Greetings, Seekers! Those of you who follow us on social media know that we’ve been hard at work on the sequel to Trials of the Innermost. TOTI is a multi-point-of-view (multi-POV) story related through the eyes of its main characters. If you’ve read to the end, then you know we lost one of those perspectives. And you may be wondering, with the death of [redacted], will we retain only five POVs? That would be too easy. It’s our delight to introduce a new main character to the Etherea Cycle: Ansgar Farheart! You can read his bio here, but today, we’re having Kilahym interview him to give you an idea of what to expect from this lovable scoundrel.
Character Interview with Ansgar
Kilahym (K): Ansgar! It’s a delight to interview you for the Beechmarsh Bugle. Though I must confess, I’m not sure why they chose you after that Day of Laphrim incident…
Ansgar (A): My dear friend, you wound me! Everyone knows that was your fault. Musical magic is your stock in trade, is it not? And we got to see a Lady’s crownbearer, one of the rarest sights in the natural world. I’d call that a successful venture.
K: (sighs) ‘Successful’ is hardly how I’d describe most of your ventures. Most of them get you run out of town.
A: That only happened once and it had nothing to do with the business I was running. It had everything to do with a love triangle. Picture it: an entrepreneur who needs an infusion of funds to keep his business afloat is approached by a well-to-do married man and woman at the local inn. Their night of passion leads the couple to sponsor said entrepreneur and continue seeing him…individually. Feelings develop and each half of the couple professes their love to the entrepreneur…
K: Let’s dispense with ambiguity and note that the entrepreneur is you.
A: Don’t interrupt Hymn, it’s rude. As I was saying, a new main character entered their villa, sundered their love for one another quite by accident, and was subsequently chased off by an angry mob. It turns out the couple consisted of the mayor’s son and the heiress of a shipping fortune who were promised to one another for years. Needless to say, their parents were not pleased to see their children’s carefully orchestrated relationship fall apart. But that’s hardly my fault. I merely showered rain upon hearts thirsting for an organic connection.
K: It might behoove you to be more cautious about where you bring your rain showers. Moving on, readers would like to know more about your clandestine work for the Sibilstone Eyes. Tell us about that.
A: (pouts) It’s not clandestine if everyone knows.
K: Ansgar…
A: Oh very well. I occasionally gather information for the Eyes. Little tidbits, gossip, idle prattle, and seemingly inconsequential utterances can all add up to much more. It takes a keen mind to discern the patterns embedded in the verbal crumbs dropped by the influential, and as you well know, my mind is honed to a razor’s edge.
K: And so you sell your analysis of said information to the Eyes.
A: Oh no, I sell the information. The analysis is extra.
K: Somehow I am not surprised. At any rate, our readers would also like to know your stance on the Trials of the Innermost.
A: My stance? I’ve never given it much thought. The Trials are…the Trials. We could debate their efficacy until we run out of breath, but what they do bring are the most wonderful parties. Did I ever tell you about the time my family commissioned a crystal punch bowl big enough to swim in for our Trials ball? They were unhappy to discover me and a few of our guests in it, but it was practically begging to be used for that purpose.
K: You went swimming in a punch bowl?
A: Well, not swimming, exactly.
K: I think that’s an excellent stopping point. Ansgar, thank you so much for indulging our readers’ curiosity. Whether they regret it remains to be seen.
A: Now Kilahym, you’ve known me for quite some time. Yes, I might get you into trouble, but at least life with me is never dull.
K: I can wholeheartedly agree with that. Until next time!
A: See you sooner than you expect.
That’s a Wrap
We hope you enjoyed this taste of Ansgar Farheart’s blend of charisma and verve. Adding a new main character to a story can be challenging, but we’ve been having a blast fleshing him out. And if you simply can’t wait for more Ansgar, we have good news! We are giving away a digital copy of our short story, The Lady’s Crownbearer, to anyone who signs up for our newsletter! It’s a prequel to TOTI that features Kilahym and Ansgar in a cozy, wintry setting. Sign up here to get your free copy via BookFunnel and stay up to date on Etherea Cycle news. Thanks for reading, and as always, by your compass stay true.