♀ f 22

Peaceable Field Postwoman A neurotic postal worker... and our ignoble heroine. When most of the men n her life suddenly leave for the front lines, Elfriede can't fight her own deep uneasiness and premonition. She enlists in the Postal Corps in order to travel between the home front and the trenches... read more

Peaceable Field Postwoman A neurotic postal worker... and our ignoble heroine. When most of the men n her life suddenly leave for the front lines, Elfriede can't fight her own deep uneasiness and premonition. She enlists in the Postal Corps in order to travel between the home front and the trenches, and hopefully dispel some of her demons. Unbenknownst to her, Elfriede would find the love of her life in the war. It was a ridiculously ill-advised place to have done so.

♂ m 29

Garrulous Entrepreneurial Grub ~ Age: 29 A cheerful Levasseuri street trader who, when called upon to join the fight, effectively became his trench's 'procurer'. The charlatan Pache is quick to style himself as a philanthropic 'friend of all men', circumventing the rules for his comrades' sake and ... read more

Garrulous Entrepreneurial Grub ~ Age: 29 A cheerful Levasseuri street trader who, when called upon to join the fight, effectively became his trench's 'procurer'. The charlatan Pache is quick to style himself as a philanthropic 'friend of all men', circumventing the rules for his comrades' sake and relying on his craftiness and gift of the gab to evade his COs' withering contempt. Investigating the disappearance of his straight-laced friend Pvt. Grebe, Anatole even comes to open his clandestine black market to Wesslinger trade. He always makes sure to slip Elfriede a little something extra, with a wink and a smile - but his interest may be more intense, and more professional, than he lets on...

♂ m 22

Carefree Childhood Friend An optimistic and eager-to-please young man, August was never the smartest nor the strongest of his contemporaries. He is overjoyed to hear of the war's outbreak - seeing it as a necessary cocoon for a submissive loser like himself to transform into a "real man". After ye... read more

Carefree Childhood Friend An optimistic and eager-to-please young man, August was never the smartest nor the strongest of his contemporaries. He is overjoyed to hear of the war's outbreak - seeing it as a necessary cocoon for a submissive loser like himself to transform into a "real man". After years of working at the post office so he never has to leave Elfriede's side, August's relocation to the trenches is quite a shock to his system. But the true reasons behind his fervour to enlist are clear to all... and his heart is set on doing what he went there to do.

♂ m 23

Somebody Else's August ~ Age: 23 A chirpy Leylandian rifleman. Dory's reaction to the war is awfully similar to a certain young Wesslinger gentleman's; he is overwhelmingly excited to prove himself a real man, having carried a torch for his friend Ethel since childhood. Her marriage to his... read more

Somebody Else's August ~ Age: 23 A chirpy Leylandian rifleman. Dory's reaction to the war is awfully similar to a certain young Wesslinger gentleman's; he is overwhelmingly excited to prove himself a real man, having carried a torch for his friend Ethel since childhood. Her marriage to his business partner Len Winter saw those feelings buried long ago... with a profound loneliness and fragility taking their place. When Dory, heavily wounded and abandoned by his countrymen, happens across a bemused Elfriede, he immediately identifies in her a homeliness and a familiar resilience. Following that day, the two begin to pop up in each others' lives with an unsettling regularity...

♂ m 27

Churlish Chronicler ~ Age: 27 A snide Leylandian colonial historian, whose drafting and military service proves to be an ordeal that he absolutely can not be bothered with - with his extremely unwelcome promotion to lance-corporal remaining a particular regret. Boot's casual claims of futility seem... read more

Churlish Chronicler ~ Age: 27 A snide Leylandian colonial historian, whose drafting and military service proves to be an ordeal that he absolutely can not be bothered with - with his extremely unwelcome promotion to lance-corporal remaining a particular regret. Boot's casual claims of futility seem to unsettle everyone he meets, and even his own men find him aloof and difficult. Ever the opportunist, and wanting to sit out the war in captivity if at all possible, Ernest does not stay on his side of No Man's Land for long. He sees chatting to a cynic like Elfriede as the ideal way to wile away his time as a prisoner - through, if perfectly honest, she tends to prefer her darkness unmined for Leylandian entertainment.

