The People of the Moth Plateau

 At one point during brainstorming and planning, my working tagline for the Moth Plateau series was "Young Riders, but make it Weird." The story certainly evolved away from that as it went, but that (a TV show from the...late 80s/early 90s? about a group of pony express riders in the Wild West) is still a fair, tentative way to see the characters of the upper plateau, at least.

With that intro, here are a few of the characters involved in the series:

High Plateau

Mister Toberts: the closest thing to an authority figure on the high plateau, Mr. Toberts is in charge of the bike-riding messengers as well as the boarding house and assorted buildings that's the hub of what passes for community up here

Rahel: a mysterious woman who wears a plague-doctor-like mask, whether at the boarding house or out riding her bicycle to deliver messages and packages

Chark: a non-binary messenger who loves to tinker with the bikes and other devices, especially trying to find a way to lay down telegraph lines that won't be destroyed by the moths

Sakehin: a daredevil and incredibly unreliable messenger who is very sure of his own importance, frequently imagining ways to prove himself the hero

Dibern: a young inventor from a distant city who has come here to complete his apprenticeship, spending his time in the shop fixing the messengers' bikes

Milliva: a doubting priestess and hermit who takes her role--of offering comfort and familiar rituals for the devout of the plateau--very seriously despite her own questions

Shorpin Corporation

Druskan: a cattle agent who travels the plateau checking on the various herds owned by his bosses, accompanied always by a trio of the plateau's endemic moth hawks, tiny birds that prey on the moths

Llom: Druskan's immediate supervisor, he manages the handful of agents who travel the land but keeps a low profile in town to avoid undue notice

Verlang and Peps: former child labor factory workers until injuries and growing up made them unsuited to the work, they are now bounty hunters, sent by someone high up in the organization to track down someone who may have come to the Moth Plateau to escape

Master Sergeant Leeszin: sent by the Shorpin Corporation on a rescue mission, though his exact purpose in coming to the plateau is broader than the rescue and not entirely clear to the locals

Other

Melle: from Lepta City, she works as a guide despite her young age; she is very opinionated about how things are supposed to be and especially dislikes the Shorpin Corporation