April Q&A (Patreon)

Q&A time! Who is (or at least has the reputation of being) the most powerful individual in night market history?

Oh, that is an incredibly tough one.  I thought this would be an easy answer but the more I sit and think about it, all the RO’s are pretty damn strong.  I think if we went by reputation alone, the ladies win.  Bella has a reputation of being someone that can take an individual down without lifting a finger, mainly because her vast network of connections is so large.

Hazel, however, is the child of a woman who nearly destroyed the Night Market.  Lucinda Albright was feared by many and there were several attempts on her life that Hazel can remember. They all assume that Hazel has the same amount of power. Which, she kind of does, she just chooses to be a better person.

I think in the case of the men, there is strength but it is a bit different from just full on power. Milo is far more sneaky and that makes him dangerous. I think he is someone that can get in and out of situations with relative ease. I think he also is used to being betrayed so he has back up plan after back up plan. There is danger is a man who never expects to win.

Gabriel is the Warden of the market and so he does have brute force behind him and can make laws that his men will and have blindly followed. That is a scary position to see because he just has sheer masses.

Mal I would say is probably the weakest when it comes to power, but he is someone who speaks very well and I think can gain a lot of power that way.

Over all, I think the ladies do win this though. I wouldn’t want to come up against a pissed off Bella or Hazel.

If Gabriel knew how this would all end, what would he do differently?

Not work as much. Not be so concerned about what should be done and be far more concerned about enjoying the time with the MC that he had. Gabriel held himself back in this book because he wanted things to go a certain way. If he had his way, he would have courted MC. Slowly gotten to know them. Taken them on several dates, showered them with gifts, and taken them to balls where he could show off how lucky he felt.  But, because he was the Warden, he always put things off. He kept things close to chest because he thought he should put everyone else first.  It was his responsibility.

Knowing what he knows now, I don’t think he would have approached the MC the same way once he knew he was in love.  And in Book 2, I am very hopeful that he will have learned his lesson that life, even in the Night Market, can be fleeting.

Has the night market ever been invaded or threatened by a greater outside force?

Now, this is subject to change as I develop the story and as I kind of figure out my own lore, but I am pretty sure the original settlers here, the Ancients, were invaders. I know they came from a different realm all together and before that, I think the persona of the Night Market, was just happily existing.  So, that might be something we begin to deal with late book 2 and in to book 3.

As for other forces, yes.  A lot of the reasons why they have such strict attention to the gates, and want it to be by invitation only, is because of this situation.  I think Milo even says at one point, what do people do when they learn of untapped power. They go to war for it.  Those gates were destroyed permanently and I do not think there are second chances for those worlds. The Velvet Guard goes to great lengths to shut and destroy those gates.

How smug is Belladonna in the poly route? She’s a Baron and has both the captain of the guard and the physical manifestation of the market itself wrapped around her finger.

Smug as can be.  The moment things calm and she is able to look at what she has, she is going to not let anyone hear the end of it. Bella is the woman who is going to be at a party and casually work everyones titles into the conversation. “I was at the council meeting the other day, you know, the one for Barons, and my partner, I mean, the Warden, was discussing a new policy I think you would find interesting. You should really give it a look. Get yourself behind it all now. You know what they say. You are either on the side of the Night Market or you are not. Oh, look. There’s my side now.” Grabs MC into their arms.

What are each of the Ro’s favorite texture? (leather, velvet, linen, etc)

Belladonna likes anything expensive really.  Leather and Lace are her favorites.

Gabriel enjoys the feel of silk but rarely indulges.

Hazel loves soft, worn cotton. That kind that has been passed down through generations.

Milo doesn’t care. Which is odd since he is a tactile person.

Malcolm loves the feel of smooth clay.

If the Ro’s were an animal, what would they be?

Belladonna is offended by this question because she is perfect the way she is.

Gabriel doesn’t understand the desire to even want to be an animal so he refuses to answer.

Hazel would love to be a little snow owl. Or a field mouse. Something tiny that gets her into small places.

Milo would be some sort of mutt puppy though he would claim he would be a fierce dragon of some sort.

Malcolm would be a bear or an elephant. Something that is just kind of calm.

Orpheus and Eurydice. Which RO looks back?

I can guarantee that Malcolm and Belladonna would not look back. They would trust the process.  Hazel and Gabriel absolutely would though.

And Milo would blindfold himself and sing a loud song so nothing would tempt him, but he might still fall victim to looking back.

The following questions are follow up to a recent Lore post about the Magic Ban

How would this (the ban of magic) work for someone born within TNM post ban?

It is claimed they are born without magic. Now, we know this not to be true because of Hazel, but for the most part, the magic looks as if it is dying out. Whether that is by force or by choice, it is unclear.  Magic is far more prominent outside the market proper though, in the surroundings areas called the Outlands. Though the Velvet Guard kind of lets everyone believe that no one can survive out there.

Similarly, if you died and came back to life, would you return with your magic and need to have it taken away again?

If you are a Night Market native (born in the market), then no. It is innate to you and they can’t do much other than penalize you. If you cause too many problems, they will lock you up or find an excuse to put a dampener on you. But the ones born in the Night Market pre ban, tend to have kept their powers no matter what.

If you are not a native and you die, you would need your powers taken again. Which, is a fun little work around if you are brave enough.

Sometimes, I think there are people who die though, and come back with magic they didn’t even know they had because it was taken from them when they were so little.

As the outlands are a part of TNM I'm guessing you can just walk out of there with magic, is there velvet guard border  patrol to keep contraband magic from entering the market?

The walls itself are the border.  Once the alley walls disappear, you are outside the market and outside Velvet Guard jurisdiction.  The Velvet Guard have patrols that go through those areas to see if anyone is coming or going, and they do have magic set up to ping if someone crosses the wall, but most people do not return from the Outlands so they are not too concerned.

Now that we have TNM years, what year are we currently in? Do people recall their birth year?

Everyone disagrees on what year we are currently in and so birth years have kind of become irrelevant due to that. No one has any official agreement on time and while the Velvet Guard tried at one point, it got messed with quick.  Time passes more in experience for people than it does linearly. You can also cross your own timeline within the market if you are not careful.