SEA OF GHOSTS: CHAPTERS PROLOGUE - 2

    These chapter by chapter blog posts will serve as a bank of notes and summaries, so that when it comes to designing a character, I can simply come here and do so. Each post will cover three chapters. Primarily, I have decided to focus on Sea of Ghosts by Alan Campbell. Starting from the prologue, (which is always a good starting point) my notes are below of both the chapter overviews and concluding character notes.

THE PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE SUMMARY

• Ida buys artefacts and potions from store.
• Imperial City of Losoto and underground Trove market introduced.
• Commotion in Trove Market leaves an aftermath and a girl.
• Imperial Troop appears highlighting the lonely girl is a dangerous Unmar.
• Ida attempts to prevent her killing.
• Unmar girl evades fire from troop.
• Argusto appear with dragon to protect girl and collect Yva’s addiction.
• Argusto fires arrow at Creedy, taking out his eye and nose and throws a sea bottle and escapes.
• Colonel is burnt and takes cover behind stall.
• Dragon takes sharkskin woman and attempt to attack troop.
• Colonel kills Dragon with a bullet in the mouth.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY

• The Sea Bottle is taken to Emporer Jilak Hu in the Great Halls.
• Warlords watch and guards separate - it is a huge event.
• Sister Mark and Hu have an ego battle - Hu looses an turns attention onto Granger,
• Granger defends his past, motives and ego - Hu loses again.
• Gravediggers leave to tend to Creedy, who is being treated to be welcomed with bad news
• Apprentice brings Mark's message, stating they are disbanded and face charges
• Granger, Creedy, Banks and Tummels plan escape.
• Stealing a boat, they see guards so they sneak around the coast - the sunken town.
• Granger finds "The Drowned!" in the water.
• Granger find canoes. they paddle their through buildings into open water
• Creedy spots a Trover and his boats. Attempts to rob him until Granger intervenes.
• Gravediggers reach the Dragon Hunter in the new boat and witness a dead dragon being loaded.
• Davy greets them, who is shocked by the party number
• Granger and Creedy take the suits available and set sea for Ethugra.  
• Banks and Swan stay to find the Trovers stash to make money for more suits.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY

• Granger and Creedy live in Prison City Ethugra 6 years later, with own prison.
• Sturggle ensues when funding stops and prisoners start to die,
• Granger opens floorboards and crawls into a storeroom and find a box.
• Creedy helps him back up when Granger loses breath due to exposure.
• Granger opens the tin box, inside is a book for prisoners and the doll the Unmar carried.
• Conversation between Granger and Creedy about how it speak and it's market value.
• Set off on stolen ship to collect new prisoner shipment.
• Creedy considers reuniting the Gravedigger to treasure hunt.
• Granger docks at Averley Plaza - lined with hardened Sharkskin corpses.
• Albaster Sound, the largest Hu commission prison ship arrives at dock.
• Creedy gets free tickets for two prisoners off the Albaster Sound.
• Hana and Ianthe appear. Hana recognises Granger, Ianthe is dragged away.
• Granger trades his prisoners for Hana and Ianthe and sale back to the prison.

CHARACTER NOTES

IDA (PEDESTRIAN): A very independent and imaginative woman. Elegant and curious, she enjoys soaking up the culture around her but in doing so, cannot resist temptation. Not much is mentioned about her attire other than a long skirt which is scuffled and burnt as a battle reaches its apex. Her traveling tendencies insinuates the upper class and riches - extravagant dresses? Slender? She is kind, brave and selfless.

UMNAR GIRL: A very small and timid looking Umnar GIrl. Wearing a flowing and extravagant blood red dress, she holds a bronze doll. With dark, mysterious eyes, living in the Umnar Ghetto in the foundation of the Imperial City, she is tattered and dirty - scuffed clothing and tattered hair and shoes?

