April 8, 2011

Rose Springs Elementary School - Take 2

A continuation of my Q/A from the students of Mrs. Nielsen's 6th grade class at Rose Springs Elementary School. Today's theme... Rayders! These are all excellent questions!

"What is a Rayder?" -Chelsea
"Can a girl be a Rayder?" -Howie

You'll find more information about the Rayders as you continue to read, but here is a brief summary.

The term Rayders is a name for a race of people (consisting of men, women and children). In the First Age of Appernysia, the elite guard of the King consisted of men chosen from the Rayders. Every member of the elite guard was a respected example of honor and loyalty to their kingdom. Even more importantly, all Beholders came from the Rayders. Unfortunately, the Rayders became jealous of the Beholders' power and killed them all. The Rayders were banished from Appernysia for their treachery and have lived in the Exile ever since.

"What are the Rayders and what do they do?" -Chans
"Do the Rayders kill people or just animals?" -Katlyne
"What is the Rayders' purpose in life? Do they just go around killing people for no reason? Is there an even BIGGER purpose for them in the story?" -Brianna
"Do the Rayders always travel in groups of 5?" -Brianna

The Rayders eventually realized they were wrong to kill the Beholders and have been trying to find or breed one ever since. Beholders were known to be very smart, so squads of five Rayders often sneak into Appernysia to kidnap people who show signs of high intelligence, with hopes they will have a child that is a Beholder. The Rayders are very dedicated, so if anything poses a threat to their mission they will eliminate it--including people.

At the beginning of Insight, a rumor has been traveling through the kingdom that a Beholder has been born, so naturally, the Rayders send out many squads to find the Beholder.

"If the dad is a Rayder wouldn't Lon and his sister be one also?" -Chans

Yes, but only by bloodline. Remember that Aron ran away from the Rayders to marry his wife, Shalán, so neither Lon nor Mellai have been raised as Rayders. The Marcs family considers themselves Appernysians.

"What is the Rayder leader's name? How would someone become the Rayder leader?" -Matt

The Rayder Commander is Rayben Goldhawk. When a Commander dies, his replacement is chosen through a tournament. Any male Rayder can participate in the tournament and the winner is made Commander.

"I like how the Rayder was gonna kill the kid's family and he uses his Beholder powers. Well done." -Unknown 2
"I like how Lon was able to throw Mellai across the road to safety." -Katlyne

That was a very difficult scene to write because it was the first time I had to describe how a Beholder uses True Sight. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for all the questions and comments! Keep an eye out for Take 3!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, very good!