Characters in the Emberverse series

S. M. Stirling's Emberverse series features several major and minor characters.

Bearkillers

*Mike Havel: Former US marine and pilot, Mike was flying a plane carrying the Larsson family to their vacation home in Oregon when the Change happened. He became the leader of the Bearkillers, the name coming from the black bear he killed when it attacked their camp, and took the group from Idaho to the Willamette Valley. He reluctantly took the title “Lord Bear” after it was bestowed to him by Astrid along with a helmet with the tanned bear's head on it. He has often been described as fair but at the same time dangerous to his enemies. He also dislikes being the hero and often wishes he could just be a farmer with his family, though he also admits that he very much likes being the guy in charge, because then he can get things done without having to debate the issue. He died from injuries received in a duel with Lord Protector Arminger. He is husband to Signe Larsson, and father to their children: Ritva, Mary, Mike Jr., and an unnamed fourth child. He is the father of Rudi after he and Juniper had sex shortly before he started dating Signe.

*Kenneth Larsson: Father of the Larsson family and a wealthy industrialist and amateur engineer before the Change. His wife died shortly after the Change at the hands of white supremacists. Grateful for saving his children, Ken recognized Mike as their leader in the post-Change world. His knowledge of engineering helped the Bearkillers develop a siege train and various farming tools. He lost one of his hands to Duke Iron Rod when he attacked the Bearkillers. He sometimes has trouble adapting to the Change, one time worrying that Earth was doomed because there would be no way to stop a meteor from hitting the planet. He is father to Eric, Signe, and Astrid and later married Pamela and had several more children with her. He believes that it was aliens that caused the Change and refers to them as Alien space bats.

*Signe Larsson: Daughter to Ken and sister to Eric and Astrid, Signe was a vegetarian before the Change, but quickly gave that up to survive. She fell in love and later married Mike, sometimes being referred to as “Lady Bear.” Singe handled the intelligence operations of the Bearkillers before becoming regent after Mike’s death. She is wary of Rudi fearing he will use his parentage as Mike’s son to become Lord Bear and thus take away the chance for her son. She did, however, donate blood to save his life once. She is mother to Ritva, Mary, Mike Jr., and an unnamed fourth child by Mike.

*Eric Larsson: Brother to Signe and Astrid, and son to Ken, Eric looked up to Mike as an older brother, though at one point he did try to fight Mike for looking at his sister too much. He usually commands the Bearkiller cavalry during battle. He can be headstrong and quick to anger and tends to suggest frontal attacks during strategy sessions. He does have a sense of humor and enjoys teasing his sisters, especially Astrid for her love of the Lord of the Rings. He is married to Luanne and has several children with her. By CY 22 (Change Year) he is in command of the entire Bearkiller military.

*Will Hutton: An African-American horse rancher who also did several rodeos in and around Texas. Right after the Change, Will and his family found themselves captured by a group of white supremacists. After being freed by Mike, Will and his family joined up with Mike and the Larssons and became an important founding member of the Bearkillers and Mike’s second in command. His knowledge of horsemanship helped mold the Bearkillers into a skilled cavalry force. Though Mike has suggested several times that Will would make a better leader then him, Will has declined the position because he doesn’t think he is crazy enough for it. Ironically after Mike’s death he did become leader of the Bearkillers for a time.

*Angelica Hutton: Wife to Will and mother to Luanne. She too was rescued by Mike from the white supremacists and became the Bearkiller trail boss and later head of logistics when they settled in Oregon. Because of her Hispanic origin she tends to use Spanish words in everyday conversations, a characteristic picked up by a lot of Bearkillers.

*Luanne Hutton: Daughter to Will and Angelica, she was also freed after Mike saved them from the white supremacists who were holding her and her family. For a time she was good friends with Astrid until Astrid saw her making out with Eric, whom she later married. Because of her family connections Luanne is a part of the Bearkiller high command and usually accompanies Eric into battle. She has had several children through Eric.