♀ f 25

Caustic Dispossessed Fantasist ~ Age: 25 A scornful Leylandian librarian, who enlists as a telephonist to stay close to her husband Len. Living in a rougher part of an industrial port town, Ethel spends her time obsessively escaping into (children's) fiction - and devouring her (primary school) lib... read more

Caustic Dispossessed Fantasist ~ Age: 25 A scornful Leylandian librarian, who enlists as a telephonist to stay close to her husband Len. Living in a rougher part of an industrial port town, Ethel spends her time obsessively escaping into (children's) fiction - and devouring her (primary school) library's works late into the night leaves her perpetually sleep-deprived and crabby. Ethel and Len foster an intricate and ever-evolving fantasy of their one true ambition in life - to someday live out a blissful countryside existence together. If anything were to happen to her beloved in the war, Ethel's whole world would irrevocably shatter...

♂ m 24

Dashing Duteous Dandy The flamboyant heir to a minor and outmoded aristocratic family. Never shy about exhibiting his verbose Romanticism and dramatic spirit, Eugen openly nurtures a single-minded obsession with finding glory on the battlefield and fulfilling the aspirations that years of devouring... read more

Dashing Duteous Dandy The flamboyant heir to a minor and outmoded aristocratic family. Never shy about exhibiting his verbose Romanticism and dramatic spirit, Eugen openly nurtures a single-minded obsession with finding glory on the battlefield and fulfilling the aspirations that years of devouring the classics have instilled in him. Styling himself as the last True Heroic Gentleman, Eugen never misses a chance to flaunt his chivalrous nature in front of Elfriede. He sees the war as, amongst other things, a find opportunity for a spot of good old-fashioned peacocking.

♂ m 26

Ostracised Draft-Dodger An awkward and skittish gardener who shuns the chance to enlist. Garhardt is quickly villified as a coward by the locals, and verbally and physically assaulted on a daily basis. Forced to embrace the consequences of his decisions, and refusing to discuss his motivations, he ... read more

Ostracised Draft-Dodger An awkward and skittish gardener who shuns the chance to enlist. Garhardt is quickly villified as a coward by the locals, and verbally and physically assaulted on a daily basis. Forced to embrace the consequences of his decisions, and refusing to discuss his motivations, he shuts himself off from society. When Elfriede is the only woman on the home front with a single non-venomous thing to say to him, the seeds of a shaky trust are sown. Amidst all the troubles plaguing Gerhardt's life as a pariah, her kindness comes to be his only ray of sunlight.

♂ m 27

Lackadaisical Battlefield Artist A laid-back and irresponsible war artist who regularly disavows any semblance of military regulation or authority. His best-kept secfret is that he is a driven and professional man, intensely proud both of his Meindi gypsy heritage and his lucrative employment with ... read more

Lackadaisical Battlefield Artist A laid-back and irresponsible war artist who regularly disavows any semblance of military regulation or authority. His best-kept secfret is that he is a driven and professional man, intensely proud both of his Meindi gypsy heritage and his lucrative employment with the government. Elfriede and Gottfried develop an antagonistic rapport almost immediately, and he is quick to shoehorn caddish professions of admiration and undying love into their back-and-forth. Of course, it's clearly just good humour. Clearly. Right?

♂ m 28

Infirm Home Guardsman A gentle domestic servant, stricken with polio all his life and of no use to the army. As captain of the home guard, Helmut attempts to content himself with patrolling the town with his old walking stick and tattered antique uniform - but his deep shame and guilt in his own ph... read more

Infirm Home Guardsman A gentle domestic servant, stricken with polio all his life and of no use to the army. As captain of the home guard, Helmut attempts to content himself with patrolling the town with his old walking stick and tattered antique uniform - but his deep shame and guilt in his own physical frailty is a powerful enemy. Elfriede and Helmut quickly bond over their shared feelings of alienation on the home front. It is unclear if his respect for her eventual field service will ever be stronger than his jealousy... but he tries with all his heart to assist her.

