Name: Nomi Kouko

Talents:

• “Even under severe stress, I am still good at Scrambling and Healing”
• “Under moderate but not severe levels of stress, I am still good at Grounding and Decorating”
• “I am only good at Persuading, Pathfinding and Fighting under low levels of stress”

Quirks:

• Careful (0)
• Ship's Cat (+1) - my pet ferret, which is able to fit through quite narrow spaces
• Ally (+1) - Samuel Peake and I hit it off during the voyage
• Resilient (+1)
• Letters (+1) - my daughter has written to me recently to tell me how her degree is progressing
• What Could Possibly Go Wrong (-2)

Background:

Nomi Kouko is an accountant and amateur botanist, visiting Scotland on a must-needed holiday. She had a difficult childhood - her parents died in a road accident when she was 11, leaving Nomi to provide emotional support for her two younger brothers.

Nomi is now 50. Following a messy divorce, her only close family is her daughter, Mitsuko. During Mitsuko's past year at university, the two women have frequently exchanged letters.

Public bio:

During the voyage, Nomi Kouko could often be seen gazing out to sea or with her nose deep in Wildflowers of the Hebrides, but rarely seemed interested in talking to anyone. She has a pet ferret.

Character questions:

• “What do you hope people think about you?” - I hope people think of me as a kind person.
• “What are you afraid people might think of you?” - I am worried that people will see me as aloof - I'm just shy!
• “What is the one thing that no-one can take away from you?” - my love for my daughter.

Name: Izaak Trzaska

Talents:

• “Even under severe stress, I am still good at Planning and Assessing”
• “Under moderate but not severe levels of stress, I am still good at Fighting and Coordinating”
• “I am only good at Sneaking, Persuading and Pathfinding under low levels of stress”

Quirks:

• The War (+1) I picked up a lot of experience keeping cool under pressure as a leader in the Great War. Plus I'm really good at waterproofing my boots now.
• The War (-1) I can never forget what I experienced in the trenches of the Somme. I still hear the sound of shells and screams of my friends as vividly as though it were yesterday.
• Unphased (+1) Nothing can be worse than the War.
• I'm Glad I Packed This (+2) I normally carry matches around to light cigarettes, I'm glad I keep them in a watertight box.
• Letters (-1) It's been 15 years but I can't let go, I still carry around some letters from my first love.

Background:

Born in London to Polish parents, Izaak's childhood was relatively peaceful. Once the war broke out he, like many young men, enlisted. He served on the front for almost a year, gaining a reputation for being markedly calm and capable in the face of the horrors of the war. Despite the trauma of the war, he was able to find some happiness in the form of a romance with his fellow soldier, Theodore Silver.

After being injured he was sent back to Britain, where he continued to exchange correspondence with Theo. Tragically, a few months before the close of the war he received the news that Theo had died. While he was able to move on with his life enough to build a career in the civil service, he never really recovered from the loss of his first love, feeling in part as though his death could have been averted if he had been there.

He currently lives in an apartment in London with two cats and makes a habit of having tea every Sunday with his next door neighbour.

Public bio:

Mr Trzaska is a civil servant travelling to the Hebrides 'for pleasure'. He appears to take very little actual pleasure in this, but mentioned at one point that he hasn't taken any holiday in 5 years and his boss was getting worried.

Character questions:

• “What do you hope people think about you?” — I hope that people think of me as a competent and reliable person.
• “What are you afraid people might think of you?” — That I made the wrong choices and damaged more people than I could save.
• “What is the one thing that no-one can take away from you?” — My determination to do what's right, even if it's not what's pleasant.