Crosspost from ericmrozek.com.
In almost every story that’s worth a damn, you need a bad guy to make bad things happen to the protagonists. Unfortunately, not every story creates a good reason for why the villain acts the way that they do. Some of these characters may be excused depending upon the genre, but it is often not acceptable for a fantasy story to create a villain like Sauron that only wants to conquer the world for, you know, reasons.
Why?
Larger-Than-Life Historical Villains Were Motivated By Something.
From the distant past to the present, each and every villain from history had an ideology that drove them to do what they did. It could have been money, power, hurting the other guy, destroying an enemy, or anything in between. Despite the fact that we now see them as evil, it’s important to remember that it wasn’t quite perceived that way back then. What could have possibly caused people to think like this?
It’s simple: Everyone is the hero of their own story.
Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to develop the same type of concept for Thrakoth and his Empire because it would allow for an exploration of the nature of evil and would also present a variety of questions. Why did he not just manage his world and try to keep the peace with the Callistans and Fieans? Could there have been elements of magic that forced his hand? What were they, exactly?
Of course, you’ll have to read to find out. However, the most important thing about this particular story is not truly Thrakoth. It’s the heroes that oppose him.
To Be Continued in Part 3.