Mychael Eiliesor answers your questions, Part 1

Due to Mychael's demanding schedule, he was only able to answer two of your MANY questions. He'll be answering the others throughout the coming week or so.

Don't forget that tomorrow (Sunday) is the beginning of the Cross-Blog Scavenger Hunt. In addition to the Mychael Q&A, today's blog also consists of an invitation to join in the hunt. There are some really cool prizes for the winner. For rules and clues, go to The Toasted Scimitar (see the link in the list to the right). One of the clues you need is in the paragraph you just read.

On to the interview. . .

In Chapter 15 (page 207) of MLTF, Tam told Raine that you had once helped him out of a "sticky situation." And you added that Tam had once assisted you with a "minor nconvenience." Can you elaborate, or has the statute of limitations not expired on either incident? ; )

(Mychael smiles slightly) He would call it that--typical goblin understatement. Tam arrived on the Isle of Mid as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, a duchess from the Mal'Salin family. He may have been the prime suspect in Regor, but in my jurisdiction, he was innocent until proven guilty. The Isle of Mid is politically neutral, and anyone arriving here can request political asylum, which Tam wisely did the moment he set foot on Mid's docks. That asylum can only be revoked if evidence is presented in court that clearly demonstrates the guilt of the accused. The goblin ambassador produced the signed statements of several "witnesses." This did nothing to sway either myself or my magistrates. One, these witnesses were all relatives of the deceased and enemies of the accused; and two, such testimony is only admissible in person, and Tam's accusers refused to come to Mid to formally file charges. Documents are easily forged, and testimony can be coerced or embellished. Due to a lack of legally admissible evidence, my duty as the senior law officer on Mid was to refuse to turn Tam over to the authorities at the goblin embassy for extradition.

I knew Tam was innocent--at least of the murder of his wife. As a spellsinger, I can use my voice to compel a person to speak the truth. Tam is dangerously gifted in the arts and could have refused my questioning, but he didn't. He did not kill his wife.

What about the "minor inconvenience" that Tam assisted you with?

It was hardly minor or a mere inconvenience, but the fewer who knew what Tam had done to help me and the city watch, the safer he would be. After being cleared of murder charges (at least on the Isle of Mid), Tam thought it prudent to remain on the island for a while. Considering his circumstances--and the persistence of his accusers--I thought it was a good idea. I knew all about Tam's former position in the goblin court. He was the chief shaman to the queen, which basically meant that he was her magical enforcer--and a dark mage.

The practice of black magic is illegal on the Isle of Mid, but that doesn't prevent mages from experimenting in basement laboratories behind locked and warded doors. If they are caught, they'll be arrested, tried, and if convicted, they will be executed. The punishment is harsh, but it has to be. As paladin, I'm responsible for the safety of thousands of students, mages and citizens on this island. No one, or no thing will endanger the people I'm sworn to protect. Black magic practitioners can summon demons, conjure plagues--in short, they can hurt a lot of innocent people if they're so inclined.

Mid is home to the highest seat of magical learning--the Conclave college. All of our faculty are mages, and the vast majority of them want nothing more than to teach, share their knowledge and do research. But some only want more power. They don't care where it comes from, or what they have to do to get it. And where there's power, there's the temptation to use it to its fullest extent, regardless of the consequences.

An anonymous tip claimed that one of our faculty members had engaged in human sacrifice to increase the power of his conjurings. No name was given. But the tipster said that the mage had killed once and was going to kill again at the next new moon. Tam wanted to help me catch that mage. While I knew (and had the proof) that Tam was innocent, others just saw a goblin grand shaman who had outwitted local law enforcement, had gotten away with murder, and was rumored to be the darkest of mages. To help our cause, Tam did nothing to deny those rumors; in fact, he quietly fed them, earning the "friendship" of several of our top suspects. Just before the new moon, a student was reported missing. By then, Tam knew the mages well enough to give me a name of his prime suspect. We raided a house the mage kept on the outskirts of the city, rescued the student who was about to be sacrificed, and arrested the mage--all thanks to the bravery and resourcefulness of a goblin many still consider to be a murderer.