Tim Pratt originally created the Technic League captain Zernebeth for his Pathfinder Tales novels City of the Fallen Sky and Reign of Stars. Now she's going to be appearing as an NPC in Pathfinder Adventure Path #89: Palace of Fallen Stars, and Tim was kind enough to share his thoughts on what it feels like to see her get illustrated for the first time—twice!—and appear in an adventure.
When I was ten years old, cat-sitting for a neighbor while they were out of town, I noticed some D&D Monster Manuals on their shelf. I'd never played an RPG at that point, so the lists of stats and sizes and powers and hit points didn't mean anything to me, but the artwork seized my imagination and didn't let go. I still remember the drawings of beholders, umber hulks, green dragons, gelatinous cubes, mind flayers, rust monsters—and seeing them brought to life in ink lines and paint made my synapses sizzle.
As I got older, I discovered that some of the best fantasy artwork was appearing in RPG manuals and source material, and on fantasy trading cards. When I became a professional author, I experienced the thrill of seeing my work brought to life by various artists time and time again—and it's a thrill that never gets old.
Illustrations by Miguel Regodón Harkness and Tatiana Vetrova
But now, in addition to the pleasure of seeing a character I created depicted so vividly by Miguel Regodon Harkness and Tatiana Vetrova, I've got an extra special thrill, something that would have delighted my ten-year-old-self (and delights me equally all these years later): a character I created is going to be part of a *game*. My manipulative white witch cyborg Zernbeth is going to make life interesting and/or miserable for Pathfinder players lucky enough to pick up the Iron Gods Adventure Path. She's making the leap from my brain to your gaming tables.
Sometimes I really love my life.
Tim Pratt
Pathfinder Tales Author
