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JägerkinSee Protagonists for Ognian, Maxim, Dimo, and Ivo. See also Wulfenbach Empire for the "hidden" General.
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Jägers (in general)
The Corps of Jägermonsters
An army of Jägers led by General "Mamma" Gkika, rallying to their Lady.
Feared footsoldiers of the Heterodyne family, who drank the Jägerdraught and were transformed into their present state. Their fondness for fighting is matched only by their fondness for hats, and are recognizable by their mostly humanoid but just monstrous enough appearance, and a distinctively maintained Old Mechanicsburg accent.- Affectionate Nickname: The Jägers have taken to frequently calling their Lady Agatha "Sveethot" (IE: Sweetheart).
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Jäger skin tends to be all manner of colors.
- Amazon Chaser: The more dangerous and violent a lady is, the more they'll be in luv with her. The ones on Castle Wulfenbach adore Von Pinn, no matter how violently she disembowels them. (According to the Secret Blueprints, Von Pinn considered killing one of them as a warning, but wasn't sure that won't make them love her more.)
- Berserk Button: In order: threats to the Heterodyne, threats to their hats, and slaver wasps. Jägers choose to become Jägers; according to General Goomblast, "Every one of us reached out our hands and took the Jägerdraught by choice...we serve the Heterodynes freely...and our Heterodynes have always earned that". The fact that it was a choice is extremely important to them; the thought of anyone not getting that choice makes them very, very angry.
- Bizarre Human Biology: Although initially, Jägers were all fur-covered humans with pointy teeth, with the generals as exception, currently all Jägers are unique in appearance. Every Jäger gets their own combination of "goodies": multiple arms, multiple eyes, tusks, horns, barbels, color changing skin (to name a very few examples). The only common trait, and the trademark indicator of a Jäger, is a mouthful of very big, very sharp teeth. The transformation from human to Jäger is a slow and continous process, with the Jäger growing larger and more monstrous over time.
- The teeth seem to come in first: Oggie has them ten years after drinking the Jägerdraught, but it takes another sixty-four years after that for his horn to start growing in.
- Size is a good indicator of age. With the exception of Zog (the shortest general, but implied to be the oldest), the Jäger generals tower over humans, while the average Jäger tends to be more or less human-sized. The first novel puts Goomblast at four meters (twelve feet) tall, at least.
- The Dreaded: Having served as the Heterodyne's head monsters for several hundred years, the people of Europa are not terribly fond of them. In places where the Baron's presence isn't so strong, and the memory of the old Heterodynes linger, the typical response to a Jäger is to try and kill them. Even in Wulfenbach-dominant regions, the mere implication that the Baron may send the Jägercorps to deal with an unruly vassal is often enough to pacify them.
- Funetik Aksent: Deys gots de Mechanicsburg aksent. It even applies to sound effects around dem.
- The Gadfly: Most Jäger traditions are maintained to annoy people.
- Gratuitous German: The word "Jägermonster" in German translates to English as "hunter-monster" or perhaps "infantry-monster".
- Honorary True Companion: The Jägers often had regular human auxiliaries fighting alongside them during the Old Heterodyne days, and the two considered each other close comrades-in-arms. "Riding with the Jägers" is how the old auxiliaries usually announce this membership. Though not practiced currently, a few characters were extended the same regard by true Jägers when dying or getting greivously wounded in service to Agatha: Lars and Zeetha, for example.
- Horrifying the Horror: Having served alongside the maddest of the madboys, it's generally a sign that if something can scare these guys, it's time to run.
- I Gave My Word: They swore to serve the Heterodynes forever, but when Bill and Barry disappeared, they signed up with the Baron, knowing it was the only way to keep them safe. A few of their kind, such as Da Boyz, were sent into the wild to keep up the search, despite knowing there was probably no chance of succeeding, just so they could say they had kept their word. And then Agatha shows up.
- Interservice Rivalry: With the Lackya, the green-eyed footmen on board Castle Wulfenbach, during the Jägercorps' time under the auspices of Baron Wulfenbach. The Jagers think they're uptight and effete ("nancy-boy feetsman"), while the Lackya don't care much for their unruly behavior. But when the Slaver Wasps come around, all nonsense is dispensed with.
- They also don't get along with Boris, for very similar reasons.
- Long-Lived: They can last, with the proper maintenance from the Heterodyne, upward of hundreds of years. So far, there's no mention of Jägers dying of old age, and at least one of the first Jägers ever made is still alive, with no signs of slowing down.
- Made of Iron: Side-effect of not dying of the Jägerdraught is becoming near impossible to kill. Of course, this does have the leedle problem that Jägers can be overconfident in the face of a problem, or in some cases not outright notice something's trying to kill them in the first place.
- Mauve Shirt: Some minor Jagers do reappear occasionally. Zudok,
for example, took almost a whole ten and a half years to pop up again. - My Master, Right or Wrong: The only real moral alignment of the Jägers is "Loyal". They served the Heterodynes for centuries, and they'll serve the Heterodyne centuries more.
