Cast
Cora Grey: The eldest of two girls, born in the little Territories town of Vell nearly eighteen years ago. Cora is bookish, romantic, and tends to have a knack for balking society’s rules. Though she’s Alderclass, she’s been known to associate herself–much to the displeasure of her father–with underclass boys, including her best friend Brick Smithson. But laws in the Territories are a little more lax than in Queensland, and for the most part, the townfolk–including the resident tinkerer and engineer Professor–tolerate her behavior.
While her father, Alderman Alistair Grey, is called away on Aldermoot, the Order of the Oak mysteriously appear during the Blooming Day Festival Dance. One the eve of realizing just how much she loves Brick, she’s plunged into an adventure she never expected though, certainly, had always dreamed of.
Gemiver (Gem) Lesley: For most of her life, Gem has been a servant in the Grey household, following in the footsteps of her father before her. For the most part, she puts up with Cora’s fantasies, and penchant for getting herself in over her head. By all accounts, she’s a strong, quiet girl, who works hard to get her job done, and to do it well.
But when the Order of the Oak arrive in Vell, she has to choose between the face she’s worn most of her life, and the face she’d hidden in secret since she was six. She helps Cora on her way to unexpected places, and proves a most important resource in the weeks to follow.
Brick Smithson: More widely known as just Brick. His last name is more of a formality since he is, quite literally, the son of the resident blacksmith of Vell, Jeck. Brick, while underclass, enjoys a close friendship with Cora Grey which has, up until recently at least, been tolerated by the townsfolk for the most part. While he’s technically an apprentice to his father, Brick also does work off-hand for Professor, the town’s resident tinkerer and inventor extraordinaire. When the Order of the Oak come to town, he’s informed they want him as a page, to leave Vell forever with the chance to become a knight.
Professor: Known simply as Professor, the diminutive resident inventor of Vell is wreathed in a bit of mystery. Standing a little over three and a half feet, and favoring suspenders and trousers, the folk in Vell tolerate her mostly due to her ability to make their lives easier. Some of her larger-scale inventions include a cistern system, town-wide fire alarm, and a variety of improvements to guns. Alderman Grey, in particular, values her contribution to the town, and for the most part she’s left to her tinkerings. It’s rumored that she once used to work for the Queen, and was relocated to Vell after a falling out.
Emry Roy: When Emry left Dunlee Academy on the Isle of Mor, the great Barding school, he was revered for his perfect ear and mastery of over a dozen instruments. In his last year of apprenticeship, before becoming a full-fledged Bard, he was sent to Queensland to seek the Queen’s instructions. He had expected to be sent to one of the more remote islands int he north but, instead, was sent to the Territories to hone his craft. But when he arrives in Barnet, the town of his assignment, he’s received with disdain and told to sleep in the stables. He finds himself a friend in the Innkeeper’s daughter Sera, but with consequences he never imagined
