Character Backstories Vol. 2 - Kutsila & Valorius

 

Today's character backstories volume is all about two very ambitious people - though perhaps ambitious to their own detriment. Out of my pencil case I have pulled two slips of paper. Scrawled upon them in my quick handwriting are the names:

1. Kutsila Piso (The Pirates of Sissa)
2. General Valorius (The Return of the Exiled)

 

💬   💬   💬 

Kutsila Piso (The Pirates of Sissa)

Kutsila is a character who plays a very important role, especially towards the beginning of the book. It is her actions that set everything onto a very particular path. However, much of her story takes place off-page, and off-book, since the events that have shaped who she is have already happened by the time we meet her.

Kutsila's father was a soldier in the Sissan army who had been dismissed several years before he was finally forced to flee the empire with his wife. The waves of forced (and often violent) expulsions that the Qorsan faced in the handful of decades just before The Pirates of Sissa opens made it impossible for them to live in Sissa in peace. Because of his military history and resourcefulness, the people looked up to Kutsila's father for guidance and protection, and he quickly became a leader of a community of what was at the time just hundreds of Qorsan.

Kutsila was born in the Black Desert. Her mother, who had been quite healthy at the time, died due to complications during childbirth. While her father never outwardly blamed her for her mother's death, Kutsila blamed herself and erroneously believed that the reason the two of them were as distant as they were was due to her father holding a grudge. This false belief fueled her desire to become a great leader, so that she might make her father proud of her - and perhaps even forgive her. 

In her mind, the best and only way to measure this was whether or not he would name her his successor. If he named her his successor, then surely that meant he had recognized his efforts, and that he had accepted her and forgiven her. 

You can imagine her disappointment when her father instead chose Sahra Ren to lead their community, and named her publicly as his successor only weeks before his own untimely demise.

Young, headstrong, and entirely consumed by envy for Sahra Ren and the position she feels the woman has stolen from her, Kutsila's desire for acceptance has now evolved into a need to topple Sahra from her position as leader by turning public affection and respect towards her.

This is the Kutsila we come to know in The Pirates of Sissa, and it is this Kutsila that sets in motion a series of events that will shape the lives of all of the characters involved in the story.

🗡

General Valorius (The Return of the Exiled)

Now, given that this is the last book in the first series, some parts of this man's character could change. Nevertheless, I have pulled his name from Ye Olde Pencil Case, and therefore will share his character backstory thus far. 

To the outside gaze, Valorius has it all: a good family, an extremely successful career, a high-paying position in the Vakkarian army, and his good health and good looks. He's charming, well-mannered, and perfectly loyal to his homeland - a stellar reputation. 

But Valorius wants more. He has always wanted more. 

It is this ambition that drives him to become an advisor to Queen Salva, the absolute ruler of the Kingdom of Vakkar. Aware of the civil unrest happening throughout the kingdom and the looming threat it poses for the entire institution of the Vakkarian monarchy, Valorius knows that time is of the essence. 

He also knows that now is the perfect time to strike.

If he can gain the ear of the Queen herself, the entire kingdom will be in the palm of his hands.

 

💬   💬   💬

If you haven't already, check out my eerie suspense novella Apartment.