Seeker of the Four Winds: A Galatia Novel (49 page)

Nathan Steelsun:
Some people call him Nate. Lars is his grandson. His wife is
Blanche. Simon Steelsun is their oldest son. Michael Penn – Red
Wakeland Sr.’s and Elizabeth’s adopted son. He considers their son,
Red Jr., a brother, but they are not blood relatives. He was
fifteen-years-old when the plague hit and nineteen-years-old when
humanity went underground. This makes him sixty-nine-years old when
he returns to the surface. His charisma allows him to pull
electricity from the ground and send it elsewhere. Red Wakeland the
First was a good friend of his. Nathan and Blanche are the
godparents of Red Wakeland the Second

Nicholas Armstrong:
Usually called Nick. Dante and Jo’s five-year-old son
(pre-evacuation). Josie’s nephew. He’s fifteen when Josie meets him
again.

Prince Loyl of the House
of the White Rose:
His father is the ruler of Regala D’Nora
D’Nala. He lives in the capital of Regala D’Nora, Ambrolasia. He is
a prince, but he’s fourth down the line for the throne. His oldster
brother has the title Major Prince, designating him as the natural
heir. Loyl’s title is Minor Prince of the House of the White
Rose.

Professor Ven
Sweet:
Professor of Law. His wife is Dr. Katerina Sweet.
They were separated after the bunker’s evacuation.

Regalan:
A
civilized race of humanoids with cat-like characteristics: perky
feline ears, retractable claws, slit pupils, wild hair that sticks
up like a lion’s mane. They have feline grace, lightning fast
reflexes, and heightened senses of sight, hearing and smell. They
are known for their accuracy with bows. The Regalans are Galatia’s
closest neighbors.

Rolf Marshall:
He’s
the ‘horse guy’. He came to Future Earth at the age of thirteen.
His formal education ended at that time, but he is knowledgeable
about how to survive on Future Earth. He arrived with the Fade
Brothers Group, living them for the last ten years, until the
reunite with the rest of the Galatians. He’s twenty-three-years old
when he joins the Red Team. His physical characteristics include
straggly blonde hair and a gap between is two front teeth.

Ruby Penn:
Michael
and Jessica’s nineteen-year-old daughter.

Nora Harvey:
A
Galatian who lived with the Fade Brothers Group when she came to
Future Earth. Her husband is Sam.

Professor Dale
Daynor:
He has devoted his life to the study of literature,
history and the arts. Fed up with the politics of the Fade Brothers
Group, he joined the Steelsun Group, and spent a lot of time in
Tectonia’s library and traveling in search of information that
might help them figure out the history of Future Earth.

Redmond Wakeland the
First:
Red Wakeland the Second’s biological father, Michael
Penn’s adoptive father, and the second husband of Elizabeth. He was
instrumental in defeating the Celeruns and gave his life to ensure
the future of Galatians Bunker. Josie sometimes dreams of him and
his dog.

Redmond Wakeland the
Second:
His father is the fallen hero of Galatia. His mother
is Elizabeth. She’s half Asian. His physical characteristics
include black hair, gray eyes (like his father), and a star-shaped
birthmark near his left eye. His oldest brother through adoption is
Michael Penn. His two younger half-brothers are Barrett and Bryce.
Red, Jr. has many mystical gifts. He is the mayor of the bunker
when the earthquake hits. He uses his charisma to save everyone
during the evacuation.

Sam Harvey:
Husband
of Nora Harvey. He arrives on Future Earth ten years ahead of the
Wakeland Group and lives in the Fade Brothers Group.

Seleth:
Mr.
Bayloo’s Regalan companion.

Slaughterhouse:
A
humorless amphibious humanoid of uncertain race with a bald
blue-green head, yellow eyes, and a heavily scarred face. He’s a
trainer in Mr. Bayloo’s theater company.

Mrs. Snippy:
A
grayish mole humanoid, with a pink nose and white whiskers, wearing
a monocle over one pink eye. She works for Mr. Bayloo.

