Character Sketch: Ivy

A mysterious amnesiac entrusted to Tatyana, Ivy is at first curious but helpless in the maelstrom of events unfolding around her.  

Full Name: Unknown ( Goes by Ivy)

Born: Unknown (She appears a to be late in her adolescence)

Skin: Pale

Hair: Dyed black with light blonde roots

Eyes: Green

Height: 165 cm (5’5”)

Weight: 56 kg (124 lbs.)

Physique: Fragile, scarred

Posture: Astute

Without having to memories to relate to us, Ivy is driven by two things: A thirst to discover her past, and a startling compassion for all other human beings. She derives her name from the numeric designation engraved into her skin. A razor thin set of markings reading "IV" etched into her hand mark her as something other than an ordinary person. Her blank past gives her all sorts of fascinating takes on life, she actively acknowledges the beauty and darkness of Shaar with unprecedented serenity. It's evidently in her nature to be caring and nurturing despite her initially overwhelming situation. Waking up with a "fresh start" is how she put it, and while she's able to rationalize away her predicament of amnesia relatively quickly, her compassionate nature and new role as Tatyana's protege win her a new set of challenges right away.

With her I'm sure to spend a great deal researching amnesia and possibly first-aid. The thing about Ivy is she, with her "fresh start" and generally positive attitude, is bound to be a first person narrator for the other characters throughout her chapters, which makes sense. I think she'll provide an unbiased or at least optimistic outside perspective on the war and Aaron and Zayra's relationship, among other things. But at the same time, I want to take her higher than this. She is, after all, another individual, and even without memories she experiences and learns and acts on impulse or emotion like we all do. I'm challenging myself to see how much I can develop her character while preserving her starting innocence and curiosity. Going over the first six characters in my head all week, I think Ivy's going to be rather popular, once you see her in action.

Character Sketch... Ashley Voltacore

A blonde revenge-driven princess. Hopefully not at all cliched.

Full Name: Velikaya Knyazhna Anastasiya Ashelika Oneysa Voltacore (Aka Ashley)

Born: Regios 7th, 6000

Skin: Fair

Hair: Golden Blonde

Eyes: Ice Blue

Height: 172 cm (5’8”)

Weight: 63 kg (140 lbs.)

Physique: Amazonian (With curves)

Posture: Elegant (She’s Royalty)

Despite the death of her parents, she’s had the entire world at her feet from a very young age. It wasn’t until the eve of her coronation on her ninth (equivalent to her eighteenth) birthday that she realized the true potential danger and treachery of her adoptive mother Tsarina Elaine. In the year afterward, she found herself alienated by her step-brothers and ostracized by all other contenders for the throne of Deltora, and honed her magic skills and gained the respect and loyalty of her own personal division of the armed forces. Generally beloved and admired by the military she feels powerless to stop the waves of fascism and imperialism sweeping her country to war, and is constantly concerned about the true extent of her subject’s loyalty to her.

As a witch, she’s bound by tradition to lead her own army into battle on behalf of her mother’s interests, and gets promptly swept aside and conveniently away from the intrigue and politics of Blackheart. She sees the war as just another bout of sabre rattling at first, but quickly comes to realize the apocalyptic potential once she meets Tatyana and comes to grip with the implications of the prophecy. She’s a skilled and graceful fighter, but hardly a bloodthirsty person, despite her naturally reserved personality she’s cordial and level-headed, even charming at times, and very aware of her physical beauty and intimidating status.

She’s had a hard time coming to terms with her harsh reality in the last few years, but has had to evolve fast to stay alive. She unfortunately is quick to judge and hard to read, letting few people, if anyone, know her inner thoughts. Around the time she meets Aaron her goal is initially to secure the throne of Deltora and thereby restore her birthright. As the war becomes an issue of global importance and the prophecy becomes real to her, she has to consider her responsibility to the human race if she’s to become a true ruler. She’ll always remain fiercely loyal to her homeland and the ideals of her father, who was a fair and just ruler, and is terrified by how hated Deltora is by its neighbors and enemies.

The only member of the royal family to abstain from supporting the Nexus party, she cites her father’s old fashioned morals and traditions as reason for avoiding corporate fascism. Despite her charitable nature and influence among the military and lower classes, this leaves her at odds with the more important members of Deltoran society, particularly the predominantly Nexus controlled parliament and the corporate class. It’s really a losing battle she’s fighting, but she’s yet to come to realize that the support of her few allies is hardly enough in the face of the the wave of the madness sweeping the nation. Call it naive, call it stubborn, but from any perspective but hers, it’s a miracle she’s still alive, and politically speaking, and even if she manages to subdue her rivals for the throne, she’d have no leverage over the massive Nexus party and it’s throngs of devotees in the general populace, who rely on the royal family simply to reinforce the party’s economic and political decisions.

Careful and cunning, Ashley represents the dream of stability and order in a mad world, and has the aura of a true leader, despite her age. She secretly wishes to pass the burden of her fate, and be a normal teenage girl for once. Her storytelling brings to mind Joan of Arc infused with Brunhilda.

Character Sketch... Aaron Wyeth

Initially a classic “insert self here” protagonist, I hope to give a least a slight twist to Aaron’s character. 

Full Name: Aaron Wyeth II 
Born: Gamelion 13th, 6001
Skin: Pale (subterranean)
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Height: 180 cm (5’11”) 
Weight: 68.03 kg (150 lbs.)
Physique: Lanky
Posture: Slouched 

Out of all the characters outlined thus far, Aaron might be the most relatable. After being orphaned by two very unlucky parents (father died in the mines, mother died of a heart condition) he grew up under utterly unexciting circumstances in a state-run orphanage. His hometown, Deepzeal, is one of the few egalitarian city-states on Shaar. Under a harsh collectivist government (think: communist dictatorship) concepts like money and class structure are supposedly removed. In reality a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy inconveniences the industrious mining town and leaves Aaron particularly jaded to rhetoric and propaganda. He’s fairly educated, but with few books to read and hours of mind numbing boredom in the orphanage his main concern at the start of Overture is what his course of action will be once he’s ineligible for shelter provided by the state. 
His looming adulthood and lack of ambition lead him to wander the streets at night in his few free hours between work and school. Virtually oblivious to the war before it comes right to this front door, he debates in his mind whether to follow his friends into the mines or chase after the disant dream of becoming an aviator. When presented with the ordeal of the war and meeting Zayra, respectively, his primary objective becomes survival. Once the dust settles however, he’s quick to try and become relevant to his alien situation, but largely gets swept along due to blind luck (or misfortune) and gradually, grudgingly, becomes indispensable to his companions. There’s not much to reveal for now, at least not without spoiling anything. I want to explore his disillusionment with adolescence and of course show the power of infatuation in the face of dire circumstances, and I think Aaron’s more the type to let a situation take control of him, rather than the other way around. In terms of narrative style I want his chapters to sound as contemporary as possible without ruining the cultural setting of Shaar, I look to the great gatsby or more likely mark twain for inspiration on how to narrate for a misguided adolescent male.

An advanced copy goes to whoever comments explaining my name first,
No.55