Hello, Everyone!
Here's the long awaited Q&A, after the long and meandering chapter Tunnels And Tea Leaves. There, we finally met Mary's Patron and we learned his name – Gillean – as well as how he’s connected to Mary’s mysterious past. Here, we have our DM answer a few questions about his creation and future appearances.
After that’s done, he’s going to ask me some questions because we thought it was going to be fun :)
Enjoy!
knew what he looked like. More about the second one - here.)
Now that we've already seen Mary's Patron, what can you tell us about him? What can't you?
I can tell you that he is a dynamic character, not a fixed npc and we will be seeing more from him. I can't tell you many things, but I also can't say what they are.
We know that Mell didn't have a say about what Gillean would look like or what his motivation would be. What drove you when you chose those? What were your inspirations for Gillean?
His visual design was on one side inspired by Artagan (Critical Role) and on the other by the official visual of the Eladrin, which are a type of elf, native to the Feywild. As a DM I like using names and concepts from shows, books and media I enjoy. His motivations are driven by his Fey nature. Emotional, inspired and sometimes impulsive.
What was up with that monkey, though?! Is that how Gillean looks like when Mary's not there?
He was just messing with her. Again, he is Fey.
Do we now know everything there's to know about Gillean?
Hell no. We never will. Knowing everything would be really boring.
What about Mary's past?
When preparing my adventures, I like to weave the characters' backstories into the narrative and the world. The first arc, which is about to end soon, put Bruno in the spotlight. We'll see what comes next.
Is there anything that you'd like to change about Gillean or his first meeting with Mary?
He is right where I want him. There was a bit of wiggle room in the beginning, before I knew who Mary really was, but by now I know who she is and therefore I know what I need him to be.
Are you happy with how their relationahip/the story is developing?
I like it, yes. Mary is actually the first Warlock in a campaign I'm running and at first I wasn't sure how it would pan out. I knew I didn't want him to be just a dummy that gives her powers and is never seen or heard. I wanted him to be a character in the story and a mentor to Mary.
Can we get more info on Gillean's "own place" between the Winter Court and the Spring Court? Does Gillean sustain this place with his own powers? Why do seasons change so fast in there? (asked by Y.)
Powerful enough magic users can create their own pockets of reality, where they have absolute control over most aspects of that reality.
Now, in my world, the Feywild is fragmented physically in several big chunks or Courts, ruled by different Archfey, feuding and fighting amongst each other. Gillean got bored with them at some point and left, creating his own Court-between-Courts. His home represents him. The interior is cozy and luxurious. The shifting seasons entertain him in his spare time (when he is not watching over his Warlock). He likes the change and the struggles of the small creatures outside. He might get bored with it at some point and fix the season to his mood or his needs.
When deciding on the type of patron: fiend, fey, angel, etc., did you consider evil Fey? What do you think would have happened, if not Gillean, but perhaps a powerful hag had answered the call and provided the magic? What would Mary do?
I didn’t actually do that much research ((blushes)). All I did was read through the different options for types of Patrons and decided that Fey sounded the most Mary-like of them all. Plus, Fey creatures can be really chaotic and fun.
As for what Mary would do if her Patron were a bad or cruel kind of creature – she would probably rebell at some point. She kinda did that with Gillean by refusing to sleep, because she wasn’t sure of his intentions.
We know Gillean wants his trees planted across the world and that his influence increases with them. But to what end? Have you got any thoughts on that?
I, as a player, am pretty suspicious of any creature that wants someone to help them gain power. Mary, before meeting Gillean and talking to him, was apprehensive to trust him as well. But now she’s kinda blinded by all his care and attention. And that story he told her! Oh, my!
Anyway, in my theories Gillean is usually either the reason the world ends or the saviour of all. So, very unreliable as a whole XD
And what about Mary? What inspired her design and personality?
Mary began as a Twitter challenge for Dimension 20’s Fantasy High. I had just done this illustration when we started out D&D sessions and so just modified Mary to fit in better with a non-contemporal fantasy world :)
As for her personality – it has a lot to do with myself when I was younger. I was a shy bookworm who preferred getting my nose deep into a book instead of talking to people. Plus, my parents also wanted me to become a musician. The only difference was that I, unlike Mary, was good at it :D
What are your goals for Mary's future, or should I say her goals for the future?
Me? I want her to learn everything there is to know about EVERYTHING. Go to every corner of the continent and beyond. Stop every bad guy. Discover every secret our DM has hidden in the world. Explore, explore, explore!
As for her… She wants to save people. She began the story dreaming of having fun adventures and writing her book, but along the way saw how much people could suffer if there was nobody around to help them. So, that’s what she wants to do now. And maybe call her adoptive family because she misses them. Also, now that she’s learned about her father, a part of her wants to find out more about her birth parents.
Would you be upset if Mary dies? How attached are you to the character?
Was that a threat? o.O Should I be worried? What are you scheeming?!
Anyway. Yes, I am attached to Mary and yes, I’ll be sad if she dies. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll stop playing or that I’ll blame the DM for her death (ok, well, maybe only a little). Death is a part of life and a part of D&D.
I just hope that whenever that happens to Mary, her death would be meaningful.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the little dive into our brains. Would you like to see something like that for Bruno or Aurum as well? I can make it happen if you send me questions about them! .
Also, next time I’ll have another meta Interlude, detailing some more stuff which I personally find fascinating. It has to do with why Mary had to go through all those exhaustion levels and did our DM do it because he hates me or something :D
Hope to see you then!
If not, the usual story updates should resume shortly after that. This link will be active when that happens.
Until then,
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary. You're welcome!)