Buying Freedom

... loss. Lee is my biggest worry, since if he decides not to sell then I would lose the key character DeLatia—or, rather, I would have to fantastically modify her. Unlike Lee's other characters, I have tried to keep DeLatia as true to Lee's original vision as possible, which, together with her status as a major secondary character, would ...

Seeing the Relationships I Care to See

... flat; Galavar himself has already made up his mind and needs none of the reader’s sympathy. (In ATH, the actual politics are different. Resh is squarely in Silence’s corner and Jemis is somewhat so; DeLatia and Gregor are very much against her; Vierge is new enough to the organization that she abstains; Galavar himself of these is the only one whose mind is not made up.) There’s also something ...

Shoards for $1000, TraBEK!

... and so forth. Every character with significant sword action in the story has a defined technique—in notes if not necessarily in the story itself. Technique, more than anything else, is how someone like DeLatia, who is overweight, passionate, and fairly short, can still be one of the better swordsmates on Relance. I don't consider technique to be all that compelling, not directly, but it has to be...

A Smashing, Solar Afternoon

... the Saudi capital. Climactic to the opening chapter of ATH is a sandstorm which swallows Soda Fountain. Galavar's forces are on the other side, conjuring it to lure the city's defenses. It works; DeLatia would go on to win Soda Fountain almost without bloodshed. In her service is Collandus, one of her high commanders and arguably the second most powerful magic user in Gala behind Jemis (third if ...

Organizing Resolution

... organs of the state, comparable to the role of Cabinet Secretaries in the United States. For instance, Lilit DeLatia is supreme commander of the Galan army and holds the rank of “General” in that force. But a General has no authority in the Guard. To translate her power into her authority as a Guard, DeLatia is not merely a general, but also a “Keeper.” When in command of her troops, she is ...

... instructs before an observatory. (If you're wondering who her best student is, who the second-best swordmate in Gala is, it's a character you've never heard of from the RPG. Familiar names like DeLatia and Galavar show up high on the list too.) The instruction was messy, as could be imagined. She gave up all defense except for her sword—no shield, no armor, no magic, and minimal reliance on her ...