## MIRIA (The Rancher’s Daughter) ### Physical Description Tan, mid-20s, auburn hair in a loose braid, athletic but not bulky. Wears a cream-colored dress with pearl buttons and embroidery (a reminder of her privileged background). ### Belongings - Signature Item: A cream-colored purse from her old life - Her phone (limited battery) - The fancy cocktail dress itself, complete with buttons ### Plot Dynamics - Accidental marriage to Sevarik sets off a wave of social tension. - Struggles to balance her wealthy, political upbringing with life in the small-town skerry. - Clashes with Varis, who resents Miria for “stealing” Sevarik. ### Usefulness to the Community - Skilled negotiator, thanks to her father’s political background. - Brings a fresh, outsider’s perspective on the skerry’s traditions. - Shares knowledge from Earth (ranching, problem-solving). - Very organized in planning and logistics. ### Backstory Raised on a wealthy Montana ranch by a politician father, Miria teleported to what she thought would be a charity gala but ended up in Tuft’s skerry. Though she misses modern comforts, she adapts quickly, determined to keep her dignity intact in an undignified world. --- ## CHRIS (The Miner) ### Physical Description Solidly built, slightly taller than average, with ash-blond hair and a strong jaw. He often wears canvas overalls or a dust-smeared jacket, carrying a respectful but weary posture. A fine network of stress lines around his eyes reveals the weight of responsibility he’s carried from a young age. He wears a coal-stained bandana around is neck, that can doulbe as a dust mask. There is usually a clockwork brass canary perched on his shoulder. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A clockwork canary. - Signature Item: A coal-stained bandana used as a dust mask - Makeshift mining gear (pickaxe, headlamp, salvage tools) ### Plot Dynamics - Friendly rivalry with Sevarik about whose missions are more dangerous. - Feels torn between pushing production in the mines and ensuring no one else dies needlessly, haunted by his father’s fate. - Struggles with deep-seated guilt for not being there when his father died in a mine collapse; he returned from apprenticeship too late. - Was once engaged to the girl his father saved, but grief derailed the relationship. She’s since married someone else. His own wife left him years ago, adding another layer of regret. - Has a teenage son just old enough to start mine work, fueling anxiety about repeating painful cycles. ### Usefulness to the Community - Extracts precious minerals and metals crucial for trade and crafting. - Reinforces tunnels and dungeoneering routes with safe supports. - Straightforward approach, offering blunt feedback to more idealistic folks. - Oversees safety protocols and structural integrity in all mining ventures, preventing cave-ins and casualties. - Applies his engineering apprenticeship skills to designing and maintaining complex support systems in both the mine and other Skerry construction projects. - Acts as a stabilizing influence in town, balancing the need for resources with compassion for workers’ well-being. ### Backstory Chris was born and raised in this Skerry settlement, shadowing his father—an admired, veteran foreman—around the mine. At thirteen, Tuft arranged an off-world apprenticeship so Chris could learn advanced engineering methods. He returned prematurely upon hearing his father perished in a heroic rescue during a catastrophic collapse. Consumed by grief and guilt, he took over as foreman despite incomplete training. His once-fiancée was the very woman his father saved that day, but the tragedy drove them apart, and she eventually left and married another man in another Skerry following a trade festival; this was facilitated by Eudora, which Chris both resents and is resigned to. Chris himself later married, only for that relationship to dissolve as he sank deeper into responsibilities at the mine. Now, he juggles fatherhood, heartbreak, and duty, striving to make sure no one else meets the same fate as his father. --- ## SEVARIK (Sev, The Adventurer / Dungeon Crawler. AKA Seventh Agent; his OG name was Erik) ### Physical Description Tall, lean-muscular build, short dark hair, a faint scar across his cheek. Often wears a mix of sci-fi tactical gear and weather-worn clothes. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A cavalry saber, incongruously paired with modern weapons - Golden tendril from Tuft that coils around his neck or arm ### Plot Dynamics - Accidentally marries Miria when she dons his translator ring. - Leads dangerous expeditions into dungeons or void pockets to salvage resources. - Gradually warms up to Miria, shifting from reluctant partner to genuine ally. ### Usefulness to the Community - Skilled soldier and explorer, securing vital supplies from hazardous realms. - Communicates directly with Tuft via the tendril, translating cryptic instructions. - Has a protective streak, often risking his own safety to defend others. ### Backstory Originally a genetically engineered soldier ("peacekeeper") in a futuristic technocracy, Sevarik ended up as Tuft’s main scavenger and champion when a teleport gone wrong landed him in the Void. A bit emotionally stunted due to growing up in a military creche, he dedicates himself to protecting the vulnerable and helping maintain the settlement’s precarious existence in the Void. --- ## EUDORA (The Steel-Grey Mayoral Mentor) ### Physical Description Late 50s, wiry build, silver hair cropped close, and hands roughened by decades of precise woodworking. One eye is clouded from an old injury, offset by a brass-framed monocle for detailed tasks. Her movements are