Seeker of the Four Winds: A Galatia Novel (48 page)

Deerma:
One of the
four major races of the West. Deermas have velvety brown fur, with
white underbellies. They wear belts around their midsections. Their
all-black eyes are spaced for apart. They have the face of a deer,
but their snouts are not as pronounced. Their teeth are straight
and human-looking. A Deerma runs on all fours, but in social
situations, are comfortable on hind legs only. Their fingers are
extremely stubby, coming off an appendage that looks like a hoof.
They can hold things like pens and utensils, but cannot hold onto a
sword for long. Deermas battle with their sharp antlers and strong
hind legs. Only male Deermas have antlers.

Dr. Katerina Sweet:
Wife of Professor Ven Sweet. They were separated during the bunker
evacuation. She lived with the Fade Brothers Group originally, but
left with the Steelsun Group. While on Future Earth, under Simon’s
tutelage, she became a physician.

Dr. Simon Steelsun:
Nathan and Blanche Steelsun’s oldest son. He was born inside of the
bunker. Simon is thirty-six years old when the bunker is destroyed.
Originally with the Fade Brothers Group, but leaves for Tectonia,
with a few hundred Galatians to form the Steelsun Group. When he
hooks up with the Wakeland Group again, he’s forty-five years old.
His wife is Marianna. Lars is their oldest son. As a young man he
was the Fight Club Champion three years in a row. Scholarly, and
charismatic—he’s a respected man in the community, but his family
often comes second to all of his activities.

Dr. Vanan Patel:
A
native of India with a Hindu background, Dr. Patel is forty years
old when he enters the bunker. He handpicked Simon Steelsun as his
student and successor. Although he’s eighty years old when he goes
topside, he remains active in his profession. He arrives on Future
Earth with the Wakeland Group.

Elizabeth Fade (formerly
Elizabeth Wakeland):
Her mother was Asian, her father was
European. Is in her mid-seventies when they exit the bunker. Red
Wakeland the First was her second husband. Her first husband died
in the plague as did her little boy. After the plague, before
humanity went underground, she took in an orphaned eight-year-old
named Michael Penn. They joined up with a man named Redmond
Wakeland—who would later be remembered as Red Wakeland the First,
the man who laid down his life for the survival of the bunker.
Elizabeth and Red the First adopted Michael Penn. Elizabeth went on
to have a biological son (Red Wakeland the Second) with Red the
First, but sadly, Red died before his namesake was born. During the
final showdown with the Celeruns, Elizabeth was the one who led the
team into the control room of the bunker and entered the launch
code. In the bunker, she’s known as “the women who nuked the
world”, a title she loathes. She became the first mayor of the
bunker. Elizabeth married again—a man named Jacob Fade. They had
two sons together—Barrett and Bryce. She has severe arthritis of
the spine now and must use a walker to get around. Veronica
Albright and Elizabeth were best friends before entering the bunker
and still are. Elizabeth is retired now. She enjoys being a mom and
grandma.

Father Bob (Robert
Donovan):
In the pre-bunker days, he was friends with Red
Wakeland the First. He’s thirty-five years old when the town of
Hewego flees the Celeruns. The boy Michael Penn convinced him to
help smuggle his jewelry collection into the bunker. For a while,
he lives with the Fade Brothers Group, but he is eager to get away
from their nonsense and leaves with Dr. Steelsun. He’s eighty-five
years old when he hooks up with the Wakeland Group.

Feenie Hyancinth Fade
(formerly an Albright):
Feenie is short for Jospehine. Her
mother is Veronica Albright. Jo is her older sister. Josie is her
younger sister. She is eighteen years old when the bunker is
destroyed. She is part of the Fade Brothers settlement, a group
that arrives in the future ten-years ahead of Mayor Red Wakeland
and his group. Four years after leaving the bunker, she marries
Barrett Fade. Unable to conceive children, Feenie and Barrett turn
to the warlock, Magus Mull, for assistance. However, when the Fade
Brother Group reunites with the Wakeland Group, Josie learns that
Feenie died a few years ago in a wagon accident.

Fundo:
One of the
two Celerun prisoners. Fundo escapes the bunker and travels in
chains with the Wakeland Group.

Geoffrey Spaulding:
Josie’s father. Never married her mother. Didn’t have a lot of
contact with Josie in the bunker. He doesn’t return to Galatia,
electing instead to stay in Tectonia with his Commoner wife,
Bianca, and their two children.

