List of Emberverse characters

This is a list of major and minor characters in S. M. Stirling's Emberverse series of post-apocalyptic, alternate-history novels.

Bearkillers Mike Havel: A former US Marine and pilot, Mike is flying a plane carrying the Larsson family to their vacation home in Montana at the time of "the Change". He leads the Bearkillers (named for the black bear he kills when it attacks their camp), and takes the group from Idaho to the Willamette Valley. Mike reluctantly accepts the title of "Lord Bear" when it is given to him by Astrid. A fair man, he is dangerous to his enemies. Mike dislikes being a hero, but enjoys being in charge. He provokes Arminger into a duel to save his people, and the men kill each other. Kenneth Larsson: The Larsson patriarch, a wealthy industrialist and amateur engineer whose wife is killed shortly after the Change by white supremacists. Grateful to Mike for saving his children, Ken acknowledges him as their leader. His engineering expertise helps the Bearkillers develop a siege engine and farming tools. Ken loses a hand to Duke Iron Rod when the Duke attacks the Bearkillers. He has trouble adapting to the Change, thinking that Earth is doomed because there is no way to stop a meteor from hitting the planet. Ken is Eric, Signe, and Astrid's father, later marrying Pamela and siring several more children. He believes that aliens caused the Change. Signe Larsson: Ken's daughter and Eric and Astrid's sister, Signe was a vegetarian before the Change but now eats whatever she can to survive. She marries Mike, and is called "Lady Bear". Signe handles the Bearkillers' intelligence-gathering before she becomes regent after Mike's death. Although she is wary of Rudi, fearing that he will use his position as Mike's son to become Lord Bear (and take away the position for her son), she donates blood to save his life. Signe becomes a neopagan, drawn to the Norse pantheon of her Swedish ancestry. She is the mother of Ritva, Mary, Mike Jr., unidentified twin girls (fathered by Mike), and an unidentified child whom Eric Larsson assumes is fathered by Bjarni Eriksson. Eric Larsson: Signe and Astrid's brother and Ken's son, Eric thinks of Mike as an older brother but is jealous of the attention he pays to his sister. Usually commanding the Bearkiller cavalry in battle, he is headstrong and quick to anger. Eric teases Astrid for her love of The Lord of the Rings. He is married to Luanne, and has several children. By CY (Change Year) 22, Eric commands the Bearkiller military. Leading the Meeting's attempt to capture Pendleton, he loses a hand and earns the sobriquet "Ironfist" for his prothesis (and leadership). Will Hutton: An African-American horseman who had competed in several rodeos in and around Texas, Will and his family are captured by white supremacists after the Change. Mike frees them, and they become founding members of the Bearkillers; Will is Mike's second-in-command, and his horsemanship molds the Bearkillers' cavalry. He declines several offers by Mike to make him leader of the Bearkillers. After Mike's death, Will leads the group before Signe replaces him. In Dies the Fire, he has a son serving with the US military in Italy. Angelica Hutton: Will's wife and Luanne's mother, Angelica becomes the Bearkiller trail boss and head of logistics when they settle in Oregon. She sprinkles her conversation with Spanish words, which rubs off on the other Bearkillers. Luanne Hutton: Will and Angelica's daughter, Luanne is Astrid's friend until Astrid becomes jealous of her relationship with Eric (whom she marries). Luanne (part of the Bearkiller high command) usually accompanies Eric into battle, and they have several children. Pamela Arnstein: A California veterinarian and Renaissance reenactor, Pamela is stranded in Idaho after the Change. One of the Bearkillers' first recruits, her knowledge of swordsmanship makes her a useful addition. Pamela marries Ken, and commands his bodyguards when he leads the Bearkiller siege train into battle. Aaron Rothman: A doctor rescued by Mike from a band of cannibals after they cut off his foot for food, Aaron trains the Bearkiller medics and usually travels with the army to care for the wounded. Aaron has an unrequited crush on Mike, and all his boyfriends resemble the Bearkiller leader. Mike Havel Jr.: Mike and Signe's son, Mike Jr. is groomed by his mother to become the next Lord Bear. After saving Eric's life outside Pendleton, he is promoted and offered the chance to become Lord Bear. Mike Jr. declines, saying that he has more to learn from his mother and uncle. He admires his brother, Rudi McKenzie. Astrid Larsson: Signe and Eric's sister, and Eilir Mackenzie's blood sister. Will Larsson: Eric and Luanne's son, Will is promoted for his heroism on the Pendleton battlefield.

