character :: Vincent
'I am as the gold in my mines - I can be dissolved, shaped and even refined but I cannot be destroyed so, by all means, do try your best.'
Vincent Shaffer, of the Shaffer Gold Mines, leads a blessed life. From the time he was born, his life was set up for success: he would learn the tricks of the mining trade from his father, marry the young woman from the Bronze District, the two would watch over the mines and their miners as the profits rolled in and they would have at least one child to take over their business once they were gone. And for Vincent, this was perfect. He enjoyed the lavish parties and enjoyed gabbing with the wealthy socialites all while he pitied the poor miners in the gold mines who slaved away under his name, using the money to invest in smart trades with other Districts. But not all are so pleased with the Shaffers...especially when they are the lowest of the low on the social ladder that the Shaffers so heavily enforce.
Elizabeth, an undesirable pariah, decides she should no longer accept the class she's been placed in and, with other laborers in the mine, they plan a revolution. The battle is long, bloody and ultimately, successful and the Shaffers are no longer the ones running the show, much to Elizabeth's delight.
Now, the great Vincent Shaffer is nothing more than a miner in the gold mines that he used to own and now, alongside so many others that he used to enslave, Vincent must work his fingers to the bone to provide for both his wife, Amelia and their newborn daughter, Emma. As his health continues to deteriorate due to a disease only known as 'miner's cough', Vincent is given no sympathy from the ruthless, sadistic dictator, Elizabeth, who seems to take joy at seeing the suffering she has caused to not only the Shaffers but to others as well.
But not all hope is lost. A promising new group of revolutionaries, Vincent's daughter, Emma, included, are willing to fight back. And although Vincent isn't thrilled about his only child fighting against the new 'queen', he knows his daughter is headstrong and rebellious and no one can talk her out of it.
Perhaps the Shaffers will just yet have a reason to hold their heads high again.