Gizmo:
His real
name is Zayan Ghaffari. A young and brilliant Galatian engineer.
His parents are Muslim. He always has one shirt tail tucked in, the
other out, and smells like engine grease.

Hogard (Basher of a
Hundred Skulls):
He’s a Bulwark Warrior and laborer. His
velvety fur-covered body is a rusty brown color. He joins the
mission to find the Blood Map. His weapon of choice is a war
hammer.

Isaiah Wakeland:
Red and Susan’s oldest son. Age twenty-two in book two. Dark hair,
caramel-colored eyes, he’s a forager (could have been a hunter
except for the fact his sister is one too and his father didn’t
want to be accused of nepotism). His fiancé has recently dumped him
for Luke Steelsun. He is part of a rock band called
Phoenix
Rising.

Jacob Fade:
Elizabeth’s third husband. The biological father of Barrett and
Bryce. Step-father to Michael Penn and Red Wakeland the Second. He
died in an industrial accident years before the bunker was
destroyed.

Jake Steelsun:
Lars’s younger brother. Age 9.

Janpu:
A humanoid
race with frog-like characteristics. Large round eyes that bulge
from the top of their heads. Thick necks as wide has as their
shoulders. Covered with dry gray-brown skin. Wide and lipless
mouth. No discernible nose, just big holes for his nostrils. Gills
on the side of his neck. They live in the watery areas of the
Midzone. Powerful legs enable them to jump great distances.

Jarod Steelsun:
Lars’s younger brother. Age 10 when he arrives on Future Earth.

Jessica Penn:
Michael’s wife

John:
A young
Commoner prisoner on a slave ship

Josephine Hyacinth
Albright (married name is Fade):
Everyone calls her Feenie.
Her mother is Veronica Albright. Jo is her older sister. Josie is
her younger sister. She is eighteen years old when the bunker is
destroyed. She is considered a real beauty. Although they fight a
lot, Feenie and Jo are devoted to each other. Four years after
leaving the bunker, Feenie marries Barrett Fade. When the Fade
Brother Group reunites with the Wakeland Group, Josie learns that
Feenie died on Future Earth a few years ago in a wagon
accident.

Josephine Lily Albright
(Armstrong):
Veronica’s oldest daughter. Tall, blue eyes,
blonde hair. Also, considered a beauty. During her bunker days she
worked on computer systems. She fell in love with Dante Armstrong
on the job. They got married and have two children—Nicholas and
Shasta.

Josephine Rose
Albright:
Everyone calls her Josie. Youngest daughter of
Veronica Albright and Geoffrey Spaulding. She is sixteen years old
when the bunker is destroyed. Josie has a different father than her
two sisters. The only thing they share in common look-wise are the
cornflower blue Albright eyes. She isn’t ugly, but cannot compare
to her gorgeous sisters. She’s a student at the top of her class,
but her peers think she is quirky and possibly a lesbian. Josie
eschews makeup, wears her coal black hair in a short pixie style
(which grows out over the course of the story), and dresses in drab
hoodies and T-shirts. Her passion is reading, collecting witty
sayings in her notebook labeled Josie’s Witty Witticisms, singing,
and playing the guitar.

Katherine Fleck:
Sister of Marianna Steelsun. Lars’s aunt. She dies at age 52 en
route to Galatia. At one time she had enjoyed being social, but her
charisma was the ability to hear people’s thoughts. The trouble was
she couldn’t shut it off. She eventually became a hermit, living a
very lonely life. Lars didn’t know her very well, but he volunteers
to help dig her grave.

King Doyle of the House of
the White Rose:
King of Regala D’Nora D’Nala, which is
northeast of the future nation of Galatia. They nations will be
each other’s nearest neighbor. That is why King Doyl has a vested
interest in the people that settle there. He rules from the city
Abrolasia, Regala D’Nora. Prince Loyl is one of his many
children.

King Elrod
Saberhart:
Ruler of the Kingdom of Tectonia. His oldest son
is Valdor.

Lacy
Steelsun
:
Lars’s sister. Age 14
when she arrives on Future Earth.

Lady Sandora of the
Bountiful Vineyards:
A Regalan historian
and archeologist.

