The Sheikh

16

Sheikh Aarav Stockstill 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. He possesses an airship called “The Equinox.” “The Equinox” is a state-of-the-art hybrid vessel which can double as an airship, making Aarav’s crew formidable in battle.

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.

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.