Dirty Dozen Character Interview – Luke Callindor – Fantasy

 

 

Welcome to Luke Callindor

Tell us a little about yourself. I’m . . . Wow, where to even start? I began as a young warrior who wanted to be a great hero and now I’m a champion of Windemere.  That’s a fairly simple explanation of myself, but I’ve been through so much over the years.  Well, I already said my name is Luke Callindor, right? Okay, that’s who I am and I’m working with my friends to save the world.  If I had to describe myself, I’d have to say I’m the speed fighter of the group.  The others might call me the source of chaos too because I follow my instincts, especially in the middle of battle or when we’re trying to solve a problem.  Can’t say they always save the day, but I’m not dead yet . . . That’s probably not a good thing to say considering my current situation.

Tell us why you’re embarking on this adventure? The big quest, is to do what I’ve been chosen to do.  That’s to fight an immortal warlord who was erased from history and is about to return to enslave all of Windemere.  Sounds very cool if you ask me, but Gabriel the Destiny God made it clear that destiny can only get us to the battle in some form.  Not sure about that last part, but the rest means we can still lose, which is why I keep trying to improve myself and use every adventure to get stronger.

As far as this specific adventure, I’m not exactly embarking on it.  More that I’m in the hands of the warlord after what happened in the last adventure.  My only job is to hold out until my friends save me.  Really hope they’re coming.  Getting a little tired of being tortured, healed, and tortured again.  He doesn’t even want answers or information.  Just to hear me scream or babbling incoherently.  Didn’t even know I did that when injured enough.

Would you die for those you love? If that was the only way to save them and I knew it would work then yes.  Although, I wouldn’t really be that logical about it.  I’d simply throw myself into the situation without thinking.

Who is your greatest friend? That would be Nyx who is a very powerful caster. That’s not the reason we’re best friends though. We met on my second adventure because she was assigned to protect the heir of Serab who I was escorting. One could say we got off on the wrong foot. Others would point out she mistook me for a thief and chased me around her masters’ gardens while hurling combat spells. We bonded a lot since then because that’s what death, suffering, and battles will do to you. It’s definitely a sibling-style relationship, but neither of us have blood siblings to be sure. All I know is that neither of us can see a life without the other to be there for support. I can only imagine what’s Nyx is doing since I’m captured.

Is your world populated by different races? How do they get along? Windemere has plenty of races. Humans, dwarves, elves, fireskins, calicos, orcs, halflings, gnomes, and the list can keep going.  There’s always some friction with the orcs because while most of them are civilized, many are bandits. To be honest, every race has a group of bad apples. You might have some friction over resources and borders, but those are more kingdom-related than racial.  I think Windemere has had so many global threats in the past that the races know that they might have to be work together at any moment.

How do you define ‘heroism?’ Tough one since I never really thought about. I guess heroism is doing what you feel is right no matter what it takes. You don’t have to save the world or defend a kingdom to be heroic. I want bards to sing about me, but that’s just my personal goals. They just happen to be at the high end of heroism. I wouldn’t even say sacrifice is necessary too. Yeah, heroism is definitely staying true to yourself and doing what’s right. Especially if you’re trying to help other people.

Tell us about your family? The Callindor lineage is full of heroes and legends, so I have a big legacy to live up to. I’m doing good so far. There aren’t many of us left too. I heard that I have an uncle on another continent, but he refuses to pass on the bloodline.  There’s my grandfather who trained me and my grandmother who still goes on adventures.  Of course, there’s my dad who is a blacksmith, but used to be a mercenary before he was injured and lost too many friends. That and he met my mom, who gave him a reason to settle down. He really wasn’t happy with me following the family wanderlust, which hits every Callindor in their late teens. Come to think about it, I wonder why there aren’t many of us. I have noticed that a lot of Callindors died on adventures, which probably should have made me think twice about my own path. Well, too late now.

What is your greatest skill/asset? Currently, my pain threshold, but I don’t know how much longer I can say that. Hard to say my swordsmanship and speed when I’m chained to a tree. The one thing that I always have is my courage. It isn’t that I never get scared or want to run away, but I can find a way to get myself to keep going.  One of my old teachers told me that a warrior needs to choose at least one reason to fight and take strength from that. I always keep my loved ones in my thoughts and make sure I stay strong for them. Is this really a skill or asset? Sounds like something that anybody can do, but courage is the one thing that can’t get taken from me. At least, it hasn’t happened yet.

What is your greatest weakness (we won’t tell)? Even after all my adventures, I’m not the most cautious person. I can be very impulsive and go through with a plan before anybody can stop me. Delvin used to get annoyed because I would wreck his plans, but now he factors in that I’ll probably do something unexpected. It gets me out of trouble at times, but it’s also the reason I get into trouble and enemies can use it against me. Hate to say I’m easy to manipulate or goad into action, but that might be the best way to explain it.

How do you think others see you? If we’re talking about my friends then I would say they see me as trustworthy ally, which sounds more sterile than I intended. We’re friends and practically family since our destinies are intertwined and have been through so much. They probably see me as the annoying little brother at times. Sari and Nyx don’t seem to have a problem calling me an idiot when I do something stupid. Not that they’re any better, but we’re friends, so really positive opinions there.

People outside of our circle are calling me a hero ever since stories about my adventures have begun spreading. There’s some praise and fame, but I can’t tell what they think. Maybe nothing more than I’m a celebrity and they’re happy to meet me. Nothing much deeper than that though because they don’t really know me. As far my enemies, I kind of hope they see me as a thorn in their side and a danger to their plans.  Yeah . . . I don’t think that’s really the case right now.

Do you believe you will be successful in your quest? Of course, I did. With the stakes so high, I couldn’t believe anything else. This comes off as cocky, but heroes need to be confident when adventuring. Doubt can keep you alive and fear can make you sharp, but you need to believe in yourself. Simply thinking that I’m going to succeed gave me the strength to find solutions to the problems I faced.

What is your greatest fear? Can I get away with spiders? Not a big fan of them, but I guess that’s a lame answer. I would say my greatest fear is not being able to save the people I care about. As a hero, I’m expected to save innocent people and the entire world. Yet, I think more about those who are closest to me because they’ll be by my side when the smoke clears. If I’m the only one who survives the final battle then I’m alone. Doesn’t matter how many adoring fans or honoured leaders I meet, I wouldn’t have anyone who really knows me. Back when I started, I never considered that I’d prefer close relationships over blind admiration. Now . . . I don’t think I’d be able to go with only the latter.

For the author

Books in which this character appears:

Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero (Vol. 1)

Legends of Windemere: Ritual of the Lost Lamb (Vol. 13)

Legends of Windemere Vol. 2-12 (Amazon Author Page)

 

Bio:
Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn’t working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. ‘Legends of Windemere’ is his first series, but it certainly won’t be his last.

 

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com