Lady Roham of the
Shimmering Water:
A talkative Regalan advisor and scholar,
silky black mane. Yellow eyes with slit pupils. In Regala D’Nora
she teaches primary school. She’s an excellent archer, but hasn’t
been the same since a Gargantuan picked her up over its head and
snapped her kneed. She now walks with a permanent limp.

Larsen Drey
Steelsun:
His parents are Simon Steelsun and Marianna. His
grandparents are Blanche and Nathan Steelsun. He has Erb’s Palsy,
nerve damage to his right shoulder because of a birth injury, which
makes it difficult for him to lift his hand over his shoulder. His
arm looks normal at a glance, but if you look closely you can see
his elbow is slightly crooked. When his shirt is off, his right
shoulder blade looks wonky. When he uses the charisma, his right
arm is as strong as his left, but when he’s using ordinary muscle
power his right arm is considerably weaker. He is tall and thin
like his father. Brown hair cut in a crew cut (but sometimes he
lets it go shaggy). Intense brown eyes. His personality is
considered aloof, but one of his unique charismas plagues him with
other people’s intense emotions. When linked to someone else’s
emotions, he discovers that he is also linked to some of their
motor functions. For instance, if he itches
his
nose, the
person he links to itches
her
nose. Lars planned to be a
mechanical engineer, before the destruction of the bunker.

Lindsey Burning:
A
tall, slender, former classmate of Josie Albright’s. She’s pretty
and popular. Her shooting skills earns her the job of leader of
Josie’s foraging unit. Josie considers Lindsey to be her
nemesis.

Magic Slayer:
A
person on Future Earth who knows how to counter magic spells and
incantations.

Magus Mull:
Magic
User, specifically a warlock. Advisor to Barrett. Commoner. Long,
greased-back, black hair. Slim nose. Pointy chin. Smooth pale skin
with a slightly sickly pallor. Straight white teeth. Lips the color
of raspberries. He makes Red uneasy. He looks like the lead in a
Dracula movie, down to the black widow’s peak hairline. His eyes
were mesmerizing copper color. He had four fingers on each hand,
which was apparently the norm for Commoners. Two sashes of dull
chain mail crisscrossed over his chest, beneath a decorative shield
the size of a dinner plate. A red sun with a yellow corona was
enameled onto the shield. Fundo takes one look at Mull and
recognizes his Volaxan heritage. Volaxans were kept as slaves on
their Celerun ships. The Volaxan ability to crawl up walls, hang
upside down on ceilings, and contort their bodies at unusual angles
made them useful to have around.

Master Casey:
An
elderly bulldog-jowled humanoid covered in shaggy white fur. A pair
of wire glasses rested on the end of his snout. His species is
called the Kaninder. He’s a teacher at the Royal Academy in
Tectonia.

Melwick:
a Bulwark
trainer with Bayloo’s theater group.

Michael Penn:
His
brothers and close friends call him Mike. He is fifty-two years old
when the bunker is destroyed. He lived on the surface of the Earth
during the modern age. As a boy of eight he witnessed his entire
family die in the Celerun plague, which kills off 99% of the
population. Alone and scared, wandering the streets of suburbia, he
met another survivor—a young woman named Elizabeth Wakeland who had
just lost her husband and young son. She takes him under her wing
and the two of them struggle to survive under the weight of a
collapsed civilization. They meet up with a man named Redmond
Wakeland (later known as Red the First) and his dog, Zena. Red and
Elizabeth marry and adopt Michael. He keeps his old last name in
honor of the parents and siblings he lost. He’s twelve-years-old
when the last of humanity enters Galatians Bunkers. Elizabeth is
pregnant with Red the First’s son when they enter the bunker.
Michael becomes very protective of his new brother, Red the Second.
Elizabeth later remarries in the bunker, a man named Jacob Fade.
Elizabeth and Jacob have two sons together and a daughter. Jacob
favors his biological children over Red and Michael. Michael has
always struggled to find a place in his blended family. He remains
close to Elizabeth and Red though. When Red the Second becomes the
mayor of the bunker, Michael becomes his assistant. Michael has the
common charisma of increased strength during times of need. He also
has prophetic dreams and the ability to make plants grow at an
accelerated rate. His ability to see the past through other
people’s perspective is the reason why Red the Second makes him the
official Scribe of Galatia. With is busy blonde beard, his kids
tell him he looks like a Viking. Others have compared him to
Grizzly Adams. He’s the narrator of the Galatians Arise. When he
talks in first person, he’s sharing events through his own
eyes.