DISPATCHES FROM THE END AFTER END
ISSUE #7: HAVEN PART I
WELCOME TO HAVEN…
TD: Alright DB - introduce us to each of our Havenites. What do we need to know about this new group of characters? Who are they and what exactly do they stand for?
DB: Ok! I'll answer the second question first. The Havenites stand for themselves. Haven is really a closed system, nobody in, nobody out. The magic shell around the whole city makes sure of that. And the magic inside the city heals any wounds, cures any sickness and stops all aging. So we don't really know how long Haven has stood as it is. Hundreds of years? Longer? While that is a massive benefit to those that live inside, it can get a little...monotonous. While some Havenites see this as safety and security in a time of war, some find it stifling. We see this with out first "who", a human calling himself Fraction. He strains at the restrictions within Haven. Whether for good or ill, this gives our group the crack to enter this otherwise impenetrable fortress. Along this fracture line is also our 'Dandy' Wreek. A freak among his own kind because he was created with a conscience and intelligence, he knows what evil lurks outside the protection of Haven because he was part of it. We also have a Catha, battle scarred and bitter, the insectoid Feithid, and an orc named Huron.
TD: You are really responsible for creating this clutch of characters--Huron, Wreek The Dandy, the Catha of Haven, and Fraction--at this late stage of the series, ever deeper into Part II- why these characters now?
DB: Well I couldn't introduce them at the beginning or you would have run away, screaming!
Really, up to this point, End After End has just been a war story. Change 'relics' for 'enemy plans' and there hasn't been much fantasy to it. This was really my chance to dive into my love of fantasy and create a new world of characters. A little slice of the End After End before the great war started. I see the entire world like this before the coming of the Ulc.
TD: And, how much do you love them?
DB: God, so much. I'm a huge fantasy nerd so being able to run wild and create my own characters and race (Feithid) has been a thrill!
…NOW LEAVE
TD: Haven is the final stop on Walt's relic-hunting journey, and he's met with resistance from this group in obtaining what he believes is the final missing piece that will resurrect the conquering hero. Their stiff response to Walt's presence and his request is couched in neutrality. So, are they truly neutral or in maintaining their passivity have they chosen a side in the war?
DB: That's the question, right. It's not like they are ignorant to what is happening outside of Haven. They are very aware as they have (especially Catha and Wreek) been part of the conflict. They feel like they are safe, but the war has literally come to their doorstep. Up to now, they could avoid getting involved, but when the stakes are this high, eventually hard choices will have to be made.
EVER FORWARD & FORWARD THINKING
TD: Walt has definitely evolved in these last couple of issues. He's more self-assured, taking on a bit more of a leadership role while still playing the role of foot-soldier. His blossoming not coincidentally mirrors the rise of Ulc who is hellbent on wiping out any and all opposition remaining in the End After End.
If you were to impart a lesson from the Book Of Grink, to Walt in this moment with the idea being you are preparing him for what's to come in Issue #8, Haven Part II, what might that be?
DB: As Grink might say, "When yer stuck in th' web, all ye can see is th' spider." Walt might need a different perspective. One specific to him.