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The Union Military Forces

Leadership

Varuz

Lord Marshal Varuz

The overall commander of the Union Army during the events of The First Law. He remains at home while the junior Lord Marshal, Burr, goes on campaign.

Drill Sergeant Nasty: If you want to train for the Contest under Varuz's tutelage, you'll have to put up with a lot of abuse.
Killed Offscreen: His death isn't seen during the Battle of Adua but it's heavily implied given that the building where he was stationed ends up being destroyed.
Never Found the Body: His body isn't found but he's presumed dead given that he was conducting Adua's defenses from the Tower of Chains when it was destroyed.
Old Soldier: Even though he's getting on in years, Varuz is the most famous living soldier in the Union and still trains soldiers in the art of dueling for the Contest.
Smart People Play Chess: He plays squares with West, a game that is presumably similar to chess.
Training from Hell: Varuz forces all soldiers he trains for the contest to undergo this, as Jezal and Glokta can attest.

Burr

Lord Marshal Burr

The junior overall commander of the Union during the events of The First Law. He's in charge of the campaign in the First Northern War.

A Father to His Men: Burr genuinely cares about the men under his command, Collem West in particular, whom he personally mentors.
Achilles in His Tent: Just before an important battle, Burr falls ill and seems on the verge of death from his gut-rot. In order to keep his squabbling generals focused on his plan, West pretends that Burr is alright and issues orders in his stead. Luckily for West, Burr pulls through, so he's not punished for his deception.
The Chains of Commanding: Even though he's one of the most powerful men in the Union's military, he's still bound by the whims of the Closed Council and the ineptitude of his subordinates.
Gasshole: Burr can't seem to go a sentence without burping, either because of indigestion or gut-rot brought on by the pressures of command. Becomes Harsher in Hindsight when what starts as a funny character quirk ends up killing him.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: He's Collem West's mentor in the military, but ends up passing away in his sleep, leaving Collem to take charge as the next Lord Marshal.
Not Quite Dead: It looks like he won't survive the events of Before They Are Hanged as he vomits up blood and ends up incapacitated from his gut-rot. Against all odds, he does survive, only for his illness to finally kill him in his sleep during Last Argument of Kings.
Only Sane Man: Between Generals Kroy and Poulder, who focus more on their rivalry with each other than the enemy they're facing, and Crown Prince Ladisla, who's an incompetent Glory Hound, Burr seems like the only military commander in the First Northern War who actually knows what he's doing.
Passed in Their Sleep: In The Last Argument of Kings, Lord Marshal Burr ends up passing in his sleep from gut-rot.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Burr is an extremely competent military commander. Unlike his contemporaries, he's not biased against commoners in the military like West, and values skill and experience over blood. He's also painfully aware of how ill-prepared the Union is for the war against the North, and has to spend a lot of his time diverting Generals Kroy and Poulder attention from their rivalry to focus on the actual enemy instead.

West*

Lord Marshal Collem West

POV: The Blade Itself, Before They are Hanged, Last Argument of Kings

A Major in the King's Own; Jezal's friend despite his lack of noble blood. He's a tall, slender man with thinning hair and a gaunt face. Following the death of Lord Marshal Burr, West is made his replacement by order of King Jezal.

