Possessed of little but a steely glare and acquisitive fingers, Gloria and her brother William cut a perilous path through the detritus of society, scorned and forlorn as they eke out a sliver of survival amongst the shadows.

A waif-like urchin, she has seen more than she will speak of in a blighted childhood spent on the cobblestone streets. In her handful of years she had cultivated a keen eye for the main chance, running rings around her elders as the cogs of her fierce intellect locked tightly in equal parts scheming and dreaming. In the absence of worldly comforts, a dire necessity guides her hand - and from the most unlikely sources she crafts ingenious utilities, that she might yet prosper despite her stunted station in life.

It was in search of such curios that she and William first stumbled upon the gilded zeppelin - docked in anticipation of a fated south-bound passage. Tucked tight into the recessed fringes of its steerage decks, they stood startled as a shuddering jolt announced their departure…