Seek: 3 - Overall Premise and Jael

Jael: not the exact look I was going for,
but the old-ish but still strong man in a
cloak is somewhere close to what I was
thinking. The feathers also tie into an idea
that I've been toying with for a while,
though they would likely be a cape rather
than shoulder ornaments.

Overall premise: Jonah Cross is an average kid growing up in the jungle megalopolis of Khaios when he is selected to attend an elite, government-sponsored school where he will learn the secrets of the Onim--advanced elemental technology left over from the days of the Founders, who created Khaios and the other great cities, now in ruin. Just weeks before his eighteenth birthday, Jonah is conscripted into the Salamander Legion, an elite military strike force, but time soon reveals that a very different path lies ahead for him: a path that will take him far from the walls of Khaios as he seeks to understand truth and find his place in the world. He embarks on an epic journey of discovery and wonder, finding friends in unexpected places, unlocking the mysteries of the past, uncovering devious plots, and coming to understand the true meaning of love and sacrifice as he forges his own path to truth.

Jael: Kaiya's father. He was once a powerful political figure in Khaios but was driven out by opponents and had to make his way on his own. He was taken in by the village of Secra, where he was initially spurned but later gained respect and garnered a strong following among the local villagers. At his behest, groups of Resistance members and refugees began exploring the ruins of the western canyon city, Shibboleth, and ten years later, the city had been born anew, a haven for Khaios's outcasts and enemies. As news of the city's revival spreads, more and more people flock there from all different cultural backgrounds and climes, a reality that serves as a constant source of conflict and worry for Jael, who serves as one of Shibboleth's nine elected councilors and who sees the success of the city as his personal responsibility.

Seek: 2 - Kaiya

One day, I will know how to draw...
And shade...
Until then, you get this.

Kaiya is seventeen years old. She has dark hair, tan skin, and blue eyes. Her father, Jael, is from Kaios, and her mother, who died giving birth, was born in the village Secra, just southwest of Kaios. Kaiya grew up in Shibboleth, a ruined city among the western cliffs that was only recently resettled by Kaios's castaways--an amalgam of refugees, rebels, political agitators, and adventure seekers. Kaiya and Jael are in Secra at the time of the Salamander Legion's raids, and Kaiya is the one who rescues Jonah as he flees from the Watcher patrols following his escape from Kaios. Kaiya's initial response is one of revulsion when she realizes that she has just saved the boy whom she believes burned down her relatives' hut in Secra during the previous day's raid. Jonah explains himself, and she believes his story. "I don't want to believe you, but I feel like you're telling the truth."

When they get back to Secra, though, the villagers don't accept Jonah at all. An old woman recognizes him from the night of the raid and spits on him in disgust. Kaiya stands up for Jonah, but the old woman is adamant and incites the villagers to anger: "He can't be trusted. You're endangering us all in having him here. He is not one of us, and his presence can bring only sorrow." Kaiya: "He was running from the soldiers. He belongs here just as much as my father belonged when he first came here." Old woman: "You mark my words: the soldiers will come back, and it will be on your head!" The crowd erupts in shouts, and Kaiya and Jonah retreat to a makeshift shelter that Jael and the other men are setting up. Jael suggests that Kaiya and Jonah go ask Kaiya's grandmother for advice, so they set off for the southern swamps while Jael remains to try to placate the distraught villagers and complete repairs on the village, which is in shambles after the raid.