Susan Wakeland:
Wife of Red Wakeland the Second.

Shasta Armstrong:
Dante and Jo’s four-year-old daughter. Separated from her parents
during the evacuation of the bunker, Grandma Veronica and Aunt
Josie take care of her on Future Earth.

Sliven:
A
descendant of the Celeruns with a heavy mixture of other unknown
races. Slivens are about half the size of Celeruns, but they are
sinewy and strong. Their skin is dark green and spotted with brown.
They are a vicious and superstitious race. The Slivens hate all
humanoids, especially the Bulwarks.

The Angel of
Galatia:
He appears to several Galatians in their dreams.
Josie sees him forging crystal swords inside a great cathedral.

Veronica Daisy
Albright:
The mother of Jo, Feenie and Josie. She was the
computer guru of the bunker. Up on the surface, the job is
obsolete, but her organization skills quickly put her in a position
of authority again.

Willow:
A humanoid
from the Bezon race. Thin and leggy. Long blonde hair. Skin has a
golden hue. Full pink lips. Huge opalescent eyes. Gossamer wings.
Black antennas. Willow is an actor in Bayloo’s Theater Company.

Zena:
Red the
First’s dog. On occasion, Josie sees Zena’s spirit in her
dreams.

II. Places

Ambrolasia:
The
capitol of the Regalan Kingdom of Regala D’Nora. King Doyl’s palace
is located there.

Blue River
Junction
: A town along the Blue River, southeast of Galatia,
population 5,000. Prince Loyl leads his crew there after they are
sick with a curse. The town turns them away, so he vows here and
forever more he considers them his enemy.

Faladore:
A large,
wealthy, kingdom located north of Tectonia, ruled by Queen Ester.
Its capital is also called Faladore.

Future Earth:
Same
planet, different time period. The Galatians cannot narrow down how
far into the future they traveled. They estimate it to be 100,000
to 200,000 years beyond the 21
^st
century from whence
they came.

Galatia:
The name
Josie’s people give the nation they hope to found on Future Earth.
It’s chosen in honor of Galatians Bunker, the underground facility
they called home for forty years.

Galatians Bunker:
A
sprawling underground nuclear fallout center that housed humanity
for the forty years prior to arriving on Future Earth.

Glandorf Hall:
A
famous fortress located in Shaldoah.

Hewego:
The name of
the town Red Wakeland the First and Elizabeth founded after the
Celerun plague, which was destroyed during the final battle with
the Celeruns.

Jagar:
Eastern city
deep in Sliven territory. Dr. Steelsun’s team goes there in search
of the Blood Map.

Kalida River:
A
deep and mighty river that symbolically divides the East from the
West. It’s a vital source of travel and all kinds of commerce. It
runs through the territory Red Wakeland hopes to make his
homeland.

Queen Ester:
A
ruler of the Commoner Kingdom of Faladore.

Spitfire Creek:
A
creek in the Promised Land named by Lars Steelsun.

Regala D’Nora:
The
name means Valley of the Cat People. A nation composed
predominantly of Regalans. Ruled by King Doyl of the House of the
White Rose. It’s a sophisticated nation, possibly the most powerful
in the West, though many would argue that the Commoner nation of
Tectonia is stronger.

Shaldoah:
Mining
was the Bulwark Kingdom of Shaldoah’s lifeblood. Technically, like
most Bulwark communities, it wasn’t located in the West.

Spy Run:
A
dangerous
dirt highway that led from the
Northlands all the way down the southern sea.

Tectonia:
A Midland
Kingdom in the West. Tectonia is also the name of its capitol.

Windmere:
Located
in the Mid Zone, where Magus Mull learned to do magic. He thinks of
it as home. His coven of witches resides there.

Zena City
: The
proposed capital of Galatia. Named after Red Wakeland the First’s
dog.

III. Things

Book of Secrets:
A
book Dr. Steelsun found while wandering the Midzone. Within its
pages, he finds a clue to the whereabouts of the Blood Map, and
finds half of it in Jagar.

