The Lord Marksman and Vanadis light novel series features an extensive cast of characters created by Tsukasa Kawaguchi and illustrated by Yoshi☆o and Hinata Katagiri. The series takes place in an alternate version of Europe, where wars are waged to maintain peace and equality. The protagonist of the series is Tigrevurmud Vorn, a Count from the Brune principality of Alsace who is taken prisoner by Zhcted war maiden Eleonora Viltaria. Tigre, Elen, and their allies interact with various groups and organizations, which some are involved in civil wars.
Creation and development Author Tsukasa Kawaguchi contributed the concept of a young male archer and a female fighter who uses a sword as the protagonists, which the editorial department of MF Bunko J approved of. At the editorial department's suggestion, Kawaguchi included seven additional fighting girls and called them "war maidens". Kawaguchi wanted to have another weapon from a novel he had previously worked on for Tigre. The Monster Hunter video game franchise gave Kawaguchi the inspiration to develop Tigre's archery skills. Other influences for Tigre included historical archers such as Nasu no Yoichi and Robin Hood.
Kawaguchi cites Record of Lodoss War, Fortune Quest as well as foreign and domestic light novels in writing Lord Marksman and Vanadis. When creating the names of the Vanadis, he used Russian names as he based Zhcted on that country. On deciding a good name for a character, Kawaguchi said that he first decides on a common name, as he feels that it might be hard for readers to understand strange names. After deciding on what the character's name means, Kawaguchi thinks of the name's quality based on if they have an active role.
Characters
Major characters Main characters as found in the anime series.
Tigre is the protagonist of Lord Marksman and Vanadis. Introduced as the Count of Alsace, he is an archer who enjoys hunting. After he is summoned to lead Brune Army in the Battle of Dinant, Eleonora Viltaria obliterates the army before capturing Tigre and detaining him in Leitmeritz. Shortly after, he becomes one of Elen's generals. His actions in rescuing Alsace results in him being stripped of his title as Count and is considered a traitor. When Tigre defeats Duke Felix Aaron Thenadier, he becomes a hero to the populaces of Brune and Zhcted, regaining his title as a Count and obtained two titles, Lumiere (Knight of the Moonlight) and Silvrash (Star Shooter). He is soon ambushed by the demon Torbalan, which results in him losing his memory in the process. He takes on the name Urs after his father and is taken in by Elizaveta Fomina during his amnesia state. Eventually, he regains his memories during his battle with Baba Yaga when he meets up with Elen again. After rescuing Elen from Greast, he professes his love for her and they later defeat the advancing Muozinel Army. His main item is the , which is a bow used by his ancestors. He can shoot up to three arrows at once with it. Using Elen's Arifar, he is able to amplify his ability to. the point where it can obliterate gates.
War maidens
is one of the seven title characters; she captures and takes Tigrevurmud Vorn as her prisoner shortly after witnessing his archery skills. She has long white hair and red eyes. She is the ruler of the bustling principality of Leitmeritz and leader of their army. She is also known as the and . Having mastered the Dragon Gear longsword she can use the wind to cut down through shields, helms, armors and dragons at will, and Arifar seems to have a consciousness of its own. Besides her combat abilities she is also an excellent tactician, able to defeat numerically superior forces with clever stratagems and making full use of any advantages her forces have over those of her opponents. Her preference is to use cavalry to flank the enemy while fighting in the front lines herself. She is accompanied by her pet Black dragon Lunie, whom Sofya Obertas is very fond of. During her early childhood, she is raised by the mercenary group "Silver Gale" and saves Elizaveta Fomina from ridicule. During Zhcted's invasion of Brune, Elen and her army overpowers the Brune Army and captures Tigre. She eventually recruits him into her army. After the Brune Civil War she agrees to keep Tigre in her custody for three years as a way of maintaining the peace between the Kingdoms of Zhcted and Brune, although her ulterior motive is to keep him close so that the other girls will not steal him away from her. She is tasked by King Viktor to stop the fight between Count Pardu and Duke Bydgauche, and is forced to work with Liza, encountering the amnesiac Tigre in the process. Despite her statements about Tigre's actual identity, she and Liza begin to battle but Tigre is able to defuse the situation and they agree to work together. When Lim confirms Tigre's true identity, Elen leaves for Lebus and helps Tigre, Liza and Lim battle Baba Yaga and Vodyanoy. When she becomes exhausted during the fight, Tigre hugs her and eventually regains his memories. She helps Liza kill the Earl of Polus as thanks for taking care of Tigre, before they reconcile and Liza becomes Tigre's ally. During her campaign on Brune, she is captured by Greast after the Battle of Prowirl but later rescued by Tigre; both of them profess their feelings together after Elen suffers mental trauma due to Greast's torture.