ARGUSTO (BOWMAN): A magical and threatening foe for the Gravediggers. Elvish in his looks and attire, he uses a bow and arrow along with potions, magic and an accompanying dragon Yva to dispatch of his obstacles. With an elegant and flowing jewel studied attire, black breaches, sandles and well kept, tied back, white hair. Argusto has sharp features hidden by soft, complimetary make-up. He's glossy and misunderstood. He's a protector and a killer.

YVA (DRAGON): Clocking in at sixty feet long, Yva was once human, until magic manifested her beast form. Wearing an enormous white and silver plated suit of armour, Yva's wings span and glisten like a rainbow as her burning red eyes contrast with her elegant but powerful biological architecture. This dragon does not do things in halves with its bared white teeth that have succumbed to an unhealthy addiction to sharkskin and sea water.

PRIMARY PROTAGONIST - COLONEL THOMAS GRANGER: Granger has a large, dependable build that has worn over the years due to exposure to Brime. With a burn wound on his righ shoulder from a Sea Bottle, he has long dark hair and a chiseled face. Hes the leader of the pack, packing a Hand Cannon and a suit that must weigh a tone with the braces a buckles in such high quantities.

SERGEANT WILLIAM PATRICK CREEDY: Big and brauny, he is the bruit of the Gravediggers. His boxers face homes war wounds - a sharkskin jaw, a missing or fake eye and a missing ear. He has a Gravedigger tattoo on his hand which he proudly flashes with his overly cocky and confrontational ego. Top this off with the fact he has a large "Hand cannon" to match his brutish build and you have a Imperial that is berserk, but dependable.

PRIVATE MERRAD BANKS: The youngest of the Gravediggers. Banks, is least chiseled but the most observant. He can lead his way trough a wreckage blindfolded. He's the scout of the group and always has an answer to a difficult situation. With short dark hair, he's the obvious favourite of Colonel Granger.

ABLE SEAMAS GERHARD/SAWN TUMMEL: Practically identical in their features with their hook like noses and thin bodies, these two brothers are the long ranged teamplayers of the Gravediggers. Always bantering and acting the comedy duo, the Tummel Brothers seem expendable. They both have long, black and scruffy hair.

EMPORER JILAK HU: A relentless, cold and vengeful Emperor that is almost ghoulish in his looks. With a long, white face, powdery blue cheeks and a pointy chin. Hu is an old ruler with bitter motives.

SISTER BRIANA MARKS (THE WITCH): Young, blue eyed, slender and psychic. This witch is the top hired adviser of Hu. Independent in her ways, she a striking young woman with a strikingly dominating personally. Although a witch opposing the Unmars, she is friendly and warns the Gravediggers of the pending arrest.

THE DROWNED: Once humans, these underwater poltergeists more than likely were drowned by Trovers. Once exposed to the poisoned and rising waters. Their bodies die, then their personalities, until they wander aimlessly and eternally following those who trespass. Where they go, evil goes. Corpse like in their featues (skeletal, white skinned, withered skin and rotten), the glide underwater staring dead into the eyes of those who dare stare back.

PRIMARY PROTAGONIST - HANA (MOTHER): Battered and warn from the exile of the Albaster Sound Prison Ship. Hana is mother to Ianthe. With silky, long, jet black hair that covers most (but not enough) of the bruising and the dried bloody lip only resultant from a severe beating, or multiple there of. Hana wears torn and filthy peasant clothes - those fit for a prisoner. Her pale skin doesn't help her badly aged appearance either. Regardless, she's a strong souled woman who would take many more bruises to protect Ianthe.

PRIMARY PROTAGONIST - IANTHE (DAUGHTER): 16 years of age, Ianthe is a strikingly beautiful young girl that although adopts the same tired peasant-wear as her mother Hana, seems to wear the black hair, the olive skin and the pale blue eyes with more success. Her individual traits such as the full-lips, slender nose and the tiny bump on the bridge of her nose only offer a pleasant distraction from her stunted height and suspiciously well conditioned boots.

Sea of Ghosts (Gravedigger Chronicles 1) (2012) by Alan Campbell - £5.62

NEXT POST: SEA OF GHOSTS: CHAPTERS 3 - 5