Infamous outlaw, treasure hunter, and adventure seeker, Kel Aster is a native of the Shard of Zol and as such, is one of the ensouled categorized as extremely dangerous by the IEOU from birth due to his soulshaping potential. He spent the majority of his life offworld from Zol and raised by pirates through extraneous circumstances and once he returned home following a job, got stranded there as he was flagged as Zolian and no longer able to leave. While he has chased many treasures and adventures, his entire life has been spent in pursuit of The Seraph's Gift and has gathered various crews over the years to try and find it. His estranged wife, Mei Izumi, was once his partner in his search for this legendary treasure and together they spent nearly 15 years searching for it before she eventually gave up and focused on her promising career in the Expanse Vanguard.

Faction: Expanse Vanguard

Approach: Ninja

Archetype: Predator

Expanse Vanguard Ranger Class I Mei Izumi serves the Inter Expanse Order of Unity and is a specialist within the EV ranks. Her primarily directive is to seek out and apprehend the most dangerous outlaws in the Expanse to bring to justice and if that fails, to bring proof of their death. She has hunted serial killers, pirate kings, drug lords, and cult leaders from one end of the Expanse to the other and is given nearly complete freedom to pursue leads as she sees fit. Her last known location is on the Shard of Zol, where she is having her ship, The Emanator, refueled and repaired. She was previously hunting Captain Kel Aster, her estranged husband, due to the ridiculously high bounty recently put on his head, making him of interest to those within the IEOU and other prominent factions. After his death, she turned her attention towards hunting down his crew, which she blames for the event. Also, she REALLY loves coffee.

A mechanically gifted teen with a knack for improvisation and a heart worn very visibly on his sleeve, Tandrew scavenges parts from the Craigs and fuses them with dust science in ways he doesn't always understand. His tech and experiments are as unreliable as they are brilliant. His board is a rust-slicked, jet-boosted deathtrap that’s almost killed him twice—but in fairness, it did work once.

Tandrew just can't catch a break and has spent his life feeling unwanted by every group he's tried to be a part of for one reason or another, the most recent being his failed Graveyard Gamble iniation. He's is awkward, uncertain, and constantly trying to prove himself useful. He masks his insecurity with reckless stunts, techy enthusiasm, and half-failed pickup lines, mostly directed at Eloise, whom he's convinced is the angel of his destiny.

He's a good kid with a good heart though and a work ethic that would put most to shame...if only he weren't horribly clumsy and awkward, he may have gone further in life before.

A Path Painter III, Love and Rage Specialist Fatewright from the Shard of Veilruun. Potential ex of Mei Izumi, depending which one of them you ask.

Faction: Graveyard Gamble

Approach: Creator

Archetype: Overlord

In the winding alleys and haunted warrens of Crypt Market, there is no name more feared — or more whispered — than The Jack.

Beneath the crisp lines of an infernal-threaded suit and behind the wicked grin of a soul-bonded mask, Delemain DeCrux pulls the strings of Zol’s black market with machine precision and demonic fervor. His true face hasn’t been seen in years, and most believe even he no longer remembers what it looked like.

Born in the gutters of Crypt Market, DeCrux survived by gut instinct, ruthless ambition, and an uncanny gift for technology. Betrayal, theft, and murder were his tutors; survival of the fittest was his only creed. From scavenger to mob boss, DeCrux’s climb left a trail of broken bodies and broken trusts behind him — and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Today, as The Jack, he commands the Graveyard Gamble: the vast criminal network specializing in illicit Karami Anima trafficking, black-market Ensouled modifications, smuggling, and sabotage. His most prized possession is a Score — an impossibly rare item traditionally forbidden to Crypt Market’s underworld — and a symbol of his unbreakable will.

The Jack is rarely seen directly engaging threats. Instead, he acts through fleets of Karami Anima and Ensouled minions and his elite enforcers, The Aces. When he does take action personally, his attacks are swift, overwhelming, and terrifyingly efficient. Death is only one punishment among many he can deliver.

To DeCrux, loyalty is a currency more valuable than gold, and betrayal is an offense paid for in blood. Yet, for all his brutality, he is not reckless. The Jack is a strategist at heart — every piece on the board is moved with purpose, and every death is an investment in future dominance