- Nightmare Fetishist: The people of Mechanicsburg consider the Jägers' inhuman features to be attractive. One of Higgs's regrets is that he didn't at least get the teeth.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Horrific Abominations of Mad Science though they be, at the end of the day, Jagers are still a Badass Army and Band of Brothers. This also extends to anyone they deem worthy of respect, As Maxim showed when he retrieved Lars' body.
- The Nose Knows: They've got an astoundingly good sense of smell, capable of discerning a Heterodyne instantly.
- Really 700 Years Old: Jägers can live a very long time; it's strongly implied that many of the Generals were among the first Jägers. Even the regular rank-and-file have a few centuries on them: Ognian has an impressive family of descendants over several generations.
- Signature Headgear: A Jäger without a hat might as well not be a Jäger. And there are rules about how one goes about acquiring them (gotta be a battle trophy off a worthy opponent, can't just pop into a little shop and buy one). Conversely, they'll respect someone with a nice hat, or even give one as a sign of respect (or at least, what they think is a nice hat). A good way to make them angry is to knock it off their head. They also use it as a gauge to whether or not a battle plan is a good idea: Will they lose their hat? If yes, bad plan.
- Skewed Priorities: Jägers are very protective of those hats of theirs, and a plan's general worth can be balanced on whether or not they'll still have a hat at the end of it, everything else be damned.
- Smarter Than You Look: Most people look at Jägers and see dumb, slavering monsters. Slavering, maybe, monsters, yeah, but while most of them aren't exactly gifted in the brains department, they are by no means stupid. The Baron's attempts to dupe them and keep them away from Mechanicsburg fails because of this.
- The books explicitely state that this is actually a deliberate ploy by the Jägers. Agatha notices that the Jäger she's talking to suddenly looks stupider when they are approached by one of the Lakya. The Jägers aren't all secretly geniuses, but they are definitely downplaying the intelligence they do have.
- Super Serum: The highly toxic concoction that transformed them from mere humans into Jägers is known as the Jägerbrau or Jägerdraught. Amongst the ingredients is raw water from the River Dyne's eldritch spring. It killed the majority of people who imbibed it, but the rest got all the wondrous Jägerperks... Except Higgs who only got the boring parts; Super-Strength, Super-Toughness, and Immortality.
- Super-Soldier: The most loyal and elite of the Heterodynes' military forces, historically, made superhuman by the effects of the aforementioned Jägerbrau.
- Super-Strength: Jägers are capable of impressive feats of physical exertion; the Generals are in fact capable of wielding Clank autocannons. (Jäger footsoldiers also manage to fire a giant cannon, but it takes three of them, and they have a "leedle problem vit de recoil".)
- Super-Toughness: It takes a frightening amount of bodily injury to physically incapacitate a Jäger, and even more to get them all that worked up about it. Dimo gets an arm chopped off and once the wound is tied off and bandaged, is so unbothered by it that a few hours later he forgets and tries to catch someone with it.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Heterodynes, and deys gots the oath to prove it! The Jägertroth promises to serve the Heterodyne family beyond death, and in multiple dimensions. This started even before becoming Jägers; it has been noted that imbibing the notoriously unreliably fatal Jägerbrau was always explicitly voluntary.
- Was Once a Man: Originally human before taking the Super Serum. Some remain more human-looking than others, like Oggie and Jenka, and Higgs never transformed at all.
The Jäger Generals
Generals Zog, Khrizhan, Goomblast, Koppelslav, "Mamma" Gkika and "the Spymaster"
, however General Øsk was reported to have lost his hat and life battling the Polar Ice Lords' Doom Wyrm, leaving only seven:1-3. "Dose three old ogres". When the story begins, they seem to act as military advisers for Klaus, and live aboard Castle Wulfenbach. General Zog, the most normal-looking one with the four-diamond-emblem fez, is implied to be the oldest. General Khrizhan, with the gold-capped tusks and (mysteriously) no hat at all, seems to be in overall command. General Goomblast is the freaking massive one with an impressively wide mouth and array of teeth.
4. "Mamma" Gkika is one of only two female Jägers seen so far, and the only female general. In the Jägerkin's current holding pattern, she runs the Mechanicsburg bar/hospital where incapacitated Jägers wait for a Heterodyne to come along to heal them up.
5. General Koppelslav, a large red Jäger, first appears in Mechanicsburg in a council of the generals, after Agatha is proclaimed the new Heterodyne. Long known only as "Gargantua", as named by a hostile Wulfenbach soldier, his name was finally confirmed in the fourth GG print novel.
6. General Zadipok, whereabouts unknown...
7. A "tricky general", who is said to be "keeper of many secret things." He apparently wishes to remain hidden until the Other is removed from Agatha's mind. It's finally revealed that he now goes by the name Axel Higgs. And that unique among Jäger, he's remained human-looking all these centuries.
- Almighty Janitor: The hidden general, Higgs, who has been serving in various inconspicuous positions throughout the militaries of Europa for hundreds of years.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Mamma Gkika takes it a step further by having a "fun color change-y hepidermoose [epidermis]!" She kept on the down low by staying Mechanicsburgher-colored, but now can "mek vit the pretty colors again".
- Amazonian Beauty: Mama Gkika is the only publicly known general who is still conventionally attractive, and she towers over any normal human or non-general Jäger. The third novel states she's almost nine feet tall.