Mila is one of the seven war maidens of Zhcted, as well as the ruler of the snowy principality Olmütz, known as the . She has short blue hair, blue eyes and a slim figure. As with Eleonora Viltaria, she is a tactician and even she reluctantly concedes that Mila is the best war maiden in fighting defensive battles. Before the beginning of the series, Mila becomes a war maiden after her mother dies when she is 14 years old. Unlike most Vanadis who are chosen by the Dragon Gear almost at random, her Dragon Gear has been passed from generation to generation of her family since the time of her great grandmother, which explains her pride as a war maiden. At first, she is antagonistic towards Elen and Tigre because of the alliance between her family and that of Thenardier's. During her duel with Elen in the Tatra Fortress, Tigre saves Mila's life from an assassin sent by Thenardier and she declares her neutrality in the Civil War of Brune. She returns to help Tigre and his army to fend off the invading Muozinel Army. She gets jealous whenever other girls want to steal Tigre away. However during Tigre's disappearance she received a gift from Tigre after his dispatch on Asvarre which was a pack of Black Tea much to her surprise and mumbling about his foolishness and recklessness. Later she participate by aiding Tigre again in rescuing Eleonora and helps stop the Muozinel Army from conquering Nice. Her Dragon Gear is a short spear named Lavias, capable of manipulating ice, its abilities include summoning thousands of ice shards that can easily stab to death many attackers, creating a wall of ice, changing the weather to winter and also being capable of slaying a Dragon at full power. Mila is a fan of drinking tea with jelly and almost always carries a small jar with her. She is mocked by Elen as a "potato" because of her modest bust size and height, which usually leads both of them to get in childish quarrels that have to be mediated by Sofya Obertas. She is also teased by Elen for her feelings towards Tigre.
Sofy is the one of seven war maidens of Zhcted, ruler of the land of Polesia, she is 20 years old and the current mediator and moral guardian to all Vanadis. She has long blonde hair, beryl (green) colored eyes and a well endowed body, even more than Elen. Called Brilliant Princess of the Light Flower, Sofy dislikes violence and upholds her role to take care of her fellow Vanadis from unwanted conflict. Elen considers her the best Vanadis at politics and information gathering, and has even asked her to seek information out such as which Vanadis have ties with Thenardier and Ganelon, as well as how strong those ties are. This was after Sofy reveals that how siding with Tigre makes her an enemy with Ludmila Lourie, whose family has ties with since her grandmother. She also upholds the principle that the Vanadis should not put emotions ahead of country affairs until Tigre's arrival, which leads her curiosity to deepen after she sees Elen and Mila's odd relationship with him. This especially increases to the point she's questioning her feelings for him after he rides to her rescue under circumstances which should be impossible after being held for a while by Prince Elliott. Of all the Vanadis, Sofy is the sole Vanadis that serves as both warrior and ambassador for Zhcted. Sofy rarely fights unless necessary and she is often away from her territory since she is also a court member of the Royal Palace. If it is necessary to fight she can do so with power on equal terms with Elen and Mila, but due to her poorer stamina can't last as long. Her Dragon Gear is a golden priestess staff named Zaht. Though seemingly not a dangerous weapon, Zaht holds immense power that even functions as an energy shield capable of repelling any weapon, although powerful artifacts such as other Dragon Gears or the likes of (Durandal) can damage or break through the shield. Sofy's Vanadis powers are light-based which can be brighter than sunlight able to blind her enemies who've gotten too close to her when used. Her light power also has healing properties. Due to her personality and Zaht's non-aggressive appearance, she tends to travel often as an ambassador, diplomat, or observer for the King. While investigating for a way of defeating demons, she comes across the legend of the King of the Magic Marksman and how its path could turn into either a hero, or the Demon King.
Sasha is the oldest, but also the strongest of the current war maidens, as proof she was able to easily defeat three other war maidens by herself. She has shoulder length black hair, dark blue eyes and a modest physique. The ruler of Legnica, and called Princess of the Dancing Blades and Hidden Princess of the Luminous Flame, she is a Mediator for the other war maidens before the beginning of the series, until her illness forces her to retire and give the title to Sofya Obertas. Eleonora Viltaria considers her best friend among the war maidens, and vows to help each other in times of need. She suffers from an unknown blood illness that was diagnosed in her childhood. This disease has afflicted all women in her family for generations, no woman in her family has lived for more than 30 years. This illness is what makes her vulnerable to her adversaries, forcing her to remain bedridden as her illness worsens. Her Dragon Gear is Bargan, which consists of twin daggers with the power to control fire. Although the daggers share the same name as a pair it seems that instead of sharing the same will like a group/hive mind each dagger has its own individual (albeit very similar) will. The daggers refuse to abandon her even as her condition worsened and she tried to make them leave her and find a new owner. She decides to face the pirate army of the demon Torbalan that was going to attack her land, despite knowing that fighting will only make the disease worse. She fights with Torbalan in single combat, and after he nearly kills Elizaveta Fomina, she burns him with the power of her Dragon Gear. She finally succumbs to her illness after returning from the battle, as she used what was left of her strength in the fight. Before her death, she professes to Elen her desire to have a child.