Goodreads asked K. Caffee:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

K. Caffee I first was introduced to the series on the 3-D chat platform IMVU where a large percentage of the people behind the monitors enjoyed role play with vampires, werewolves, or other dark beings. Personally, I never managed to become totally enraptured with these types of characters, though I do like the occasional book about them. But, to participate, almost every open chat room advised human characters to stay out, or become dinner/slaves/pets/skins tacked to a wall/ you name it. That’s fine with me! I enjoy dipping my feet into the fantastical. But, what type of character did I want?

I have dipped my feet into the Dungeons and Dragons realms, gleefully running elves, half elves, and winged elves through numerous campaigns. But, all of these more-or-less established characters were aligned with the good guys. The rooms I wanted to play in now would have erupted into a constant battle zone (an offense worth suspending privileges over if the room owner stopped by!) or I would have had to let the character die (something else to be avoided if possible.)

I had bumped into the White Wolf Changeling system, but had never really explored it. So, I decided to try out one of the character races. Now, normally, I am a lurker in a chat room, occasionally offering snippets of wisdom if I can make the room fall apart in laughter. The character type that fit best for this are the pukah. So, I did a little research beyond just the White Wolf gaming system.

The bulk of the information came from Wikipedia (everyone’s go to source, right?).

OK. These are shy, mischievous little buggers. That fits me to a “T”! So, since I was not yet an accepted member of the room’s residents, I never did offer a name for the character. Woops! As time went past, and I began interacting more and more, Nameless’ remained nameless, and became a more fleshed out character. And, the havoc he could wreak! (Have you ever had a day when an active chat went silent for a good five minutes because people were laughing so hard they couldn't type? Yeah, I can claim that glory with Nameless.) Yet even with the humor I brought with him, he did not fit. I was accepted, but the atmosphere of the room was completely wrong for a happy-go-lucky character. I started slowly changing his attitudes and expressions to become a better fit with the room. His bright, shiny self dimmed, then went black. His light hearted humor took on a more malicious bent. His pranks quit being harmless (using holy water in the bucket propped over the door when you know a vampire is due in any moment type change.)

Now, a definite story line had started developing with a smaller sub-group in the room, and we decided to branch off a bit to explore this potential. Along the way, one of the other players asked before a session started, “But, where did Nameless come from?”

You know, that was probably the best question I have ever been asked. Sure, I could have changed Nameless from a pukah to one of the darker races offered within the White Wolf system. But, to do that, he would no longer have been… Nameless. Not the syntax mangling, laughter inducing maniac our group had come to love and hate and love to hate. So, I began to consider what would have caused a creature meant to bring laughter, happiness, and general light minded mischief to be such a hard hearted, cruel, violent being.

The series Followers of Torments is the answer.

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