- Arch-Enemy: While the Heterodynes, and thus the Jägers, were enemies with pretty much anybody, the one enemy the generals hate is the Other's insects. This is because the Jägers serve of their own will while the slaver wasps use Mind Control.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Defying this is part of what separates the Generals from regular Jägers. Although they still love a good fight, they also know when it's better not to. Vole saying he doesn't feel like fighting is considered "talking like a general".
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Jäger. Generals. Unlike their normal brothers and sisters, it seems at least General Gkika has enough strength and constitution to wield a Clank Gun.
- Bar Brawl: Mamma Gkika organizes one every evening to let the incapacitated Jägers in her care blow off steam. Except for Thursdays; Thursdays are Poetry Slam night.
- Big Red Devil: General Koppelslav has this look and wears Spikes of Villainy.
- Blood Knight: Cunning old Jägers they may be, they are still Jägers and enjoy a good fight as much as any of their subordinates. However, the large difference between them and the grunts is that the Generals are not driven to the insane frenzy like the grunts are (on account of their age and wisdom) and are able to make strategic decisions, or even choose not to fight. In fact, given what Vole underwent through, it's heavily implied that by the time they reach their age and have undergone decades or even centuries of blood lust and the emotional consequences of it, they mellow down considerably.
- Cavalier Competitor / Spirited Competitor: They don't hold grudges over any finished campaigns. And apparently keep kill-counts, arguing with each other over which foes did "count" and which weren't enough of a sport. Goomblast also liked the idea of Combat by Champion, though his opponents declined.
- Combat Pragmatist: The Generals make a game of who can score the most kills in a battle. General Khrizhan continuously pesters the others about what counts as cheating, to make sure they can't call him out for doing everything the others are doing...at the same time, on a much bigger scale. Things that are not cheating: attacking them in the air, attacking them with their own weapons (the weapons don't care), and attacking while they run away. Things that are cheating: all of those things at once.Zog: But in der goot vay!
- Cute Monster Girl: Downplayed, as Mamma's definitely not a girl, but she is pretty good-looking and the most humanlike of the Generals except for Higgs, and to a lesser extent Jenka.
- Dark Action Girl: Mamma seems to be half way between this and Lady of War.
- Even Evil Has Standards: They would very much enjoy working for a "fun" Heterodyne again, but even they hate Mind Control enough to hear out the possibility of Agatha being the Other and would refuse to work for any Heterodyne willing to use it.
- Femme Fatalons: Seen on Mamma here. And she keeps them perfectly lacquered even when in "uniform".
- Four-Star Badass: All of the Generals are brutally competent warriors. Four of them working together can utterly crush an entire airship of elite Wulfenbach air-assault troops.
- Funetik Aksent: Being Jägers, this is to be expected.
- Gentle Giant: All of the generals seem perfectly capable of being personable and making very polite conversation over a pot of tea (Zog's a bit rusty). This is actually what makes them generals. Jägergenerals are in fact the mature form of common Jägers; this usually takes hundreds of years, and most Jägers die before reaching it. Though almost all Jägergenerals possess unique physical characteristics, the most important difference between a Jäger and a Jägergeneral is that a Jägergeneral is no longer driven to fight as a Jäger is, but only fights when they choose to, and can thus fight rationally enough to lead others in combat. They are, however, still Jägers.
- Genius Bruiser: The generals seem far more on the button as far as politics are concerned than many people, never mind Jägers. Case in point: when it's revealed that Klaus plans to destroy Castle Heterodyne because Agatha's possessed by the Other, and Boris tries to deceive them into going along with it, they ask Boris to tell them what he knows rather than killing him out of hand. Turns out their intelligence and wisdom is the result of centuries of experience. And Higgs is a master of disguise and subterfuge, and has been hiding out posing as lowly crewmen and soldiers in half of Europa's military.
- Hidden in Plain Sight:
- This is how Mamma Gkika's remains hidden. It's underneath a much gaudier tourist trap of the same name, filled with show girls dressed up as fake Jägers.
- The "sneaky" general manages to stay hidden in plain sight as well, disguising himself as lowly soldiers in the various armies of Europa.
- Horrifying the Horror: Common jägers are Super Soldiers in their own right, and Blood Knights to boot. But when the Generals start brawling among themselves, they run for the hills.
- I Call Her "Vera": Mamma Gkika's axe, "Dollink".
- Improbable Weapon User: Koppelslav sports large organic-looking shoulder-spikes which he can tear off and throw with deadly accuracy. It's not clear if they are part of his body or his outfit.
- Large and in Charge: It is implied that the Generals are amongst the oldest Jägers, and thus the gradual effects of the Jägerbrau makes them slowly get larger and more physically powerful. This confers them even greater strength, as shown by General Gkika being able to heft (and presumably fire) a Wulfenbach battle clank's autocannon (previously shown to be too much for three regular Jägers).
- Lightning Bruiser: At least, General Goomblast. A Wulfenbach assault team seeing a huge Jäger General with a light fencing sword didn't realize why they should be terrified. Oh, and he also seems to be ambidextrous.
- Master Swordsman: General Goomblast is capable of disarming his enemies such that their own (poisoned) swords impale them. While fighting six on one.
