Garlan: I am incredibly excited about our guest today.
Ferune: Visibly?
Garlan: Can you try to be decent today, Ferune?
Ferune: Oh, I can always try.
Lady Iris: She is a fiesty one, isn't she? I believe we will get along just fine.
Ferune: Thank you, Lady Iris, and thank you for joining us for our little weekly venture into the minds of Thomas' characters. Can I start things off by asking you to tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
Lady Iris: (raises a hand and blue sparks dance up her fingers) I am a sorceress of Vorallon. I am also the Voice of Vorallon.
Garlan: We'll tackle what being the Voice of Vorallon means in a bit, but you're not just any sorceress are you?
Lady Iris: So far I have only appeared in the pages of the Gifts of Vorallon trilogy, but if I can talk about my upcomming story, I could go into more detail.
Ferune: The cat's out of the bag already, Lady Iris. We would love to hear about your role in Thomas' next work, The Fire of Falraan. Niether of us have been allowed to read it while he is doing a few final passes.
Lady Iris: Hmm, what can I say? - Sorry, that was directed toward Thomas.
Garlan: Wait, you just up and talk to him? I thought only my sister did that, and only when she wants to risk life and limb.
Lady Iris: Of course I talk to him. I live in his mind, just as you two do - at least when I am not on the page directly.
Ferune: I keep telling my brother to loosen up. Tell us what you can, Lady Iris.
Lady Iris: Well, The Fire of Falraan takes place eight months after the events of the Gifts of Vorallon trilogy. It's late summer and I am very pregnant with my daughter, Fara.
Garlan: You're not pregnant now.
Ferune: (sighs) Ignore him.
Lady Iris: Allow me to explain. I give birth to Fara over the course of the story, and in another upcomming story she is already coming of age - what's a mother to do? Anyhow, continuity of time aside, The Fire of Falraan pits the good people of Halversome and Vorallon against the threat of Dakkar, God of Undeath.
Ferune: Wouldn't this story be more aptly called "The Sorcery of Iris"? Why don't you have top billing?
Lady Iris: My dear friend, Captain Falraan has that honor, it is her story more than any other, though many of us play pivotal roles. I am the story teller as the tale shifts between my attempts to document present events and Falraan's past - the two are intertwined.
Garlan: So you're not blasting things with fireballs?
Lady Iris: Not a one. While I am pregnant, I am forbidden from using magic, or even communing with Vorallon. Everything I do, I must do with only my wits and the aid of my friends. Falraan, however, lets loose quite a great deal with her gift of fire. We unravel many mysteries of her gift in an effort to once again thwart Dakkar.
Ferune: I thought Lorace defeated Dakkar in the first trilogy?
Lady Iris: He did, and he didn't. A fraction of Dakkar's spirit remained upon Vorallon. My Lord Husband has to act through us since his ascendence as one of the Lords of Balance. There are also complications which I can't get into here - suffice to say, this time around, doing battle with Dakkar is a much different affair.
Garlan: I am looking forward to reading, do you know when our readers can expect to see The Fire of Falraan available?
Lady Iris: It's a sizeable story, nearly the size of the Gifts of Vorallon trilogy, but all within a single volume. Right now, Thomas's best guess is that the story will be available in several months. It's been in the works for over three years and there is a great deal of content.
Ferune: You briefly mentioned another story, one where your daughter, Fara, is coming of age...
Lady Iris: That story is called Behind the Stars and it occurs when Fara is a young woman. It is much more of a action adventure and it opens an entire new era for Vorallon.
Garlan: Does Fara have a role to play in The Fire of Falraan as well?
Lady Iris: You mean other than as the main limitation on my actions?
Garlan: I guess you could say that.
Lady Iris: The foundation for Fara is set. The reader learns more about who she is and gains hints about what the Old God's purpose is for her. It's bigger than even I ever imagined.
Ferune: Are there going to be any dragons?
Lady Iris: Yes.
Ferune: That's all we get - 'yes'?
Lady Iris: (smiling) There are dragons in both The Fire of Falraan and in Behind the Stars. That's dragons plural. They have a huge role in Behind the Stars. Connections will be made.
Garlan: Are you talking about a connection with the Earth universe in Thomas' Terminals Saga?
Lady Iris: To a degree. I can't really go into details except to say that the final disposition of the dragons of Dakkar gets detailed quite fully.
Garlan: Right... I suppose that brings me back around to my final question then. What can you tell us about being the Voice of Vorallon?
Lady Iris: Being the Voice of Vorallon is a unique role. I am the only mortal who Vorallon can speak with directly, and through me, he can communicate to others using my gift. He can alert us to dangers that we cannot sense, threats to his wellbeing. Being the sentient, living spirit of the world, he's still quite young and childlike.
Ferune: Will that role be passed down to your daughter, Fara?
Lady Iris: That's the plan.
Garlan: That must put you in a very powerful position. Being a sorceress, the power for your spells comes directly from Vorallon himself.
Lady Iris: Yes. One of my greatest responsibilities is the exploration of magic and its different aspects. You could say I delve as deeply into the subject as Abigail Danson does into science and technology. Our efforts mirror one another.
Ferune: Do you think the day will come that you and Abigal Danson share the same page of a story?
Lady Iris: I am certain of it. I don't know when or where it will happen, but it will.
Garlan: Are you as smart as she is?
Lady Iris: I would never want to be pitted against her. She has an intuitive intelligence that I cannot match, but let's say for any given situation, we would each have our own answer.
Ferune: I pity the fool who gets in the way of either of you. If you do get together, that's going to be one very miserable fool.
Lady Iris: Or it's going to be one very deadly foe.
Garlan: Are you alluding to a greater villain than even the God of Undeath?
Lady Iris: Dakkar is simply an expression of entropy, we will always be fighting that ultimate foe. The sentient universes out there, those who become the Celestials, or Old Gods, must do constant battle with entropy - the cooling and breakdown of the universe. I am sure there are other foes waiting in the wings, forces of destruction and beings of power with their own strange agendas. Will one of them be greater than Dakkar? Possibly, and they certainly could take on a more personal role in a smaller story.
Ferune: That's all the time we have today. Thank you, Lady Iris, for joining us and blowing our minds with things we have no business knowing. You work on a level way above our pay grade.
Lady Iris: Thank you for having me! It's been pleasure - who's going to be your guest next week? I'm becoming quite a fan of your show!
Garlan: Our guest next week is Lord Aran himself.
Lady Iris: Oh, wonderful. Make sure you ask him about bananas.
Garlan: What?
Lady Iris: It's an inside joke. He's my brother-in-law technically.
Ferune: This is going to be fun!
Read the Gifts of Vorallon trilogy!
The Final Warden link = http://amzn.com/B00B6IF3LQ
City of Thunder link = http://amzn.com/B00BK9R18O
Lord of Vengeance link = http://amzn.com/B00C3NTGFW
Garlan and Ferune can be seen in the humorous, adult, choose-a-path adventure Damned in the Illmire Swamp - Read for free on WriteOn
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