Everyone who checks out the NEWS section of my website regularly (www.drewkarpyshyn.com)knows I've promised a special update on the progress of the Darth Bane sequel for today.

First of all, you'll all be happy to know that I'm pushing into the final chapters of the novel. Overall I'm extremely pleased with how everything turned out despite the tight deadlines, and I think fans of Path of Destruction are going to like it, too.

So now you're thinking: oh, great, this is just a bunch of lame PR-speak. I want some real info! Okay, just hold on... I'm getting there.

Some of you may have noticed that there's some cover art kicking around the web. I can't really comment on it yet , and I'm not going to tell you where to find it (cough, wookiepedia, cough), because nothing has been finalized yet. Although I do like what I've seen so far - whoops, that's a comment.

If you do find the picture, you might see the "Rule of Two" title printed across the top. Again - not official yet. (But it's really starting to grow on me...)

Okay, so I've told you what this update isn't. So what am I actually going to share with you today? Well, I've been getting a number of e-mails asking specific questions about the novel, so I figured I'd fire off a little "Rule of Two" FAQ and try to answer the ones that I can. (Very mild spoilers ahead.)

Does the book pick up right where PoD ended?
Yep, almost exactly where PoD ended. The book opens on Ruusan in the aftermath of the thought bomb.

Wait a minute. If it starts on Ruusan, why did that unofficial cover I saw show Zannah (Rain) all grown-up?
I said I wouldn't discuss the cover.
Come on. Don't be a jerk.
Sigh. Fine. The early part of the book focuses on the time immediately after Ruusan, but the rest of the book is set ten years later, when Zannah has reached adulthood.

I'm confused. Is it "Rain" or "Zannah"?
Rain takes the name Zannah when she becoms Bane's apprentice. For a detailed exlanation check out Halagad's excellent blog on the subject here.

So do we get to see some of her training?
Yes. Just as you saw how Bane became what he was, you'll see how he molds Zannah into someone worthy of his legacy. I call it "The Making of a Monster, Part II".

What about the events from the Bane of the Sith short story? Do you touch on that?
Yep, you'll see Bane go to Dxun and... well, just in case anyone hasn't read the story I won't elaborate.
Did you ruin it with retcons like you ruined my favorite SW comic series?
Of course. I've gotta have something in the book to make the continuity police want to lock me up and beat me with rubber hoses.

Does Zannah kill Bane and take his place? Does Bane end up killing Zannah? Does anyone die?
Yeah, right. Like I'm going to answer that.
Nothing? Not even a hint?
Sigh. Fine. People who read PoD (or my Throne of Bhaal novel, or Mass Effect: Revelation) know that I'm not afraid to kill off important characters. And the whole point of Bane's Rule of Two is that the student must eventually try to overthrow the Master. They don't do that by playing a winner-takes-all match of checkers.
On the other hand, if everything went smoothly as planned it would be a fairly predictable story, right? Let's just say there's a few fatalities and a couple twists and turns in the book that most readers won't be expecting.

What else can you tell me?
Sorry, I'm out of time. I need to go back to working on the novel so I can finish it by my deadline, or the only question fans will be asking is "Why'd they cancel Drew's novel?"

Embrace the dark side.
Drew