Triskelion

Hi, I'm Legend, she/ze, and I'm running this show here in the Teashop Between Worlds. Today we welcome Rhian Ehrlich from Jeannie Marschall's Triskelion. It's not out until next year, but you can read a sneak peek here. Cool, I spoke in hyperlink! That's new. Anyway. Let's get started.

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Legend: Welcome! First of all, please introduce yourself. Name, pronouns if you wish, and tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

 

Rhian: Hey—I'm Rhian Ehrlich; I prefer it when people just use my first name, no pronouns, and I guess that already contains an interesting fact about myself, which is: I'm technically two people, genetically speaking. Veeeery rarely, twins merge in the womb, and the result can be... *waves*

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Legend: Fascinating. I hope we're going to learn more about that during the interview. If not, you're coming for a cup of tea in the back afterwards. Can you tell us a bit about the world you live in?

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Rhian: Yeah, sure. It's not that different from yours really, safe for the fact that many of those things you consider mythical or supernatural—nixen, griffins, ghosts, jackals, magical talents and the like—they really exist here, which I guess means that our history took some turns yours didn't, because well, an old god isn't just going to accept a bunch of colonists turning violent on their land, right?

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Legend: Uh...those aren't mythical here...*Points at a nixie sitting a couple of tables away in the audience*. But I've met a few folk from supposedly non-magic worlds so I think I know what you mean. Let’s a have a quick-fire round of This or That. Try to just answer and not think too hard about it.

 

Rhian: 

• Tea or coffee?

  • Tea. A certain druid's, preferably. (Legend: Hmm, they may have to meet my grandmother.)

• Sweet or savoury?

  • Eheh ...sweet. Homemade if possible.

• Paperback or ebook?

  • Paper for leisure and important old tomes; digital for travels.

• Paint or pencil?

  • Not much good with either I'm afraid, but ...pencil.

• Countryside or city?

  • Countryside, these days.

• Fight or negotiate?

  • Both if necessary, in reverse order though.

• Sword or gun?

  • Sword. More metal to put incantations on if necessary.

• Vampire or werewolf?

  • Depends on the time of day and the tools I got on hand; but both are reasonable if you know what to do.

• FIlm or TV series?

  • As long as there are snacks and a couch, I'm good with both.

• Morals or laws?

  • Morals. Or ethics maybe. Hmm. I'll give that one a longer think.

• Museum or beach?

  • Museums when I'm feeling curious. Beach for relaxation—lower cursed object density.

• World peace or end famine?

  • You have those still? Ouch, I'm sorry.

• Winter or summer?

  • Yes. With all the festivities of the seasons and solstices.

• Rainbows or monochrome?

  • Rainbows!!

• Brain or gut?

  • Hand in hand, those, or you're dead in my profession. I'm a paranormal investgator, I need to know what I'm doing and I also need to listen to what my Talent tells me of the, you know (gestures with harpist-like finger movements) flow of magical energy, the plans only half formed but coming for you. Intuition is just the knowledge of all your senses combined. I have to listen.

• Traditional or new?

  • Both.

• Revenge or justice?

  • Justice. (Pause) But I could make exceptions.

• Fast zombies or slow zombies?

  • Gods, the slow ones. PLEASE.

• Afterlife or ghost?

  • (laughs) I could get into a spot of haunting after this life; ultimately, I'm really curious to see what's next though, so I hope my former colleagues or the druids at home would show me the door eventually.

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Legend: Who or what is the love of your life?

 

Rhian: Well... *Rhian glances over to the two men having tea and cake at another table; one is solid and comfortable-looking, in a gardener's well-used shirt and pants, the other is whip-thin and dressed all in blacks and greys, covered in spiky occult tattoos* ...I kinda met these two guys while their local cemetery was being haunted and things just...surprised me from there, in the best way possible.

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Legend: Ooh *Has a good long look zirself until there's a not-so-subtle cough from a long-haired guy sitting nearby with a mandolin on his lap.* Next question then, while the audience oogles your love life. How do you feel about magic? If you use magic, tell us a bit about it.