- The Medic: Mamma Gikka is the person Jägers turn to if they need medical attention.
- Mildly Military: According to the novels, Jägers have no proper rankings or chain of command outside of the Generals, who are respected by virtue of being the oldest and strongest of their kind. It's also noted that the Generals have no clear hierarchy between themselves either.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: While standard for most Jägers, Goomblast takes it a bit further.
- The Nose Knows: With Krosp not believing the Dead Olga ruse will work because Agatha smells different as Foreshadowing context, the nonchalance over learning that Agatha is dead becomes this: they can smell the body isn't her, and quickly act casual over "Agatha's" loss.
- Older and Wiser: A requirement for being a Jäger General. They're all around centuries old and while still a love good fight, they have mellowed out considerably and with age comes wisdom, including an understanding and appreciation for strategy, politics and tactics. Furthermore, it's implied that an emotional requirement is the understanding of how much being a Blood Knight can suck. In fact, given how when Vole notes the horrible actions he did and Higgs remark that all of them do that and then they grow up, that this is likely something most Jägers realize if they ever reach the age.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Koppelslav was nicknamed "Gargantua" by fans (although it was a hostile Wulfenbach soldier who called him that) until the novels revealed his real name.
- Really 700 Years Old: Almost literally, their ages are in the neighborhood of 600-700 years. Apparently, this a partial requirement for being a General; after centuries of living, they are now fully matured and have a great deal of wisdom and experience to match their superhuman strength.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: They are willing to hold off formally aligning with Agatha when Boris calls them on how much upheaval it would cause at the current moment (though their main concern was Agatha's opinions on them starting a war). Once Wooster tells them about the Baron's plans to kill Agatha in the interim, Khrizhan neither accepts nor denies the accusation until getting copies of the Baron's orders. And finally, instead of killing Boris on the spot, Zog insists he tell them about Agatha being the Other first.
- Seen It All: Par with the course, given their age. Khrizhan is only mildly surprised by Gil's flying machine crashing into his study.
- Shipper on Deck: Agatha/Gil, although Zog got beaten up by Khrizhan for suggesting they push it along—while Agatha is sitting right next to them. They also approve of Agatha/Tarvek - a little romantic rivalry is fun for all.
- Koppelslav bets on Agatha taking both. He's certainly not the first.
Van: That's the dark horse, General. One will get you five. - Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: While Wulfenbach and all his minions are all treating Agatha as if she were The Other regardless of explanation of her situation, the Jäger Generals are willing to risk it to help their beloved returned mistress expel The Other from her head and carry the day.
- Slasher Smile: Goomblast has a mouth a shark would be envious of. Most Jäger Generals can sport one once they get in the mood. Even Higgs.
- Stronger with Age: After Vole artificially aged hundreds of years it seems clear that this is why the Generals look so much more mutated than regular Jägers. In fact, some of them were the first ever consumers of the "Jägerdraught".
- Super-Soldier: Implied to be among the first Jägers. Higgs has explicitly confirmed that he was among the very first to undergo the process.
- Super Serum:
- Mentioned as the source of change and confirmed by
Word of God. They are humans transformed by the "Jägerdraught", a concoction that includes raw River Dyne water as an ingredient. Perhaps due to advanced years causing additional mutation, side effects of repair or perhaps because they might have been in the original batch, most Generals are a LOT less human than the regular Jägers. Though if what Vole went through is any indication, it's likely a result of growing mutations with age. - On the other hand, apart from her aqua hair, sharp teeth and pointed ears, Mamma Gkika can almost pass for human (and in fact does, hiding in plain sight among her human showgirls who dress up as Jägers).
- And on the very far end of the spectrum, Airman Higgs is completely indistinguishable from a human. He's not actually happy about that, he'd at least like the teeth. It does, however, lend greatly to conducting espionage in the interest of House Heterodyne.
- Mentioned as the source of change and confirmed by
- Surrounded by Idiots: Khrizhan and Gkika both have moments where they display this attitude.
- Team Mom: Even part of her name; "Mamma Gkika"
- Undying Loyalty:
- As with the rank-and-file Jägers, explicitly explained to be a choice on the Generals' part. They are not compelled to serve the Heterodynes; rather, every Jäger has made a conscious choice and vow to serve the Heterodynes for life - a very long life - before they drank the Jägerbrau. It's a gamble, but "de vuns vot live gets all kinds ov goodies", evidently including toughness and immunity to aging. So strong is their loyalty that they'll stick with the Heterodynes even when the current masters are "boring". Many of the Generals are implied to be some of the first Jägermonsters.
- Of note is that the Jäger Generals consider anyone who fights for and protects a Heterodyne is just as worthy of their loyalty. When Zeetha was mortally wounded fighting Zola to protect Agatha, Generals Gkika and Higgs considered it worthy enough that they gave her the Jägerdraught and begin turning her at least partially into a Jäger in order to save her life.
