Characters of Airovale

Garrick Vale

The Quartermaster of Airovale

Father of Elara
Former aeronaut
Keeper of the harbor tower

Who He Is

Garrick Vale is the quartermaster of Airovale, the harbor city where zeppelins dock, coal goes aboard by the ton and nearly everyone is bound for somewhere else. His office is a windowed tower above the docks, and from it he oversees the harbor's commerce: the fees paid as ships arrive and depart, and the ledgers of routes, cargo and souls on board. He is aging and unhurried, with a pipe, a dry sense of humor and a habit of answering a question with a better one.

He was an aeronaut once. He flew the Crescent Islands before his daughter was born, and he knows what that voyage costs. He took the quartermaster's post for a reason that had nothing to do with ambition, and he has spent the years since turning what that choice taught him into counsel for anyone willing to sit down and listen. His daughter, Elara, keeps the ledger now. He keeps watch.

First Meeting: Chapter 1, Life in the Village

The book opens on a crowded harbor, and the Quartermaster is found in the quiet above it. At noon he sets a meal on the narrow table by his tower window and asks his daughter whether she marked the Crescent-bound crews honestly. What follows is half lunch, half lesson: why men say they fly for copper, what the islands really take, and what a person ought to count before they count coin.

He returns at dusk, pipe in hand, as the last ships lift into the haze. What he says then about time, treasure and the people who wait at home is the idea the whole story is built on.

Read it in Life in the Village, watch it as Episode 1, or hear the chapter's score in the soundtrack.

The Quartermaster and the Law of Exchange

Garrick learned the Law of Exchange long before he had a name for it. A lifetime of voyages and bargains taught him that every promise of riches, every postponed homecoming, every later is paid for in time. And time, once spent, never returns.

Now he watches the docks from his window as young aeronauts promise their wives and sweethearts that the next voyage will make them rich. Garrick once made those promises himself. He knows what they cost, and carries the remorse of all the years he cannot reclaim.

He does not preach the Law. Sometimes, over supper, he offers a few words to a daughter not yet ready to understand them. The younger characters will learn its price through their own choices. Garrick has already paid.

Airovale — Cinema

Video episodes of each chapter

Aeronauts trade in village markets while ancient forces stir
2025
Life in the Village — Episode 1

Episode 1
Twin sisters cursed, one island holds secrets of the past
2025
The Crescent Islands — Episode 2

Episode 2
Mahala's storm destroys the greedy fleet seeking temple gold
2025
Curse of the Temple Gold — Episode 3

Episode 3
Survivors return to harbor, forever changed by the storm
2025
Coming Home — Episode 4

Episode 4
The Nereid crashes, crew discovers fae hidden in canyon mists
2025
Canyon Myst — Episode 5

Episode 5
Thalos reveals the truth: time is the only treasure
2025
Law of Exchange — Episode 6

Episode 6
Aden and Kira discover the island's buried secrets beneath the waves
2025
Deceptive Time — Episode 7

Episode 7
Aden's forbidden love exposed, duel determines his fate
2025
The Duel — Episode 8

Episode 8
Marooned and marked for death, Aden faces a night of reckoning
2025
The Long Night — Episode 9

Episode 9
At the mystic portal, all truths revealed, ultimate choice made
2025
Mystic Portal — Episode 10

Episode 10

JavaScript Required: The episode carousel requires JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript or view episodes individually: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10.

His World

His daughter: Elara. The portmaster. She records every arrival, departure and docking fee in the ledger he once kept, and she has ambitions of her own.
His harbor: Airovale. The city of zeppelins, copper and coal, and the tower that looks down on all of it.
His old route: the Crescent Islands. The storm-carved archipelago he flew in his youth, where crews dream of temple gold.
His neighbors: Kateryna. The market farmer's daughter whose last tomatoes of the season end up on his table.
The rule over all of it: the Law of Exchange. Every choice has a price, and time is the currency.

