Recent entries

Questioner

In the traveler's gate series, are there any other territories yet to be discovered or lost to the ages?

Will Wight

The best I can do is, "Almost certainly yes."

Questioner

Bets you say...

I'm assuming there were some bets on whether or not Simon would survive the house?

Was the Elder in on that bet and if so did he win or lose?

Also what were his odds? I'm assuming many bet against him and maybe a few prospered greatly?

Will Wight

People don't bet against the Eldest anymore. He's right too often.

It's pretty common for him to ruin bets between other Nye by making cryptic comments that cause them to second-guess themselves. He thinks it's hilarious.

Questioner

When not strangling the inhabitants or acting as the caretakers of Valinhall, what do the Nye do in their free time? Do they have any particular hobbies or favorite pastimes?

Will Wight

Yes, Nye actually do get time off, and they do enjoy it.

They have a number of games that they play to fill the time. Especially Nye children. They will sometimes play hiding games, or their equivalent of tag, or race from one room to another. When they're older or feeling rebellious, they'll go to the edges of the House--where the rooms are unstable and dangerous--and see who can return with a piece from a wild room.

Older Nye spend their time with one another, in typical social gatherings, and they often place bets. The dolls picked up this habit from the Nye.

Questioner

Are there bows in the Elder Empire?

Questioner

There are bows as Vessels, and I have notes for at least one Soulbound that uses one. Bows didn’t show up in the series primarily to distinguish it from my other series, which had lots of bows, and secondarily because the books aren’t that long and there’s a lot we don’t explore.

Terrible

What powers would Stephen King have if he went to Asylum and made a Soulbound Vessel out of his most terrifying horror novel?

Will Wight

The ability to horrify those around him, or the ability to trap them in a terrifying illusion. Depends on how he thinks about himself and the book while he's writing.

Questioner

Would killing an Elder allow them to escape from Asylum?

Will Wight

No, it wouldn’t.

Dj Ducky

Uru the Mighty Guy what is personally your favorite art so far

Will Wight

My favorite art is the Sea cover for Of Sea and Shadow.

Questioner

Hey Will I want to know something about Asylum's magic system. Intent, does it work even if the object itself does not possess the property the user is attempting to augment it for?

Eg.) Superstitions about the luck a rabbit's foot gives. If the person whom hangs it around his neck 'believes' it grants him that property does it actually accumulate that property?

Will Wight

Luck is one of those things that's difficult to quantify. People do invest objects to make them luckier, but they've been proven not to affect things that actually rely on pure unaffected randomness, like a lottery.

Therefore, it's believed that objects like a lucky rabbit's foot (for instance) would only increase your confidence or concentration, depending on what you mean by "luck."

Most of the invested or Awakened objects with crazy powers have Kameira elements, meaning they're borrowing some of the elemental powers of the Kameira. Or the reality-twisting powers of the Elders.

Questioner

Its been a while since I eead Elder Empire. How did Estyr and Jorin manage to live so long.I know not all of them had Nakothi hearts and I recall that they were in a deep sleep...

Will Wight

Awakened coffins. Keeps them asleep and alive until they're needed.

They've individually lived a few hundred years apiece, thanks to some extremely creative alchemy and investing on the Emperor's part, but they've EXISTED for basically two thousand.

Questioner

Simon minus his nye essence vs Urzaia.

Will Wight

Without the Nye essence, Simon loses what I think is his biggest chance to kill Urzaia: going all-out from the very beginning.

The problem is that Urzaia's hatchets can turn a blow from Mithra, as can his Soulbound Vessel (the hide of a Sandborn Hydra). Without Simon's Nye essence, he can't blitz a win, so Urzaia probably wins on the strength of endurance and superior experience.

Questioner

Simon vs. the Emperor

Will Wight

Assuming, as I have for all of these other fights, that the characters actually have a reason to kill one another and are actively trying to do so...no, the Emperor crushes Simon like a bug.

Questioner

Kai vs. Bliss

Will Wight

I would love to write this fight.