- As with the rank-and-file Jägers, explicitly explained
Jenka
Jenka, Jäger Scout/Ambassador of Mechanicsburg
Click here to see her in more formal attire (SPOILERS)
One of only two female Jägers we have met so far (the other being Mamma Gkika) who seems to be Da Boyz immediate superior officer, but who spends quite a bit of time away from them (or maybe a liaison officer, which would fit well with her sporadic appearance). She was away when Da Boyz were caught by Othar and then left again to get orders about Agatha, and has since put in sporadic appearances. Her mysteriousness, femaleness and general awesome has lead to a lot of speculation about her nature and origins.
- Action Girl / Dark Action Girl: Hard to call exactly but it has to be one of these two.
- Ambadassador: Sometimes her duties call her to engage in more diplomatic venues. She's got more patience for it than her brothers-in-arms.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Grey skin, not that impressive but it does give us yet another choice of Jäger skin tone.
- Arrow Catch: On her first appearance, when a panicked guard shoots at her. She doesn't even flinch.Jenka: I forgive. Once.
- Badass Adorable: Does not look like the super scary badass she is.
- Badass Cape: She wears one that also obscures her mouth. Because she actually has entirely normal teeth, thanks to Andronicus Valois ripping out her "luffly fangs."
- Bears Are Bad News: Füst, her ursine mount. And he is awesome. She states he's a Jäger-bear, implying he too has had some of the Jäger Draught
- BFS: Her weapon of choice.
- Bilingual Bonus: Füst is Hungarian for 'smoke', ie her pet is Smokey the Bear. Doubles as a Stealth Pun
- Breast Plate: Not initially, but contrast her first appearance with her later one.
- Cool Mask: Part of her cape.
- Cursed with Awesome: She's one of only two Jägers without fangs because Andronicus Valois, the first Storm King, ripped them out. This enables her to go on diplomatic missions, as she looks like a grey-skinned human. She's still pissed about losing her fangs, though.
- Cute Monster Girl: What we can see of her anyway. Later confirmed during the Paris arc when we see her with her mask off.
- Drop-In Character: Shows up every once in a while, with very little warning of her appearance.
- Funetik Aksent: Her accent is often noticeably less pronounced than the other Jägers. For example, while she says "is" as "iz" like any other Jäger, she often says "you" normally instead of "hyu". Given that Da Boyz are/were a roaming band of Jägers on special assignment, and are now sticking close to Agatha (in both cases, not part of a larger Jäger group), it's entirely plausible that Jenka often has to travel through hostile territory to meet up with them. A less-pronounced accent may help in staying unnoticed if necessary. Confirmed when she shows up in Paris disguised as a (more or less) regular human. She serves in many ways and therefore must wear many faces, and has learned how to hide her accent when needed.
- Horse of a Different Color: She rides a war-bear, Füst; it's implied at one point that he may have also taken a dose of the Jäger-draught.
- Man of a Thousand Faces: It's all but stated she's this when Agatha meets her again in Paris after the Time Skip, which led to her being, among other things, the official head diplomat for Mechanicsburg. Though it's never made entirely clear if it's a Jäger ability, or she's just good with disguises.
- More Deadly Than the Male: She is in charge of Da Boyz, and the Jägers are pretty big on Asskicking Leads to Leadership. This is also demonstrated in the fight with Andronicus Valois, the first Storm King; he hates Da Boyz, but he's actually scared of Jenka.
- Only Sane Man: She comes across as being calmer and more careful than Da Boyz.
- Praetorian Guard: Apparently she used to be part of one for Euphrosynia Heterodyne.
- Pretty in Mink: When she shows up in Paris, she is wearing a rather impressive ensemble, which no longer covers her mouth, which also makes her virtually unrecognizable to Agatha.
- Really 700 Years Old: No actual word on her age, but she seems to have seniority over Da Boyz, and by human standards they are old. She's also old enough that she knew Andronicus Valois personally, and was apparently Euphrosynia's "retainer" of some description.
- Ship Tease: At the underground Paris party, she makes Dimo dress up nice and then calls him "darling." It's hard to tell if this means they have a relationship, or if she was just needling him.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Unlike most Jägerkin, she understands the need to be "soobtle".
- Super-Soldier: Again, Jäger.
- The Tooth Hurts: Andronicus Valois ripped out her "luffly fangs." She's still pissed about it hundreds of years later, though it makes it easier for her to pass off as not a Jäger.
- Undying Loyalty: By now, "Jägermonster" should clearly be synonymous with "Loyal to the death to the Heterodynes".
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Going by what she says to Agatha, the fact that Jenka in her guise as a Parisian socialite travels around with a Jäger-bear is seen as nothing more than "eccentric". And then only because most society ladies prefer little dogs.
Jorgi
Jorgi, Strike Team Commander
- Apathetic Student: His father was adamant about his children being educated, and was also a philosopher whose constant speechifying about the duality and the politics of non-being as related to platonic reality drove Jorgi to join up with the Jägers. His erudite upbringing may have contributed to his being command material, however.Hey- Hyu leesen to a guy like dot for fifteen years, hyu vill vant to burn down de vorld, too.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: He frequently smiles to show off as many of his very sharp teeth as possible.
- Cute Little Fangs: When Jorgi's mouth is closed two of his lower fangs stick out a little, helping mark him as a Jäger even though he has a very human face.
