GLYPHON

Origin

Karim was studying the ancient water clocks and gear machines of Alexandria when an old tunnel flooded. He solved the ancient pulley system that held the doors and got his team out. When he touched the last gear, he understood every machine the ancient world ever built.

Powers

• Inventor's Eye: instantly understands how any machine or structure works, ancient or modern
• Gear Craft: builds working pulleys, levers and gears from whatever is around him in seconds
• Echo of Ages: sees a glowing light-echo of how a place looked thousands of years ago

Weakness

Shortcuts: if he skips a step in a design, it collapses. He must measure twice.

Sidekick

Dusty, a desert jerboa with big ears and a tiny brass gear necklace.

Villain

Baron Grabsworth, a collector who steals ancient inventions to lock them away from the world.

Costume

a midnight-lapis and sandstone-gold fitted hero suit with papyrus-coloured panels, bronze gear-shaped shoulder plates, sky-lapis trim, sandstone boots.

Episodes (every episode opens with a true fact)

1. Episode 1. True fact: The Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device over 2,000 years old, is often called the first analogue computer. A tunnel floods. Karim solves the ancient pulley doors and saves his team. Next: He touches the last gear and understands everything.
2. Episode 2. True fact: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A modern crane fails at a harbour. Glyphon rebuilds it with ancient lever tricks. Next: Ancient inventions are vanishing from museums.
3. Episode 3. True fact: Ancient Romans built concrete harbours that still stand today. Baron Grabsworth locks up the inventions. Glyphon builds a machine to open every lock. Next: The Baron donates his collection to a museum.

Glyphon and every Fire Empire Universe character are original creations of Fire Empire LLC. Character art is AI-generated and does not depict any real person.