Given that there is a promotion running this week on amazon for Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve (click here for details), I’ve been reflecting on the creation of that book. Yesterday, I wrote a post on my inspiration for the Rumble Pit itself—that dastardly gladiator arena where different mythical creatures are forced to fight for survival.
I had a lot of fun thinking about which characters old and new would end up in the Rumble Pit. Many of the “rumblers” were only mentioned by name, or shown with an illustration, but the truth is that I had developed little mini back-stories for each of them. I like to think that many of them could have novels all to themselves, chronicling how they ended up in the gladiator trenches. The truly fun part was that so many of the rumblers had completely different motivations.
Here are my favorite rumblers . . . whom would you choose to fight by your side?
Name: Kendra Kandlestar
Species: Een
From: The Land of Een
Tool: Enchanted wand of Eenwood
Cleverness: High
Strength: Low
Motivation: To rescue her brother from the pit
*
Name: Trooogul
Species: Unger
From: The Hills of Horm
Tool: Claws and fists
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To steal the Shard from Greeve
*
Name: Prince
Species: Peryton
From: Mount Zephyr
Tools: Horns, hooves, and wings
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To fight with honor in the Rumble Pit and impress his father
*
Name: Leerlin Lurk
Species: Een
From: The Land of Een
Tool: Shadow cloak
Cleverness: High
Strength: Low
Motivation: To steal the Shard from Greeve
*
Name: Uriel
Species: Unicorn
From: The Forests of Grink
Tools: Hooves and horn
Cleverness: High
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To escape the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Krackle
Species: Dragon
From: The Skies of Elan
Tool: Fangs, claws, and fire breath
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: High
Motivation: To vanquish all in the Rumble Pit
*
Name: Darius
Species: Centaur
From: The Plains of Eradeen
Tool: Hooves and mace
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: High
Motivation: To survive the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Xerxes
Species: Serpent
From: The underneath
Tool: Coils and acidic venom
Cleverness: Low
Strength: High
Motivation: To feed her belly
*
Name: Akillé
Species: Gryphon
From: Ireshook
Tool: Beak, claws, and wings
Cleverness: High
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To escape the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Grolf
Species: Giant
From: The Valley of Krodos
Tool: Fists
Cleverness: Low
Strength: High
Motivation: To smash everything he sees
*
Between the Cracks of Here and There 