*Pamela Arnstein: A Californian vetinarian and SCA hobbyist, Pamela became stranded in Idaho after the Change. One of the first recruits to the Bearkillers, her knowledge of swordsmanship quickly made her an important member of the Bearkillers, training everyone how to fight with a sword, including Mike. She later married Ken and commands his bodyguards when he leads the Bearkiller siege train into battle. It’s possible that she is the sister to Ian Arnstein, a character from the "Island in the Sea of Time" trilogy.

*Aaron Rothman: Aaron is a doctor who was rescued by Mike from a band of cannibals (known as "Eaters"), but not before they had cut off his foot for their stew. Thanks to his knowledge of medicine Aaron has been able to train the medics of the Bearkillers and usually travels with the Bearkiller army during war to take care of the wounded. Aaron as a homosexual has a long term but unrequited crush on Mike, which is expressed by the fact that all of his boyfriends tend to look like the Bearkiller leader.

*Mike Havel Jr.: Mike Jr. is the son of Mike and Signe. He was only a toddler when his father died in the duel with Lord Protector Arminger. He is currently being groomed by his mother to become the next Lord Bear.

Clan Mackenzie

*Juniper Mackenzie: Folk singer and Wiccan priestess, Juniper fled Corvallis after the Change to her country home where she formed Clan Mackenzie from the members of her coven and other refugees. There is a possibility that she may have magical abilities but that has yet to be verified. When she met Mike they had a sexual encounter which produced her son and second child Rudi, named after her dead boyfriend who was killed when his plane crashed when the Change happened. Considered by many Wiccans to be the “Goddess on Earth” her actions have helped spread the Wiccan religion across the Willamette Valley and beyond. She is mother also to Eilir and wife to Sir Nigel Loring, by whom she had two more daughters.

*Rudi “Artos” Mackenzie: Rudi is the son of Juniper and Mike, born shortly after the Change. He is the tanist or heir of Clan Mackenzie. Several prophecies and strange events have followed Rudi, one such prophecy leading him and his friends on a quest across North America to Nantucket to retrieve a sword. He has been described as an incredibly skillful fighter for his age, with an almost inhuman deadliness with a blade that comes as a very unwelcome surprise those who meet him in battle. He is also one of the few who can approach his horse, Epona, without being attacked. He has a close, almost romantic, relationship with Mathilda that causes him grief since their different religions and political situations make it unlikely they will ever be together. One reviewer called Rudi noble, complex, and admirable. [cite web |url=http://www.bsfs.org/bookreview/stirling1 |title=The Scourge of God Review |accessdate=2008-10-07 |author=Dale Arnold |date= |work= |publisher=Baltimore Science Fiction Society]

*Dennis Martin: A bar owner before the Change, Dennis accompanied Juniper to her country home, bringing with him List of medieval weapons given to him by his brother John, another character from ISOT. He has some skill as a blacksmith but is an even better woodworker. He became a convert to Wicca and is responsible for members of the Clan calling Juniper “Lady Mackenzie” after he jokingly referred to her by that title. He was the first one to wear the famous Mackenzie kilt, and though it began as a joke to take people's minds off the Dying Time, he was basically responsible for instigating the neo-Celtic culture that came to define the MacKenzie Clan.

*Sam Aylward: A former member of Special Air Service, Sam was hunting in Oregon during the Change and initially thought the Change was a nuclear war. He was later rescued by Juniper who found him after he had fallen into a ravine. His skills as a bowyer helped make the longbow the weapon of choice for the Mackenzie’s. Though he successfully defeated any attempts to be promoted to an officer while in the British military, he found himself “First Armsmen” of the Clan. His reputation as a phenomenal shot with a longbow has earned him the nickname “Aylward the Archer” and a reputation that has reached as far east as Boise, Idaho. He is father to Edain.

*Sir Nigel Loring: An officer of the Special Air Services and Sam’s former commanding officer. Nigel was responsible for saving the British Royal Family and helping the remnants of the United Kingdom get through the Change. Disputes with the King Charles III and his new wife, however, forced him to flee the country with his son Alleyne and John Hordle after his wife Maud was killed during their escape from Woburn Abbey. Picked up by a Tasmanian ship on a round-the-world expedition, he eventually found himself in Oregon and was offered land and title by Norman Arminger, Lord Protector of the Portland Protective Association, but fled after tricking him out of the recoved nerve gas Arminger wanted for his war against the rest of the Williamette Valley communities. He later settled among the Mackenzies and fell in love with Juniper and had two daughters by her. In battle he commands the Mackenzie infantry that does not use the longbows and dresses in a full suit of plate armour.