- Foreshadowing: Part of the reason he's around is to show what generals in waiting look like. There's a reason the generals made him a Commander. He even mentions he likes fighting in an off-handed way, dismissing it as supposedly being the most important part of being a Jaeger. This reflects both Dimo's and Vole's paths to become generals. There's a time to fight and then there's a time to think or talk.
- Funetik Aksent: Jorgi talks in the usual Jäger accent.
- Hidden Depths: He is quite a bit more intelligent than the average Jäger, even easily understanding a Spark's messy notes on their experiments, and a good cook but he doesn't want his brothers to even know he's literate.
- Major Injury Underreaction: He casually starts joking with Tarvek when he can't even stand due to broken legs and a messed up shoulder. When he reveals his injuries all he really has to say about it is that it's no big deal since Jägers heal fast.
- Not Afraid to Die: When he realizes the ship he's in is about to blow up and he can't even properly crawl to escape he's entirely unfazed and urges Tarvek to hurry up, escape and be good to Agatha.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: He threatens to kill Tarvek if Tarvek reveals to the horde that Jorgi can not only read, but comprehend a Spark's convoluted notes and had a very good education as a human at his father's insistence.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Not so much for Agatha and her allies but he's a Jäger with red eyes and there is a reason most of Europa is terrified of Jägers.
- Secret-Keeper: Jorgi knew about Tarvek being the heir to the Storm King and Agatha having an anima of the Other in her head while those things were still meant to be private information, to Tarvek's surprise.
- Shipper on Deck: Jorgi is cheering for Tarvek to win Agatha's affection, though he's ultimately happy with whomever his Heterodyne chooses so long as she's happy and they treat her good.
- Super-Soldier: The Jägerdraught gave him a Healing Factor, Made of Iron, The Nose Knows, Older Than He Looks, Proud Warrior Race Guy, and Super-Strength.
- Talking Is a Free Action: He treats it like it is, carrying on a conversation with Tarvek as Tarvek is trying to drag him and Ruxala out of a burning airship while they're being chased and attacked which drives Tarvek a bit mad.
- Undying Loyalty: Loyal to the Heterodynes and ecstatic about getting to organize the Wulfenbach Jägerkin's takeover of multiple Wulfenbach airships in order to return to serving them.
Ivo Sharktooth
Ivo Sharktooth, Private Jäger
Clients vos sumting hy'd heard about vunce...
Protagonist of a short story set after the end of the main comic, Ivo Sharktooth is a Private Jäger: a full-blown, hard-boilded gumshoe PI, who just so happens to be a Jägermonster. He only has one rule: you can hire him, but you can't unhire him. Once he is on the case he won't stop looking, no matter what dirty secrets he throws into the light or how much you beg.- Allofthe Other Reindeer: Most people who know Ivo seem to find him deeply irritating. Even the other Jägers don't like him, to the point where two of them trip him as he runs by, and are fully prepared to beat him up for their amusement. They apparently took offense at his vocal distaste for fighting, although if what Spanzel says are actual quotes from Ivo, he was pretty insulting about it. This is probably why he's not a Jägergeneral, even though he has the temperament of one. There's no indication it's so bad that he's been fully detached from the pack, like Vole, but the usual Jäger camaraderie is definitely missing.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Grey. He is a Jäger.
- Blood Knight: Averted, but has a very similar attitude to mysteries.
- Cute Little Fangs: Seems the source of his name.
- Clueless Detective: An Exact Words twist on one in that, apart from his Sherlock Scan abilities, he's actually a spectacularly bad one. His talent isn't actually "investigating" things, but causing enough trouble that the initial troublemakers invoke Chandler's Law out of sheer frustration. Hence why he can't be "unhired"—the mere act of hiring him is to kickstart a Rube Goldberg machine that results in chaos, panic, disorder, and a mystery solved by someone. He actually sets off the ultraviolent MacGuffin before the case is done.Vanamonde: Well, he isn't a private investigator, he's a private Jäger.
Agatha: Oh. I see.
Vanamonde: Yes, that's what the Heterodyne usually says.
Agatha: The-you mean he's worked for us before?
Vanamonde: According to the archives, he's worked for almost all the Heterodynes. - Dirty Coward: Played with slightly - Unlike all other Jägers we have seen, Sharktooth hates fighting. However, when he needs to do it, he is just as capable as the next Jäger.
- Friend on the Force: He looks in on The Chief mostly to make sure he doesn't go mad.
- Funetik Aksent: He's a Jäger. Makes the noir monologue seem rather interesting.
- Insistent Terminology: He's not a Private Investigator, he's a Private Jäger.
- Man Bites Man: The appelation "Sharktooth" is well-earned. Ivo ends up defeating the villain's secret policeman henchman by biting his hand off.
- Pragmatic Hero: He doesn't like to fight not because he can't, but, according to him, "Mostly 'cauze it iz soch a beeg waste of time", and he ends up on the clock.
- Private Eye Monologue: Thinks in them.
- Really 700 Years Old: Old enough to have worked for almost all of the Heterodynes, though clearly not quite old enough to become a general.
- Sherlock Scan: Not to the extremes of other characters with this ability, but when confronted with a crime-scene he knows how to take in the pertinent details quickly, before idiots blunder into it and ruin it.
