggest regret?
I so want to say I have none because everything happens for a reason, but there’s one that keeps coming back to my mind. The time I lost control in Hero’s Gate. At the time, I didn’t know the full range of my magic, but that isn’t an excuse. I flipped out when cornered and wiped out hundreds of lives in seconds. Not to mention getting the gods to worry about me being too dangerous, the nightmares afterwards, losing my magic for a while because of the trauma, and practically cursing the city. Guess that one is a fairly big regret. On the plus side, I fixed it when I got back.
The Story Reading Ape asked: Apart from Luke – who else would you consider a close friend and why?
That’s a tough one because I look at the other champions as my family. Having grown up without siblings and knowing I was adopted, I always wanted a big family. It started with me calling Luke my little brother and then Sari was my little sister. Then we got Timoran as my big brother, Dariana as my big sister, and Delvin . . . Well, we know what happened there. Never had a nickname for Fizzle since he’s so much older and he never really cared if he had one or not. Feels kind of wrong to single out one other person. All of us have been through so much together that my bond to all of them is equally as strong and important to me.
Deby Fredericks asked: Which of your enemies has made you fight the hardest for victory?
Hard to decide between two of them. Stephen Kernaghan scared me the most and made me fight really hard. Yet, he tended to be a group effort and I never had any success facing him on my own. Can’t think of anyone who did. If we’re going for fights that I won and pushed my limits for, Queen Trinity would be the one. Both of us are channelers and have been rivals since we first met, so we’ve always been pushing each other. At least one of us ends up badly hurt too. I’d like to say it’s been her more than me, but I’m not sure at this point. Honestly, I doubt I’d be as strong as I am now if I didn’t have to keep battling someone as cunning and tenacious as Trinity.