Mackenzie clan Juniper Mackenzie: A folk singer and Wiccan priestess, Juniper flees Corvallis after the Change to her country home and forms the Mackenzie clan from members of her coven and other refugees. A sexual encounter with Mike produces her son (and second child), Rudi, named after her late boyfriend. Considered by many Wiccans a "goddess on Earth", Juniper spreads the Wiccan religion beyond the Willamette Valley. The de facto leader of the non-Portland Meeting groups, she develops a working relationship with Sandra Arminger after the duel at the Fields of Gold. Her children are Eilir and two other daughters, and she is married to Nigel Loring. Music attributed to Juniper in the books is by Alexander James Adams, acknowledged (as Heather Alexander) in The Protector's War. Rudi "Artos" Mackenzie: Rudi is the son of Juniper and Mike, born shortly after the Change. The clan's Tanist, several prophecies and strange events have followed him; one such prophecy leads him and his friends on a quest across North America to Nantucket to retrieve a sword. Rudi is described as a skillful fighter for his age, with uncanny accuracy. He is one of the few who can approach his horse, Epona, without being attacked. Rudi has a close relationship with Mathilda which grieves him, since their different religions and political situations make it unlikely that they will ever be together. A reviewer called Rudi noble, complex, and admirable. Dennis Martin: A bar owner before the Change, Dennis accompanies Juniper to her country home with him medieval weapons from his brother John. He has some skill as a blacksmith, but is a better woodworker. Dennis becomes a Wiccan, and inspires clan members to call Juniper "Lady Mackenzie" after he jokingly refers to her with that title. The first to wear the Mackenzie kilt, he instigates the neo-Celtic culture which defines the clan. Chuck Barstow: A SCA member and a gardener before the Change, he leads many of Juniper's coven to her cabin and saves several schoolchildren from an abandoned bus (adopting three of them). Chuck is the clan's Second Armsman (under Sam) until he is promoted to First Armsman when Sam retires. Married to Judy with several children, he dies outside Pendleton but awakens in the afterlife. Judy Barstow: Juniper's teenage friend, who converts with her to Wicca. She becomes a nurse midwife, and marries Chuck. Judy's medical skills with medicine make her the clan's lead healer and one of Juniper's closest advisors. Oak Barstow: One of Chuck and Judy's adopted children, who takes the name Oak after converting to Wicca. Chuck's second-in-command outside Pendleton, he orders the clan to retreat after Chuck's death. At a burial ceremony outside Dun Juniper, Oak swears to avenge his father's death. Sam Aylward: A former member of the Special Air Service, Sam is hunting in Oregon during the Change and initially thought that it was a nuclear war. Rescued by Juniper (who found him in a ravine), his skills as a bowyer make the longbow the clan's weapon of choice. Thwarting attempts at promotion in the British military, Sam is the clan's First Armsmen. His reputation with a longbow earned him the nickname "Aylward the Archer" and a reputation reaching Boise, Idaho. Nigel Loring: Sam's former commanding officer in the Special Air Service and a colonel in the Blues and Royals at the time of the Change, Nigel saves the British royal family and helps the remnants of the United Kingdom endure the Change. Disputes with King Charles III and his new wife force him to flee the country with his son, Alleyne, and John Hordle after his wife Maude is killed during their escape from Woburn Abbey. Picked up by a Tasmanian ship on a round-the-world expedition, he finds himself in Oregon and is offered land and title by Portland Protective Association Lord Protector Norman Arminger and flees after tricking him out of the nerve gas Arminger wants for his war against the Willamette Valley communities. Nigel settles with the Mackenzies, and falls in love with Juniper; they have two daughters. He commands the Mackenzie infantry (which does not use the longbow), wears full plate armour, and instills strict discipline in the Mackenzie warriors. Edain Aylward: Edain, Sam's son, joins Rudi on his quest to Nantucket. An accomplished archer, he finds it difficult to live up to his father's reputation. Eilir Mackenzie: Juniper's deaf daughter, and Astrid's blood-sister. Terry Martin: Dennis' stepson, a noted brewer.

Portland Protective Association Norman Arminger: The megalomaniac Lord Protector of the Portland Protective Association is a history professor and member of the Society for Creative Anachronism before the Change, who builds the PPA with members of the society and Portland gang leaders. Labeled a sociopath, he can be cruel to his enemies and his own people and reintroduces slavery to North America. Married to Sandra and father of Mathilda, he is killed by Mike Havel in a duel. Sandra Arminger: Norman's wife, Mathilda's mother and PPA regent, Sandra is the association's voice of reason but can be at least as cruel as Norman. Protective of her daughter, she shamelessly manipulates her into marrying the right man. Mathilda Arminger: Norman and Sandra's daughter and PPA heiress (which she will inherit on her 26th birthday), Mathilda travels with Rudi to Nantucket. Sometimes ashamed of her father, she rationalizes his evil as necessary but does not want to repeat his mistakes. Good friends with Rudi, they become engaged in The Sword of the Lady. Conrad Renfrew: The Count of Odell, former commander of the PPA military and Lord Chancellor to Regent Arminger, Conrad's face is heavily scarred. A friend of Norman before the Change, he is his earliest supporter. Conrad is cagey about his past, causing some to question his identity. A CPA before the Change, he is less bloodthirsty than Norman and disagrees with him if he thinks he is wrong. Eddie Liu: A former gang member who moves quickly up the PPA ranks to become the baron of Gervais, Eddie has a grudge against Juniper (who killed his friend while they were looting a store in Corvallis after the Change). He is Norman's agent with warlords like Duke Iron Rod before his promotion to defend the PPA's southern border. Father of Odard Liu and husband of Lady Mary Liu, he is killed trying to retrieve a book of secret codes accidentally given to Rudi. Odard Liu: Eddie's son and the baron of Gervais, Odard is ambitious and spends time with Mathilda (in the hope that they will marry); he accompanies her and Rudi to Nantucket. He has a wary friendship with his rival, Rudi. Odard's mother, Lady Mary, undermines his baronial authority. He is killed in battle with Moorish corsairs shortly before Rudi's group reaches Nantucket. Mack: A former gang member and Eddie's bodyguard, he carries a large war hammer and dies defending Eddie.