*Edain Aylward: Edain is the son of Sam and joined Rudi on his quest to Nantucket. Though an accomplished archer himself, Edain finds himself constantly reminded of his father’s reputation as an archer, a fact which weighs heavily on the young man. He is intensely loyal to Rudi, referring to him as “Chief” even though Rudi has yet to obtain that position. He is usually accompanied by his half-mastiff dog.

Portland Protective Association (PPA)

*Norman Arminger: Lord Protector of the Portland Protective Association. Before the Change he was a history professor and member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms. He built the PPA with members from the Society and various gang leaders of Portland. He has been labeled a sociopath and can be cruel to both his enemies and his own people, having reintroduced slavery into North America. Also it’s been assumed by others that Norman sees everything he does as a game. Besides his faults his actions allowed hundreds of thousands of people in Oregon survive the events after the Change. He is husband to Sandra and father to Mathilda. He was killed by Mike in a duel.

*Sandra Arminger: Wife to Norman and mother to Mathilda and Regent of the PPA. She is the brains behind her husband’s brawn. She is usually a voice of reason among the PPA, but has shown to be just as cruel, if not more so, than her husband. She is highly protective of her daughter, but at the same time not ashamed to arrange for ways to manipulate her into marrying the right husband. She created a group of household soldiers out of orphans that Tiphaine was a part of. She is fond of Rudi and has created a good working relationship with Juniper, even though neither would call themselves friends.

*Mathilda Arminger: The daughter of Norman and Sandra and heir to the throne of the PPA, which she will inherit on her 26th birthday. She is currently traveling with Rudi on his quest to Nantucket. Mathilda is sometimes ashamed of her father, rationalizing the evil he did as being necessary. She sometimes worries she will make the same mistakes as Lord Protector. She is good friends with Rudi, a relationship that began when she was held captive by the Mackenzies. Though both seem to show deeper feelings for each other beyond friendship, both Mathilda and Rudi feel that because of their different religions and positions as heirs to their parents, there is no hope for a romantic relationship. She is also a devout Roman Catholic and makes fun of Rudi for his more liberal attitude toward sex.

*Conrad Renfrew: The Count of Odell, formerly commander of the PPA military and current Lord Chancellor to Regent Arminger. He is recognized by his heavily scarred face. Conrad was a friend of Norman before the Change and was his earliest supporter even coming up with the title Lord Protector. He may have been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, but he refuses to talk about those years, causing some to even doubt if Conrad is his real name. He tends to be less blood thirsty than Norman and openly disagrees with him if he feels he is wrong. He has a humorous side, once playing a prank on Norman by making him think the Change had been reversed. He personally trained Tiphaine to be his successor, but often argues with her on whether the PPA should adopt pikes.

*Eddie Liu: A former gangbanger who moved up quickly in the ranks of the PPA to become the Baron of Gervais. Eddie had a grudge against Juniper who killed his friend while they were looting a store in Corvallis shortly after the Change. For a time he acted as Norman’s agent when dealing with warlords like Duke Iron Rod before being promoted to command the defenses of the PPA’s southern border. He was killed attempting to retrieve of book of secret codes that was accidentally given to Rudi. He is father to Odard Liu.

*Odard Liu: The son of Eddie Liu and Baron of Gervais in the PPA. Odard is a highly ambitious man who spends time with Mathilda in hopes they will be married and he could then become Lord Protector and that is why he accompanied her on Rudi’s quest to Nantucket. Regardless of his ambitions he has shown romantic feelings toward Mathilda and has created a reluctant friendship with his rival Rudi. Odard also has problems with his mother who is constantly undermining his authority as a baron.

