This is a character who sort of came together during many Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, back in the day.
Image via WikipediaHe sort of emerged from that into a more three dimensional character and was going to be the protagonist of a series of novels. Swords-and-sorcery fantasy, to be clear. But, since I've given up on writing fiction, unless I write him into a screenplay he'll never see the light of day.
That ain't likely, as the series I was going to put him into is one of those epic things, a story that would probably have taken around six books for me to tell completely. Not including the short story I actually did write to introduce him and the story. Which was never published.
He is an interesting character, though, so it seems a shame to let him go to waste. Blogging about the guy is the least I can do.
Pralifax is a Paladin, basically a holy warrior. He's every bit as big of a pain in the ass as that sounds like. He began life as a slave and spent most of his first twenty-five years in training to become a soldier in a private army.
I'll skip over most of the details. When he's thirty he wins his freedom in a way that makes him a hero to other slaves and impresses his former owners.
He joins the official army of the Empire and rises through the ranks to become a general, adored by the citizens of the Empire, hated and feared by its enemies. The Empire in many ways parallels the Roman Empire, though there are some key differences, just FYI.
Anyways, Pralifax is a grim, tactiturn figure, covered with scars. In battle he does what is necessary to win. He does not believe in fair fights--he thinks the entire concept is ridiculous.
As a general he's wiped out entire populations that threatened his Empire, to make an example of them. To his fellow citizens he's a hero. To others he's a hated enemy, a war criminal.
Pralifax is one of those people who, once he's convinced he's right, no power in the universe will change his mind. The series of stories is about him becoming convinced that he must commit genocide, and then go to war against a god . . . and win it, for the sake of humanity. It's also about him deciding that the days of the Empire he loves are drawing to a close and it needs to be replaced with something a bit more democratic.
He's difficult to portray in a way that makes him sympathetic, which is one of the challenges of writing him. The intent is to show him as a human being, and to show the reasons he is the way he is. He also does have a sense of humor, though not to the casual observer. He only jokes with those who know him well and that he likes. If you watch NCIS, he's sort of Gibbs in armor with a sword and a lot grimmer.
Maybe, one day, some one will give me the money to do this thing. It'll be a long, complicated story (there are an awful lot of subplots involving peripheral characters and a lot of politics going on, too--like a power struggle between the Emperor and his cousin, with a bastard son of the Emperor coming into play). It'd make a great series of novels, movies, even graphic novels.
Maybe one day I'll be given the opportunity to do them. Who knows?
He is an interesting character, though, so it seems a shame to let him go to waste. Blogging about the guy is the least I can do.
Pralifax is a Paladin, basically a holy warrior. He's every bit as big of a pain in the ass as that sounds like. He began life as a slave and spent most of his first twenty-five years in training to become a soldier in a private army.
I'll skip over most of the details. When he's thirty he wins his freedom in a way that makes him a hero to other slaves and impresses his former owners.
He joins the official army of the Empire and rises through the ranks to become a general, adored by the citizens of the Empire, hated and feared by its enemies. The Empire in many ways parallels the Roman Empire, though there are some key differences, just FYI.
Anyways, Pralifax is a grim, tactiturn figure, covered with scars. In battle he does what is necessary to win. He does not believe in fair fights--he thinks the entire concept is ridiculous.
As a general he's wiped out entire populations that threatened his Empire, to make an example of them. To his fellow citizens he's a hero. To others he's a hated enemy, a war criminal.
Pralifax is one of those people who, once he's convinced he's right, no power in the universe will change his mind. The series of stories is about him becoming convinced that he must commit genocide, and then go to war against a god . . . and win it, for the sake of humanity. It's also about him deciding that the days of the Empire he loves are drawing to a close and it needs to be replaced with something a bit more democratic.
He's difficult to portray in a way that makes him sympathetic, which is one of the challenges of writing him. The intent is to show him as a human being, and to show the reasons he is the way he is. He also does have a sense of humor, though not to the casual observer. He only jokes with those who know him well and that he likes. If you watch NCIS, he's sort of Gibbs in armor with a sword and a lot grimmer.
Maybe, one day, some one will give me the money to do this thing. It'll be a long, complicated story (there are an awful lot of subplots involving peripheral characters and a lot of politics going on, too--like a power struggle between the Emperor and his cousin, with a bastard son of the Emperor coming into play). It'd make a great series of novels, movies, even graphic novels.
Maybe one day I'll be given the opportunity to do them. Who knows?
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