Ald Baillon

First appearance: Chapter 1, Page 24

A gendarme, Ald is the sergeant of the Riverside District. He is responsible for keeping the peace in one of the poorer districts of the city, which is filled with transient hunters, trappers, and sailors. While he is massively corrupt, he manages to keep the violence and mayhem that once plagued the Riverside under control. He achieves this by dispensing brutal justice and savage beatdowns. Ald is not from Sherbourg. As his surname indicates, he comes from the town of Baillon in Saronne. Or at least that is what he claims. He is tight-lipped about his history, but rumors mark him as a dragoon formerly in the service of the crown. He's an excellent shot with his carbine musket, which is the dragoon's trademark weapon. This past year, he married Jeanne, a Daughter of the King who was about to be sent back to Saronne for lack of finding a husband.

Jacqueline de Tilly

First appearance: Chapter 2, Page 2

Named for the legendary Jaqueligne de Chantillac, Jacqueline is the second daughter of the Vicomte de Tilly, a minor lord in Saronne. Her older sister is married into another noble family and her younger brother entered the university and became a philosopher. Long thought of as nothing but the demure and quiet younger sister, Jacqueline entered the army to prove herself, which caused some tension with her family as they expected her to take religious orders. As with most noble women, she joined the cavalry, where she met Vivienne de Carailles. Vivienne was impressed by Jacqueline's conviction, and when Vivienne became the commander of the 1st Aradie Cavalry Company, she named Jacqueline her aide de camp. They became good friends and Jacqueline continues to serve as Vivienne's lady-in-waiting and secretary.

Jacqueline is proper and quiet, but possesses a wry sense of humor that takes many people by surprise. She feels a great sense of indebtedness to Vivienne and serves her loyally. While she doesn't have initiative to begin them herself, she enjoys the adventures she gets into with Vivienne.

Jean-Henri de Carailles

First appearance: Losing by Winning, Page 1

Jean-Henri de Carailles is the Governor General of Aradie and acts as the voice of royal authority in the colony. He rules from the governor's palace in Sherbourg, but spends a great deal of time in Arcaneaux, representing the interests of the colony as well as his own. Jean-Henri is most noted for the Grande Entente, a treaty which ended more than a hundred years of conflict known as the Pelt Wars between the Elakanois, the Liranequois, and dozens of lesser tribes. He also oversaw the near-collapse of the fur trade in Aradie, when furs flooded the market after the Grande Entente. His efforts to diversify the products of the colony have met with some success and rebuilt the fortunes of Aradie.

Jean-Henri is the youngest son of Jacques de Carailles, a marquis on the eastern border of Saronne. Jean-Henri's elder brother, André-Nicolas, succeeded his father to the title and has risen high in the service of the king. He was part of the diplomatic corps that ended the most recent war between Morante and Saronne. His influence secured Jean-Henri's appointment as governor general of Aradie in 1665.

Unlike many of the previous governors general, Jean-Henri's wife Antoinette accompanied him to his post in the Aradie. She birthed a daughter and two sons before she died in childbirth with the youngest. Jean-Henri dotes on his daughter, Vivienne, giving her leniency that is almost scandalous in the courts of Arcaneaux. His eldest son is in training to become an officer in the king's army, while the younger is receiving the education of a philosopher at the University of Arcaneaux.

Vivienne de Carailles

First appearance: Chapter 2, Page 2

Vivienne is the eldest child of Jean-Henri de Carailles, the Governor General of Aradie. Unlike many other governors, Vivienne's father brought his wife with him to the colony when he received his appointment. Both Vivienne and her two younger brothers were born in Sherbourg. Her mother died giving birth to her youngest brother when Vivienne was 8. Vivienne played a large role in raising both of her younger brothers, stepping into the role left by their mother.

Vivienne has since grown into a beautiful, if a trifle spoiled, woman. Her father has showered her with gifts, clothing, servants, tutors, and his indulgence. She attended universities in Sherbourg and Arcaneaux, where she studied many of the Twelve Revelations of Giavere, excelling at rhetoric and logic but showing no skill at all in music. In addition, she has a passion for military affairs and is renowned as an excellent sharpshooter. She is equally renowned for spurning suitors, which has caused her father considerable political difficulties and may be the reason that he has not been promoted to a more prestigious office.