Character guide

Captain Spade

major

Also known as Spade, Thomas Roch

The Ebba's silent, iron-willed commander, whose unerring seamanship and uncanny signalling apparatus make him Ker Karraje's most trusted hand.

Thomas Roch

major

Also known as Roch

A French inventor of a devastating secret weapon, whose brilliance flickers in and out of madness while pirates and governments circle his fulgurator.

Engineer Serko

major

Also known as Serko, Mr. Serko

Ker Karraje's polished, mocking lieutenant, an engineer whose cool irony and sharp mind make him the most dangerous man in Back Cup.

Ker Karraje

major

Also known as Karraje

The legendary pirate who vanished from the Pacific with a fortune in plunder, now ruling a hidden island fortress under a nobleman's false name.

Count d'Artigas

major

Also known as Count, Monsieur the Count

A mysterious nobleman whose yacht Ebba glides on an inexplicable motor, and whose curiosity about Thomas Roch hides a far darker purpose.

Simon Hart

major

Also known as Mr. Simon Hart, Mr. Hart, Hart

A French engineer posing as warder Gaydon at Healthful House, whose quiet vigilance over Roch becomes a desperate fight for survival and escape.

Gaydon

supporting

Also known as Warder Gaydon, Mr. Gaydon

Gaydon is a warder at the Healthful House who is swept into captivity when Simon Hart is abducted, sharing his cell and his fate aboard the mysterious Ebba. Stripped of any rights by the imperious Captain Spade, he bristles at being silenced and vows that his protests will one day be heard. His stubborn refusal to submit, and his keen observation of the schooner's inexplicable maneuvers, make him a crucial witness to the strange machinery and secretive crew that carry the prisoners toward Back Cup.

Lieutenant Davon

supporting

Also known as Davon

Lieutenant Davon commands the submarine Sword, stationed at the Bermudas, and has spent months experimenting with it for exactly this kind of covert operation. Having found Simon Hart's message in a keg, he penetrates the lagoon under cover of darkness, driven by duty and a quiet urgency to snatch Roch before the pirates return. His arrival transforms Hart's captivity from a dead end into a desperate gamble, and his calm competence in the face of Ker Karraje's absent tug raises the stakes of the rescue attempt.

Ebba

minor

Also known as the schooner Ebba

The schooner used by Count d'Artigas for kidnapping and piracy.

Effrondat

minor

Also known as Boatswain Effrondat

A boatswain serving under Lieutenant Davon on the Sword.

Gibson

minor

Also known as Driver Gibson

A driver at the Healthful House who assists in the kidnapping.

The Sword

minor

Also known as Sword

A French torpedo boat that engages the pirates in battle.

Back Cup

minor

The name of the pirates' hidden island fortress.

The Falcon

minor

Also known as Falcon

A ship mentioned in the narrative, possibly a pirate vessel.