Where to Meet the Quartermaster

Chapter 1, Life in the Village. A noon meal in the tower, and a dusk watch over the harbor as the last ships leave. Episode 1 · Listen · Audiobook sample
Chapter 4, Coming Home. The tower again, a ledger and a telescope, as father and daughter wait for the ships to return from the Crescent Islands and count who comes home. Episode 4 · Listen

Hear Garrick and Elara

Hear a sample of their conversation from the audiobook. In the free Chapter 1 preview below, father and daughter sit down to their noon meal in the tower at about 2:54.

Audiobook Preview Player

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Quartermaster in Airovale?

Garrick Vale is the quartermaster of Airovale, the harbor city where the zeppelins dock. He is a former aeronaut, the father of the portmaster Elara, and the older voice in the story who says plainly what a life costs when it is paid for in time.

What does the Quartermaster do?

He oversees the commerce of comings and goings at the docks from his windowed tower above the harbor: fees are recorded when ships arrive and depart. Ledgers of routes, cargo and souls on board are all entrusted to the diligent eye of the quartermaster. His daughter Elara now keeps the ledger, and he keeps watch beside her.

Is Garrick Vale the same person as the Quartermaster?

Yes. In the story he is usually called the Quartermaster, and the novel gives his name as Garrick Vale. This page uses both.

Which chapters and episodes is the Quartermaster in?

He appears in Chapter 1, Life in the Village, and Chapter 4, Coming Home. The film episodes share those titles.

Why does the Quartermaster matter to the story?

He is the one who says the saga's central idea out loud: that time is the only treasure and that a life is spent by the choices we make. The younger characters learn it by living it. He has already paid for it.

Continue Exploring

Meet the rest of the characters & fae, including Aden and Kira, visit the Crescent Islands, or learn the Law of Exchange he put into words.

Airovale — The Novel

Time is the only treasure

Airovale steampunk e-reader interface showing the novel cover

eBook

Read in the Chrono-Viewer

Flip through all 29 pages inside our brass-fitted steampunk reader — then take it with you.

$0.99 183 pp · ISBN 979-8902432326

★★★★★

Preview Buy — $0.99

New

Audiobook

Hear Chapter One Free

Stream a full chapter preview right here — then unlock all ten chapters for less than a cup of coffee.

$3.99 Audible · ASIN B0GX314JHL

★★★★★

Listen Free Buy — $3.99

Paperback

Hold the Adventure

169 pages of steampunk fantasy — a signed-quality paperback to keep on the shelf or gift to a reader.

$19.98 169 pp · ISBN 979-8-90243-239-5

★★★★★

Explore Buy — $19.98

Airovale — Frequently Asked Questions About the Book

Is the Airovale ebook the same story as the paperback or audiobook?

Yes — the story content is identical across all three formats. The only difference is the chapter illustrations, which appear in the ebook and paperback but not the audiobook.

Is Airovale worth reading if I already watched the episodes?

Absolutely. The video episodes present a glimpse of the scenery set to the soundtrack's emotional journey, while the book is where the characters' thoughts and dialogue come through — the full interior experience of the story.

Is Airovale appropriate for teens?

Airovale is appropriate for teens ages 16+. The content touches on mature themes including dueling, the penalty of death, greed, immortality, and coming-of-age young adult romance.

How much romance content is in Airovale?

The romance in Airovale is written at a young adult level, with no graphic content beyond a few kisses. It centers on the two main characters as their journey to a forbidden ruin reveals ancient secrets about the island they inhabit, and their relationship grows into love and a decision to be together.

Is there a content warning or spice level for Airovale?

No warning needed. Airovale is a romantic adventure story, safe for readers ages 16 and up, with no graphic moments beyond a kiss.

Is Airovale a series or a standalone book?

Airovale is a series. The first book introduces the story, and additional books — two or more to complete the arc — are currently in development.

Is there a comparable story to Airovale?

Not exactly. Steampunk fantasy with time travel exists, and fantasy with fae exists, but few stories combine both. The closest comparisons are Carnival Row (Amazon Prime Video) or The Anubis Gates (Tim Powers) — though Airovale is a wholly original fantasy world with no historical setting.

Is Airovale a book or a movie?

Primarily, Airovale is a story told through three lenses: book, video, and music. The website and companion channel (Roku TV) present short cinematic episodes alongside a complete original soundtrack, while the book is the deepest way to experience the full story — the center of the Airovale experience.

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