Characters

Ayalis Orki - An alternate Earth reality

Jasmine P. Antwoine

ORKI:

Bartholomew, born April 1884 Bartholomew Watters (father to the twins and Edwin)

The Watters are a family based around Hinsdale County, Colorado, USA; they are mainly farmers, live in small quiet communities; Bartholomew is charismatic, also liberal; he lived between humans, as one of the few orcs that attended college – with a major in Anthropology and a degree in psychology; he befriended a student of theology from England, Barnaby Thwaites II, cousin of Henrietta; As a student he went to London where he met his future wife Henrietta Sandridge

Henrietta, born August 1887 Henrietta Watters - born Sandridge (British, mother to the twins and Edwin, died protecting the babies)

Thomas Wilbur Sandridge and Letitia Joyce Sandridge are Henrietta’s parents. Letitia is a healer. Thomas Wilbur and lord Neville were good friends and colleagues at Oxford. After that the lord became a politician and reformatory party enthusiast. Thomas sustained him, thinking the orcs will receive a new status and acceptance in the new empire. But the lord did not keep his promises - he is stalling the orcs issue in Parliament and lobby groups (not a front refuse but stalling). Relationship became cold between the old friends, but not enmity. Until Josephine, lord Neville’s wife, became ill. The Lord seeks help from the Sandridges, knowing of their power. They refuse him and Jeanette dies – this is the time when the lord becomes the archenemy. He leaves the party and his only goal is to get back at his old friend and the orcs. The Sandridges are a conservator family; they don’t approve Henrietta and Bart being in love; The young couple flees to America;

Baxter, born December 1892 Sebastien Watters (Baxter) (uncle to the twins and Edwin): somehow innocent and good, but with a sense of dread; not a violent man, but can sometimes be very cold and distant;

Baxter’s power is telekinesis; he is an action man, that’s why he has this power; Baxter is also torn between two issues: his newly discovered love (Jasmine) and the need to take the quest he promised his brother. That is, between his needs (e.g. the prospect of a normal, happy life, a family, peace and quiet) and the needs of his people, the orcs (to save them all He does not believe in the prophecy and all the orki legends.

Edwin, born February 1908

Edwin (who is 17 at the present time) has a moment of lost when he betrays the family (he feels insignificant alongside the twins, after they are found by Baxter and Jasmine, he’s jealous because he feels unimportant, he gets manipulated by “The Eight”) but then fights for the family and dies, redeeming himself;

The twins, born on 21 March 1910, Spring Equinox The twins: Dorian and Dorotheea Watters (between them, they have a special power)

The prophecy about the twins: the twins will come of age and start a series of events that will forever change the life of orcs; The coming of age for the twins means their powers are about to erupt – at age 15; The twins finally summon their powers and escape to a parallel universe, with the entire family; Dorotheea has dreams that can reach between universes; she has them ever since she was a little child but could never make sense of them; her dreams depict a world different that the one she actually lives in; only recently she becomes aware that the dreams are not just that, but are glimpses into another very real world – she senses this in her heart and in her mind; Dorian will develop de ability to open a door towards this world Dorotheea sees; only working together they can save the orcs;

Oren and Aemilia van Caiseele (very-very old, wise, all-knowing sort of gurus from another orc family line, originally from Europe hide from humans, are very shy but once you gain their trust they offer support until the end;
Barnaby Thwaites II (theologian, friend of Bart from college exchange experience, Henrietta’s cousin) – he is an Ayalis Orki member; he arranges things in order for Bart and Henrietta to meet and become a couple; he wants to fulfil the prophecy, but in Ayalis Orki way
Nicasius Etienne de la Suus - leader of The Ayalis Orki

HUMANS

Jasmine Antwoine, born April1900 (Story teller, future fiancée of Sebastien)

Jasmine, the story teller, is an open minded and curious character; she wants adventure; she wants to be in, to know all, to experience; at first she is only attracted to this interesting young man (Baxter) for his looks and his air of finality, his air of power, of things that need to be done; as the story unfolds she is more emotionally involved; she has to choose sides, but is torn between her human condition and aspirations and the orcs way of seeing life; she considers she would have been more suitable for Bart then for Baxter because she can totally identify herself in Baxter’s recalls of his older brother; but the truth is that she falls in love with Baxter without being aware of the depths of her feelings; at the moment of choice, she will be lead to her choice by her powerful emotions/feelings; On another level, Jasmine is Devil’s Advocate: she totally understands his quest for bettering the human race (being an aspiring human too she can emphasize with Lord Neville Humphreys in a way that Baxter can’t – source of dissent between them;

Lord Neville Humphreys, Leader of the secret society “The Eight”

The archenemy of the orcs is Lord Neville Humphreys, the Leader of the secret society “The Eight”, a man initiated in the secrets of the world, coming from a rich family, wanting to discover and master the secrets of the orcs; The enemy is based on technological conquers, the humans use weapons and virtually any means necessary to achieve their goals – steampunk items; some technological advances were possible due to the study of orkiand thus they are very important Lord Neville Humphreys efforts to capture the twins and eliminate Baxter and other orcs; his personal vengeance: the orcs didn’t want to save his wife’s life, although they could have; that was the work of Henrietta’s father, Thomas Wilbur Sandridge (his wife had the healing ability but he wouldn’t let her work her power on the lord’s wife he fights for one reason: to get the human race to the next level of ability, to unlock the secrets only orcs know; he feels he should hold in his hands all the secrets and all the knowledge; he has everything but this and this is becoming an obsession;

Professor Charles H. W. Hillsdale He was a professor at the college where Bart went. A very bohemian character, somewhat distracted and loony; he befriended Bart having known previously about the story of the orcs; he is sworn to help Bart if needed;

GROUPS

THE EIGHT

The Eight (radical humans) – secret society that was founded by the eight most powerful families in England, back in the 1600’s with the purpose of maintaining British aristocracy bloodlines and possessions;was more like a country club before lord Neville joined and made a case against the orcs – shifting their attention and goal; leader: Lord Neville Humphreys; in 1916 The Eight gain influence on the prime-minister and is able to wage war against the orcs. He is accusing them of rebellion and conspiracy (due to the increase pressure of foreign affairs, colonial pressure on the empire, and shifts in power and alliances in Europe lord Neville is the head of the group, but can’t do anything without the support of the others. In 1916 he successfully manages to make the Sandridges fall out of grace, get them arrested and confiscate their possessions. He learns of the prophecy and travels to America./

Founder: King James the Second – around 1685 after the plot against him Members from notable families, loyalists: Duke of Grafton Euston Hall, Suffolk Duke of Rutland Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire Marquess Townshend Raynham Hall, Norfolk Marquess Camden Wherwell House, Hampshire Earl of Pembroke Wilton House, Wiltshire Earl Waldegrave Chewton House, Somerset Baron Harris Belmont House, Kent Baron Methuen Corsham Court, Wiltshire Lord Humphreys became member in 1906, but his ambition and skills made him executive director of the group. Still, he answered to the eight founding families.

The AyalisOrki (radical orcs, very few but powerful and influential within British orcs) – they consider that orki should rule the world, so that peace will be imposed, evil will be vanquished and everybody can live happily ever after; very conservative of the orcs way, the majority of them speak the archaic orki language; they want to impose good over humans and vanquish evil by sheer force and power; their leader is Nicasius Etienne de la Suus; member is Barnaby II Thwaites.

Extract from the Worldbuilding of The Stones of Ayalis