Protagonist profile: Phineas Cavendish

Phineas Cavendish

Role in Story: Main character

Occupation: Airship pilot (cab driver)


Physical Description: Phineas is a plain-looking man, a bit scruffy, with dirty blonde hair and a constant stubble of a beard. He keeps his clothing non-descript, in earth tones, as to not attract any attention.

Personality: Phin starts out as a quiet man, just looking to take care of his family. He builds toys and companions for his son, who is disabled.

Habits/Mannerisms: Phin tends to stay to himself. He spends a great deal of time in his tinkery, and is often seen doodling on scraps of paper, napkins, or any other odd surface he can find - working out his next tool or invention.


Background: He was born into a lower class family. His father worked on a train. His mother was a seamstress. Phin always wanted more in life, but eventually settled in to his role as an air ship pilot (cab driver), married and started a family.

Internal Conflicts: Phin has always been an obedient citizen. He has never made any waves. But now that his son is basically unable to walk without the prosthetics Phin has made for him, and there are no options he can afford to help his son, he is looking for a better way of life. He wants to set a good example, to be a good State citizen. Through the story, he finds that the best way to set an example is to break away from everything he knows.

External Conflicts: The external conflicts Phin experiences on a daily basis are the conflicts between The State and The Alliance. There are also external conflicts with his family - his wife wants to remain a loyal State citizen. His brother has secretly been with the Alliance for years.


Notes: Phineas is 40 years old. He married Ardriana (Ana) shortly after school. They have only one child, Moseley. Phineas once blew up an apartment the pair lived in early on with his experiments.
Phin’s brother Zenith is the bartender at Tangere, a local dive bar. The bar is a meeting place for members of The Alliance. This is where Phin finds the funding he needs to keep going with his experiments.