Author’s Note: The Knave of Nodderton, Episodes 4 & 5

On Wednesday, October 5, 2022 and Friday, October 7, 2022, I published the fourth and fifth episodes of The Knave of Nodderton on Kindle Vella.

The two episodes convey a single scene where Gammond encounters two young men who’ve captured a third and are torturing him for information.

In this scene, Gammond uses an ingested poison named Torpor. When I wrote the duration of its effect in the narrative, I actually did roll 4d6 to get the incapacitation duration. By this time, he’s figured out that few people refuse buttered bread and, if necessary, he can play that to his advantage with a poison like Torpor.

He also brandishes a fairy puppet to assist with his ruse.

Gammond was carrying these items around from his Nodderton visit that I mentioned in Episode 2. He visited the children’s fair and a number of apothecaries.

In this episode, I emphasize that Gammond is a halfling. He’s small, doesn’t even carry a weapon aside from a knife, and he survives of his wits and his ability to hide. Gammond can’t confront adversaries directly, and in this story, he has limited experience with thieving and no experience fighting. Gammond’s “weapons'“ are his cleverness and bold courage. I wanted to illustrate that point with this encounter.

To me, Gammond’s limitations are what’s fun about this character and writing his stories. In the fantasy genre in particular, it seems like we’re always given a protagonist who had an exemplary body, a range of combat experience, and armor and weapons. They’re combat machines and can’t lose, and I find little suspense in those stories. I like writing and reading about the underdogs, unlikely heroes, because their jeopardy is so much greater.

All the best - thanks for reading!

R