Crosspost from ericmrozek.com.
Just as it is important to craft heroes that an audience can empathize with, it is crucial to construct a supporting cast of characters that are distinctive in their desires, motivations, and actions. Even if they are on the page for a few moments, a strong group of supporting characters can elevate a novel to the point where it feels like readers are taking a look into a different world. In Destruction, the many characters that Helisah and Aegras come across on their journey are tasked with a dual purpose, which can be explained in the following questions:
- How do they make an impact on the story?
- What do their interactions with Helisah and each other reveal about their personalities?
When I was writing this book, I wanted my supporting cast to answer both questions because it is a great way to make the world of Maereath feel big. While Helisah and Aegras are the most important characters to anyone that reads the book, the progress of invention, politics, and military strategy that is shown throughout the novel means that they are a crucial part of a larger story. Sometimes, they can set off into danger by themselves, but they usually find themselves in situations where they cannot walk alone. That is where a trio of characters matter the most.
Gialle, Duustan, and Fasti – Three Soldiers And A Very Messy War.
Gialle, Duustan, and Fasti are the most obvious examples of how the two questions that I referenced could be answered, especially since they effectively become main characters in the chapters that feature them. When Helisah first comes across them, the trio are largely business-oriented because of their military training and slightly differing attitudes towards outsiders. As the months pass, I made a larger point about their influence on the story because they open up and reveal themselves to be wise councilors, filthy-minded comedians, and strong warriors that are hell-bent on stopping Thrakoth. On top of that, these three characters introduce elements of specialization into the story in order to demonstrate the point that the world of Maereath is not a haven for superheroes. They know that Helisah and Aegras don’t know everything about the world, but even more importantly, they apply the same wisdom to themselves and let our main characters show their full potential when it is called for.
Helisah accepts that idea and look after them as well, revealing the humble and somewhat selfless side of their minds as the story presses onward. Even though she does not have a telepathic connection to them, our heroine develops a very strong reason to see them as a part of why she fights against the Telurian Empire, which allows her to become something more than she was at the start of her journey.
In the conclusion of this series on the novel, I will explore where the next steps for building out this universe.
To Be Concluded In Part Five.
