Characters
…..and how they fit into the narrative : please see visuals in Rainbow Warriors gamebook download
THE HERO(INE) – TUMBLEWEED is a wish who falls to earth, the eternal child in all of us. ( The Rainbows Child Theme 1 )
THE VILLAINS
ZED, THE LEADER OF THE GREEDIES, (“the bitter end”) is an evil mastermind with a scarred face from the nuclear meltdown of her nuclear reactor plant, which caused widespread devastation on Earth. This catastrophe led to a human evacuation program orchestrated by the Greedies, in which human survivors were transported to the Space Habitation Entity in the fourth dimension. They left behind a ravaged Earth planet which has been deserted for at least 60-70 years. ( Heart of Darkness )
GREEDIES 1-7:
The head honchos of the clone army of Greedies on S.H.E. are mutants with 1 distorted physical characteristic each e.g. one very large foot/ear/eye/ nose/hand etc., These are modern day “7 deadly sin” characters. ( The Law of More Cast NSA 2001 )
SUPERBIA : EYE (PRIDE, VANITY )
IRA : HAND, FIST (WRATH , ANGER)
INVIDIA : FOOT (JEALOUSY, ENVY)
AVARITIA : MOUTH (AVARICE, GREED)
GULA : STOMACH (GLUTTONY)
ACEDIA : EAR (SLOTH, LAZINESS)
LUXURIA : NOSE (LUST)
THE WISE ONES are in opposition to the Greedies.
Their leader OTILLO is an environmental activist, kidnapped by ZED to live on the Space Habitation Entity. Previously romantic partners, but they disagree so significantly that they later despise one another ( Surprises instrumental 2 ) Before he disappears from his artist’s studio on S.H.E. (apparently on a last voyage to his fragile home planet), OTILLO give to his grandchildren JEROME & ELEKTRA a scrapbook/diary which he has kept over the years. ( A Special Place NSA 2001 )
It is approximately the year 2090, and a new generation of children has grown up on S.H.E. , oblivious of their Earthly origins until they access the archive data in a secret file of S.H.E.’s data reserve. JEROME sees old Virtual Reality footage of Earth and wishes fervently to be there, Tumbleweed falls to Earth, and our Rainbow story begins…
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CREATURE CHARACTERS and how they fit into the narrative : please see visuals in Rainbow Warriors Gamebook download.
Click on the coloured titles below to hear music/songs.
Nature has, free from human destructive intervention, largely managed to recover after roughly 70 years.
The Post Nuclear Fall-out Creatures (PNFC) are veteran survivors of man’s inhumanity to the Earth, animal and insect characters with specific personalities. As a result of radiation their lifespan is indefinite, but their physical characteristics have changed. They live in ruined/overgrown city flowing into forest and make occasional expeditions into other environments, e.g. underwater in a rockpool, or the ice and snow of the South Pole, the mountains of the mind, and other fantasy destinations. ( Journey Theme 2 )
KING LIGER THE FURRY FELINE is the wise, old, weathered but still dignified leader of the PNFC. His father a lion, his mother a tiger, he was conceived in a test-tube, raised in a zoo and lived in a palace as the pet of a very wealthy prince, until he escaped to the jungle. King Liger’s youthful escapades have resulted in the loss of several of his teeth, the nick in his ear, a bent tail, and a slight shortsightedness in one eye over which he now wears an impressive monacle. He is prone to gusts of hayfever and has a crown which is always slipping down. Sometimes he sneezes it right off. Singed fur from nuclear radiation completes his image. ( The Liger’s Revenge NSA 2001 )
JABULANI S. BULLFROG fights a continual battle with sensitive skin, thanks to pond pollution and the hole in the ozone layer, so he always wears UV blockout, vitamin E-oil and hats with huge peaks. He has a secret longing to be a great singer, but due his pronounced croak, the other frogs in the pond threw their boots at him, so he cooks and bakes as a hobby, preparing picnics for the PNFC expeditions. He invents outrageous combinations which are nevertheless delicious, much to the astonishment of those with more conventional palates. ( The Menu NSA 2001 )
ESCARGOT THE SOPHISTICATED (FRENCH) SNAIL is sensuous and seductive without being sleazy.”My favourite filmstar is Brigitte Bardot”, she blues in the song “EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY”, bemoaning the lack of handsome suitor snails and longing for one silk stocking. Even when struck by lightning Escargot does not die, although at the time this appears to be a tragedy. It would have serious implications for the diversity of species were Escargot to lose her life, because, as far as she knows, she is the “last French snail on Earth”. ( Everybody Needs Somebody NSA cast )
LUK-E THE LOONY LUNAR MOTH mistakenly believes that his wings are attached to his forehead. He is impulsive, wound-up, fiery and excitable, and rushes in where angels fear to tread. Inspired inventor,always tinkering with gadgets, has a fascination with flight. His heroes are Leonardo da Vinci and the Wright brothers and his incorrectly spelt name is pronounced “Lucky”. Despite his spelling problem, he attempts to chronicle his aviatory experiences in an autobiography entitled “Even a worm will turn”. Here it is revealed that his obsession with flight arises from his frustration that his real wings did not develop, due to radiation sickness. ( To soar like a bird – Flip Flap Flop instrumental )
FRAZZLE THE FABULOUS 5-LEGGED SPIDETTE is a sharp-tongued, unpredictable, provocative mischief-maker. She is good with figures, money historical facts, etc. as she comes from a tradition of corner-cobweb spinners who have eavesdropped on human conversations for centuries. Frazzle is especially impatient with malfunctioning objects and is always getting her thread and knitting needles into a fearful tangle. Her unsympathetic attitude is partly due to the loss of 3 of her legs in a nuclear explosion, which has left her particularly sensitive to loud or sudden noises.
MNISI THE RAINBOW BIRD is the keeper of the secret of the Rainbow and its colours, symbols of value in human existence, self-worth and quality of life. Imprisoned in a ring of fire, she is protected from the villains who want her secret, thinking it to be the traditional pot of gold. She can only escape this prison with the intervention of TUMBLEWEED, who journeys around the planet to find her, assisted by the PNFC and by a trail of her magical rainbow feathers. Mnisi is almost starving to death by the time Tumbleweed finds Mnisi at the top of the mountains of the mind – the highest in the world. She reveals the secret of the rainbow – a seed of hope – and colour is restored to life. ( Rainbow Love Instrumental )
SPUTNIK & KAPUTNIK are a pair of Emperor penguins who monitor global warming. They temporarily lose one another in a blizzard but are re-united when Tumbleweed and the PNFC visit the South Pole on their journey to search for Mnisi. ( Alone and Afraid NSA 2001 )
HURTLE THE TURTLE – An intense, irascible and wizened old (ancient) marine turtle, whose ancestors hail from 200 million years ago. angry and exasperated with the irresponsible, throwaway society of the 20th century, who ravaged marine life with over-fishing, oil and chemical pollution and general garbage disposal. ( Only on the surface instrumental )
ACHERNAR (“Star”) THE UNICORN appears to TUMBLEWEED in a dream, advising that the only way to climb a mountain is “ONE STEP AT A TIME”. One of the constellations in the Milky Way is called the unicorn. ( One step at a Time NSA 2001 )
Cameo characters include Starfish and creatures of the deep ( Soulmate instrumental 3 )