 

Rhian: Back home, most people have at least something, some intuition or little flashes of premonition—we call that Sense. Many have more than that. There are interesting theories as to what or who gave humanity our abilities: Homo fossils older than 50,000 years or so don't show much magic at all safe for the subliminal stuff, but not the big talents—healing, kineses, actual divination, those kinda things. I'd love more research there, but it's slow and humans are a bit arrogant—some would love us to be magic, not just have it, but. *shrugs* We're no unicorns.

 

Anyways, your magic depends on you, individually, with some inherited parts of course. Magic is everywhere and we have different ways of making sense of it, of accessing and shaping it, of communicating with other places and creatures through it. I for example work with my hands, I feel magic like...strings and links that I can weave and manipulate. Then there's the objects and substances, the spells, and the casting circles of course, I can use those too if I have to. Witches would use mostly the first two, sorcerers focus on the symbols and writing and larger energies from outside our reality—Malakai could tell you more about all of that...but nah, he'd just tease you, the grump. (fond smile)

 

So, the names, the labels are really just descriptive of how you do magic. It's really wonderful to figure out your access points there.

 

Legend: Fascinating. I'm sure we can wring more out of Malakai later. Not that most folk here mind a bit of a tease. *She winks.* Is there a place, other than your home, that is *your* place, where you are content and safe?

 

Rhian: Yeah, my caravan. It's my professional hub, like. I can take all my tools and books and go wherever they need an arcane sleuth to handle the skeletons in their cellars, or attics, or walls; or the ghouls in their vegetable patch or what-have-you. You'd be surprised how many of those cases I get year-round, and I'm just a freelancer now. It was much busier when I was still working for the Office—the Occult Federal Investigative Service.
 

Legend: Hey, you should meet Harper. She runs something similar, only hers is based in her kitchen rather than an office. Speaking of my seer friend, do you dream? What's the weirdest dream you've had?

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Rhian: I do. There's the one where an old goddess told me that shit was about to hit the proverbial fan; that was genuinely scary. The only thing MORE scary was waking up and realising that she really meant it. Things got a bit ...tense after that; you'll see in the book.

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Legend: What is it with old goddesses throwing shit at fans. Bet it's exciting in a book though. So, straight out of a faery tale, um, hopefully the good kind *sniggers* what would be the best date/romantic outing/friend date outing someone could take you on? If you've been on it already, tell us about it. If not, is there someone you want to take?

 

Rhian: I have a very good friend, Adim, who's invited me over to Dresden next summer—the opera house is hosting a new thing, a piece of original Italian ingresso music that's going to be just absolutely magnificent—music that is magic, that transports you into the piece and you're just lost and carried in its emotions and everything? Just wow, I can't wait. Germany lost most of what we had in that respect in the Witch Hunts, sadly, and I've never seen an original performance. I know next to nothing about this first hand but Adim's talent is with music, so I hope I'll get the full lecture. *Huge grin* It'll be the BEST.

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Legend: *Laughs* Your Adim should meet my Will. *Ze nods toward the man with the mandolin* Know a little about music that is magic do you, my love? *He pokes his tongue out at her.* After three-hundred years, I've started to interpret that to mean 'yes'. Next question! If said shit-throwing goddess sent you another dream and you knew the world was ending tomorrow, what would you do?

 

Rhian: *half-sheepishly* See if I can fix it somehow. Whether I could...probably not, not alone, but I'd try.

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Legend: I like you. Last one, would you consider overthrowing your government?

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​Rhian: I almost did, in a way. Having the right and doing the right thing can be two very different things after all. *Chuckles* Didn't have to face the blood and eldrich terror and very physical mayhem alone though. That...well, Three's a charm, right? Three's a blessing. And I'm the luckiest damn soul in the world.

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Legend: It's impossible to beat a good luck stat. Although are there technically four of you? Hmm... We're out of time folks, so you'll have to read the book to find out more. *Drags Rhian into the back for further discussion.*

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Will: Oh. Well. *Watches the door but Legend doesn't reappear.* I guess I'm doing the next interview? Please refresh your drinks and I'll go see if we have a guest. Thanks for coming to this one.​​