List of Emberverse Characters - Bearkillers

Bearkillers

• Mike Havel: Former US marine and pilot, Mike was flying a plane carrying the Larsson family to their vacation home in Montana when the Change happened. He becomes the leader of the Bearkillers, the name coming from the black bear he kills when it attacks their camp, and takes the group from Idaho to the Willamette Valley. He reluctantly takes the title “Lord Bear” after it is bestowed to him by Astrid along with a helmet with the tanned bear's head on it, the bear he killed with an improvised spear. He is described as fair but at the same time dangerous to his enemies. He 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 dies 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 dies shortly after the Change at the hands of white supremacists. Grateful for saving his children, Ken recognizes Mike as their leader in the post-Change world. His knowledge of engineering helps the Bearkillers develop a siege train and various farming tools. He loses one of his hands to Duke Iron Rod when the Duke attacks the Bearkillers. He sometimes has trouble adapting to the Change, one time worrying that Earth is doomed because there is be no way to stop a meteor from hitting the planet. He is father to Eric, Signe, and Astrid and later marries 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 gives that up to survive. She falls in love and later marries Mike, sometimes being referred to as “Lady Bear.” Signe handles 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 does, however, donate blood to save his life once. She later becomes a neopagan but does not become a Wiccan, preferring a Norse pantheon consistent with her Swedish ancestry. 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 looks up to Mike as an older brother, though at one point he tries 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 and leads the Bearkiller contingent during the Meeting's attempt to capture Pendleton where he loses a hand, earning the sobriquet "Ironfist" for his prothesis as well as relentless combat leadership.
• Will Hutton: An African-American horse rancher who also appeared several rodeos in and around Texas. Right after the Change, Will and his family are themselves captured by a group of white supremacists. After being freed by Mike, Will and his family joins up with Mike and the Larssons and becomes an important founding member of the Bearkillers and Mike’s second in command. His knowledge of horsemanship helps 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 becomes leader of the Bearkillers for a time before being replaced by Signe. In Dies the Fire, it is stated that he has a son serving with the US military in Italy. In The Scourge of God, Melissa Aylward, a member of Clan Mackenzie, has a vision of an unnamed man with a Texan accent, which might be Will's son, giving military advice at the bedside of a dying Pope.
• Angelica Hutton: Wife to Will and mother to Luanne. She becomes the Bearkiller trail boss and later head of logistics when they settle 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. For a time she is good friends with Astrid until Astrid sees her making out with Eric, whom she later marries. 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 veterinarian and renaissance reenactor, Pamela becomes stranded in Idaho after the Change. One of the first recruits to the Bearkillers, her knowledge of swordsmanship quickly makes her an important member of the Bearkillers, training everyone how to fight with a sword. She later marries Ken and commands his bodyguards when he leads the Bearkiller siege train into battle. It’s possible that she is the ex-wife of 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, 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 is gay and 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. After saving Eric's life outside Pendleton he is promoted to the rank of A-lister and offered the chance to become Lord Bear by the Bearkillers. He declines the offer saying he still had more to learn from his mother and uncle. Unlike his mother, he has a near hero-worship for his brother Rudi McKenzie.
• Astrid Larsson: Sister of Signe and Eric, sworn blood sister of Eilir Mackenzie. See Dúnedain Rangers, below.
• Will Larsson: Son of Eric Ironfist and Luann, like his cousin Mike was promoted to the A-List early for heroism on the Pendleton battlefield.