Character Summary: 'Colour'

An overview of the protagonists, allies, and opposition within the narrative.

The Protagonists

• The Transporter: A veteran of the mountain roads who lives by a strict code of neutrality and observation. Weary of the political "confusion" of the valleys, he prefers the solitude of the high passes. Driven by a need to find value in a changing world, he becomes the reluctant guardian of the rebellion, guiding others rather than leading them. He represents endurance and the necessity of "grey" areas in a black-and-white world.
• Helen: A young, idealistic decorator in Wetledale with an innate, almost physical sensitivity to colour. Unlike the pragmatic Transporter, she is driven by passion and a refusal to accept the monochrome status quo. She evolves from a naive tradesperson into a revolutionary, willing to risk her life to smuggle the "truth" of colour to the outside world.
• Jim Kirwin (The Examiner): The newly appointed Examiner of the Seventh Valley. Once a brilliant official, he has been beaten down by poverty and professional disgrace (a "leaking roof" is his primary motivation). Cynical but sharp, he serves as the lens through which the reader sees the hypocrisy of the rules. While he ultimately capitulates to the system, his investigation provides the ammunition Helen needs to rebel.

The Allies (Wetledale)

• Angela: Helen's cousin and fellow decorator. Practical, cautious, and rule-abiding, she acts as a foil to Helen. While she desires change, she believes in working within the system ("texture" rather than "colour") and fears the consequences of rebellion. Her journey highlights the difficulty of ordinary people living under oppressive rules.
• Michael Fishwick: An intense, enigmatic forager who lives on the fringes of Wetledale society. He harvests the illicit, hallucinogenic "Fishwick colour" from the autumn landscape. Volatile and fiercely protective of the old ways, he provides the physical weapon (the colour spores) that allows the protagonists to escape.
• Michele Fishwick: Michael's partner and grounding influence. She manages the logistics of their foraging and understands the political implications of their trade with the South better than Michael does.
• The Warehouse Manager: A shrewd operator based in the North who orchestrates the initial plot. Motivated purely by profit and the restoration of trade routes, he uses the Transporter and the Fishwicks as pawns to disrupt the Cabinet Makers' monopoly.

The Opposition (The System)

• The Peacekeeper: The ruthlessly pragmatic Chair of the Ruling Council. She is not a villain in the traditional sense, but a master of realpolitik. She prioritises stability and control above truth, crushing the Examiner's report not out of malice, but to prevent war and maintain the balance of power between the valleys.
• The Chair of Conformance (Wetledale): The local antagonist. A "slippery" bureaucrat who manipulates the rules to enrich himself and the Cabinet Makers. He represents the petty corruption and hypocrisy of the Wetledale regime.
• The Chair of Decorators: A politically astute leader who plays both sides. She protects her fraternity by ostensibly following the rules while secretly providing the Transporter with the leverage (the Records) needed to damage their rivals, the Cabinet Makers.
• Senior Responsible Brother Miller: A high-ranking Cabinet Maker and enforcer of the monochrome aesthetic. He represents the brute force of the industry, actively destroying colour and intimidating those who seek to revive it.