♂ m 21

Taciturn Noble Corporal As the eldest child of a cabinet minister, the eyes of the nation compelled Corporal Sankt to enlist - eschewing officer training and entering as a private for propaganda purposes. When his platoon of university chums was routed and he was left in a minor leadership position... read more

Taciturn Noble Corporal As the eldest child of a cabinet minister, the eyes of the nation compelled Corporal Sankt to enlist - eschewing officer training and entering as a private for propaganda purposes. When his platoon of university chums was routed and he was left in a minor leadership position, he found he had to grow very competent very quickly. His young age now stands only as a contrast to the weariness rooted deep in his bones. Horst tolerates Elfriede's vists after realising their effect on the trench's morale, but makes little attempt to socialise with her himself. Managing to suppress his interest in her true purpose, he views her presence as no more than a tragedy waiting to happen.

♂ m 27

Scatterbrained Sans-Culotte ~ Age: 27 Unassuming Levasseuri council secretary, burning with socialist conviction but too polite and easily-sidetracked to realistically do much about it. Though Grebe isn't keen on the war's upper-class progenitors, he also seems to think that his drafting was some k... read more

Scatterbrained Sans-Culotte ~ Age: 27 Unassuming Levasseuri council secretary, burning with socialist conviction but too polite and easily-sidetracked to realistically do much about it. Though Grebe isn't keen on the war's upper-class progenitors, he also seems to think that his drafting was some kind of personal request - and sets about his newfound medical duties with surprising zeal. Elfriede first meets Laurent on the battlefield, and the two immediately negotiate an extremely small-scale truce. United in disdain for the war's injustices, he sets his sights on recruiting her to build a more compassionate world once it's all over. And beneath his rhetoric might even lie a sincerity.

♂ m 26

Ethel's Loving Husband ~ Age: 26 A Leylandian greengrocer and Ethel's devoted spouse. Len manages the shop and handles the finances, while his co-owner Dory takes care of the legwork. A kindhearted and gentle man, Len is well-known around town for his generosity and good nature - and his absolute d... read more

Ethel's Loving Husband ~ Age: 26 A Leylandian greengrocer and Ethel's devoted spouse. Len manages the shop and handles the finances, while his co-owner Dory takes care of the legwork. A kindhearted and gentle man, Len is well-known around town for his generosity and good nature - and his absolute dedication to Ethel's wellbeing is without equal (or precedent). Keen to go bash some Wesslingers in the national interest, Len heads off to war when his reserve unit is called up. In the trenches, he briefly crosses paths with Elfriede Rauss. But they don't talk a great deal.

♂ m 29

Serene Stretcher-Bearer A calm and level-headed conscientious objector, whose pacifistic ideals restrict his active service to medical roles. Knowing of his boxing past, many of the men find sport in attempting to engage him - but he has yet to cave to any pugilistic provocations. As Marius grows ... read more

Serene Stretcher-Bearer A calm and level-headed conscientious objector, whose pacifistic ideals restrict his active service to medical roles. Knowing of his boxing past, many of the men find sport in attempting to engage him - but he has yet to cave to any pugilistic provocations. As Marius grows closer to Elfriede, the need to protect her from the horrors of the trenches begns to eclipse even his duties... and if it were ever to be thrown into conflict with his beliefs, he has no idea how he would act. This uncertainty stalks his dreams nightly.

♂ m 28

Laissez-Faire Lance-Corporal A sardonic and free-spirited former woodsman, Otto blithely boasts of having already outlived hundreds of comrades - gliding by on his skill as a sniper, supposedly since the war's very first day. As an amateur naturalist, Otto sees the war as neither 'right' nor 'wrong... read more

Laissez-Faire Lance-Corporal A sardonic and free-spirited former woodsman, Otto blithely boasts of having already outlived hundreds of comrades - gliding by on his skill as a sniper, supposedly since the war's very first day. As an amateur naturalist, Otto sees the war as neither 'right' nor 'wrong'; the natural selection of the battlefield is instead simply 'necessary'. As if overnight, one day Otto bizarrely starts casually addressing Elfriede as his wife. She has everything he requires: strong thighs, strong teeth and good child-bearing hips; a perfect specimen. She really hopes at least some of that is a joke.

