Character Spotlight - Bora

Quick Facts	...
Place of Origin	Gil Garo, Tao Shein Steppe, Ul Sadh
Race	Human
Ethnicity	Gil Garo
Magic Type	Souldbinding
Mentor God/Spirit	God of Games, Tirulain
First Appearance [Book/Chapter]	Tears for the Moon God / Ung Tsang and Ung Tsong

As I've stated in other spotlights, sometimes writing characters is a lesson in patience, and Bora is no exception. She's a relatively minor character in the grand scheme, but one that went from a whole lot of nothing to one of the most entertaining characters to write, and much of that has to do with the flavor of magic she uses.

Soft Magic with Hard Subtypes

I favor soft magic systems in a lot of my work. The basis for the magic often leaves ample room to be extrapolated on, with few rules to guide it. I then implement rules for specific expressions of it which leave me with hard magic subsets of the same magical forms. In this way, there is plenty of room to develop complex systems while also restricting what characters can do with them. In Spirit Calling, the acolyte forms a bond with the spirit, and through that bond utelizes the specific set of powers that align with the spirit's nature. This restricts them to one set of abilities but leaves the door open for many varieties of abilities to remain possible, and allows for different actors to work together and against each other, providing balance. In Soulbinding, the acolyte conditions her soul to express power in specific ways, and those powers cannot be removed from them. They may train under a god to condition their souls in the required ways and thus emulate the power their god exudes, though to a lesser extent than the god itself.

Game Maker

Bora practices Soulbinding. She is an acolyte of the God of Games, Tirulain, and her power resides in creating rules for games that each player she identifies must abide by. She is also required to be a player in these games. This power set is kept in check by two factors. As a player of the games she constructs, she is bound by the same rules as her rivals until the win condition of the game has been achieved by her or them. She is also incapable of beginning a new game, or changing the rules of the current one, until the game has concluded.

These games provide her with the power to create favorable conditions for herself and her allies in both single combat and larger scale battles, so long as specific players are selected and the rules are fixed. To her benefit is that she does not have to inform the other parties to these games of their rules, leaving them at a disadvantage as they need identify the rules for themselves in order to play them successfully.

The nature of these games is informed by her cultural upbringing and tutelage under God Tirulain in his God House, as well as her intellect. Bora is presented as an uncommonly gifted strategic mind for someone so young. She is also a member of a nomadic tribe of raiders called the Gil Garo, who I borrowed elements from Mongol horse warriors, indigenous tribes in the midwestern United States and Thai people in order to create. Further, she is a member of the Cuu sect of the tribe, who worship wind spirits more than any others, and seldom take up apprenticeships under any god. Her understanding of the abilities of those around her informs the nature of her games, as do the needs of any given campaign. She is thoughtful, intelligent and discerning, but she is also not one of those who is averse to taking risks.

Bora and Sarri

You'll see how her magic informs her decision making as you read Tears for the Moon God, and get plenty of opportunity to see her powers explored as she participates in a war arc involving the Gil Garo and an unforeseen enemy in the form of the Tului, a vampiric people who hail from an isolated kingdom in the northern reaches of Tao Shein Steppe. What has made her so interesting to me as I write her is her relationship with the Cuu chief, Sarri Vang, who is her lover's father. Sarri is himself a cold and often ruthless strategist among the Gil Garo who is deeply disliked by his people, but nonetheless holds onto power among them as his efforts tend to yield success for them in the raiding season. The two of them putting their heads together leads him to like her more and more, even as he does not trust her, and wonders why she would ever choose to be with his son. Writing this dynamic has been a lesson in nuance, and has been entertaining because it is.

You'll see more of Bora as the story progresses, I am sure, but I hope you enjoy her in the first installment of the Luckborn Series. I certainly have.