*Mack: A former gangbanger and bodyguard to Eddie. Mack is recognized by his huge size and the large war hammer he carries. He doesn’t talk much, preferring Eddie to all of the talking. He died defending Eddie.

*Lady Tiphaine: Formerly an assassin for Sandra, she now commands the entire PPA military force. A teenager at the moment of the Change, she became sponsored by Sandra after she successfully snuck into the bedroom she shared with Norman asking for a job. She has a grudge against Astrid for killing her lover, but she later forgave her though she still intensely dislikes her. She kidnapped Rudi once and became very fond of the boy, risking almost certain death to defend him against assassins sent by Norman. She mentions that her style of leadership involves killing anyone who disagrees with her. As a lesbian she is forced to keep her sexual preference secret from the conservative Catholic state of the PPA, though most of those in power know and don’t care.

*Alex: Is a servant/bodyguard to Odard and joined him on Rudi’s quest to Nantucket. Alex is very loyal to Odard’s mother, seeing her as the reason he and his family survived the Change. He is under orders from her to protect Odard at all costs.

*Duke Iron Rod: A former biker who led his gang to take over a convent in Idaho after the Change. For a short time he was allied with the PPA. His gang was defeated by the Bearkillers and he was executed by hanging for his crimes.

Dúnedain Rangers

*Astrid Larsson: Daughter to Ken and sister to Eric and Signe. She is obsessed with J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, an obsession that helped her survive after the Change. She even refers to the books as “histories.” Astrid was originally a member of the Bearkillers and is responsible for Mike being called Lord Bear, but later left to form the Rangers with Eilir. She is married to Alleyne and has had several children with him. When she heard about Rudi’s quest she became very angry that she couldn’t go because of her responsibilities to the Rangers and her family. Astrid is named after Poul Anderson's daughter and one reviewer found her outlook on life is similar to that of the author. [cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue437/books.html |title=Off the Shelf: The Protector's War |accessdate=2008-09-26 |author= Paul Di Filippo |date= |work=Book review |publisher=SciFi.com]

*Eilir Mackenzie: Daughter to Juniper, she was born deaf and had to learn sign language to speak. Originally a member of Clan Mackenzie, like Astrid she left her group to form the Rangers. She tends to be the more rational one of the pair, often having to remind Astrid that they are not in one of her stories. She is also less prudish than Astrid and thought that Astrid would be less strung out if she had sex. She fell for Alleyne when they first met but he ignored her in favor of Astrid, a situation that made her jealous of her friend. She later got over it and married John.

*Alleyne Loring: Son to Nigel and husband to Astrid. Alleyne helped his father rebuild post-Change Britain thanks to his knowledge of medieval warfare. He is close friends with John from their time in the military. He accompanied Nigel on his exile, following him to Oregon. He joined up with the Rangers in an effort to get closer with Astrid. Though he eventually married Astrid and had children with her, he has worried about her obsession with The Lord of the Rings. Like his father, he usually goes to battle in full plate armor.

*John Hordle: A former British soldier whose life was saved after the Change by Nigel. John jokingly accuses Sam for tricking him into joining the Special Air Services by lying to him about how good military life was. John is distinguished by his huge size and Eilir has once referred to him in sign language as her “excessively large boyfriend.” Like Sam he is an excellent shot with the longbow. He is known to go into battle loudly cursing his opponents instead of shouting a battle cry like everyone else. He is married to Eilir and has had couple of children with her.

*Ritva and Mary Havel: The twin daughters of Mike and Signe. Though they grew up among the Bearkillers, they joined the Rangers. Both are accomplished scouts and due to their extensive training together are usually paired up in battles. As identical twins they enjoy pestering people by trying to get them to guess which one is which. They are close friends with their half brother Rudi and joined him on his quest to Nantucket.

*Other members:
**Reuben Hutton was adopted into the Hutton family shortly after the Change took effect. He is killed in action during a skirmish with Protectorate forces.
**Kevin is the Dunedain Ranger medic. He uses his medical knowledge to tend to Rudi's sustained injuries after the ensuing battle to recapture Mathilda Arminger by Eddie Lui.
**Crystal, a junior probationary member of the Rangers, trains with Eilir in swordplay at Ranger Headquarters.