efficient, deliberate, reflecting years of practiced craftsmanship. ### Belongings - Signature item: gallery framed monocle for her injured eye, which she uses when she needs good binocular vision. Essential for precision work, reading fine print, and inspecting joinery. - Well-Worn Carving Knife: An heirloom blade with a well-worn, shiny walnut handle, frequently used to whittle intricate details or trim paper edges. ### Plot Dynamics - Acts as a guiding figure for Miria, offering stern but caring advice. - Balances the different factions in the settlement, mediating conflicts. - Uses collaborative carpentry projects, like repairing buildings or constructing communal furniture, to foster cooperation between factions. - Keeps a watchful eye on Emmy, seeing her potential and vulnerability. ### Usefulness to the Community - Administrative backbone, organizing labor, trade, and defense. - Skilled negotiator, maintaining vital alliances with neighboring realms or skerries. * Master Woodworker and Carpenter: Crafts and repairs vital structures (housing, storage sheds, gates), essential furniture, and tools. * Skilled Cooper: Makes durable, watertight barrels for food storage, water collection, fermentation, and trade. * Bookbinder and Archivist: Produces notebooks, ledgers, and bound volumes, preserving crucial information, communal histories, and trade records. Her handmade books become valuable trade commodities and symbolic heirlooms. ### Backstory Once apprenticed to a master cooper and carpenter in a world very much like Modesitt's LEGACIES series, Eudora survived multiple collapses of earlier settlements by applying her trade to urgent needs—barrels to store clean water, sturdy shelters to weather storms, and careful documentation to preserve lost communities' knowledge. Her eye was injured by a fellow apprentice's mistake with a sawmill that caused it to be scratched following an explosion kicked a lot of dust into it. Determined to build lasting foundations for the Skerry, Eudora now combines practical craftwork and administrative oversight to ensure her community's resilience. --- ## CALLUM BLACKWOOD (The Witch Doctor / Apothecary) ### Physical Description Tall, lanky, with sun-worn skin. Ritual scars along his shoulders and arms. Dark hair tied in a low ponytail, often shadowing an intense expression. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A large leather apothecary satchel with vials, herbs, and occult tokens - Small charms or talismans picked up from the savage tribe he once lived among. ### Plot Dynamics - Married to Angya. - Employs unorthodox, sometimes unsettling medical practices learned from black-magic traditions... but they work, even without magic. Turns out things like autopsies are useful. - Tends to everyone's injuries and health, bridging physical and mystical realms of healing. - At times clashes with Angya and Tilly’s distrust of "dark magic," but gets along surprisingly well with Emmy, who in many ways speaks for Tuft. ### Usefulness to the Community - Heals wounds and diseases. - Grows exotic herbs that thrive only under the skerry’s unique conditions, or more accurately: helps develop plants that can survive and thrive in the environment that Tuft is creating... and therefore help shape the environment into Tuft's vision. - Has a broader understanding of ritual, not just magic but the human psychology usefulness. ### Backstory Originally an 18th-century ship’s surgeon, Callum was stranded among a tribe versed in dark magic. Ended up floating in the void when a spell/ritual went wrong. Rescued by one of Tuft’s former agents, he merged his old-world medical skills with newfound occult knowledge, becoming the settlement’s go-to medic. --- ## ANGYA BLACKWOOD (The Hearthkeeper) ### Physical Description Tall, broad-shouldered, two braids of thick black hair, intense brown eyes. Her nomadic warrior lineage is evident in her bow-legged but muscular physique. Looks Mongolian. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A sturdy wooden ladle worn at her belt, doubling as a disciplinary tool - Bronze arrowhead necklace, symbolic of a deadly weapon that has now become a mere adornment... but also could once again become a weapon in a clutch. ### Plot Dynamics - Married to Callum. Concerned about Callum’s interest in dark magic, striving to anchor him morally. - Often clashes with Miria’s privileged ways, yet gradually learns mutual respect. - Provides unyielding support in times of crisis, feeding and sheltering those in need. - Tends to butt heads with community leaders when resources get tight, pushing for deeper or riskier mining. ### Usefulness to the Community - Oversees cooking, baking, and rationing, ensuring everyone remains nourished. - Highly resourceful in emergencies, harnessing steppe survival tactics for daily life. - Fosters a sense of communal warmth and discipline around her hearth. ### Backstory Exiled by a steppe goddess for an act of mercy in combat, Anya's bow arm was damaged by a curse, and her right eye partially blinded. Unable to fight, finding renewed purpose in nurturing others, she wed Callum in the skerry, uniting two outcasts with different forms of “magic.” --- ## EMMALINE “EMMY” HARPER (The Child Prodigy) ### Physical Description Eleven years old, small stature, big inquisitive eyes behind chipped round glasses. Keeps her curly light brown hair short. