Another Shanna parallel, this one more likely to have been subconsciously or consciously intentional, though we decided on Kur’Ik as a character before we thought about bringing Shanna in. Kur’Ik is not entirely unlike Shanna in build and hairstyle, and she too is a journalist (well, “chronicler”) joining the action, aware that doing so is dangerous but unaware of many of the details of that danger.

In light of that, some readers’ notion that she was a character in the game whom Shanna was playing to learn its secrets was not entirely unreasonable. It was nowhere near true, though. Phil and I never decided anything about what player might be tethered to Kur’Ik, and even late-stage Shanna would not get near an RPG.

Kur’Ik and Fr’Nj are both their own individuals, but Syr’Nj has a point: they do mimic certain aspects of her early self pretty well, and GA is going to need somebody to supply those aspects before the story’s over. Remember when she was the group’s designated healer and was all “OMG, we went on an ADVENTURE, wasn’t that GREAT?” She really can’t be all the things she’s ever been; good leaders delegate.