Joel Leonard Ross

Grade:    10th (pt. I), 11th/2nd year (pt. II)
Birthday:     May 4th, 1976
Relatives:     Vince Ross (father), Christine Ross (aka Princess Christina, mother, deceased), Laura Ross (step-mother), April Ross (Half-sister)
Hair style:     Light brown, medium-length, wavy
Eye Color:     Blue
Height:     5'11"/181cm
Build:     Athletic
Likes: Music, soccer, girls,
Dislikes: Hard work
Strong subjects: Science
Weak Subjects: none especially weak
10th grade elective: Chemistry
11th grade electives: Physics, Obdresti Literature

Elise Entéa Shevariet
(Pronunciation note: [ipa] shĕvɑɹi.ˈɛt; rhymes with "net")

Grade:    1st year (pt. I), 2nd year (pt. II)
Class (pt. II): 2-C
Relatives:  2nd oldest of 5 siblings, both parents living
Hair style:     Black, wavy to mid-back
Eye Color:     Dark Blue
Height:     5'7"/170cm
Build:     Slender
Dream for the future: to get a government job and support her family
11th grade electives: Chemistry, Advanced Honors English
Clubs: Student Council (2nd year class representative)
Part-time job: Convenience store clerk at Jordi's

Gwendolyn Mallory

Grade:    2nd year (pt. I), 3rd year (pt. II)
Class (pt. II): 3-A
Hair style:     Dark red (magically enhanced), wavy to upper back
Eye Color:     Green
Height:     5'5"/165cm
Build:       Athletic
Distinguishing features: freckles
Dream for the future: to become a great actress

Tess is a first-year student and Violet's classmate and best friend; they both are members of the tennis club for PE.

She is the 1st year representative to the student council.

Kai is a second-year student at Queen Sara Memorial Academy, and Jack Allard's best friend, as well as a close friend of Amy Lee. 

He is Legatus Hina Matsumoto's nephew.

Jack Allard is a second-year student at Queen Sara Memorial Academy, and Kai Matsumoto's best friend.

He is on soccer team, and has a younger sister named Tika who is a new first-year student. 

Mina Fremis is a 2nd year student; she is an international transfer from the Great Kingdom, and on a scholarship.

Special Agent Helen Delgado is an officer in the US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service; she has chief responsibility for the security of the US side of the Gate and the anchor which allows it to open.

Richard Hull is a foreign service officer in the US Department of State who was tasked with increasing trade relations with the Empire of Feldaren/Union of the Etciv when the opportunity presented itself because of the mission to retrieve Joel.

He was the second American through the Gate in 1992, and in setting up the trade mission in Feldaren is effectively a charge d'affaires and definitely not an ambassador (as the US government as a whole does not recognize the Gate, or the world on the other side of it, as physically existing which would preclude formal diplomatic relations.)

Special Agent Thomas Morgan is an officer in the US Department of

State's Diplomatic Security Service with extensive experience with personal protective duty.

11th grade student at William Jenning Bryan High School, honor student, and member of the girls softball team.  Attends sports camp over the summer.

Childhood friend of Mark's, and knew Joel in elementary school before his family moved.  Now a year ahead of Mark.

10th grade student at William Jennings Bryan High School.  Perhaps a bigger nerd than Mark, but more comfortable about it. President of the "Action Movie Appreciation Society."

Cory Nement

Grade:    2nd year (pt. II)
Class:  2-A
Hair style:     Dark brown
Eye Color:     Dark brown
Height:     5'7"/172cm
Notable features: wears glasses
Electives: Physics, Advance Honors Chemistry

In Pt. I, Diane was a third-year student at Queen Sara, and the outgoing student council president. 
In Pt. II, is a first-year college student studying law.

A third-year student, Anson is the student council president.

A coeducational, selective independent school (partially-state-funded) in the suburbs of the City of Feldaren; roughly 10km south of Riverside Station.  Serves grades 7-9 in the Lower School and 10-12 in the upper school.

Admission is by competitive examination, or sponsorship by certain affiliated entities including the Imperial Ministry of Education.

Named for Queen Sara of Penrose, who lead the Great Kingdom during the second Slave War, and who donated the initial endowment in thanks for the young men from Feldaren who died in the war.  Moved to its present location, started receiving some state funding (primarily for scholarships) and became co-educational, after the Wizards' War.

Total enrollment of about 1600 (650 in the lower school, 950 in the upper.)

Head of School: Dr. James Mittari
Dean of the Upper School: Henry Jerdew

A (fictitious) highly-selective, co-educational 7th-12th grade high school located in Manhattan, NY, with students commuting in from all 5 boroughs.

Named after William Jennings Bryan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan ) a progressive 19th and early 20th Century US politician from the US great plains.

Inspired by real highly-selective public schools in NYC.

The largest nation in western continent of the Etciv, consisting of almost all human-occupied lands west of the Urbesi' mountains.  Founded around 1500 (Earth Calendar) by Marcus I "The Conqueror" having lead the Apprentice's Revolt and taking over the City and Duchy of Feldaren. 

Located in the relatively lower-mana central plains of the continent, Feldaren has lead the world in technical development since even before the Newcomers arrived. 

Founded immediately after the Wizards War, the Union of the Etciv is a semi-sovereign, federated group of nations comprising the Empire of Feldaren, as well as several smaller nations, mostly along the Eastern and Southeastern coasts (notably Celanon, Allowyr, Behele and Pandac) as well as the island nation of Wu and Chu.

Notable nations not part of the union are the Kingdom of Fenrik, and the Eastern and Western Urbesi mountains, all three of which enjoy observer status in the Union Senate.

Obdrest is a large island nation off the southwest coast of Toyeri.

A nominal absolute monarchy, Its present king is Philip V.  In practice, the major noble families have significant power.

The western continent, somewhat analogous in geographic position to North America although shorelines and climate differ substantially.

Home to the Union of the Etciv, as well the mountains inhabited by the Urbesi, as well as off the coast the unaffiliated island Kingdom of Fenrik.

The human-occupied part of the Eastern continent; the name translates roughly to "Place of Men" in Old Imperial.  Home to the the Great Kingdom of Kala and Penrose, and the slave-holding Priest-Kings' nations of Shir and Zir.  Obdrest is a large island nation off the Southwest coast.

The two main languages are Old Imperial (unrelated to any Earth language) and New Imperial, which is closely related to Latin and presumed to have been brought from an alternate Earth.

This can refer to either:

The Gate itself - a magical portal which cycles between an apparently-infinite number of alternative Earths; it can be manipulated (somewhat) and can reconnect with worlds when a magical anchor has been detected.  

Where the Gate is located - operated by the Brotherhood of the Gate, a small fortified town is built around the Gate to conduct research on its phenomenon and to keep it safe.  The land around it was ceded to the Brotherhood by the Empire of Feldaren, and the town is nominally an independent territory.

Urbesi - sometimes called "dark elves," are the inhabitants of major mountain ranges largely separating the central plains, from the eastern and western coastal areas.  Generally friendly to humans, but protective of their territory and generally secretive. 

They are subterranean-adapted bipedal mammals, virtually hairless, typically shorter and thinner than an adult human (between 1.3-1.5M tall), with extremely large eyes and ears, and very pale skin (sometimes thin enough to be colorless.)