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 Reality Skimming Blog

Writer's pictureLynda

Death in the Underdocks - Week of Aug 9, 2021

Updated: Aug 15, 2021

Character study: Braz and Sergeant Taff


Braz of Monitum

Braz, on the left, is a Monatese nobleborn. I'm thinking SeniorLord which is top drawer among the Monatese back home. A bit idealistic. Nice upper class kid with a sense of responsibility and touch of moral superiority for his enlightened views. He's doing a work stint with the Justice Ministry (run by Ditatt Monitum, the liege of house Monitum). Young Monatese often spend a term of service at court. In the case of Sevolites, they serve as "knights errant" (usually referred to as errants, in fact the origin of the term is likely known only to Monatese archivists and Demish eccentrics). He is a little apprehensive. But proud to be putting his sword in the service of deserving commoners. He'll have to learn a lot. Which ones are deserving, for example? We'll see.


I've always been interested in the differences in the sapiens-Sevolite relationship across subcultures. This story is going to feature exactly this.

  • There's court - where the differences are crisp, due mostly to long term influence of Silver Demish dominance.

  • Monitum upholds the human rights of Sapiens as human, due to Sapiens called Beyonders being among their founders. (Another story to tell one day, set nearly 1,000 years before the saga-present.) There is a division of opportunities, maybe something akin to the "glass ceiling" in our world. And no commoner pilots as a general rule. It's a bit mixed. Monitum is court-influenced, too, so the "servant / master" thing can creep in. But you'll find Monatese commoners getting educated and holding responsible jobs.

  • Stationers, like Jess, are yet another thing. A symbiotic relationship with their Sevolites.

Sergeant Taff

Sergeant Taff represents the wiley, tough commoner coping in a Sevolite-dominated society. I don't know a lot about him yet. I often let draft scenes allow me to discover a character. He's street smart about the UnderDocks. Ditatt, Liege Monitum, may have recruited him into the Justice Ministry for that reason. I view him as sympathetic character. But he could have side-gig going on that will complicate the story. To remain sympathetic, he can't be too noxious a side-gig. We can develop or ignore this potential as needed, when the story evolves. Worth noting that Ditatt, Liege Monitum, can still be a bit naïve about commoners at this stage, and tends to view them as in need of his protection. Fortunately, he has allies who are well aware they can also be bad eggs.


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This character study is part of a work in progress set in the Okal Rel Universe. See contact page for how to connect if interested.

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