The 7th – and Final – Character Bio from The Relics of War
It has been a while since I last shared a character profile from The Relics of War, but I’ve been waiting for a reason.
The first two books in the series have 6 distinct character perspectives. For those who have read the books or followed my blog for a time, you’ll be familiar with them already (clicking the links below will take you to each character profile previously posted.)
Now that book 2 has been released, I’m sharing the final character profile: Sal’zar.
Sal’zar is an alchemist, a coveted role amongst the Murkor people. The alchemists are responsible for many technologies that are sought after by other peoples, the humans and Scorpion Men in particular. Some of their designs can be used as weapons, others for healing, and some are useful tools. Few Murkor are selected for the alchemist caste.
At the beginning of The Moon’s Eye, the reader encounters Sal’zar as a side character when he is summoned to meet with the Soulless, Kama. He learns he is unique for a Murkor–he possesses the Ability to wield magic. He is taken to the Tower of Obsidian to train, though if he would not have gone if given the option. The Soulless will not take no for an answer, and to defy them means death.
Sal’zar hopes to survive his training and subsequent initiation into the ranks of Enlightened, though he is met with far more than the Soulless’ unyielding orders along the way. As a Murkor, he is shunned by the other trainees and considered a lesser mage. While he’d like to prove them wrong, he can’t risk lashing out for his sake, as well as his life partner’s.
On a side note, Sal’zar is also one of the two characters featured in The Ballad of Alchemy and Steel.
I enjoyed writing Sal’zar’s chapters. As a scientist, I haven’t created many analytical-minded characters in my fantasy writing. There hasn’t been much need for it until I now, but the Murkor alchemists are akin to real-world chemists. If you read far enough through the trilogy, or to the last chapter of the Ballad, you’ll even get a glimpse of his laboratory.
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