Character Highlight: Syah, Prince of Anteria

Syah, Prince of Arnith
Art by Walt Barna, Rights owned by Danielle Raver


Syah is the youngest of three brothers, heirs to the throne of Anteria, the capital of a kingdom called Arnith.  

But how did Syah come to be? The following is an in-depth look at Syah's journey and how he came to be. 

It all started with a cat. A kitten to be precise, from the first litter of kittens I had since I was living on my own. I kept the three males from the litter (not wanting more litters of kittens in the foreseeable future). The youngest kitten was pitiful, so small I wasn't sure if it would live through the night. He tremored in his sleep and seemed very sickly.
The kitten survived but had very bad luck. The two older male cats always beat up on him. He was attacked by the neighbor's dogs and lost his leg and his right eye. His tail was caught in a rocking chair and was broken. 
But through all this he had an air about him. It was the way he laid with his head up and his eyes half closed. So I named him Syah, Arabic for "Prince". So was the inspiration for the youngest prince in my book.
 
 Syah, Prince of Anteria is an intellectual, with no drive for fame, strength, or love. He is plagued by sicknesses as an infant, and thus his two older brothers Oman and Fasime become very protective over him. 
Syah becomes interested in the mysteries of Miscia, the fantastical world where the story takes place. Seduced by the power of magic, Syah delves deeper into the legends and mystical creatures of Miscia. He tries to prove his worth to his kingdom, but breaking free from his brothers may have disastrous consequences.


Syah's brothers are based slightly on my older siblings, but more on that later.

7 comments:

  1. Karen deBlieckJuly 9, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    Very interesting Danielle--I enjoyed the read and finding out where you got your ideas from. :) Thanks ever so much for mentioning me in your twitter feed. I promise I'll start tweeting some day...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Danielle ButtsJuly 9, 2011 at 6:52 PM

    Thanks Karen :) Crazy isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joan HazelJuly 9, 2011 at 7:51 PM

    I love knowing where other authors get ideas for their characters. I think the fact that Syah comes from a cat is fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Connie J JaspersonJuly 9, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    I love hearing how a character comes into being! Thank you for sharing Syah with us!

    ReplyDelete
  5. marjaan manoonJuly 9, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    Interesting indeed!!! I LOVE the names of your characters to begin with!! And unlike many others who don't pen down where the characters or their personas came from, I enjoyed your describtion.. a very nice piece!! keep it up! will love to read more.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gary HooverJuly 10, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    What a great story! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Scott NivenJuly 12, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    Very cool, a character origin story that I was NOT expecting! We are inspired by the most interesting things, aren't we? I may have to detail how some of my characters came into being as well. Thanks for the idea!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)