Character Spotlight: Victor Darksong

Victor Darksong is the leader of a crew of deadly mercenaries called, The Darksiders. He's cruel, ruthless, and has the fatal skills to back up the attitude. Of course, he wasn't always like that.

Victor was once nothing more than a greedy galactic treasure hunter. He was in competition with several others just like him. Greed is a dangerous ally, and one of them tipped him off to an artifact hidden at the heart of a giant asteroid. Victor went right after it, not realizing that the trip was meant to end him.

The Hangman's rope is an intelligent artifact that has a horrifying way of choosing who it will bond to. It wraps itself around the person who finds it and ignites them in supernatural flames. Those who do not survive, it doesn't find worthy. Victor had one saving grace when the rope wound up on him. Victor is a half demon. While the rope still horribly burned and scarred him, he survived the process and the rope settled to be wound around his midsection. To say the least, Victor was a changed man.

The power of the rope made him realize a new calling. He hunted down the person who sent him to the rope and thanked him before killing him. After that, he gathered a team of mercenaries and became one of the most lethal paid killers in the galaxy.

Victor had a scarf made and enchanted to act like the rope. While not intelligent, the scarf can shatter stone and is very good and blocking attackers. Both items can grasp and throw objects or people. The rope has a near armor piercing quality when it attacks in a straight jab. Anything the rope grasps, burns. While Victor enjoys using the rope for an assorted number of attacks; his favorite is strangulation. Victor can also through fire bolts from his hands or eyes.

Victor is a cunning leader and strategist. He hand picked the members of his team based on their abilities. Nothing is done on his team without a specific reason behind it. Should a mark survive or escape, Victor considers it a personal matter to hunt them down. Few mercenaries are as tenacious.

Victor and the Darksiders are in my novel, Chessmen: Opening Moves. (Click on images for larger view)

Character Spotlight: Viro of the Chessmen!

With the long null state that this blog wound up taking, I thought long and hard about how to manage my time and still bring good things here for you. Well, I think you'll enjoy the Character Spotlights, giving you and inside view to the characters of GZ. Today, we're looking in on a member of the Chessmen. You can check out his adventures in my novel, Chessmen: Opening Moves. It's available on Amazon. (Click on images for larger view)

Yes, that pic is of Viro, but he didn't always look that way. Viro was an astronaut sent on a mission to investigate a new energy source on a distant star. Unfortunately, the energy turned out to be a strange radiation that overtook his ships controls. As the radiation flooded his craft, he was headed for a nasty crash landing. Overwhelmed, he blacked out.

The next time  he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find out that he still lived. While his own people were unable to save him, another race of beings was nearby. The Cyborians had nothing to fear from the radiation so they intercepted his craft with a powerful tractor beam and pulled him to safety. But the damage had been done. In order to save his life, he had to be put in a containment suit. They warned him, should that suit be breached, the intensity of what he had become, could wipe out all life on any given planet. The very thought made him wish he hadn't been saved at all.

Viro couldn't return to his people. He preferred that they believe him to be dead. So he took to wandering the spaceways, trying to figure out what to do with himself. In his travels, he discovered that he could force some of his viral power out of his suit and  that it would do whatever he commanded. This made him think that there was some better purpose for him. He just needed to find it. Eventually, he came across the planet, Chyssia and befriended a member of the Royal Guard named, Haley. He joined the Royal Guard and now, with the Chessmen, fights to protect their orphaned Princess.

The viruses Viro can emit will literally do almost anything he can think of. He can dissolve solid steel into a puddle. He can override the computers of a starship. He can even heal wounds or possibly regrow someone's missing limb. Even with all the practice he has had, Viro is still working out all the things he can do. His only limit is his energy levels. At times, he must rest and recharge. He is sustained by energies of the universe around him or by dissolving items with his power to absorb.

Viro's containment suit is a powerful suit of armor. It can withstand heavy damage and gives him some extra strength. He can fly through space and lift a thousand pounds.

While his face can be seen inside the green fog within his helmet, it is thought that there is very little left of his original body. Some think what he's been through is why he's so sarcastic and surly in nature. Haley will say not to let it fool you. Underneath it all, Viro is a caring person and devoted to the Chessmen and the Princess completely. Of course, if you ask him, he'll tell you he's often annoyed with the antics of Chessmen member, Major Xeroh.

While you won't find a more serious member of the Chessmen,  you won't find one more unshakable in purpose either.

Time for a new update

So much has been going on that it's been hard to keep up. Sadly, things like my blog here got neglected in the process. How much can you put on your plate along with what life gives you before you get too busy for your own good? It's not hard to do. I'm a chronic multi-tasker and it gets me in trouble.

But a whole lot is going on in my life and GZ is just one great part of it.

On May 10th, I attended the first annual bookfest here in Monroe. The assortment of authors in one place was great. They even came from near New Orleans to where we are in the Northern part of the state. There were several religious/inspirational authors, maybe two other fictional authors and one who wrote of a life after Vietnam. There was one who had a historical look at one man's life here in Lousiana. It was a fine combination of people.

Quite a few people came by including a couple of local friends and I think some new interest was created. The only drawbacks I give the day are that it was HOT. My dear wife has quite a sunburn. Sadly, the crowd was also sparse. I had really hoped to see more people at the Rivermarket. Some people folded up and left early which is a big NO NO in the agreement with the market. I folded a few things up in the last hour, but remained available to sign my books and talk to people until 4 as advertised. Once the day was done, my wife and I were both exhausted. Forget cooking dinner, we went home and ordered a pizza.

All in all, it was a good day and I met some incredible people.

So what about GZ Legends?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I am writing the second storyline and the first is compiled with new edits for the book, Chaos Rising (coming very soon!) but I have to decide what I can most reasonably do with the time on my hands. I have a lot and I mean A LOT of artwork to do for the card game coming up. I have Chessmen 2 still in writing stage and another book of short stories to compile. And it's not just being a one man band, life itself has stepped in. My son has needed me and I'm about to be a Grandad for the first time. I don't think I've ever had so much happening at one time ever in my life. It's quite amazing.

The next thing to come out, should be Chaos Rising if all goes according to plan!

So it's time for me to get back to building and get the activity rolling again! Stay tuned, you never know what's going to happen next!