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A single-shot, bolt-action coil-thorn rifle. Minimal maintenance compared to complex firearms. Emmy’s tactical mind suits a “one shot, one hit” approach. She carries it in a two-point rifle carry sling. A compromise between simplicity and high-penetration power, making it an iconic survival weapon. The "thorns" are the bullets, the coil is the propulsion mechanism, powered by stored kinetic energy (which is why she always carries it). Emmy must choose her moments carefully. She can’t spray bullets; she’s generally limited to 6 shots before needing to recharge, forcing a thoughtful, methodical battle style. - Notebooks, markers, pencils, and small measuring devices she guards obsessively. ### Plot Dynamics - Keen observer, picks up subtle clues about Tuft’s moods or shifts in the environment. - Forms a strong bond with Tilly, seeing her as a gentle mentor. - Her presence and questions often force adults to rethink assumptions. ### Usefulness to the Community - Mathematical and artistic genius, helps solve puzzles and interpret anomalies. - Cares for animals and plants with empathy, noticing their health before others do. - Acts as an emotional glue in the settlement, bridging generational divides to give people something worth defending / someone to build for. ### Backstory Came from a high-tech world besieged by insectoid invaders. Escaped into the Void and found her way into Tuft’s skerry. Lacking psychic powers, she instead cultivated scientific precision and acute perception, often spotting dangers before anyone else. --- ## TILLY BRIGHTSILVER (The Fallen Fae Whitesmith) ### Physical Description Petite, fae-like features, silver-white hair, pointed ears partially concealed beneath a work kerchief. Wears a protective leather apron for her smithing tasks. Cat-like green eyes. Copper blood instead of iron. Iron is poisonous to her; she has to avoid it in her diet, even. ### Belongings - Signature Item: An artisan’s hammer faintly etched with old fae runes - Wearable goggles for glassblowing and metalwork ### Plot Dynamics - Struggles with the loss of her once-powerful fae magic, hoping it may someday return under Tuft’s expanding aura. - Suspicious of Callum’s dark remedies, preferring more elemental or mechanical solutions. - Mentors Emmy artistically, encouraging her creative talents. ### Usefulness to the Community - Skilled whitesmith, forging tin, aluminum, and glass into functional or ornamental items. - Creates specialized fittings, partial armors, and trade goods that attract outside interest. - Offers partial mystical insight from her past, albeit with severely diminished power. ### Backstory A powerful fae exiled to Baltimore in the late 1890s, she lived in Fells Point until she fell afoul of family politics once again and found herself more... permanently exiled -- without magic this time. But she's still a talented smith, even if her jewelry and tinsmithing products no longer come imbued with magic. --- ## VARIS (The Weaver / Textile Specialist) ### Physical Description Lean, elegantly poised, black hair coiffed with lace. Usually draped in beautifully woven garments that showcase her skill. Long, nimble fingers. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A drop spindle she's forever using to make thread. ### Plot Dynamics - Harbors deep resentment toward Miria for “stealing” Sevarik, stirring subtle intrigue and rivalry. - Maintains a vital craft in textiles, making her indispensable despite personal grudges. - Sometimes collaborates with Tilly to incorporate metal threads for protective apparel. ### Usefulness to the Community - Produces essential clothing, blankets, cords, and ropes, all of which are also trade commodities. - Skilled trader, leveraging her woven goods as powerful bargaining chips. - Serves as a social hub, weaving not only cloth but also complex personal alliances. ### Backstory Originally arrived in the skerry as a potential match for Tuft’s prior champion. After his demise, she refocused on securing Sevarik but he never displayed any interest in her. Furious when Sevarik marries Miria without apparently a second thought. Now balances bitterness with necessity, maintaining a polished façade to keep her position and survival intact. Sure, she could leave... but would rather drive Sev and Miria out. The skerry is HER home. --- ## DAX KELLER (The Urban Hotshot Mechanic) ### Physical Description Sixteen, wiry build, messy brown hair spiked up, typically wearing a grease-stained varsity letter jacket. Sports a perpetual smirk that borders on cocky. ### Belongings - Signature Item: A battered tool belt crammed with improvised gadgets, wrenches, and arcane-tech splices - Old city headphones or earpiece (now mostly defunct) ### Plot Dynamics - Idolizes Sevarik as a heroic figure yet clashes with him over authority and risk-taking. - Tries to prove himself with flashy, sometimes dangerous mechanical solutions. - Develops a sibling-like rapport with Emmy, protecting her while also benefiting from her keen observations. ### Usefulness to the Community - Repairs salvaged machinery, merges arcane tech with everyday tools, and concocts new innovations. - Highly resourceful in emergencies where jerry-rigging can mean the difference between life and death. - Bridges the gap between gritty urban magic-tech and the skerry’s frontier ethos. ### Backstory Came from a dystopian urban fantasy realm embroiled in constant gang warfare and corrupt magic-tech, like the Garrett, P.I. books. Sort of Grease vibes but darker and more dangerous. Discovered and saved by Sevarik, Dax now channels his street-honed mechanical skills into helping the settlement, even if he tests everyone’s patience with his impulsive nature. He ended up lost between worlds when a magic bomb went off in his city... the whole city ended up in the void, unprotected; Sevarik found him when he was in the ruins pirating a magic thing, and when Sevarik left, Dax used a magic talisman to follow.