Behind the Scenes | The Chronicles of Faylon: Saahira (Patreon)

It's been a minute since we've done one of these! Keeping up on three series during the holiday season has been a wild ride, and I will continue to work hard to bring you the epic stories you've come to expect! That being said, today I'd like to talk a little about Saahira.

The Chronicles of Faylon: Saahira is a story written entirely by Cat (aka Lynx) with world building, character building, and plot assistance from the person who makes this all possible, Hahn (aka Chocobo). This is a spoiler-free behind-the-scenes, but...

If you haven't started reading yet, just click here and it'll take you to the first chapter!

Much like Catgirls, the Saahira behind the scenes will be split into multiple posts, as every facet of the story is enormous. I thought we could start with a look at a few characters of the main cast! Let's begin!

During the weekend of Everyone's a Catgirl! Volume 5's launch party (end of February/beginning of March), Hahn and I started talking about writing a story featuring a witch main character and her slime summon. They'd go on adventures with, of course, spicy twists and turns, as is my bread and butter.

As we talked more, we discussed the option of a dark fantasy university. One that teaches the magic considered "banned" in the majority of fantasy stories. The Sanctum of the Nine Arts was born, and we begin our tale on Saahira's first day.

My goal with Saahira was to make her both a relatable character, and a reader "insert" in the world of Faylon. I found the best way to do both was to give her a background that kept her removed from the world of magic. She's aware of it, of course, but her small village is composed of non-magic humans, limiting her knowledge of the different arts and their functions.

I think we've all experienced that "fish out of water" sensation at some point in our lives. There's a lot of information outside of class that she has to tackle and absorb - nobility, geography, lineages, and of course, the choir.

I wanted the opening chapter to introduce the extreme nature of the sanctum in a way that would pull readers in as quickly as possible. I loved the idea of a succubus teaching Demonology. Lillith has the unique ability to teach them to oppose her by playing on a sensation they're all incredibly susceptible to: attraction.

She'll be an important player in Saahira's schooling, and I'm excited to write more of her. Fun fact: Lillith's design was inspired by a succubus series I wrote many years ago, featuring Tristan. They're not the only characters who received a second chance at life in this series, however...

Cyprus Reyner was a main character in my Whispers series; the first two "real books" that I ever published. Ry agrees that Cyprus was the best thing to come out of that story, and it brings me (and Ry, and Dawn, and Janna) so much joy that Hahn allowed me to bring him back.

This iteration of his character is much, much different than the first time around. Faylon and Noctia have done a number on him, and bringing little pieces of his past forward in the recent chapters has been SO rewarding. His relationship with Saahira is slow, complicated, and real. I can't wait to show more of him.

I'm waiting for Potamikou to open more artwork slots, and I'm going to nab them all for more student art and more instructor art. And perhaps a certain bird...

And maybe a little bit more of an official sanctum map (or art of the sanctum in general).

For those who are caught up, who is your favorite character? Who would you like to see art of? And what are you most excited for?

Thank you so much for reading! See you soon!