We’ve turned a corner and Will is about to head home. Let’s unpack.

Diplomatic Impunity

There are very few characters I actively dislike in my stories, but the Mayor of Great Roll is one of them. He’s a pompous and shallow gnome who uses bureaucracy to hide his many shortcomings. Of course he’d show up for the coronation, especially since the new Sovereign is a gnome. And when I was thinking about the problem of coronation squatting, Mr. Mayor came to mind as a prime candidate for the practice. He’s not a good gnome. He’s not evil, either, but he’s not good.

Prime Governor

Mr. Purple ¹, has been working behind the scenes to limit the new Sovereign’s power. Traditionally, the Sovereign has had an immense amount of power in The Realm. The Governors have grown into a more functional legislature in the years since the throne has been vacated, but Mr. Purple is concerned a new Sovereign would undermine their power.

Mr. Purple is a manipulative doofus, but on one level he is working to keep a balance between the powers which govern The Realm. Of course, he wants to be one of those powers, so Mr. Purple isn’t exactly a saint.

Restless Will

This was a difficult passage to write, as it shows how Will’s story is ending while everyone else’s is shifting toward a new future.

Still, the moments before he was announced at the coronation made it seem as though he’d been abandoned by his friends. This was not the case, it’s just that he felt this way. Will is the point of view character for the story, and so his experiences have an influence on the way the narrative flows. The truth is, his friends have been very much a part of his life since the announcement, involving him in even the smallest details of the planning ². The more Will helped plan the event, however, the more distant he became from what would happen after the coronation. The future of The Realm is now out of his hands, and reality is calling to him once more.

Other Realms

Will is correct, The Bar is bound to encounter other Realms which are not part of the Copyright Accords. Each culture in reality has its own realm of imagination which feeds unreality with creative power.

The Keepsake

A bag of “Snack Like Nobody’s Business Coronation Chips” would remain one of Will’s prized possessions for the rest of his life. Years later his grandchildren loved hearing his stories about The Realm, and his adventures there.