Probably Bliss, but only because Kai has no frame of reference for understanding her powers. If he did get a sense for them, then he could take it. He's stronger and faster and more experienced in combat than she is. But the weirdness of her powers would be her biggest advantage.

And Kai would need a doll.

Questioner

Valinhall vs. Elders and Estyr Six

Will Wight

Valinhall vs. the Great Elders is an interesting matchup because it depends entirely on which one they're fighting. Against Nakothi, for instance, a full team of Valinhall Travelers would do even better than the Emperor and the Regents did. They would tear Nakothi apart with minimal losses.

Same goes for Kthanikahr or Othaghor. The Emperor WISHES he had an elite team like the Valinhall Travelers when he was going after Othaghor, because he basically just spawns endless minions.

Against Tharlos, on the other hand, the Valinhall Travelers would just have their minds warped and go insane, or they would be turned into ooze or a lamppost or something. He breaks all the rules. Urg'naut's shadows would be able to kill Simon without him ever being able to resist, and Ach'magut would arrange matters so that it never came to a direct confrontation.

Versus Estyr Six...I guess it depends on how many Valinhall Travelers show up. All thirteen could definitely do it, six would be pushing it, three wouldn't be enough.

Questioner

Emperor vs. Incarnations

Will Wight

The Incarnations are not stronger than the Emperor. The Emperor's more powerful than he ever got a chance to demonstrate in scene during the actual stories themselves.

He might have difficulty dealing with them at first, because he doesn't know what they are or how they work. But they would pose no threat to him.

He would observe them, capture them for study, and slowly kill them when they were of no use. Emperor wins, no contest.

Questioner

Simon vs. Meia

Will Wight

Similar situation as against Urzaia, except that in this case it depends on who gets the first move. Because unlike Urzaia, Meia will try to kill Simon instantly.

So if Simon doesn't take it seriously from the very beginning, he's likely to lose. 60-40 Meia. If he does, it swings his way a little bit. Maybe 55-45 Simon.

It would be close, though.

Questioner

Simon vs. Urzaia

Will Wight

The Nye essence gives Simon the edge here, but only at first. Honestly, based on the way Simon fights, he wouldn't start out a duel against an unknown opponent with an all-out offensive blitz. And that would be his best chance.

Urzaia can take a hit from Mithra. His weapons can stand up to it, and his Soulbound Vessel can stop it as well. On top of that, he has the strength to (more or less) match Simon and enough reaction speed that he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by Nye essence unless Simon pushed it to the limit from the very beginning. Plus, he's dueled a hundred times more people than Simon has.

Given that Simon starts the fight trying to be conservative with his powers and then ramps up, Urzaia wins. If Simon knows how much of a threat he is and treats him that way from the very beginning, Simon MIGHT take it.

Questioner

Simon vs. Shera

Will Wight

I give this to Simon by virtue of super-speed, but in "Of Killers and Kings" we get to see Shera using both her newly Awakened knife AND Syphren at the same time. In that state, she'd be able to give him a fight, and it would depend on several specific factors (that I don't want to spoil for fear of revealing too many of her new powers).In summary: current Shera dies.

Questioner

Which of your characters would be most likely to make it as a self-published novelist?

Will Wight

Kerian, the Consultant from Elder Empire.

She's relentless, she reads a lot of novels, and she knows how to make a sale. She's also highly literate, unlike a lot of my characters.

Questioner

Which of your characters could survive the best in almost every kind of story setting?

Will Wight

He's well-educated enough to adapt to a more modern world, skilled in enough basic skills to adapt to a more primitive world, and he has his Reader skills. Assuming they work in his setting, they'd be useful under pretty much any circumstances.

Plus, he's resourceful enough to make a living in legitimate business or in a life of crime, as circumstances require.

Questioner

How intelligent can Kameira become? Are there any that can Read intent?

Will Wight

Kameira aren't like sacred beasts--they can't actually develop human-level intelligence, though many stories and myths suggest that they do. They are powerful animals, and there are none that can Read Intent.