C.L. Clark Talks Bringing Ambessa to Life in Prose

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Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ve heard about the fantastic League of Legends-inspired animated series, Arcane. Notable for being the most expensive animated television series ever made, Arcane has garnered fans among reviewers and viewers alike, with Paste’s own headlines declaring the show “spellbinding” and “stunning.”

But even if you have been under a rock, you should still pick up Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. This prequel novel to Arcane centers on the title character, Ambessa, a complicated figure whose decisions impact the entire series. Readers who know nothing more about the show can dive into the world blindly, not knowing who to root for, or where they might end up. Who are the heroes and villains of the saga—and what’s the right outcome? Fans who already know where this book takes its characters will be thrilled to see how they got there, and new readers will be kept guessing, watching Ambessa’s journey toward claiming the position she believes is rightfully hers—and revealing what sacrifices she’s willing to make to get what she wants.

It’s fitting that C.L. Clark, an author known for ambiguous protagonists who are not wholly heroes or villains (and frequently end up tangled in each other’s sheets) was brought on board to write Ambessa’s story. Like Clark’s Magic of the Lost series, Clark provides close point-of-view scenes from several characters, never shying away from their flaws and always presenting their perspectives in a way that asks readers to dig in deeper. Clark also practices swordplay, and her action scenes in Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf reflect that personal experience with fight choreography (while keeping nods to the source material in the styles).

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We had the chance to chat with Clark about what it was like to work on this beloved IP, her own history with League of Legends, and what’s coming next from the author.

Paste Magazine: What a saga you’ve taken readers on in Ambessa! I came into Arcane with this novel as my first introduction, and it was fascinating for me, not knowing where the characters would end up at the end—which meant I didn’t know who I should root for. You’re really well known for writing fantasy novels with complex protagonists, all with their own motivations and justifications for their actions, and you’ve brought that to the fore here. How much of Ambessa’s own validation for her actions did you need to invent? How much was present in the materials you were given?

C.L. Clark: From the beginning, we knew we wanted a story that didn’t try to soften Ambessa’s edges. We wanted her to stay the powerful, more than slightly terrifying warlord who didn’t care what or who she stepped on if it got her what she wanted. The Noxian pillars of Might, Vision, and Guile and her bonus, Sacrifice, were a part of her from the beginning. We also knew family was a prime motivator, as well as power over her house. All of that was part of the notes, and honestly, it was what attracted me to the project in the first place—how much she was already like the characters I love writing. My primary contributions were in the precise nature of the scenes depicted and how certain conflicts or scenarios would come about.

Paste: By the end of the novel, it becomes harder and harder to believe in Ambessa’s own justifications, especially as she pushes off any internal doubts that she might be mistaken, that she might have regrets. Do you view Ambessa as a villain, or an anti-hero, or something completely different?

Clark: Well, she’s definitely not standing on a moral high ground if your values are kindness and austerity. She sees herself very much as a hero, and I think she does have qualities we often find heroic: physical strength and martial skill, intelligence and strategy, love for family. She just also happens to have a higher loyalty to herself and a certain vision. And that’s not so different from most of us. I think she becomes a very different person from Book!Ambessa to Arcane!Ambessa, though, and her desperation turns her even more ruthless, more villainous. She’s clearly the narrative villain in Arcane Season 2, and it was really fun to develop where she started as a person who would become the Ambessa we see in Arcane.

But in the broader scope, I think conversations about who is a villain and who is not can often water down the conversations we could be having about character nuance—this is something I see a lot around Caitlyn’s character, as well. There are reasons we admire characters who do bad things, whose morals we might not align with—and also bad things that do align with our morals. And it’s worth looking at why that might be. Unfortunately, I think a lot of folks take a very simplistic view, and when they see the word “villain,” they assume they can’t have anything in common with them. In fact, as you mention above—that’s the very reason I like complex protagonists whose choices are complicated and sometimes…ill-advised. Maybe even cruel. I am also ill-advised. And sometimes even cruel. It’s important to acknowledge these parts of ourselves.

