Edward Larel's Blog - Posts Tagged "hunter"
Character Profile - Katrina of Ganalodel
*Warning, some spoilers involved*
Want to know how Katrina started her adventures? Check out her short story over on DeviantArt.
The elves in Pnumadesi have kind of a bad rap. They're often discriminated against or, most often in the case of the women, exploited. Because of the treatment they receive when interacting with humans and, to a lesser extent, the other races, the elves usually stick to their forests.
Enter Katrina, the leading lady of Arawn's Quest. Trained as a hunter, she doesn't want to be tied to any one place. Wanderlust hit her early in life when she watched a ship dock on the river in Ganalodel and fell in love with the idea of sailing and adventuring in general.
After she finished her training to be a hunter, the elven woman requested, and was granted, freedom from her ties to the forest and her queen. Despite this, there were still some rules by which she has to abide. There are many such rules, but those which have so far been relevant include:
* She is an ambassador of her race. She must act in accordance with the laws of the lands in which she travels, unless those laws contradict elven paradigm.
* Whenever she enters a new region, she must report in with the elven council of that area so they are aware of her presence and purpose.
* On pain of death, she cannot trade elven secrets or goods without permission from the current ruler.
* She may cover her appearance, but she cannot mask her features unless her life would be put at risk.
Katrina evolved in a very interesting way from her concept. When we first thought her up, she was just the faceless leader of a mercenary group who would help Arawn get to Desmond. As I began writing her, I gave more definition to her character, which branched into elves in general and how they are viewed by society. By the time I had Katrina fully developed, she had shaped the elven race's presence on Pnumadesi.
With the higher importance I put on her, she naturally fell into a leadership role, which proved a major attraction to Arawn, who until his adventure started hadn't actually met another race besides his own.
The contrast between Katrina's appearance and Arawn's really sparked something in each of them, and their feelings for each other grew quickly from the brief interactions they had.
Making Katrina Diaden's granddaughter was a spur of the moment decision as I wrote that part of the story. I had yet to really put a finger on why exactly the man, who until now had a reason for everything he did, would pick somebody with such a stigma against her to aid in a covert mission. Sure, she was good at what she did, but this is the fate of the known world we're talking about. When I finally realized where I wanted to take their relationship to each other, everything else fell into place.
Spurring off that notion was the fact that Katrina, like Arawn and Zen, is a Child of Destiny. Any time Diaden would have tried to see what she was up to through the Book of the Forgotten Bard, he would have trouble because the book is never clear on them. He may never admit it, but it's obvious Diaden appreciates the people he calls family, especially those to whom he's actually related.
That's all I've got for now. If you have anything else you'd like to know about Kat, feel free to ask here or send me a message. Thank you -
Want to know how Katrina started her adventures? Check out her short story over on DeviantArt.
The elves in Pnumadesi have kind of a bad rap. They're often discriminated against or, most often in the case of the women, exploited. Because of the treatment they receive when interacting with humans and, to a lesser extent, the other races, the elves usually stick to their forests.
Enter Katrina, the leading lady of Arawn's Quest. Trained as a hunter, she doesn't want to be tied to any one place. Wanderlust hit her early in life when she watched a ship dock on the river in Ganalodel and fell in love with the idea of sailing and adventuring in general.
After she finished her training to be a hunter, the elven woman requested, and was granted, freedom from her ties to the forest and her queen. Despite this, there were still some rules by which she has to abide. There are many such rules, but those which have so far been relevant include:
* She is an ambassador of her race. She must act in accordance with the laws of the lands in which she travels, unless those laws contradict elven paradigm.
* Whenever she enters a new region, she must report in with the elven council of that area so they are aware of her presence and purpose.
* On pain of death, she cannot trade elven secrets or goods without permission from the current ruler.
* She may cover her appearance, but she cannot mask her features unless her life would be put at risk.
Katrina evolved in a very interesting way from her concept. When we first thought her up, she was just the faceless leader of a mercenary group who would help Arawn get to Desmond. As I began writing her, I gave more definition to her character, which branched into elves in general and how they are viewed by society. By the time I had Katrina fully developed, she had shaped the elven race's presence on Pnumadesi.
With the higher importance I put on her, she naturally fell into a leadership role, which proved a major attraction to Arawn, who until his adventure started hadn't actually met another race besides his own.
The contrast between Katrina's appearance and Arawn's really sparked something in each of them, and their feelings for each other grew quickly from the brief interactions they had.
Making Katrina Diaden's granddaughter was a spur of the moment decision as I wrote that part of the story. I had yet to really put a finger on why exactly the man, who until now had a reason for everything he did, would pick somebody with such a stigma against her to aid in a covert mission. Sure, she was good at what she did, but this is the fate of the known world we're talking about. When I finally realized where I wanted to take their relationship to each other, everything else fell into place.
Spurring off that notion was the fact that Katrina, like Arawn and Zen, is a Child of Destiny. Any time Diaden would have tried to see what she was up to through the Book of the Forgotten Bard, he would have trouble because the book is never clear on them. He may never admit it, but it's obvious Diaden appreciates the people he calls family, especially those to whom he's actually related.
That's all I've got for now. If you have anything else you'd like to know about Kat, feel free to ask here or send me a message. Thank you -
