C H A R A C T E R S
(Bios update as the story progresses)
The pronunciations below use the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Main Characters
Princess Wahida of Iona, aka "Dija"
The naive, younger daughter of the King of Iona. Wahida dreams of finding Suihira (/suːɪ'hiˌrə/ or /suː'hiˌrə/), the legendary City of Water. Destined to rule another kingdom as Queen, Wahida was sidelined by her parents, focusing their attention mostly on her older sister. This gave Wahida more freedom to pray to Akia, the goddess of water that created Suihira. Despite constant discouragement from those closest to her, Wahida continues to stubbornly pray to Akia. Her years of praying in solitude turned her passion for Suihira into blind obsession over Akia. Thus, when her prayers are finally answered, she does not hesitate to abandon everything in Akia's name. Upon meeting Serin and Leo, she addresses herself simply as "Dija" to disassociate herself from her royal family.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: Princess /wɑːˈhidə/ of /i'oʊnə/,
aka /'di-ʤə/
Age: 4, 8, 11, 13 (Chapter 1), 17 (Chapter 2-8), 18 (Chapter 9+)
Eye color: Dark blue
Random Facts: Normally, she speaks very quietly and has trouble looking people in the eye. She is also left handed.
Serin of Cagi
One of the young men who set up camp not too far from where Wahida spent her first night alone in the desert. Initially hostile, Serin and Leo believed that Wahida was used as bait for a malicious group to keep their guard down. When he noticed that Wahida's shoes were typically worn by wealthy city dwellers, or "bathers", he came up with the idea to discover her origins and return her for some quick money. However, once he learned the true nature of this "bather" and her journey to Suihira, he had second thoughts about turning her in and felt a personal responsibility to help her.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: /'sɛrɪn/ of /'Kægi/
Age: 20 (Chapter 3+)
Eye color: Dark brown
Random Fact: He is very close with his mother.
Leo of Pani
Serin's best friend and the son of a tavern owner. Though he's officially an employee of his father, he often tags along with Serin who supplies the tavern with chal. He was with Serin when Wahida found them at their camp and asked them for food. After Wahida declared she was journeying to Suihira in Akia's name, he immediately assumed she was either crazy or intoxicated. Upon learning she was Princess Wahida, he was thrilled about the idea of getting the reward. So much so, that he was willing turn a blind eye to the divine nature of his new "bather" friend. It wasn't until Serin declared how serious the situation that Leo realized that "something big" was happening indeed.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: /ˈlioʊ/ of /'pæni/
Age: 21
Eye color: Light brown
Random Fact: He has a slight lisp.
Supporting Characters
in order of appearance
Princess Hadima of Iona
Wahida's older sister and future Queen of Iona. She and Wahida shared a close bond as children, however, their relationship was forever tarnished after Hadima withdrew her support of Wahida's devotion to Akia. Though Hadima loves her sister dearly, her duties as Queen-to-be keep her from being with Wahida. Devastated about her disappearance, she's willing to journey into the desert herself to try to find her.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: Princess /hæ'dimə/ of /i'oʊnə/
Age: 8, 12, 15, 17 (Chapter 1), 21 (Chapter 2+)
Eye color: Dark blue
Random Fact: She likes drinking tea.
Queen Alda of Iona
Originally hailing from Cagi, she is Wahida and Hadima's mother and Queen of Iona. As an academic, she has slight difficulty balancing her duties as Queen and a mother. Despite this, she cares deeply about their futures as Queens, and was utterly heartbroken when Wahida vanished.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: Queen /'aldə/ of /i'oʊnə/
Age: Late 30s (Chapter 1), mid 40s (Chapter 2+)
Eye color: Dark brown
Random Fact: She loves studying history and geography.
King Zahi VII
Wahida and Hadima's father, husband of Queen Alda, and the King of Iona. Descendant of Zahi the First. His role as leader of the Desert keeps him from being with his family, though he shows concern for Wahida's obsession with Suihira and Akia. So much so, that he seems to be hiding the nature of Akia's relationship to the kingdom from his own family.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: King /ˈzɔˌhi/ the Seventh
Age: Mid 40s (Chapter 1), early 50s (Chapter 2+)
Eye color: Dark Blue
Random Fact: He had to begin ruling the kingdom fairly early after his parents both passed away from an illness that plagued Iona at the time.