- The Smart Guy: At least by the typical Jäger standard. Observant, methodical and logical.
- Spanner in the Works: His actual method of 'investigation' is to make enough machination-disrupting chaos around himself that the players are forced out into the open.
- Super-Soldier: Not that you would know, based on how he acts.
Discharged
Vole
Captain Vole, Dishonorably Discharged Jäger
IT VILL BE GLORIOUS!!!
The only Jägermonster ever to be kicked out from the Jägers. He bears a strong grudge against the House of Heterodyne over this, and is eager to kill Agatha as soon as he discovers that she's a real Heterodyne.
- And I Must Scream: Seems to have experienced this during his Rapid Aging. He describes it at feeling like he was stuck for hundreds of years fighting. Bad fighting, as in slowed down, where the blows came and he couldn't stop them, nor stop trying to futilely swing back, as if fighting in a nightmare which he couldn't wake up for centuries on end. After experiencing that, he himself states he doesn't want to fight anymore, and his Blood Knight tendencies seem to have been obliterated entirely.
- Ax-Crazy: "Ve vill burn Europa to the ground and und gnaw her bonez!" — his words.
- Berserk Button: Vole renounced the Jäger, but still takes attempts to steal or damage his hat very, very seriously.
- Black Eyes of Evil: With white pupils. Maybe. It's hard to tell if they're pupils or reflections; there are panels that make good arguments for each.
- Blood Knight:
- So much so that even the Jägers kicked him out for it. See Undying Loyalty below.
- He undergoes a condensed Deconstruction of it though while trapped in the time stasis. He describes the process of being unstuck and liberated as if being trapped in a cycle of non-stop fighting for centuries, unable to stop hitting or being hit. The ordeal wears down his blood lust to nothing and he's left with an odd-like calm as he reflects how horrible it felt.
- Combat Pragmatist: A particularly clever version. He takes advantage of people talking when they should fight and baits people to take advantage of their psychological weaknesses.
- Grievous Harm with a Body:
- In the first two panels he appears in, he rips a man's arm off to prevent his hand from releasing a dead man's switch. It pretty much sets the tone for the character.
- He does this with Gil against Tarvek when subverting Talking Is a Free Action.
- Hidden Depths: Much like Da Boyz above, he's much smarter than he looks and displays dangerous cunning. He's also capable of stealing his gun back from the Impossible Thief in the party.
- Large Ham: When he wants to, Vole really can ham it up.
- Literal-Minded: The result of Gil ordering him to bring an enemy commander to Dr. Sun for interrogation certainly portrays him this way.
- No True Scotsman: Vole believes he's the only Jägermonster who remembers what the "monster" part stood for. Conversely, because of his crimes, the rest of the Jägerkin do not regard him as one of theirs.
- One-Winged Angel: Jägers become Stronger with Age until they turn into Generals, and Vole aged hundreds of years after being pulled out of the time field... Subverted in that even though he's become much stronger due to the effects of the artificial aging, much of his original Blood Knight tendencies have faded away. Thus, in many ways, he's actually less dangerous in his new form than he was before, in that he won't murder you just for the fun of it.
- The Oath-Breaker: One of the only references we've had to the Jägertroth is the fact that Vole renounced it.
- Put on a Bus: He accompanies Higgs as the latter individual goes chasing after Zeetha and Agatha. Higgs finally turns up in England with no sign of Vole.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Vole's immaculate uniform stands out against his Blood Knight nature. In his case, it's a hobby he picked up to cope with the boredom of functional immortality. It's also why he gets so furious when Agatha throws coffee on him.
- The Social Darwinist: Tried to kill Bill and Barry because they were soft. Wanted a new pack of crueler, meaner, more psychotic Jägers to burn down Europa with. After the ordeal with the time stasis? Not so much.
- The Starscream: Deliberately promoted to the role by Gil, who wants a superstrong lackey who'll constantly try to kill him, because that will emphasize to everyone else how dangerously crazy Gil is. Vole was actually a bit afraid of the notion, wondering if he could just be killed instead.
- Super-Soldier: Has the full Jägerdraught package of Amazing Technicolor Population (Pale, bluish-white skin and Black Eyes of Evil), Cute Little Fangs, Funetik Aksent, Made of Iron, The Nose Knows, Older Than He Looks (close to 200 years), Proud Warrior Race Guy, and Super-Strength.
- Take a Level in Badass: See One-Winged Angel above.
- Tested on Humans: Played with. Any attempt to extract lifeforms from the time stasis field around Mechanicsburg results in rapid aging and death to the extractee. The Wulfenbach scientists on site have tried this repeatedly on birds and rodents, and cannot collect enough readings to analyze for any possible counteraction before the subject dies of rapid aging. Gil decides to extract Vole, since he is a Jäger and is capable of extremely long life. Gil also reasons that he'd rather not do it on an innocent person, and Vole is far from innocent. The extraction process gave the scientists all the data they needed on how to extract people without causing runaway aging.
- Took a Level in Kindness: See One-Winged Angel above, subversion part.
- Undying Loyalty: Averted. Vole was kicked out of the Jägers for trying to kill Bill and Barry for not being the bloodthirsty monsters the rest of the family was. He serves Baron Wulfenbach willingly as The Mole for Professor Tiktoffen, and he's not even all that broken up when he finds out he's dead too.
