I’m playing a little catch up today.  As part of The Worlds of Wonder blog hop, here is a character interview with Roskin from The Brotherhood of Dwarves series:

Dianne from Washington – Roskin, tell us about your home and what made you leave?

My kingdom is a wonderful place, full of talented, intelligent dwarves.  We have some of the finest poets, musicians, artists, jewelers, and masons you could hope to meet, but for me, I always felt there was more out there, above ground, and I needed to see for myself what the bigger world was like.  Maybe it was the elf in me calling me to the forest.  Maybe it was youthful curiosity, but the drive to experience the upper world was incessant, so I had to follow it.

I hear you’ve had a difficult time along the way. Did you ever lose sight of your goal?

It’s not so much that I lost sight of the goal as the goal changed.  At first, I wanted to find the statue.  Then, after I was taken into bondage, I simply wanted to escape.  Once Crushaw and the other liberated the plantation, my goal became to return home and make things right in my kingdom.  I learned that my original goal was selfish and superficial, so that goal became insignificant to me as I realized that my kingdom, the Kiredurk people, and my friends were far more important.

What was the biggest hardship you faced and why?

 Being beaten by the overseer for trying to escape.  I was helpless to do anything, and the pain was indescribable.  These scars on my back are a reminder each day of the orcs’ cruelty and of the reality of slavery.  It was also the first time in my adult life I “met” my mother, so in a way, something good did come out of it.

Tell us about the most interesting person you met, and why he/she was valuable to you.

I can’t narrow it down to one, so I’ll give you the top four in no particular order.  Molgheon because she taught me what real courage and loyalty mean.  Crushaw because he taught me about leadership.  Kwarck because he taught me to embrace my elven gifts.  And Rewokog because he taught me a better system of government and economics for my kingdom.

Andi from Georgia – What was the one moment that you would say has changed you the most?

Being captured by Torkdohn and sold into slavery.  Up to that point, I was spoiled and pampered.  Then, everything was stripped from me, and I was reduced to scrounging for rotten scraps on bare earth.  While I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it was the best experience that could have happened to me because it forced me to appreciate the blessings of my life.  I needed humility to see clearly and learn the lessons Kwarck and Crushaw were trying to teach me.

If you could go back to the beginning, before anything had happened, would you still have made the same choices?

Yes, because all of my choices, even the worst ones, have led me to who I am now, and the person I am today is much better than who I was then.  I’ve learned valuable lessons along the way and am smarter, wiser, and stronger for them.

Scott from Tennessee – Who do you consider to be the most dangerous threat to your existence?

Without a doubt, Torkdohn.  He is a traitor to all dwarves and doesn’t deserve to be called one.  Some day, he will pay for all his treachery.

Carolyn from Georgia – When you become King, what is the one thing you would change or do?

I hope to encourage a system of commerce like the Marshwoggs employ, one where each Kiredurk is more than just a subject to the king, but an active, free member of society with tangible ownership of his or her trade and skills.  That is my goal for the kingdom.

Alicia from Texas – Being a poet, You would probably have your own opinions, observations, philosophies of life and the world around you, what are some of those?

Life is either pain and sorrow or triumph and joy, and the only difference is attitude.  Everyone gets knocked down.  Everyone suffers.  Some choose to wallow in misery, but others choose to rise and overcome.  I hope at the end of my time for others to see me as a beacon of light and hope, as one who has learned and grown from mistakes, as one who overcomes turmoil, as one who leads by example.

You were once looking for a legendary statue that represented the brotherhood of the dwarves. Do you think it would help stop Master Sondious and return your father to the throne?

I can only say Master Sondious is bound by his oaths.  By Kiredurk law, if he violates his promises, his claim to the throne is gone, so if my father awakens, he reclaims the throne.  If Master Sondious denies him treatment or causes him harm, the throne reverts to me.  The statue is a symbol of kinship and camaraderie among all dwarves, but a symbol is not as powerful to a Kiredurk as the rule of law.  To us, laws are what separate us from cave trolls and rock wolves, beasts that live off base instincts.  Laws are higher reasoning, tried and tested through ages to be fair and impartial.  The rule of just law will restore my kingdom to its proper balance, not a material object.

Kristie from Tennessee – So I get to page fifty, barely into chapter three and I’m thinking to myself, “Holy crap, what is this guy thinking?” I know you seriously considered turning back early in your adventure. Did you ever take a moment sitting in that cave and asked yourself, “What have I done?”

I have since suffered self-doubt and questioned my own decisions.  But at that point, no, I was too blinded by my own ambitions to second guess myself.  It took the humility I mentioned before for me to accept my foolishness and learn from my mistakes.  Sitting in that cave, I would’ve sacrificed all of my friends’ lives to fulfill my quest because I was fixated on external possessions and personal glory.  I had to learn the value of what’s inside and accept the fact that the good of others is greater than the good of self before I could see beyond my own desires.

I’m curious about something. I mean no offense, but seeing as your father is Kiredurk and your mother Loorish, did knowing this exacerbate your fear of sitting on the council and eventually the throne? It seemed interesting to me that you have this taste for adventure, but was hesitant about leaving the kingdom? Or, was it the simple thought of filling the boots of the great leaders before you? I can see how the Kiredurk part of you would want to stay and be duty bound, but I can also see how the Loorish part of you colored your perspective of responsibility.

I’m a living paradox of duality.  The dwarf in me yearns for the stone and darkness of underground, but the elf craves sunlight and greenery.  I’m bound by a sense of duty to law yet enticed by freedom.  It’s an exhausting tug between two poles that I struggle with daily.  I’m not sure what the future holds or if I’ll ever find balance between these two halves of myself, but I promise that I will strive to make sure the choices I make are always what’s best for the people who depend on me.  In that manner, I search for wisdom first and hope for the clarity of thought to see beyond my own desires into the larger scope of what will benefit both my kingdom and my elven kin.  There are many hardships left to overcome, but I will face them all with the courage and dignity of my ancestors.

This character interview first appeared on Bunny’s Reviews, May 5, 2012.