matt_doyle

Somewhat belatedly, I know...

Now for the rest of the cast – the crew and passengers of the flagship of the Prussian submersible fleet, the U-19 Nautisch:

Oknha Samnong Kek – heir to the throne of the Chakravartin Raj, Samnong Kek died of barium poisoning in 1895. Or rather, her body did. The finest minds in the Raj, collaborating with Zulu cyberneticists, built a proxy-duplicate of her original body, and found a way to copy her mind onto a series of punch-cards, and program that duplicate with her personality. Or at least, most of her personality. Samnong Kek has gradually found that her emotions and memories are more distant, and her need to feed on bioelectric energy has become a more and more vital part of her, an active hunger. She wonders: is she Samnong Kek? Or did that girl really die?

Yi Jeongjong – youngest and sickliest child of the previous emperor of Joseon, and the only surviving sibling of the current Empress, Yi Jeongjong is legally blind without corrective lenses. This proved to be the key to his success. His physician, in building him a set of glasses, sought to improve them (as the scientists of Joseon-Uchinaa tend to do with... well, everything, when given sufficient budget). When he included a hypnotic function in the glasses, Jeongjong took to using it at every opportunity to gain power in the minds of those around him – which to him meant respect and fear. Year after year. He proved so successful at this that soon was Joseon's chosen envoy – and his reputation for manipulation and ambition is known worldwide.

the Rebbe – an ancient wanderer, Rabbi Hilah is widely regarded to be the most innovative inventor in the world. Flying about in a bizarre ornithopter shaped like a flying squirrel, constantly training one apprentice or another, the Rebbe has a tendency to arrive unannounced at important events, do some tinkering using unorthodox science, and vanish again, often carrying off some young genius of good moral character with him.

Wolfgang Rassendyll Graustark of Cassel-Felstein – true heir to the Prussian throne and only survivor of his family, Wolfgang survives only because he was attending Oxford incognito at the time of the previous Emperor's death. Dodging assassins and laying low, Wolfgang has fallen in with a prominent cell of socialist agitators, and under his assumed name, Wolfgang Von Kramm, was press-ganged into being a sailor aboard the Nautisch.

Kriegsmarschall Siegfried Gottsreich – aging commander of the Fliegercossacks, now set over the Prussian navy as well, Gottsreich is a no-nonsense airman and the greatest stabilizing force remaining in Prusso-Zaporizhia. The various claimants to the Prussian Mechanothrone believe that if they can win over this staunch incorruptible, most of the obstacles between them and coronation will vanish. However, the Kreigsmarschall is not unaware of the political power he wields, and very cautious about how best to use it for his homeland.

Solomon Madiba – lecherous, avaricious, hedonistic half-brother to the Zulu Paramount, not to mention the Governor of Madagascar, this aging statesman was the driving force behind African unification. He has come out of retirement tonight not out of any concern for the expedition itself – but for a chance to decapitate the Carthaginian leadership, and reclaim their rebellious lands, bringing the continent back to the shape he prefers it.

Azalyn Jazhara – Solomon's bodyguard and field agent, Azalyn is a steam-cyborg. Generally fight-happy and enthusiastic, she is beginning to worry that her implants are outdated, and years of vacation on Madagascar have softened her edge. Tonight, she is looking for a chance to prove her worth and upgrade her capabilities.

Sekayi Shumba-Moyo – the primary government scientist for the Kingdom of Monomotapa, and now for the African Paramountcy, Sekayi believes himself to be the most under-rated genius in the world. Monomotapa's lack of resources means that rather than inventing new devices, most of his career has been spent brilliantly reverse-engineering advanced designs, or single-handedly dragging the country's technological infrastructure into the 1900s.

Monoshiri Nakajiru – trained in logic, mathematics, and theology, Nakajiru uses a combination of meditative discipline and pharmaceutical enhancement to channel ancestral knowledge and commune with the spirits of the dead. She is here tonight to bring this wisdom to bear, choosing the optimal course for Joseon-Uchinaa to follow.

Bakushi Nawashi – master of the art of domination, Bakushi Nawashi is a high-profile jail warden, here to oversee Yi Jeongjong and Ganya Ayize. Bakushi believes in constantly testing his will against that of others, and controlling and commanding every situation if possible.

Biqiu Baxia – an impatient genius of a Shaolin monk, Baxia was sent out to walk the earth in search of enlightenment, primarily because no-one at the Temple could bear his incessant questions and constant desire to know everything and master every skill immediately. A prodigy, Baxia believes himself to be slow and stupid, and is dissatisfied with anything less than perfection in his endeavors. Presently, he is apprenticed to the Rebbe, who is trying to teach him the hardest lesson of all: patience.

Jerzy Khmelnytsky-Tekeli – Cossack princess and warrior, Jerzy believes she has the right to ascend the Prussian throne, not because of blood but because of worth. A tireless politician and publicist, she is much-beloved by the troops, and has connections and backchannels everywhere – even in Tunguska, although she doesn't advertise that.

Ganya Ayize – a Zulu cyborg caught selling secrets to the Tunguskans, Ganya is arrogant and has no interest in peace, only in self-improvement by repeated violent tests to destruction. Currently aboard as a prisoner with inside information on Tunguska, Ganya has several cybernetic implants and Tunguskan grafts rendering her much less helpless than she seems.

Caz Lavrenti of Savoy-Bourbon-Welf – heir-apparent to the Prussian throne, Caz is a shallow socialite, acquainted with everyone in the upper echelons of power but apparently incapable of serious critical thought. While vain and supercilious, however, Caz would be quick to point out that this foppish veneer has allowed her to rise to the position of heir-apparent without ever once being targeted by assassins – who could object to someone this pleasingly malleable assuming power?