- The Unfettered: Devoted to being the biggest, nastiest, monster he can be and cause as much havoc as possible. However, it's somewhat deconstructed when he is recovered from being timelocked. He spent what felt like centuries in an unending nightmare of constant fighting, unable to stop fighting or the blows coming to him. In layman's terms, he experienced what it'd be like to be such a monster fighting other monsters for centuries, what his endgoal was. Upon reflection at how horrible the entire process felt, he realizes he doesn't have much desire to really fight anymore. Though Higgs implied that this newfound perspective makes him one of the candidates to be a Jäger General.
- The Worf Effect: Outside of ripping some poor nobody's arm off, he tends to get beat up a lot. Even Othar gets to take a shot at him.
Jäger Auxiliary
Ordinary humans who "rode with the Jägers" back in the Heterodyne days.
Old Man Death
Old Man Death, Sandwich Shop Proprietor and Undefeated Retired Jäger Auxiliary
An old man who runs a gourmet sandwich shop with his granddaughter. Used to run with the Jägers and put them to shame. His hat is therefore very significant to Jägers, as the more important and badass the hat's owner, the more awesome and badass the hat. As such, he has to put up with the occasional attack on him for it, often enough at least for there to be a three tries only rule.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Grosses out his granddaughter with the tale of how he met her grandmother.
- Badass Normal: He is a human who can put Jägers to shame.
- Chef of Iron: Again, he makes gourmet sandwiches and out-fights Jägers. Often at the same time.
- Defeating the Undefeatable: He plays this...to the JÄGERS, with his Hat of Authority as the reward.Old Man Death: I'm just a human. Rode with the Jägers. Never. Lost. A. Fight.
- Dramatic Irony: Tells his granddaughter that he'd be more impressed if any of the jägers he fights nowadays used cunning or stealth to steal his hat, but that it will never happen since jägers don't do subtle. Maxim's third, and successful, attempt starts with stealth (hiding in a herring barrel) and ends with him (sort of) tricking Old Man Death into giving over the hat (by ordering a sandwich that is a hat-related historical reference) and escaping quickly (by ordering the sandwich to go).
- Famed In-Story: Among the Jägers, at least. Legendary for never losing a fight.
- Foregone Conclusion: It was obvious that Maxim was going to get Old Man Death's hat as soon as you saw it- while the purple hat with red trimming looked out of place on an old man in an orange shirt and an apron, it already matched Maxim's outfit perfectly. It actually looked pretty similar to his old hat, only more ornate.
- Former Teen Rebel: As was mentioned, "rode with the Jägers", i.e. was an auxiliary to the most badass and evil army in Europe. Now runs a sandwich shop.
- Graceful Loser: He's apparently fine with losing his hat, he really didn't care about it, and he tells his granddaughter "your grandmother always hated that hat".
- Hash House Lingo: He knows the ingredients of the most obscure sandwiches you can imagine. And there is apparently a story behind every one of those oddly named sandwiches. The "Red Heterodyne" (Fried bat wing with mushroom sauce on pumpernickel) apparently stemmed from the long-dead Red Heterodyne getting trapped in a cave network for several years after a raid gone bad, forcing him to live on bats and mushrooms until he could get out, by which point he'd developed a taste for them. The "Prince of Sturmhalten's Big Bet" (Hat sandwich) stemmed from Prince Viden of Sturmhalten saying that he'd eat his hat if Dante "The Good" Heterodyne could get a cathedral built in Mechanicsburg which, long story short, Dante did and so Prince Viden did.
- Hat of Authority: Played with, his hat is nothing special and it announces no official position, but the fact that it is his makes it irresistible to the Jägers. And once Maxim wins it off him, he immediately becomes the new target.
- Honor Before Reason: Or at least, as noted below, he cares more about his reputation as a sandwich-maker than winning his latest fight with a Jäger.
- Mysterious Past: Exactly how, why, and when he stopped marauding, moved to Mechanicsburg and set up his shop isn't clear, although he claims it was due to his meeting his princess wife-to-be: "..she sort of abducted me. Took me away from all of that, you know."
- Noodle Incident: The story behind the names of all the other sandwiches he can make, except the bat-and-mushroom "Red Heterodyne" as noted above.
- Only Known By His Nickname: It's doubtful that "Old Man Death" is his given name, and the only other thing he's addressed as (by his granddaughter) is "Grandpa".
- Papa Wolf: The fight with Maxim over his hat was going fine, and was fairly friendly, until Maxim tried to hit on the waitress, his granddaughter.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: He induces this in his granddaughter... who apparently misses the fact that she's technically royalty according to the story as well.
- Retired Badass: He just wants to run his sandwhich shop these days.
- To Be Lawful or Good: Maxim forces him to choose between his reputation as a sandwich-maker and his hat. He chooses his reputation. Apparently he didn't have another hat in the store to make the sandwich with or he was unwilling or unable to leave his shop to get another one. Alternatively given that he claims to have considered just tossing the hat several times and states that his wife hated it, he may simply have seen the opportunity to get rid of it.
