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For the character dynamic asks, between Supporting Characters: What are their backgrounds and connections with each other? How do they contribute to the main plot? And, how do their relationships change over the course of the story?
(I like side characters ^_^)
Thank you so much for the tag, @diabolical-blue! I'll go with some of the most relevant side characters from Song of Thorns for this one!
Some small spoilers below the cut!
What are their backgrounds and connections with each other? How do they contribute to the main plot? And, how do their relationships change over the course of the story?
SONG OF THORNS
There are quite a few secondary characters in this WIP, and they range from secondary protagonists sort of characters to actually just side characters! Let's start with a few of them:
Tarrant - Tarrant is a close friend of Cyriel - one of the mercenary twins who becomes Roselyn's friend - and is overall rather important to her backstory. Tarrant is the twins' half (illegitimate) cousin and is the only family they've ever really known. He taught them how to survive on their own, abilities that allowed them to thrive and eventually be taken under the wing of a local bounty hunter. Tarrant, unfortunately, had his soul sold against his will by his parents to a cruel local mobster/warlord, Gideon Alameth, in a contract in exchange for a lot of money, and currently is looking for a way to free himself from said binding contract - he wants to be able to choose his own fate and no longer be the plaything of people much more powerful than him. He contributes to the Main Plot in two ways: 1. He has his own subplot where he is trying to free himself from his contract, and 2. He serves as a voice of reason for the reckless twins and is very knowledgeable about their lawless hometown's inner workings, making him a very valuable ally for the MCs.
Elveryn - Elveryn is a human monster hunter, the deadliest of the land. As of the start of the story, he is an antagonist, tasked by the King with hunting down and killing Renn, who is a dhampir, and bringing Renn's human associates/friends (Alaric, Roselyn, Orianna, etc) back to the capital for judgment. He is an infamously ruthless and resilient young man, whose hatred of monsters is only surpassed by his thirst for revenge and his grief for his little brother, whom he believes was murdered by vampires (and blames himself for not saving him in time, though he won't admit it). He is intelligent, fierce, and relentless, wielding a crossbow of his own creation armed with explosive silver bolts. He proves to be, over time, a truly terrifying opponent to the main cast, but there may still be redemption for him down the line. He is one of the most important side characters of this story and is a part of one of the most emotional plot twists in the book.
Aelia the Bloody - The first "successful" victim of the Sanguinex, Aelia was an innocent girl whose soul was bound to that of the eldest princess of the royal family 100 years ago (Princess Cordellia was dying from the plague that had swept through the land - which is very very important to the current plot - so the Royal family funded the studies of blood magic by human mages, dubbed Sanguinex, in search for a cure for the blood curse plague. The magic serum created was said to grant people vampiric abilities and more - and Aelia was one of the test subjects used by Prince Larkin - who is currently the ruling king of the city and the princess' younger brother - to achieve the cure, and the only successful one, the only one who survived. Aelia transformed into what is currently called a Faux Vampire or a ghoul and her now immortal soul was bound to the dying princess', granting her an extended life. Aelia was locked away in the bowels of the castle, and the princess never found out the truth about how she was cursed. 100 years later, now, Aelia has grown into a young adult - vampires like her age very, very slowly - and has been driven slightly unhinged by her transformation and imprisonment, though she yearns for freedom and revenge and wants to be reunited with her family (who are all long since dead, unfortunately). Aelia is the first person to ever be artificially turned into a living, or unliving, vampire, and is tied to the origin of the Sanguinex Arts currently wielded by the Royal regime. She befriends the main cast after they discover her existence, the first friends she made in a whole century, and proves a valuable, if unstable and murderous, ally.
Lady Elenah - She is Prince Alaric's stepmother and essentially the person who truly raised him, being a true mother to him. She is a very much motherly woman, and also has a fiery, loving temper that imposes respect in those around her. She cares for Alaric own as her own. She is instrumental to the MCs discovering some of the intrigues from the royal court and being a very much no-nonsense, determined woman, she is also important in other aspects of the story and is a very active character in the plot! She is also willing to manipulate others and lie through her teeth to get what she wants and keep her son safe, but would never hurt a fly if she had the choice.
Jasen Lethia - He is more of a secondary protagonist or at least very important character. Jasen is the older brother of Roselyn Lethia and him being kidnapping is the inciting incident that sets the story in motion. Since he spends most of the earlier acts of the book, until mid-act 2/3 actually missing from the story due to him being held captive by the nobles, before he is found and becomes an active part of the plot, he can be considered a side character during those acts in the book. I can't go into too much detail about him without essentially spoiling a lot of important plot points, but know that he is important to the story and is also a great older brother to Roselyn and Portia!