Character Lists

I think character lists/dramatis personae/cast role call are important for any novelist. Not all books should have one (if any ever do). They should be for the author only. This helps in case you forget a character or their profession.

Example:

Title of Book
   Main Characters:
     Jack Wells, commander, Death Commandos (human male from Rulnudor)*
     Rhys Jones, commander, Liberty Rangers (human male from Libertia)
     Tamara Lamnar, lieutenant, Liberty Rangers (human female from Libertia)
     Jessica Green, lieutenant, Death Commandos (human female from Calassa)
     Jori, lieutenant, Liberty Rangers (human female from Libertia)
     Kyle Daly, reporter, Calassa News Network (human male from Calassa)
     Jon Green, senator (human male from Calassa)
     Prince Khariss, head of Darkstar criminal organization (human male)
   Secondary Characters:
     Juan Lopez; lieutenant, Liberty Rangers (human male)
     Q, lieutenant; Death Commandos (Mar'ahli male)
     Nick Trang; lieutenant, Death Commandos (human male)
     Sarha Poland; captain, Liberty Rangers (human female)
     Tessa; captain, Death Commandos (human female)
     Latchton; assassin (human male)
     Y'Canthra; mechanic (Azhiiry female from Azhiiry)
     T'ol; mechanic (human female from Hydronkker)
     Tixe; general, Rulnudor Special Operations Brigade (human male from Rulnudor)
     Vhoz Lamnar; general, Libertia Special Operations Brigade (human male from Libertia)
     Stone; general, Libertia Special Operations Brigade (human male from Libertia)
* = this may be different if your story is only set on earth, main stream fiction, or doesn't involve other species like dogs, cats at which point the "(human male/female)" becomes irrelevant.

I don't recommend this for all writers though. It mainly works well with Sci-Fi or Fantasy (if you have a lot of characters, mind).

New Characters for a new story

Since I took a break from SOC, I started working on its followup story. Mostly for myself and cause I just had to get the ideas down somewhere as a "just in case".

Returning Characters:
Jack Wells; prisoner (male human from the territory Rulnudor) {Arrested for killing the Emperor}
Rhys Jones; fugitive (male human from the territory Libertia) {WANTED for suspected brainwashing}
Jessica Green; fugitive (female human from the destroyed city Calassa, now from Rulnudor) {WANTED for suspected brainwashing and assassinating the Emperor}
Tamara Lamnar; prisoner (female human from Libertia) {Arrested for being brainwashed and spreading Rulnudor propaganda}
Jori; fugitive (female human, origins are unknown) {WANTED for suspected brainwashing}
Kyle Daly; prisoner (male human from the destroyed city Calassa) {Arrested pending investigation of unknown circumstances}
General Tixe; general of the Rulnudor Special Operations Brigade (male human from Rulnudor)
Griff Wahl; prisoner (male human from the territory of Libertia) [moved from the original prologue and epilogue of SOC to here. His events have been erased] {Arrested for bribery}

New Characters:
Y; prisoner (female Mar'ahli) {Arrested for old prejudices}
Master Tesqui-Wiit; Ji-Jorhan martial arts instructor (male Ji-Jorhan from the territory Raji-Jorha)
Rou'tre; mechanic (female human from the territory Hydronkkers)
Sarline'batra; prisoner (male Azzaery) {Arrested for political reasons}
Oph'la; prisoner (female human/Hydronkker) {Arrested for sabotaging Rulnudor and Libertia vehicle compounds}
Bylee; prisoner (female Ji-Jorhan) {arrested for "threatening" an emissary}
Mira; Ji-Jorhan student (female Ji-Jorhan from Raji-Jorha)
Emperor Malton Alhai; ruler of Rulnudor (male human from the territory of Rulnudor)
Chief Walrot; ruler of Libertia (male human from Libertia)
Jeksonn Alhai; son of the Emperor (male human from Rulnudor)

Today's blog update is going to be nothing more than a rambling from me. I have found myself in a corner, working on a lot of additions to and modifications of my novel. I have seemingl gotten bored with the book and have so put it to the side for now. I have started working on another project I put into the drawer for some time. It is a follow up to SoC, and details the events of the survivors and the basic outline for the next story.

In it, I have old characters, some new, and some who we've heard from/of, but never seen. For instance, in SoC, we get epigraphs from Kyle Daly, but in the second story, I give him scenes and a life. The other is the Emperor. All I have on him is he's a friend of Jack Wells, and wants peace. I haven't decided upon a  name yet; I'm still considering what name would be appropriate for him.

New characters introduced are a broken Mar'ahli, two female prisoners who have a love for weapons, the Emperor's son, an exiled Hydronkker, and a lithe Azzaery assassin. I don't have names yet, but I am having fun writing their descriptions and stats down. Hopefully, I should break out of this spell and get back on that book.

SOC lingo

Words/phrases you will find in the novel, as well as what they stand for.


