Writing Origins - Corec

While Corec is technically the main character of the series, I've held off on doing a write-up about him until now to make sure I didn't give away anything that hasn't been touched on in the story. For new readers, I'd recommend reading at least halfway into Book 2 before reading this post any further.

There were three main guidelines along which Corec's backstory and personality were designed.

The first, of course, was the history that ties him into the larger story. 1. His mother, Moira, who was a concubine of the Three Orders...and more. 2. His family in Larso. 3. Joining the Knights of Pallisur, then being kicked out for using magic.

The second guideline is that he's spent his entire life surrounded by men--first his brothers, then the knights, and later, the other caravan guards and workers. In the six years since he left Larso, he hasn't stayed in one place long enough to form a lasting relationship with a woman, and has mostly limited himself to prostitutes. When he meets Katrin, and later Shavala, he doesn't quite know how to relate to them. Some of his actions, like tracking Katrin down, are at least partly based on his attraction to her, while other actions, like paying her brother's penalty fee, are based on guilt about the runes (mixed with attraction, and his habit of paying tavern girls for their time). But he's not stupid, so he starts figuring out relationship things eventually. [Side note: the penalty fees are based on the idea of weregild from the real world.]

The third guideline is that he had to be somewhat of a blank slate. Competent enough to make his own way, but a little bit naive about other things, particularly magic. This allows him to learn about the world along with the reader. He also handles change well, and doesn't get too stressed out when something unexpected happens. Mostly, he just goes along with the flow. I couldn't make his personality too strong at the beginning, or it wouldn't leave him enough room for growth.

The result is that when the story first begins, Corec is basically the fantasy-world equivalent of a younger millennial who's technically finished his schooling but hasn't decided yet what to do with his life. He's directionless, working a dead-end job, with vague plans to save up and improve his life, but no firm idea yet on what that means.

Now, as we reach the end of Book 2, Corec's future is still up in the air. He doesn't really understand what a warden is yet, but he's starting to get a better handle on the idea. And while he's thinking about it, he's got a quest to keep him occupied!

--Ivy