Character Backstories Vol. 3 - Krig & Alex

Character Backstories Vol. 3 - Krig & Alex

Back with another volume of character backstories, and the two that were randomly chosen from the Pencil Case come from very different stories and probably couldn't be farther from each other than they already are.

Today, we shine the spotlight on:

1. General Krig Varonis (The Pirates of Sissa)
   
2. Alex (Apartment)  

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General Krig Varonis (The Pirates of Sissa)

General Krig Varonis is the highest military authority in all of Sissa, second only to the Emperor himself. He was born and raised for the role, educated by various highly respected scholars. Most of Krig's childhood was spent in the imperial palace, where he lived with his father and mother. When he was old enough, Krig's father and predecessor began to train him to become a suitable general.

Because Krig's mother was adamant her son also have a somewhat normal childhood, he had some freedom growing up, made many friends, and was quite popular around the palace. He was also the only friend of current Emperor Gallus when they were children, since the Emperor had a strictly supervised set of suitable friends and acquaintances even as a young boy. 

Because the two of them grew up together, Krig looks after Gallus like an older brother, and is the only person Gallus can truly trust. He is also the only person in the empire who can mercilessly tease Gallus and live to tell the tale, though he always makes a point of respecting the difference in their positions.

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Alex (Apartment) 

Alex's backstory is one that I didn't want to delve into too much before publishing Apartment, because it is revealed bit by bit throughout the book and has relevance to some key plot elements that take place. Now that the book is published, however, I figure it's about time I go ahead and share some of that backstory with you.

Spoiler Here

Alex steps into the story when she arrives at the apartment building on Wallstone Avenue. She's on the run from someone - a specific person, but also a group of people whom she once called family. I don't think I ever state it outright, but there's an understanding that the younger Alex, who felt distanced from her family and was vulnerable, was lured into a cult-like group, where she met their leader, Eli.

It's discussed in the book, but it took Alex some time to realize that her new-found "family" and the enigmatic Eli weren't good people, and that in fact everything Eli said was ignorant, false, and dangerously wrong. She makes a daring escape, and ends up on a crime spree, stopping at various gas stations to steal money and supplies that she needed, before finally ending up at the apartment building on Wallstone Avenue. 

Despite her desire to start a new life, she knows that Eli will find her, and that tension is always there for her as she sits there, day after day, waiting for him to show up and punish her for leaving, like waiting for clouds to finally break in a torrent of rain.

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📕Have you checked out my debut novella, Apartment?

 

 

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See that cool graphic that I have for the Character Backstories blog segment? I made it with Canva! And the bust sketches of the two people are made by Sketchify.