HUD--Heads Up Display
Lt, Loot, Lieut--Lieutenant
Rash’lavikh (RAHsh-lawVICK)--Mar'ahli derogatory term for drones (both living and mechanical)
Plasmacid blomb--a plasma and acid bomb
LRC--Libertia Rangers Command
LMI--Libertia Military Intelligence
RMI--Rulnudor Military Intelligence
SOB--Special Operations Brigade (used for both Rulnudor and Libertia commandos)
VIP--Very Important Person
LRaD--Libertia Research and Development
RRaD--Rulnudor Research and Development
Magtrain--magnetic train
CDF--Calassa Defense Force


[will update as I write more and find more in the book]

The Races of Crandox

No, this is not about sports racing. It is about the races that make up the population of Crandox (CRAHN-dosh). There are five races, and only three of those are prominent--meaning they are the most seen.

The first are, of course, the humans. Native to the Northern hemisphere of Crandox, they used up most of the resources available to them. Infighting and thousands of wars have forced them to split into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The two major countries/territories are Rulnudor (ROOL-new-DOOR) and Libertia (LIE-ber-SCHA). Libertia is in the North and Rulnudor is in the South.

The second are/were the Mar'ahli (Mahr-AHlee). Humanoids with chitinous skin, they are warriors as well as builders, artists, farmers. They have one leader and rarely an historian. They used to belong in the Southern hemispheres, but the humans drove them out, butchering their peoples. They drove the warriors into extinction, killed their leader and historian, and left the race in ruin. They disappeared overnight, but make no mistake. They are still out there, waiting for the next leader to return to them.

The third are the Ji-Jorhans (Szchee-Szchor-hahnz). The Ji-Jorhans have lived their lives in peace. They have martial experience in defense. They never attack their "opponents" unless there is no other option available to them (for example, the Ji-Jorhans would rather disarm an opponent, sometimes this means breaking an arm or knocking a weapon away). They are pacifists and are skilled in diplomacy. They are often used to negotiate between people, organizations, territories. They live on the equator, in between Libertia (LIB-uhr-schia) and Rulnudor (RULE-new-dohr) Territories

The fourth are the Azhiiry (Ash-IRE-ee). They are water-based sentients who live entirely under water. They have bases all over the bodily waters of Crandox. Their height ranges from five feet to five inches. If you can picture them like this: teeth of a shark or piranha, human-like exoskeleton, fins on the back of their arms and legs for propulsion.

The fifth are the Hydronkkers (HIGHdrunkKERS). The Hydronkkers are disowned beings from all the races. They take new age technology of Crandox and run it off ancient hydro machines. This powers their ships and machines (and the machines are said to be far better than the human technology). If you want a comparison to real day life, they would most likely be Steam Punk. They live in the South-Eastern hemisphere.

Of those five, only the Mar'ahli and Ji-Jorhans are in the minority. Two thousand years before the humans wiped the Mar'ahli warriors, it used to be the Ji-Jorhans and Hydronkkers in the minority.

Today, humans, Azhiiry, and Ji-Jorhans are the majority forces on the planet. If by some miracle any one of those groups falters, either the Mar'ahli or the Hydronkkers could take their place.

excerpt one

Libertia, Special Operations Brigade HQ, Liberty Commando briefing room, 0630 hrs

Tamara Lamnar had a strong dislike for her father. He was rash and very opinionated and stubborn. He always refused to hear another’s opinion, especially if it ran counter to his.

      Tamara felt the stare of her father’s gaze, and returned her focus to the front of the briefing room. Sparse and empty, it had, in its glory days, reliable technology that worked at maximum efficiency and gave the feeling of having been lived in. Now, it felt barren, as if the room itself were at the end of its life.

      The unit had been in this room for an hour, but it felt like eternity to her. She wanted to get out and roam around, feel the use of her legs and muscles as they went through practiced routines. She wanted to feel the butt of her automated laser rifle, taking aim at a distant target, feel the slight kickback as she fired off a few shots. Cursing herself for not paying attention, she honed in on her father’s hard droning voice.

      “—cannons will have to be taken by force, if you know what I mean, Commander,” her father said, his steely gray eyes focused on Rhys. General Vohz Lamnar was at the height of his military career in the Republic Militia. A man of fifty-six, he was barrel-chested, black hair tinged gray, steel gray eyes, and a “carved of stone” face. His military career had started in the early days of the “Control War”, or as it was referred to the officers in the mess hall, the Libertia/Rulnudor split.

      Rhys still had that stoic expression, as if he hadn’t been paying attention either, but she knew differently; he was always paying attention. Jones’ family had been in the military since the foundation of the Libertia on Crandox. His family was more militarized than her own. His black armor gleamed, drawing attention away from the scar on the left side of his face. Well-toned muscles displayed his masculine physique, even when he tried to hide it.

      “Yes, sir,” Jones said. His light blue eyes focused on the tactical data on the wall behind Tamara’s father. She knew he was studying every aspect of the terrain to measure supplies, travel time, and ammunition.

