Following are short biographies of each significant character from the Firebend Chronicles​ series. I’ve presented them in approximate order of appearance, and I’ve tried not to give away any plot points.

• Newt: Newt is the codename for Pneumatic Technodroid, or Pneut, for short. He is the invention and personal companion of Nick Massey, who relies upon the palm-sized robot for just about everything he can. Newt ‘speaks’ in mechanical sounds, and Nick can usually tell what he’s saying. Though some of the technology that Nick used to build Newt is maybe just a little bit illegal, Nick’s not letting anyone take the little guy away from him.

 

• Nicodemus (Nick) Massey: Nick is an inventor, a dreamer, an optimist, an historian, and fascinated by just about everything–especially technology from before the Blast. Absolutely brilliant, though he possesses only a basic education, he knows more about electronics, programming, and technology than any person living in a world where electronic devices are banned has a right to. He’s self-taught in just about every subject that he knows, kicks serious butt with his brown belt in taekwondo, and can achieve pretty much anything to which he sets his mind. His free spirit and innovative imagination definitely don’t belong in the restrictive dome city into which he was born.

 

• Lysander (Zander) Pennington: Born and raised in the Fringe, Zander is the cynical, realistic counterpoint to Nick’s boundless idealism. He’s smart and capable, rugged and practical, and a lethally-accurate sharp shooter. Zander has never even seen a city dome, much less been to one, and he likes it that way. Life in the Fringe is exciting enough for him. Serving as Al’s business partner, mine foreman, head of ranch security, design and test engineer, facilities manager, and anything else for which his skills are required, Zander is a no-nonsense jack-of-all-trades and Al’s right-hand man. The only subject area about which he’s uncomfortable and unfamiliar is technology. That’s why he needs Nick.

 

• Alina (Al) Dawkins: As the owner of the most valuable property in Firebend and the largest, most productive melihtelite mine, Al has her hands full with just trying to keep her small workforce safe. Amid the constant threat of raids by hired thugs, the hazards of mining a volatile mineral, and the harshness of Fringe life in general, it’s a wonder that Al has any time to build the complex machines that she invents. Fortunately, she has an uncanny knack for hiring the best, most capable men to help her out. After taking over the business from her late father, Al is determined to continue his legacy and help make Firebend a safer place.

 

• Wraith: A reckless, ambitious inventor, Wraith was severely injured in a lab explosion when he was young. Now he hides his disfigured face behind a mysterious and intimidating mask and uses his fathomless genius to take out his bitterness upon the world around him. He wants power. He wants dominance. But, most of all, he wants respect for his brilliant ingenuity and his breathtakingly intricate, innovative devices. He will no longer tolerate the ridicule and derision that he’s suffered for too many years. The world will either give him the accolades that he deserves, or it will suffer at his hands.

 

• Micah (Wyvern) Wyndham: Wyvern is a man to be noticed. He’s not tall, but he’s beautiful and cunning and charismatic. The huge mechanical wings grafted to his back don’t hurt his visibility either. No one knows how Wyvern got his wings. Heck, no one even knows his real name. And Wyvern’s not about to share either of those pieces of information. No, information is what he hoards and doles out only for the right price. In his role as temporary personal companion and server at the Firebend tavern, information is not something that’s difficult for him to collect. But, while Wyvern has no shortage of company, friends, or excitement in his life, no amount of casual companionship will give him what he truly wants–safety, stability, love.

 

• Wesley (Wes) Maxwell Sterling: A bona fide Fringe celebrity, Wes practically owns the sky. He and his airship, the Sterling Wish, are known far and wide, and people turn out in droves wherever he lands. He's an accomplished airman, an innovative engineer, and a brilliant mechanic. Though his business acumen leaves something to be desired, he's managed to make a life for himself doing exactly what he loves. Yes, the transient life of an airship captain constantly working the air show circuit is solitary and lonely, but Wes can't imagine that there's any sane person who would follow him willingly into a life of unknowns. As a man accustomed to living life at the whim of the wind, he's learned how to rely only upon himself, even when he wishes for more.

 

• Vince Thatcher: Vince is a man who knows what he wants and he'll stop at nothing to get it. Every obstacle and roadblock is an opportunity to assert his dominance. There's nothing that he craves more than to lord over his perceived domain. Heaven help anyone who gets in his way. Even his group of close friends is only classified as such because he's manipulated his way into being their leader. It will take someone of great integrity and strength of character to put this bully in his place.

 

• Dr. Alexander (Alex) Merlin King: As one of the world's foremost archaeological experts on Arthurian legend, Alex was born to discover the truth behind the ancient myth. His life is lived on the move, traveling the world in pursuit of his next lead, and his only companion is his pet monkey Gwen. An easygoing, friendly native of the southern hemisphere country of Meridonia, Alex is worldly, highly intelligent, street smart, and fluent in several languages. Though he longs to find someplace that feels like home, he learned long ago not to rely upon anyone or anything other than himself. He's the only one in charge of his destiny, and he's determined to discover the proof that he's been chasing for his entire career.

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• Guinevere (Gwen): Gwen is named after the Guinevere of legend and has been Alex's constant companion since he rescued her from poachers. She's crafty, fearless, and indispensable in getting Alex out of tough spots. Steadfastly loyal, she refuses to leave Alex's side, serving as his supplementary conscience and reminding him that he has responsibilities beyond his work.

 

• Dr. Seth Porter: A former classmate of Alex's, Seth is now rivals with his one-time friend. The competition between them keeps them chasing each other around the world, hunting the same artifacts. The difference is that Seth's motivation is fame and profit, rather than academic validation. Seth is endlessly resourceful, exploiting his well-cultivated network of worldwide contacts to stay informed. He pays top dollar to be connected to the best sources and he uses everything at his disposal to get ahead. He can't let Alex get there first.

 

• Taggart Sheridan: Taggart is stuck in Firebend, without the means or motivation to explore beyond his unexciting life as a server at the tavern. Mired in thankless work, he has little hope of ever fulfilling the dreams he once had. While others move on and escape the drudgery, Taggart is left behind. He wanted to be a writer. But no one would ever want to hear the dull stories of a life unlived. Taggart has no experience with the world. With his daily obligations and crippling social anxiety, he doesn't have much chance of obtaining any either. It will take someone with much more confidence than Taggart has to drag him out of his comfort zone and show him that the world doesn't end in Firebend.

 

• Emory Linsey: Trapped, both literally and figuratively, by the fraught circumstances ruling his life, Emory can't escape the consequences of all the bad choices he's made. He knows what he's done is wrong, but no amount of guilt or remorse will erase the crimes he committed under Wraith's name and anonymity. Though he wants to change, everyone around him is determined to chain him down and hold him accountable for Wraith's atrocities forever. The doctors at the sanatorium are supposed to help him heal and find his way back to the civilized world, but they all seem more interested in making him into the monster he so desperately wants to vanquish. If he can't figure out where Wraith ends and Emory begins, then there's no hope for him to find the happiness and peace he wants more than anything else in the world.

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• Dr. Gabe Norris: Accomplished and respected, Gabe's built an enviable career as one of the top dream therapists in the psychiatric field. He's handsome, athletic, and witty, with a thriving practice and more accolades than he can count. He might have had a little inside help on his way to the top, and obligation might keep him firmly under its grasp, but his days are orderly and predictable, just the way he likes them. He's got too many commitments to think about how he wants more, how he craves freedom from his academic quagmire. But when the opportunity to help someone who truly needs his expertise falls in his lap, he discovers just how far he'll go and how much he'll risk on the unknown.