Awilda Sywardus

19

Awilda is a rebellious young woman with a reputation for fierceness. She’s constantly at odds with her father, General Bram Sywardus, the right-hand man to King Erik of Sigmundr. Bran and Awilda have a similar personality: one which clashes with each other. General Sywardus supports the Sigmunden colonization of Bahira, the county across the great ocean. He lived there for many years when Awilda was a child. Awilda’s mother, Amalie, was killed in the first Bahiric uprising. Having spent her childhood in Bahira, Awilda is fascinated with Bahiric culture. She’s especially fascinated with their shieldmaidens. Bran wants Awilda to settle down and get married. Awilda breaks his heart when she leaves home to seek the mentorship of the Lady Jade, elder Bahiric shieldmaiden. Bram feels that his daughter has betrayed both him and the nation of Sigmundr. As Awilda leaves her country to become a shieldmaiden, she puts her father’s reputation as Sigmundr’s military leader at stake.

Captain Havelock

10

Captain Marinus Havelock is a pirate feared the throughout the Great Ocean. He has a reputation for being utterly ruthless, but it’s questionable how many of the stories about him are exaggerated. In the country of Sigmundr, Captain Havelock was born to a woman of the streets whose absent husband was a sailor of dubious character. After his mother passed away, Havelock lived as a street urchin for some time until his mother’s husband found him and took him into his circle of miscreants. Havelock’s commanding presence, leadership abilities and willingness to take risks soon landed him a position of captain over a pirate fleet. After many years of pillaging the ships of his native country, King Erik of Sigmundr promised to pardon Captain Havelock if he would agree to target navy ships from the land of Bahira as a privateer. Havelock’s fleet has weakened over the years. King Erik has gone back on his word and refuses to pardon Havelock, who is now in a desperate situation.

General Sywardus

11

General Bram Sywardus is right-hand man to King Erik of Sigmundr. Bram was raised with the belief that the people of Sigmundr are superior to people of other nations. As an adult, Bram joined the Sigmunden military and quickly rose through the ranks. He became instrumental in the colonization of Bahira, a lush, fertile country across the great ocean. One fateful year, the first Bahiric uprising against Sigmundr occurred and Bram’s wife, Amalie, was killed in the conflict, leaving Bram to raise their daughter, Awilda, as a single father. As Awilda grew up, she became rebellious towards her father. She developed a fascination with Bahira and their shieldmaidens. Bram desired for his daughter to settle down and get married, but much to his distress she left home to become a Bahiric shieldmaiden. With his daughter siding with those who he wishes to conquer, Bram’s reputation as Sigmundr’s military leader is at stake.

The Sheikh

14

Sheikh Aadish Karim is a vigilante freedom fighter of noble birth. He roams the deserts of Northeastern Bahira with his faithful followers who assist him in delivering supplies to remote tribes as well as conducting stealth attacks on invading colonizers from the country of Sigmundr. To Bahira’s invaders he’s a menace, but to the common people of his native country he’s a hero. The Sheikh is a wanted man and is under extreme pressure as he’s daily faced with serious dilemmas with terrible consequences. He struggles to keep his anxieties from clouding his judgment. Being nomadic and constantly on the lam, he’s very suspicious of strangers and seems to be constantly in “fight or flight” mode.

Cate Wallace

24

Cate Wallace lives in the country of Sigmundr, a nation which has colonized a country on the other side of the great ocean called Bahira. Cate is the orphaned daughter of two Sigmunden explorers who died in the first Bahiric uprising. She was adopted by former pirate, Benedict Cox. Upon finding out about her father’s involvement with pirates, she’s sets out to try and help him get free from his past as well as find her own way in the world. Cate has a natural aptitude for tinkering, a skill set which has been nurtured by her father. She has a love for travel and adventure. She believes that focusing on the beauty in the world takes courage and strength of character. Cate always been fascinated with Bahira and wants to carry on her parents’ legacy. She wants to create scripts for spoken languages in order to preserve endangered cultures. Ben doesn’t really understand her dreams and worries about her. Cate is the only family Ben has, and he’s afraid of losing her.

The Warrior Queen

21

Lady Jade, mentor to the shieldmaidens of the Kingdom of Bahira. Female and male warriors will come from all over the world to listen to her wisdom and train under her. Lady Jade, with all her virtue, has a savior complex and feels the need to parent and rescue everyone she meets.

Benedict Cox

22

Benedict “Ben” Cox was an engineer for a pirate fleet which operated both sea-going galleons as well as airships. He mostly stayed clear of the “dirty work” of piracy, but upon witnessing the destruction the fleet caused he resolved to leave behind all dealings with them. Now Ben lives with his adopted daughter, Cate Wallace, in the country of Sigmundr. Sigmundr has colonized the nation of Bahira across the great ocean. Ben’s attitude towards Bahira remains ambivalent; he used to organize the pillaging of Sigmunden and Bahiric ships alike when he worked for the pirates. Ben now works as a clockmaker and keeps a low profile. He lives in fear that the pirates will find him one day. Ben lives by the philosophy that cynicism is easy, but it takes strength of character to see beauty in a troubled world.

Aarav Stockstill

17

The deposed Prince Aarav Stockstill of Bahira, now captain of “The Equinox.” His father, the Maharaja Jatayu of Bahira, was willingly reduced to a puppet figurehead by the invading nation of Sigmundr. Angered by his father’s cowardice, Prince Aarav attempted to start a revolt which ended disastrously. Left with nothing, he resorted to piracy, targeting Sigmundr naval ships out of revenge. “The Equinox” is a state-of-the-art hybrid vessel which can double as an airship, making Aarav’s crew formidable in battle. Aarav Stockstill is deeply unhappy and misses his family. His fight for freedom is justified, but he can’t seem to shake a nagging sense of emptiness. He wishes he could be reconciled with his father, but he feels his father is destroying his country.