Corvallis

*Luther Finney: An elderly farmer who lived near Corvallis and friend of Juniper. After being warned about what the Change really was, he saved his son and his family from the city they were living in before the food ran out. He became an important member of the Corvallis government thanks to his knowledge of farming and opposed the PPA and argued that Corvallis should support the other factions fighting them. Because of his religious upbringing he refused to swear around women, though often this proved difficult considering the situation. He died while working on his farm on a July day, fulfilling a promise he made after coming back from the Korean War to die on his farm on the hottest day he ever experienced.

*Edward Finney: Luther's son whom he saved from his city home. Edward took over his father's farm after he died and continues to wield the same influence his father did in Corvallis.

*Peter Jones: A graduate student at Oregon State University before the Change, Jones became the leader of Corvallis militia. He holds the rank of Major and can usually be seen wearing wrap around sports goggles when he is in battle dress. He is distrustful of the PPA and argued for Corvallis to ally with the other factions fighting them. He led a "volunteer" force to help the Bearkillers in their battle against an invading PPA army after the Corvallis government refused to get involved in the war.

Central Oregon Rancher’s Association (CORA)

*John Brown: Rancher of Seffridge Ranch and important member of CORA. After the Change, John Brown allowed refugees from the towns to live on his ranch to support themselves as long as they worked for him. He is a longtime ally of Clan Mackenzie, leading a force of CORA horsemen to fight the PPA in the last war even though most of CORA stayed neutral. Once Mike went undercover pretending to be him in an effort to track down a brigand named Crusher Bailey.

Church Universal and Triumphant

*Sethaz: Current prophet of the CUT. Sethaz is a vicious man who is known to enjoy violence and death. He sees himself as the “Scourge of God” sent to rid the Earth of those who have sinned. He experiences strange visions, for example knowing his father had died even though he was miles away from him, and like Juniper may or may not use magic. He fears Rudi and seeks to kill him before he completes his quest.

*Kuttner: High Seeker of the CUT. Kuttner is a personal agent of Sethaz and once infiltrated the government of Iowa so as to get them to send him on Ingolf’s expedition to the eastern death zones. Kuttner lost his eye to a vengeful Ingolf. He now has the task to track down Rudi and kill him.

=Mount Angel=

*Abbot Dmowski: A former soldier who joined the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel to get away from war. Ironically, after the Change he was promoted to Abbot due to his experience in warfare. Reluctantly accepting his new responsibility, Dmwoski turned the monks and sisters of Mount Angel into a fighting force to protect the refugees who came flooding into their lands and to keep Mount Angel from falling under the yoke of the PPA. He has mentioned that he dislikes life as the leader of Mount Angel and wishes to return to the quiet life as a monk. He was also the one who ordered Ignatius to follow Rudi on his quest to Nantucket.

*Father Ignatius: A sword-brother of Mount Angel of Vietnamese descent. Father Ignatius was given the task to help Mathilda escape the PPA so she could join Rudi on his quest and keep an eye on both of the heirs. He has also at times counsels Mathilda while she struggles over her feelings about Rudi. Though he believes strongly in God, he often uses reason and logic to argue against the Mackenzie idea of magic.

=United States of America (Boise)=

*President Thurston: A former member of the US military who is now President of the United States (Boise). Though never officially elected President, he sees it as his duty to reunite the United States. He refuses to recognize the other nations as legal governments and can be stubborn about this, once refusing to aide New Deseret against the CUT unless they agreed to join the US. Once proven wrong, however, he easily admits he is at fault, a trait admired by Rudi. He is father to both Martin and Frederick. Martin ended up killing him because he planned to step down as President and hold elections.

*Martin Thurston: President Thurston’s eldest son and brother to Frederick. Martin was horrified by the thought of his father allowing the next President to be elected and thought it should pass to him and his children. He conspired with the CUT to kill him and was forced to do the act himself which left him mentally unstable. He has assumed the position of President and appears to be about ready to openly ally with the CUT.

