The Lord Master’s Sacrifice
He came to me one day, a blonde haired boy, with the brightest green eyes I’d ever seen. The
man who had formerly been known as Lord Master Boranil revealed himself to me as Linarob.
A cruel leader bent on causing harm and suppressing his people became a man with a child-like
innocence; a twenty-five year old struggling with his power hungry Council. What started as an
experiment –give your antagonist at least one good quality- became a turning point in his and
my life. My writing moves my life along in phases and Linarob was the start of the phase that
would last nearly two years.
Linarob and I began our journey together when he revealed to me his compassion for
others. I knew then that the role I had chosen for him was not the role he belonged in. Rather
than being an evil man bent on destruction or a good man dedicated to stopping that
destruction, he showed me two sides; one, the hated Lord Boranil, trapped in his fortress after
five years of ignorantly obeying his malicious Council, and two, Linarob, the loved man who
snuck out at night to inspire his people and give them hope. I soon realized that this
represented a pattern I saw in my life at elementary age. During school I had no friends and I
wandered the playground alone; after school I had friends and was liked. I never understood
why there was that separation.
As many writers know, characters are all products of their creators; all bear the qualities
of the writer in some fashion, hidden or obvious. I found that Linarob and I shared an innocence
like that of a child; we were blissfully unaware of the darker side of our worlds. He soon
discovered that his Council was using his power to kill civilians, just as I soon discovered that
people my age were drinking and smoking illegal substances at school.
Linarob also shared with me a need in life; the need to feel loved. I found that both of us
were so eager to please others that...