Writing Characters in Sigma AU
I create in-depth characters to show what’s happening in different parts of Sigma AU. They aren’t always part of the main story but exist to give context to how the world works in different areas. Some of these characters are expository—their role is to reveal history, consequences, or mechanics of the setting. Others are exploratory—their role is to push into unfamiliar territory and open new perspectives in the world.
Expository Characters
Expository characters are the ones tied into Sigma AU’s foundations, created to explain how its institutions, legacies, and scars function. They show the costs of war, experimentation, and survival.
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Etrius vanRandr — centerpiece of the Petrovich’s Legacy duology. His arc exposes Petrovich’s experiments, St. Petersburg under Ravenna, and the long-term consequences of Soviet remnant science.
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Ravenna Wildfire — also part of Petrovich’s Legacy, her tyranny in St. Petersburg shows what happens when Petrovich’s creations run unchecked.
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Voss — born from cult attempts to resurrect Ravenna, her very existence explains the lingering reach of Petrovich’s notes .
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Red Vorten — the official Russian counterpoint to Etrius, Ravenna, and Voss. Through Project Zvezda-14, she embodies Russia’s brutal black-site programs and the human cost of total erasure.
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Zoey Lavender — Sigma City’s mercenary fox, and Zayara’s direct opposition. She embodies the excesses of Sigma City, cybernetic survival, and the chaos that flourishes outside controlled systems.
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Queen Zayara — Zoey’s antagonist, an alien cobra whose obsession with genetic perfection frames the ideological clash between order and chaos.
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Zola Pozhar — Etrius’s wife, stranded from another universe. She explains how outside forces bleed into Sigma AU, and how magic competes with technology.
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Vladimir Petrovich — the architect of Etrius and Ravenna, he is the human face of Sigma AU’s legacy of experimentation.
These figures are expository because their stories directly explain why the world is the way it is.
Exploratory Characters
Exploratory characters are not about the foundation but the expansion. They are sent into uncharted regions of the world to show what life looks like beyond Sigma City and its core conflicts.
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Ilia Bluepaw — China’s engineered panda, showing post-nuclear PLA remnants and how transhumans operate outside Western frameworks.
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SaitÅ Benkei — Japan’s swordsman, blending martial discipline with transhuman design, exploring Japan’s recovery and traditions after WWIII.
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Vlasta Korolivska — Ukraine’s viper soldier, defected and wandering, showing how Eastern Europe’s battlefields shaped their own transhuman programs.
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Dozer — France’s contribution, providing insight into French survivorship and resilience.
These exploratory characters are built to answer the question: “What does Sigma AU look like outside Sigma City and St. Petersburg?”
Other Roles
Some characters don’t sit neatly in either category, existing more for context or personal reasons.
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Bestalsh — my own take on a deathclaw-like being
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Taylor Wolfe — my wife’s character, not heavily involved in-universe.