      A holomap of Crandox floated in the air, a pulsing red dot drew attention to the edge of the Libertia Territories. Lamnar tapped a button, and the world faded, replaced by a cubed city.

      “Calassa,” he said, striding toward the bank of consoles behind them.

      Data scrolled on their infopads, transmitted by the consoles at the back.

      “Our agents in the field have some disturbing news about the Vice Cube,” her father continued.

      “What about, sir?” Rhys leaned forward. The cubed city faded away, replaced by a store room with walls of containers and lockers. The image moved forward. Intel sure loves to play with their new toys. Tamara resisted the urge to snort.

      “Intelligence has some evidence uncovering a warehouse filled with weapons. Not those with the emblem of Darkstar, but weapons that have been outlawed for decades.”

      One of the containers was open, DAR-2000s—sniper weapons outlawed because of their habit of disrupting energy at the molecular level, disintegrating flesh and bone in a matter of seconds—were laid neatly along with a few ammo packs and scopes. Another held plasmacid bombs.

      Tamara cocked an eyebrow. “Sir, who made these and why have they not been tagged by the LRC?”

      Her father frowned in her direction. “Darkstar is manufacturing them, selling to both sides on the weapons market out on the front.”

      Tamara was about to ask more when a calming weight settled on her shoulders. The warm feeling relaxed her mind and—

      She snarled. Rhys was using his pheromone implants to calm her down. She hated when he did that. Yet, it felt good to know that her commander was looking out for her. I really hate those pheromones.

      “Sir, is Darkstar our target?” Rhys asked.

      “Yes, Commander,” Lamnar responded. “Your job is to infiltrate Darkstar, copy and wipe their data on the weapons, and take out their leader.”

      “Who is the leader of Darkstar?” Sarha asked. The team medic of the unit, Lieutenant Sarha Poland, had a mean streak about her that only seemed to come about in a crisis and extraction from a hostile environment. Otherwise, Sarha was calm, at peace, using her enthusiasm and loving energy to bring out the best in the unit.

      An image of a man swathed in a white tunic with beige trousers and shin-high boots replaced the warehouse. The man’s features were handsome, his black hair pulled into a knot. Long tinted nails made his fingers appear longer than Tamara assumed them to be.

      “Prince Khariss, leader of Darkstar for the last decade and a half.” Lamnar walked to the edge of the hologram. He placed a boot on the circular pad and smiled. “He is wanted by every head of Crandox and then some.”

      The data flickered on the wall, and then collapsed in darkness, taking all light from the surrounding area with it.

      Jori sighed. “Great. Stuck in a room with five people on a high fiber diet. Makes the day so special.”

      Tamara kept her face neutral, but inside, she was laughing.

      Her father was not amused. “Lieutenant Jori—”

      “It’s a dream come true.”

      “—you realize you’re up for a promotion—”

      “Thank you, sir,” she said. Tamara imagined her looking up at the ceiling, counting the slight shimmers of light gray on the dark ceiling. “You look lovely today. It’s the dark gray. Brings out the seriousness in your eyes.”

      General Lamnar sighed. “Does she ever keep quiet, Commander Jones?”

      “Not while her mind’s occupied, sir,” Rhys strained not to laugh.

      Lamnar sighed. “Captain Lopez, can you see what’s taking the power so long?” His gaze shifted to Jori. “And take the mouthy commando with you, please.”

Crandox Terrain and weather

Crandox is made up of mostly land with pots of jungles and dense forests resting along the equator. Snow-capped peaks rest along the north and south poles. There are three oceans and several lakes and rivers. A few deserts, with one being marked on the maps as "uninhabitable".

Since Libertia and Rulnudor territories are at war, they do ave to learn and adapt to fight in all the elements of weather, snow, sleet, hail, wind, rain...you get the idea.

In desert campaigns, it is wise to prepare for heat storms with prefabricated shelters with cooling units rather than heating units.

Likewise, in rainy campaigns, it is better to have rust proof or weapons/armor resistant to mudslides and rain. The less your enemies know your there, the better off you'll be.

In dense jungle/forest fights, it is better to have thermal masking armor than to have something that will scream out to your enemy that you are there. Just because you can't see your enemy, doesn't mean they can't see you. For that matter, it is important to have cameo gear or stealth generators. Just don't leave any trace that you were there, or you will soon find yourself being the hunted.

One of the few times air can be a problem is in sky battles around the deserts or the mountains or the oceans. Wind Gales reach up to 380 kilometers per hour along the shores and mountain peaks. in the desert, it is half that gale force, 140 km/hr.

Up in the mountains, be cautious of snow drifts as your vehicles may malfunction during a battle. It is not uncommon for both sides to retreat during hail or sleet. After about 60 seconds, sleet and hail can wear down shields and batter the hull into an asteroid-like pile of junk. Sleet sheers off the hull and engines after 180 seconds or a minute-twenty.