The Chronicles of Trivo:  Phoenix Ranger (working title) by John Beechem [author notes]

Protagonists:

Trivo

Central character.  Trivo is the star around which the other protagonists orbit.  He is an expert Phoenix Ranger, but still fairly young.  In human terms, he's in his early thirties (10 human years age an elf 1  year).

Phoenix Rangers are woodland experts and mercenaries.  They are often hired to capture or kill goblin “trouble-makers” whose actions are perceived to threaten the lives or property of the elves’ kingdom.  They are a kind of commoner’s militia, but also act as a mercenary guild.  The Phoenix Rangers base themselves in the kingdom of Tyrn, but operate wherever they have to.

                        

                                                         Trivo's archetype.

            Tyrn is a city state near the mouth of the river Gilead.  The river's mouth leads to a vast ocean.  The kingdom also includes the surrounding environs; mostly wooded. “Wild” elven tribes live within the woods, and a few villages are scattered on the outskirts, near the goblin frontier.  There is a long road running from Tyrn to the goblin frontier called the King’s Highway.  

Rough geography (alt link)

            Phoenix Raners resemble conventional elven rangers, but what makes their appearance distinct is an orange phoenix emblem on the back of their green hooded cloaks.  This symbol helps them to identify each other, but is not so conspicuous as to compromise their woodland camouflage (think somewhere between the color of an orange oak leaf and a red maple leaf). 

            Trivo has been raised by members of the Phoenix Guild since his late childhood (~90 elf [~9 human]).  His family was murdered in the course of a bandit raid, but Trivo hid and survived.  By the time the Phoenix Rangers were roused to his village’s defense, they had already raped, killed or plundered almost everybody and everything. In a moment of pity and generosity, Trivo was brought back to Tyrn by the guildsman, Roan.

            Under Roan's guidance, Trivo is raised into adulthood.  Trivo becomes Roan's pupil, then apprentice, eventually prospering as one of the Guild’s best rangers. 

            Trivo is the embodiment of the noble warrior:  honorable, fierce, deadly and just.  Trivo is also a natural but reluctant leader.  He is sensitive to the suffering of others, and his biggest nightmare is getting himself and his friends all killed due to a careless act or poor planning.  Sometimes he puts too much pressure on himself.  Trivo can have a sharp tongue for his friends when he feels they don't take matters as seriously as they should.

            At the beginning of the novel, Trivo has risen to the rank of a field sergeant.  He takes orders from the higher-ranking members of the Guild, carries them out,  and relies on his wits and leadership to guide his troops.  In the novel’s first scene, he is on a bounty with his apprentice, Elaina, a young woman with vast potential but a bit of a rebellious streak.

             Appearance-Average elf height (about five and a half feet), skinny build, brown eyes,  brown hair, slightly tan, good-looking (brilliant eyes, high cheekbones, strong chin, etc.).  Wears Phoenix Ranger gear in the field--tunic, breeches, and cloak when not.

Elaina

            Even though Trivo is the central protagonist, Elaina is my favorite character to write.  Much of the story’s humor comes through her (tough, witty, occasionally vulgar). She is an effective foil for Trivo precisely because she humbles him a bit—she can do a few things he can’t (lock-picking, back-stabbing, general roguery), and often teases him for being too uptight.  However, she does respect Trivo tremendously and realizes the responsibility he's taken on by becoming her teacher. 

            Elaina is younger than Trivo, but not by (~50 E/5H).  Their roles are quite different—she is a former Shadow Thief (thieves guild member) who was given release from Tyrn’s prison under the condition that she become a Phoenix Ranger.  Roan’s vast influence and formidable foresight made this possible.  He needed more sneaky people working for him in the guild, and the judge assigned to Elaina's case owed Roan a favor.

                                                                      Elaina's archetype

            Trivo has been assigned to be her Master or “sensei”.  They have a relationship influenced by the Jedi Master/Padawan:  two partners thrown into danger, one wiser and more experienced, one younger and more reckless, but both learning from the other. 

            To help give an idea of my original inspiration for these characters (and the heavy influence of Dungeons & Dragons inspired video games and literature throughout the novel), I admit that they come from the PC game Baldur’s Gate.  Trivo was the name of my elven ranger/fighter and Elaina began as an elven version of Imoen (the game’s sassy thief).  Since I began writing this in 2004, I’ve built a world around these characters and made them my own. 

            At their cores, they represent very specific classes and dutifully fulfill their roles as adventure fantasy characters. Trivo is an archetypal wood-land Ranger (a.k.a. Tolkien's Aragorn, because that’s who D&D borrowed their archetype from). Elaina is a sexy, young thief evolving into a Ranger.  She posses an acid tongue and sharp daggers (pulp fiction meets middle-brow fantasy).

            Appearance-Short for an elven woman (4'11"), lithe, strong, (think gymnast), green eyes.  Wears Phoenix Ranger gear in the field, black, leather thief's gear when burgling, medieval tom-boy when relaxing (i.e., not a dress or skirt; solid colored soft linen shirts and pants so that she can kick ass and take names at a moment's notice).

Relationship Dynamics

            Master and pupil, epic journey etc.

            Mutual attraction and sexual tension. Flirtation from Elaina that makes Trivo uncomfortable.  Occasional resentment from Elaina toward Trivo for him trying to be too much of a “goody goody” all the time; fear from Trivo that his role as guide and Master makes the possibility of a relationship dangerous and inappropriate, but also tantalizingly thrilling. 

            All elves in the story will be bi-sexual to one degree or another.  They see each's orientations as part of a sexual spectrum. They think humans are silly for trying to use religious dogma to enforce exclusively male/female sexuality (more on that later).  The majority of adult elves will have had attraction toward and sexual experiences with people of their own gender.

            That being said, racism is culturally accepted among many elves, especially the wealthy.  Part of this is due to their relative longevity, but also from centuries cloistered in the forest.  They often deal with other races in matters of trade and war, but most think themselves better than others simply because they are elves. 

            Trivo has fairly liberal attitudes for an elf:  he counts as friends members of other races, and has professional relationships with many of them, especially mercenaries.  However, he has issues with elves hooking up with members of other races.  This is an ancient fear, but for Trivo, it’s mostly due to the potential for pain involved with an elf falling in love with someone who will age ten times quicker than they will.

            Elaina’s views are radical.  She believes elves (and members of other humanoid races who share attractions) should be able to fall in love with whomever they want.  Life is too short, she feels, to not follow one’s passions.  This gets her into trouble sometimes, but it also opens up romantic potential for a human paladin character I’ll get to later (Christopher).

            Building a strong relationship arc is my greatest goal for the second draft.  I already have a fairy good action adventure arc, but I want to hook girl readers too (and boys who like love stories).   

            More to come soon.  Thanks for reading!