*Frederick Thurston: President Thurston’s youngest son and brother to Martin. He witnessed Martin killing his father and was rescued from a similar fate by Rudi. Frederick now has become a rallying symbol for those who oppose Martin’s regime.

Other Characters

*Ingolf Vogeler: Mercenary from the Republic of Richland. Ingolf was the son of a sheriff, but after his brother assumed the position Ingolf angrily left to seek out life as a mercenary and later scavenger of the dead zones. He eventually commanded his own company, Vogeler’s Villains, and was hired by the Governor of Iowa to seek out rare treasures in the eastern death zones with promises of land and his daughter’s hand in marriage. Ingolf was given a vision on Nantucket to seek out Rudi in the west. Before he could do this he was betrayed and his men killed by Kuttner and the CUT. He managed to escape and warn Rudi and now follows him back east to Nantucket.

*Kaur and Singh: Sikh brother and sister and mercenary scout in Vogeler’s Villains. They sacrificed themselves to buy Ingolf more time to flee Kuttner and he promised to avenge their deaths. Their names mean “Lion” and “Lioness” in their native tongue.

*Maud Loring: The late wife to Nigel. She was killed while she was attempting to flee Britain with her husband. Nigel named one of his daughters with Juniper after her.

Contemporary Nonfictional People

*Elizabeth II: The Queen fled to the Isle of Wight with the rest of the British Royal Family, though she died shortly thereafter.

*Tony Blair: The Prime Minister was supposed to be escorted to the Isle of Wight, but something delayed him. He continued to send messages promising to leave shortly until all contact was lost with him and his party.

* Charles III the Mad: Ascended the throne of Britain after the death of Elizabeth II, Charles led the remnants of Britain through the early years after the Change. His knowledge of organic farming helped the survivors with their food problems. He later married an Icelandic refugee after divorcing Camilla Parker-Bowles in an effort to cement the loyalty of her people to the government. In his later years he went insane and refused to have new elections for parliament and instead ruled by royal decree, which eventually caused a rift between him and Nigel. It was assumed he was killed by his wife who wanted to assume power for herself and her infant son.

* William V the Great, King of Great Britain and Emperor of the West: Son to Charles, after the Change William went to serve in the military and at one time his life was saved by a fleeing Nigel from pirates. He became king after the death of his father and after defeating a coup by his stepmother. He personally led a "crusade" against Moorish priates off the Canary Islands and on his return was crowned Emperor of the West. Under his leadership the British Empire was reborn. He tried unsuccessfully to convince Nigel to return to Britain by promising him wealth, land, and title.

* Theodore Kaczynski: Kaczynski fled California shortly after the Change arriving in Paradise Valley, Montana. He became the Prophet or leader of CUT, passing on his anti-technology philosophy to his followers. He too went insane but was still seen by CUT as their leader and continued to seek his advice by having his son Sethaz commune with him. When he died, Sethaz somehow knew even though he was miles away from his father.

* Pope Benedict XVI: Having fled Rome for Umbria, Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope after the links were once again restored to the communities of the Roman Catholic Church. As Pope he helped reunite the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church. Abbot Dmowski was particularly happy to learn that he had been elected Pope.

References

Novels

*cite book | last=Stirling | first=S.M. | authorlink=S.M. Stirling | title=Dies the Fire| location=New York | publisher=Roc | pages=496 | date=2004 |id=ISBN 0451459792
*cite book | last=Stirling | first=S.M. | authorlink=S.M. Stirling | title=The Protector's War| location=New York | publisher=Roc | pages=496 | date=2005 |id=ISBN 0451460464
*cite book | last=Stirling | first=S.M. | authorlink=S.M. Stirling | title=Meeting at Corvallis| location=New York | publisher=Roc | pages=512 | date=2006 |id=ISBN 0451461118
*cite book | last=Stirling | first=S.M. | authorlink=S.M. Stirling | title=The Sunrise Lands| location=New York | publisher=Roc | pages=464 | date=2007 |id=ISBN 0451461703

Notes

External links

* [http://hem.bredband.net/b108107/stirling/dtf-families/default.html Genealogy of the major characters]