Character Backstories Vol. 4 - Lucius & Qays

Character Backstories Vol. 4 - Lucius & Qays

Another day, another volume of Character Backstories! Out of the Pencil Case of Mysterious Depths have emerged the following character names:

1. Lucius Fei (The Qarran Tales)
   
2. Qays (The Fall of the Black Masks)

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Lucius Fei (The Qarran Tales)

Lucius Fei is a character most readers following my fantasy series have not yet met. He's a young aristocrat from the Kingdom of Valgus, which has been at odds with the Empire of Sissa for many years. He wields the mysterious power that has kept Valgus protected from any attempts at conquest, and grew up around various other Valgan nobility and royalty, being close friends to the late prince and heir to the throne. 

The original character notes for Lucius aren't entirely generous. They read: 

Arrogant, vain, and cunning. Manipulative and intelligent. A known troublemaker among his friends. Is especially close to Lysia Solas, whose father is the chief lawmaker in the City of Light.

So, there's not a lot to go on, I guess, but I should probably mention that this was one of my favourite characters back when The Qarran Tales was all one big book. He's charming, well-mannered, curious, and very gifted in the special fighting art taught to only a handful of worthy Valgans. All in all, I'd say I'm very excited to get back to writing him when the time comes, and hopefully that will be sooner than I expect!

Unfortunately, by rearranging the storylines, plots, and working new characters into the story, I've made it quite difficult to pinpoint where, exactly, I want Lucius to be in the story. He has some pivotal roles in the original scenes I wrote for him, but the changes I've made to the books make most of these scenes difficult to keep. I'll be working on where to include him for now, because he really is meant to have a bigger role than he currently has due to the edits I've made.

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Qays (The Fall of the Black Masks)

Qays's personal history isn't really delved into in the book, so some of this is information you won't really get to read. Qays was born in Belvatria, grew up in Belvatria, and fought for Belvatria in the army as a young man. His parents were pacifists, so they disliked his joining the army and engaging in deadly combat. Still, Qays felt strongly enough about defending his country that he persisted. It wasn't until later on that his beliefs wavered slightly, and he decided to leave the army and lead a much quieter and more peaceful life fixing people and helping people heal instead of hurting and wounding them.

He began his studies as a physician, taking after his father, and soon after, his parents passed away. Qays had a natural knack for the healing arts. He soon became a great physician, known for his gentle manners and skills as a physician. With his success, he was able to start having his own hospital built, one that he could run as he pleased, according to the standards he thought were most important. Many of these standards improved the chances of survival and healing for patients and were met with enthusiasm in the wider medical field.

Qays dedicated his life in large part to making continuous improvements to the medical field, and he soon became arguably the best physician in all of Belvatria, often approached even by nobility and royalty. Though he was asked to become the exclusive physician to the imperial family and their court, Qays refused, believing that to turn his back on the rest of his patients would be an unforgivable crime.

While Qays gave so much of himself to his community, his nation, and his society, he also invested a great deal to raising Mila as a single parent. Under his parentage, Mila grew to be an independent, strong-willed, and successful young woman. She studied the medical arts since a young age, along with her other lessons at school and later on with tutors, and works alongside Qays in his hospital as his sole heir. Qays believes that by teaching her everything he knows now, after decades of experimentation and careful investigation, she can go on to further the medical field in her own right as she continues down this career.

When we meet Qays in The Fall of the Black Masks, he is already a well-established physician with his own hospital. He has a stellar reputation, and is well-liked by his community and patients for his honorable manner as well as his skills. When an epidemic breaks out in Belvatria, it is Qays and his hospital that spearhead the organization of a quick and effective response. Though Qays was invited by the imperial court to join them in their travels away from Belvatria during this dangerous time, he decides to stay and face the mysterious illness head-on, working day and night to help find a cure or treatment and stop the spread of the sickness, even when his daughter, Mila, disappears, taken by the criminal organization calling themselves the Black Masks.

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📕Have you checked out my debut novella, Apartment?