[Author’s note: Moonwalker asked a question in trying to figure out the why’s and how’s behind the plot, such as why Wholawski was living in the castle, not the king and how the man got as much power as he did. So, we take a short detour as I give you as brief a political history as I can. Please note that I still need to work out the exact timelines for everything. I’m saving that for the massive edit.]

Wholawski was born the bastard son of Lady Abigail’s brother (aka Jason’s uncle) and a common lass. The lass, thinking that the Uncle would marry her waited in Azure for him to return. He never did though, and I cannot tell you if it is because he married another woman, or if he died at sea.

Wholawski’s mother, having born a bastard child, was cast from her village and she ended up in the slums of Azimm, the capitol city of Azure. There she was abused by one lover after another and bore another bastard child, Sharon.

It was this environment, his own temperament, and lack of guidance from the Pairents of the city (religion was not held to as much in Azure as it is in Vervell) that started the General down his path of evilness.

How he got to power, was probably similar to Hitler, a man I need to do research on in order to find out how such a thing was possible. I do know that Wholawski gained his early allies because he could get information that no one else could. But he collected information on everyone and thus had about the whole court blackmailed.

You see the court was in a bit of turmoil because the King couldn’t seem to produce a viable heir. He fathered sons, both legitimate and illegitimate, and none lived to be crowned heir apparent. This meant the court was always in a constant stated of realigning allegiances. It is highly suspected that Wholwaski was using underhanded means to create this state of turmoil.

Prince Hermanus was born to the King and a lesser Nobel’s daughter. She; however, knew that some of the other Prince’s deaths had been on purpose so she fled the court to bear and raise her son as far from the court as possible. After five years though she returned to court at her father’s urgings and married the King.

It was still another five years, after having lost two more children to mysterious ‘illnesses’, before Prince Hermanus was brought forth and introduced to court. He was an eager to please child, with a wiliness to help and the court couldn’t help but love him. Wholawski found a rival in this young Prince, and began to work out ways to bring about the boys downfall. It became obvious after the first three years that the boy was immune to ‘accidents’.

The Gods had taken notice and protected the boy, just as they had begun to protect Jason. Unfortunately, their focus on protecting these two, plus their trip to Sarah’s world*, meant that they lost focus on their Nigiri twins. So, Chester, who’d been sent to kill Wholawski, ended up on the General’s side and started taking on tasks to kill the Knights of Azure. York could not persuade his brother against these actions, as the Gods had ‘stopped’ talking to them and Chester was convinced the Gods had never existed.

York went to talk to Wholawski, perhaps even assassinate him, but the man brought up the point that Chester would continue what he’d set out to do, even if he was gone, and the momentum behind what he was doing was too big to stop. On top of that were the veiled threats that Whaolwski wouldn’t mind torturing Chester, just as he had many others.

So York was left with the quandary of killing his brother with Wholawski, for Chester did seem to delight in the abuse and killing of people more than York ever had. With out the Gods voices to guide him, York made the decision to go with Wholawski’s plans, hoping that by being on the inside he could unravel the man’s power.

So York was the one that led the internal resistance that James took over when York ‘disappeared’. He also brought forth the kidnapping idea, hoping to give Wholawski a peaceful means to his goal of uniting the kingdoms, but Wholawski took it in his own direction. In fact the General wanted to take the Princess, abuse her, and send her torn and tattered back to her father.

Thankfully, York convinced Wholawski that given her Arenian blood and her connection to those people, Princess Allmarah probably end up leading the force that took him down. And the same would hold true if either of her maids were harmed. So Whoalwski now had York’s love interest (Tralee) and his brother within torture distance.

Just as everything seemed to be spiraling downhill, The Gods finally got Sarah. Chester, wouldn’t listen to The Gods anymore, but they were able to tell York that they’d found an ‘Areni woman’ to help Phoenix take down Wholawski. So, when York went to finish the mission his brother had been sent on, he didn’t realize Sarah was that woman, until Phoenix ran him through. After all Areni women are dark skinned, not light like Sarah.

*The Gods traveled to Sarah’s world to speak with her God. I’m not going try to figure out what politics is like between the creators of worlds, so all I know is that Sarah’s God didn’t let Jason’s Gods take her then, but promised he’d let them have her before it became too late.

Author guidance for This exercise

Since Spook so dearly requested to see some of the Cut scenes from my Vervellean Phoenix Trilogy I dedicate this story to her.

The thing to remember is - this is like a product of NaNo (in fact the cuts form PT are slightly edited products of NaNo) - these scenes came from the sit down and just get it onto paper method of writing. They've gone through very little editing; only what I deemed necessary for the transcription from a notebook to the computer. The characters have developed along the way, some of them even changing, as I've explored their relationships with one another. Additionally where the story is going now and where it was going in the beginning has also evolved.

But never mind that - here is a peek, current or not, at some of the other characters that Sarah interacts with on her journey through Vervell and Azer. Her story, the real story can be found:
Book 1, Sarah's Phoenix is posted at: http://www.protagonize.com/story/sarahs-phoenix
Book 2, Phoenix Rising is posted at: http://www.protagonize.com/story/phoenix-rising
Book 3, Phoenix Triumphant is posted at: http://www.protagonize.com/story/phoenix-triumphant-

:} Elorithryn

updated Oct 10 '11 by Elorithryn