♂ m 28

Dandyish Duellist ~ Age: 28 An eccentric Leylandian infantryman who, in his self-proclaimed 'detachment of one' (or: desertion), takes it upon himself to hunt opposing officers and dignitaries. Kettle was a fencer prior to the war, hired to settle aristocratic disputes - and his triumphant jaunts i... read more

Dandyish Duellist ~ Age: 28 An eccentric Leylandian infantryman who, in his self-proclaimed 'detachment of one' (or: desertion), takes it upon himself to hunt opposing officers and dignitaries. Kettle was a fencer prior to the war, hired to settle aristocratic disputes - and his triumphant jaunts into high society belied an intense working-class bitterness. An over-ambitious Kettle eventually finds himself a prisoner of war - and, though bristly towards his captors, he strikes up an uneasy camaraderie with Elfriede. But can a man like Stafford ever bring himself to look past his wartime loyalties... or will he only ever see an enemy?

♂ m 25

Hateful Infantryman A distant rifleman with grand artistic aspirations. Walter displays a constant quiet hostility towards his comrades, valuing the affections of animals above those of humans (and with a particular distaste for the Meindi people). He seems unbothered by the thought of running thro... read more

Hateful Infantryman A distant rifleman with grand artistic aspirations. Walter displays a constant quiet hostility towards his comrades, valuing the affections of animals above those of humans (and with a particular distaste for the Meindi people). He seems unbothered by the thought of running through gunfire, and has been seen doing so with demented verve. Walter could not be less interested in friendship or romance, and the unpleasant outsider soon makes an enemy of Elfriede. But for everyone's sakes, she and her acquaintances must try to find out whether he has any last glimmers of humanity remaining... or if all hope really is already lost.

♂ m 23

Brazen Jingoistic Lout Bitter and volatile, Wolf is well-known around town for his proclivity towards reckless brawling and petty theft (the former losing him his job, but the latter gaining him some tasteful brogues). When war calls, his destructive urges are outweighed by his powerful xenophobia,... read more

Brazen Jingoistic Lout Bitter and volatile, Wolf is well-known around town for his proclivity towards reckless brawling and petty theft (the former losing him his job, but the latter gaining him some tasteful brogues). When war calls, his destructive urges are outweighed by his powerful xenophobia, and he enlists - with high hopes of putting a bullet in some Leylandian skulls. Wolf openly shuns and insults Elfriede in peacetime, but the considerable blows to his mental state in the course of the fighting lead him to cherish her visits... as reminders of the home he so rashly abandoned.

♂ m 25

Heavyheart Fatalistic Chancer A deadpan lance-corporal and Otto's opposite number under Horst. A pianist in civilian life, Klett's ill-advised forays into the world of gambling (before, during and undoubtedly after the war) have lent him a strangely philosophical attitude to loss - but unlike Otto'... read more

Heavyheart Fatalistic Chancer A deadpan lance-corporal and Otto's opposite number under Horst. A pianist in civilian life, Klett's ill-advised forays into the world of gambling (before, during and undoubtedly after the war) have lent him a strangely philosophical attitude to loss - but unlike Otto's cheery ambivalence, Rutger's detachment comes in the form of constant dreary quips and gags regarding all their fates. Klett's a talented chap, but sometimes... 'a little much'.

♂ m 28

Consummate Bureaucrat ~ Age: 28 A captain stationed at the nearby regimental headquarters, where he serves as General Neuemann's secretary. A career soldier and a famously even-handed man, Nehring enjoys visiting the trench to check in on Horst - as an old friend of his family - while relaying the... read more

Consummate Bureaucrat ~ Age: 28 A captain stationed at the nearby regimental headquarters, where he serves as General Neuemann's secretary. A career soldier and a famously even-handed man, Nehring enjoys visiting the trench to check in on Horst - as an old friend of his family - while relaying the general's missives first-hand. Seeing no logistical issue with giving advice to an associate like Corporal Sankt, Wim effectively comes to serve as Eight Company's direct line to regimental HQ.