#ch: rhoheme

[vanessaroades-author]

when my Deep Roots WIP intro post gets nice comments or tags about the cover 😭😭😭😭

i mean, she does deserve it.

look at Rho.

i will never get over it.

the artist goes by Shinirikaya on twitter and instagram 🥰🥰🥰

[vanessaroades-author]

💦 : Is your OC’s attractiveness based on looks or a more intangible aura?

Deep Roots squad!! They’re all Immaculately Beautiful Elves so I am cheating a little ;)

EIRJATAL: By elf standards, he’s just plain, just average. Especially in his kingdom, Dianthus, which loves drama, jewelry, makeup, and he doesn’t like to dress up. But if you’re into stern scowling, boy does he have you covered. It’s the strict, controlled, mature vibes for me. (extremely not macho though.)

IRVING: Irving’s cute and dresses sharp, but in the opposite of Eirjatal, they have a lack of physical confidence most of the time that makes whatever attractiveness fade out. If they had their way, they’d be hiding under hats.

RHOHEME: I mean look at my cover, what else do I have to say? She couldn’t be bothered about how attractive she is or other people are—there’s pretty much a direct quote in the book on this. She values effort in appearance more than the appearance itself, so same goes for herself.

[vanessaroades-author]

If your protagonist was in DND, what would their class and alignment be? (and more info if you want!)

Oh this is so fun!! I'll get the main three POVs from Deep Roots.

(art: lesyablackbird)

NAME: Irving Isabren Whitfore

RACE: Half-Elf

CLASS: Rogue with the most NPC energy

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral // Irving's concerned with themselves & a select few other people. The focus of their (long-standing) grudges can burn for all they care--namely, the elvish kingdom that can't stand them and the gods who have no claim to them. The more distance they can put between themselves & those things, the better, even if they have to resort to unlawful or, honestly, totally idiotic methods to do it. (running away from home? sure. getting a cult to rip out your rib for their rituals? well...) Not so easy when your father's the high priest of the elvish goddess...

NOTES: The world of Deep Roots (Realmweaver) started with me writing D&D oneshots. Irving was the quest-giver/main DMPC in a mini murder mystery in a steampunk metropolis. As the project got bigger and bigger, one thing stayed the same: they've always sold sacred elvish flora as drugs in the human realm, and the story's always kicked off with them finally getting arrested by the elves.

(art: lesyablackbird)

NAME: Eirjatal Ga'vrynn

RACE: Elf (Sun)

CLASS: Sorcerer (packed all his slots/points with the fire spells)

ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good // Eirjatal is more concerned with protecting his country & loved ones than rules & religion as written. His tendency to carry responsibilities that are too heavy for him is both from a belief that his history makes him uniquely capable of handling danger (not many elves who have stared down a god and lived to tell the tale), and his fear that if anyone goes through what he has, they will feel the effects that he has: two centuries of resurfacing nightmares, paranoia, and aimless fear. He can overreach and break the rules to do what he thinks is right in the name of other people.

NOTES: People in the Realmweaver world have specific and narrow types of magic because that magic is a little slice of a god's specific power. Eirjatal's is fire from the Iron Phoenix. Unfortunately, he has no tether--a neutral object to share the burden of the magic for the sorcerer, a human law--so his control can often slip. This ranges from flaring nearby candles when he's annoyed to setting himself entirely on fire when he's PISSED.

(art: ireen chau)

NAME: Rhoheme Ges'ill

RACE: Elf

CLASS: Artificer

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good // Unlike Irving and Eirjatal, who put their lot in with either the human realm or the elf realm, Rho wants to save both--no matter how impossible that becomes as the battles between the gods unfold. She worries about the here and now, the future of all mortal things, and her integrity and her magic. Her ability to make impossible metal creations and automatons are integral to her. And she can't learn more about it if the realms keep fighting.

[vanessaroades-author]

🚲, 🦴 and 💐 for the spicy asks 🔥

🚲 was previously answered :)

🦴 : Does your OC have much sexual experience? What are they like?

Queensmen crew since it's the book with actual (relevant) sex in it--

ELIAS: Has experience, hated it, feels weird about it. They were irrelevant occasions to him when he was a teen & in his earl(ier) twenties. All for manipulation & some kind of gain (emotional leading to financial, so on). He's a very confused & frustrated flavour of ace, so he oscillates between a total pillow princess and refusing to let himself be touched, all business. The one consistency is he is going to complain and order his partner around, but that's just Elias in every interaction.

AMARYLLIS: Essentially none. She spends almost all her time with a tightly-linked family structure of not-so-organic beings.

CAIT: Less experience than nearly everyone in the cast suspects. Up until his twenties he was in an isolated demi-plane with not too many people, where almost no one was his age and everyone was raised too closely like family. Once he hopped over into the, er, normal plane, he had a couple relationships, but Cait likes things to be serious & deeply emotional before taking any big steps. he whispers ily the whole time

💐 : What is their courting style? How would they woo someone?

omg cuuute. Deep Roots squad--

IRVING: Irving is so awkward, now that I think about it. Love and friendship and any form of affection is not their strong suit. But they like observing, exploring, doing new things, and can be surprisingly confident in that way. They'd show affection by showing someone new things & new experiences, maybe occasionally missing the mark on what that person will really, really like.

EIRJATAL: love language: doing shit for you. When we start Deep Roots, he's on a .... break with his partner, but I can definitely tell you that Eirjatal got his attention by 1) being a hottie and 2) taking on more work than needed in their workplace. By workplace I mean palace. By partner I mean the king. eirjatal said i'm running this country so you'll notice me xoxo

RHOHEME: Rho, meanwhile, really struggles to be honest, earnest, and open. Her love language is gifts and giving. She's the type to make your favourite dinner and be really casual about it, making you wonder if she even did it on purpose. And of course she creates things, trinkets or tools that she thinks will be useful for people. She's practical above all else--no useless or cosmetic gifts.