Paste: The combat you’ve written in other novels is very grounded in reality, whereas the combat in Arcane is inspired by video game mechanics and physics. Ambessa’s drakehound gauntlets feel both practical and fantastic—I don’t think they could exist in the real world! How did you determine how to write her combat scenes with those weapons?

Clark: We wanted those who played the game to see their characters fighting the way they do in the game. I bent toward practicality when I could, including trying to imagine the drakehound gauntlets as they would have to work in real life. For example, I don’t think they could re-spool without some significant mechanical trickery, and that would make the gauntlets pretty unwieldy—so if she lets them loose in the book, she can’t retract them until the battle’s over.

Paste: The magic system in Arcane and League of Legends—and the ominous Black Rose—are really fascinating. You delve into the beginnings of complex rune magic in the novel. How much of that lore was established before you picked it up? What about Mel’s tattoos? How much of the magic in them was established?

Clark: The lore for the rune magic wasn’t entirely established. We had some back and forths as we figured out whether or not it was related to any of the other kinds of magic already part of the canon, but I’m not sure I can say much about what we ultimately decided its antecedents are. I think players and followers of the broader lore might be able to pick up on it, especially readers of Ruination.

As for Mel, her magic and her tattoos were already established by the time I came to the project. I just worked with those.

Paste: You say in the novel’s endnotes that you are a fan of the show. When did you get hooked on Arcane, and what was it like to consult the actors behind Ambessa and Mel when you were getting into the minds of the characters?

Clark: I was hooked on the show the week it dropped, or pretty close. I’m not usually a TV watcher, or at least, it takes a long time for me to get around to it. I also remember being reticent because I’d heard it was League of Legends, and I’d never played the game, so I thought I would be out of the loop. I don’t remember what made me watch it, but I watched the first three episodes, and boom—I was sat. They were a masterclass in storytelling, and the art was phenomenal.

Paste: You also say in the endnotes that you got to invent some new mounts for the story. What are the odds that what you’ve created in the novel will find its way into the world’s other media?

Clark: Honestly, I have no idea. It would be cool to see, though.

Paste: If you could have brunch with one character from the novel, who would it be, and what would you eat?

Clark: Ambessa, of course! And I would eat a spicy Noxian stew with flatbread, which I think she eats? Or watches someone eat—I forget which, exactly. When I wrote it, I was envisioning something like Ethiopian Doro Wat or Misir Wat with injera. They’re both strong flavored, spicy stews, one with chicken, one with lentils, and the injera is a sharp, fermented flatbread.

According to lore, Noxians favor strong flavors and these are a couple of my all-time favorite dishes, so I put them in. I would love to eat some with Ambessa.

Paste: If Touraine and Luca from your Magic of the Lost series encountered Ambessa, as she is at any point in the novel, what would that interaction look like?

Clark: I don’t think Ambessa would have all that much respect for Touraine, at least, off the battlefield. Touraine is too uncertain about her relationship to power. I think Ambessa would like sparring with her, though. She would be much more intrigued by Luca and her potential for ruthlessness, for a throne. Luca might end up being one of her “projects,” but Luca would not take well to being manipulated.

Paste: What are you working on now (and what books do you recommend that readers pick up while they’re waiting for Fate’s Bane and Warmongers)?

Clark: I am, in fact, working on Warmongers! Fate’s Bane and The Sovereign are due to come out in September, so until then, fans of my work and Ambessa might enjoy Metal from Heaven by August Clarke, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills, or The Daughters’ War by Christopher Beuhlman.

I also regularly drop book recs on my socials and my newsletter—right now, I’m reading Feast While You Can by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta and I’m absolutely loving it.

Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf is available now wherever books are sold. Arcane is currently streaming on Netflix.

Alana Joli Abbott is a reviewer and game writer, whose multiple-choice novels, including Choice of the Pirate and Blackstone Academy for Magical Beginners, are published by Choice of Games. She is the author of three novels, several short stories, and many role-playing game supplements. She also edits fantasy anthologies for Outland Entertainment, including Bridge to Elsewhere and Never Too Old to Save the World. You can find her online at VirgilandBeatrice.com.