Prince Eutimio of Iona
Formerly "Prince Eutimio of Turi (/'tɜri/)," he is Hadima's husband and future King of Iona. He is madly in love with Hadima, but he doesn't appreciate the fact that she kept the truth about Suihira from her sister for so many years.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: Prince /ɔɪ'timioʊ/ of /i'oʊnə/
Age: 19 (Chapter 1), 23 (Chapter 2+)
Eye color: Dark Brown
Random Fact: He enjoys watching cama races.
Prince Nicolai of Limae
Wahida's ex-fiancé and future King of Limae. While he does care about Wahida's well being, he was very reluctant to marry her and was pressured into doing so for the sake of having his descendants carry the bloodline of Zahi the First. His long-term romantic relationship with the head of his personal guard, Antoni (/ɑnˈtoʊni/), adds to Nicolai's anxiety in regards to his marriage with Wahida as well as his role as future King. When Wahida ran away, he initially thought it was solely because she no longer wished to marry him. He became so overwhelmed with worry and guilt, he fell ill.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: Prince /'nikoʊˌlaɪ/ of /'limeɪ/
Age: 18 (Chapter 2+)
Eye color: Dark Brown
Random Fact: If he weren't destined to rule his father's kingdom, Nicolai would pursue performing arts.
Human Apparition of Akia
A mysterious, womanly apparition that claims to be Akia. She appears before Wahida in the cavern beneath the temple. She says to Wahida that her devotion earned her the key to Suihira, and before disappearing, cryptically tells her to go to "...where water meets air, past where earth meets fire."
Extra Info:
Age: ???
Eye color: White light
Random Fact: The apparition is 8.5 ft (260 cm) tall.
Tadio of Cagi II
The current head of the Water Guard, a syndicate headquartered in Cagi that provides the Kingdoms of the Upper and Lower deserts with infantry and cavalry soldiers who specialize in protecting supplies of water. Tadio has a very strong fascination of anything involving the "Old World," the time before the Divine War. He funds his Old World technology revival efforts with the money from the Water Guard.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: /'tʰædiˌoʊ/
Age: Early 40s
Eye color: Hazel
Random Fact: His father's signature can be seen on this page. The document being signed was an agreement between Tadio of Cagi Senior and King Zahi VII to allow the water in Iona to be transported and sold by the Water Guard outside of Iona.
Pia of Cagi
Serin's mother. Pia had Serin when she was fairly young, and spent a large part of her son's childhood doing whatever she could to survive. She eventually learned how to run a cama ranch when she worked at one in Pani. With Serin helping her every step of the way, they started their own ranch which allowed them to modestly provide for themselves.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: /'piːə/
Age: Late 30s
Eye color: Dark brown
Random Fact: Her voice is the deepest in the entire cast.
Khepri and Geb of the Sun Kingdom
The sibling duo who are family friends of Serin and Pia. Citizens of the Sun Kingdom, their parents moved north near Cagi not too long before Khepri was born to be in a more central location for their occupation. As Geb and Khepri's parents travel the desert as cartographers, Geb stays home to watch Khepri. Geb is an aspiring map-maker themselves, but watching over Khepri has them slightly paranoid to stray too far from home. With Khepri being enthusiastic to go on adventures and see all the wonderful places their parents have seen, she has proven herself to be a bit of a handful to Geb. Regardless, they are inseparable.
Extra Info:
Name pronunciation: /kʰɛp'ɻi/, /'ɡɛb/
Age: 11, 24 respectively
Eye color: Dark brown
Random Fact: Khepri is the more religious of the two, and is especially fond of Terra.
Characters from Lore
Deities
A K I A
/ak'kiə/
Goddess of water and balance. Portrayed as a killer whale.
Akia engaged in the Divine War between herself and Ignis five hundred years prior to Wahida's time. The war caused the oceans of the world to vanish. Legend has it that Akia created the City of Suihira as a haven for her followers from the chaotic New World. However, despite centuries of prayer to Akia for the way to Suihira, or even the return of the oceans, the goddess has remained silent. Thus, many believe that Akia abandoned humanity.
I G N I S
/'ɪgnɪs/
God of fire and strength. Portrayed as a lizard.
Ignis fought Akia in the Divine War. He is the primary deity worshipped by the people in the Desert.
A E R U N
/'eɪrʌn/
God of air and wisdom. Portrayed as an eagle.
T E R R A
/ˈtɛrə/
Goddess of earth and virtue. Portrayed as an elephant