Bayloo’s Traveling Theater
& Company:
A front for gladiator-style games, where most
of the participants are slaves, forced to fight against their
will.

Charisma:
A cluster
of abilities that include increased strength and reflexes. In a
small percentage of the population, the charisma may also be
prophetic dreams, the generation of electricity, making plants grow
at an accelerated rate, mind reading and so on. A Charisma Focus
Committee was formed in the bunker to study the new abilities. The
charismas proved useful once the Galatians left the bunker.

Excito Fortitudo:
Exclusive to the Galatian anatomy, it’s located near the heart.
Portal that opens the Galatians to the source of their charisma.
Means Doorway to Strength.

Calendar of Future
Earth:
A month is twenty-eight days and a year is thirteen
months. The seven-day week survives the ages (Earth’s rotation has
sped up, the opposite of what the scientists were expecting). The
Galatians retain Old Earth names for the days of the week,
differing from the Commoners’ usage. In Commoner the days of the
week are simply numbered: Firstday, Seconday, Thirday, Fourthday,
Fifthday, Sixthday, Sevenday. As a joke, the Galatians compensate
by calling the first month of the year
Bonus
uary
,
but the name sticks.

Fade Brothers
Group:
The first group of Galatians to arrive on Future
Earth. Their leader is Barrett Fade and his brother, Bryce, is
second in command. The Fade Brothers Group is splintered when Dr.
Simon Steelsun leaves to settle in the city of Tectonia.

First Rights:
A law
in force throughout the West for over a thousand years. The major
races of the West—the Commoners, Deermas, Regalans and Bulwarks—had
battled each other for centuries. Finally, they drew up a treaty
ensuring the peace. It is basically an anti-immigration law, which
comes into play when the Galatians arrive and try to settle the
Northlands.

Mouth of God:
This
landmark is the sign that they have found the Promised Land. When
they get there it looks like a bottomless sinkhole.

Seeker of the Four
Winds
:
A stone that forms naturally
on a planet called Col Pol. On Col Pol the stones are called
flurolopcol polosisixu,
which is translated
Seeker of the
Four Winds.
Josie’s Seeker is set in a golden starburst pendant
made of a sunmurtain. Its cord is also made of sunmurtain. To get
it to seek, a fragment of an object must be placed inside of the
Seeker; like a magnet attracted to the north, a Seeker will be
drawn to the most similar miniscule elemental peculiarities it can
find.

Snuffleupagus (‘Snuffy’
for short):
A large predator with curly reddish-brown fur,
six legs, and a poisonous trunk.

Steelsun Group:
The
Galatians who arrived ten years ahead of Red Wakeland. They started
out living in the settlement headed up by Barrett and Bryce Fade.
They later split off from the Fade Brothers Group to follow Dr.
Simon Steelsun to the city of Tectonia, where they lived for five
years joining up with the newly arrived Wakeland Group.

Sunmurtain:
A
highly sought out metal throughout the universe, desired for its
strength. The most potent acids cannot penetrate it. Star fire is
its melting point. Fundo says nothing on Earth can break it.

Wakeland Group:
The
Galatians who arrive on Future Earth with Red Wakeland—ten years
behind the Fade Brothers Group.

Wittelsbach
Diamond:
One of the pre-plague world’s most valuable gems.
After the fall of civilization, before humanity went underground,
Michael Penn took it from a museum.

Wumper
:
Forest creature that came from a distant planet on
one of the Celerun ships. Its body is round, about the size of a
beach ball. A single leg that uses spring action to move. It has a
weedy appearance, like a gray tumbleweed densely packed together.
It’s covered with dozens of randomly placed glistening black eyes.
Its beak juts out like a wedge of cheese filled with gray shark
teeth, constantly snapping in mindless pursuit of anything that
moves. A wumper belongs to a larger group called a pod. When they
try to bring down prey, they ping off of trees, and use their
bodies like missiles to disorient their prey.