Abusive Parents: His father was a drunken bastard who abused him and his sister. When Collem was old enough, he left and joined the army. He still regrets how he abandoned his sister to their father to look out for himself.
The Berserker: In spite of being a pretty nice guy, he has a bad temper. When fighting alongside the Northmen, he goes completely berserk and bites an enemy's face. He's given the name "Furious" by the impressed Northmen.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's one of the most noble character in the series, but he has a deadly temper, and commits cold-blooded murder on Prince Ladisla when he catches him trying to rape Cathil.
Big Brother Instinct: Despite their strained relationship, Collem really cares about his younger sister, Ardee, and when his duties prevent him from looking out for her, he asks Glokta to look out for her in his stead. He still has regrets over abandoning her to their abusive father in the past.
Body Horror: Suffers what appears to be radiation poisoning after Bayaz uses the Seed. He loses most of his hair and becomes a shrunken shell of his former self. Sadly it ends up killing him.
Embarrassing Nickname: He doesn't like his Northmen allies coining the name "Furious" for him, after a particularly brutal fight where he fell into an unstoppable rage.
Hair-Trigger Temper: He's prone to losing his temper and doing unfortunate things, though it occasionally helps him in a fight.
Interclass Friendship: Coming from a poor background, he is more sympathetic to the plight of Adua's poorer citizens than most of his wealthier peers. He gives a farmer all the money he has in his purse after hearing that he lost his farm and was turned away from the council.
Kick the Dog: A big one when he punches his sister.
Killed Offscreen: The ending of Last Argument of Kings implies he's minutes away from dying as he's rushed away for medical attention. In The Heroes he's remembered as a good man who died too soon, confirming his fate.
Majorly Awesome: He starts off as a badass major before his promotion to a Four-Star Badass as Lord Marshal.
My God, What Have I Done?: He's immediately remorseful after he strikes his sister in a rage. He spends the rest of the series struggling to control his temper and pondering whether he can stay alive long enough to return and have her forgiveness. When they reunite, she does forgive him, but he dies shortly afterwards.
My Sister Is Off-Limits: He makes no secret he wants Jezel to stay away from his sister. But since this is before his Character Development, Jezal doesn't listen. Even after his Character Development, he doesn't.
Only Sane Man: Played with, as he is this most of the time, but has a terrible temper that sometimes makes him half mad. At one point, in a fit of rage, he bites a guy's nose off.
Pet the Dog: In an Establishing Character Moment, he helps a scribe grab a page that was fluttering by, while Jezal was enjoying watching the man struggle.
Reasonable Authority Figure: First established when he asks Logen for advice on fighting in the North, then codified when he becomes Lord Marshal and wins two wars inside of six months.
Self-Made Man: Rises from the peasantry to an officer in the King's Own based on his hard work. He eventually becomes Lord Marshal of the Union.
Unexpected Successor: He's promoted to Lord Marshal over the heads of much more senior officers, because he was nominated by his friend, Jezal dan Luthar, who himself was an Unexpected Successor to the late King Guslav V.
What the Hell, Hero?: When he expresses his disdain for the prison work camp in Angland, he's thoroughly dressed down by the resident Inquisitor on just how much West benefits from the Inquisition's terrible actions, causing him to shut up.
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: He's embarrassed by his berserk rage during a battle. When the appreciative Northmen start calling him "Furious" because of it, he becomes even more embarrassed.

Kroy

Lord Marshal Kroy

One of the senior commanders of the Union Army during the First Northern War. During The Heroes, he has been promoted to Lord Marshal and is overseeing the Second Northern War.

A Father to His Men: Most notably in The Heroes where Kroy has become Lord Marshal and taken a level in kindness. He confides in his daughter just how absolutely devastated he is by the loss of thousands of his men following the first day of battle.
Antagonist in Mourning: In Last Argument of Kings, he's genuinely saddened when he finds out that his long-time rival, General Poulder, died during the Battle of Adua.
The Chains of Commanding: After he becomes Lord Marshal, Kroy reflects on how he always thought he'd be able to make a difference with his new power, only to realize that the higher his rank, the less power he has.
Defeat Means Friendship: He seems to form a genuine respect for Collem West after he becomes Lord Marshal instead of Kroy and proves his competence in the war against Bethod.
Foil: Kroy and Poulder are both generals, but otherwise they're polar opposites. Kroy is always formally dressed, has a stiff demeanor and prefers to do things by-the-book. Poulder, meanwhile, dresses casually, has a flamboyant personality, and prefers to just charge into things gloriously.
Good Parents: By all accounts he seems to be a loving and reasonable father to his daughter, Finree.
Lean and Mean: In the original trilogy, Kroy is gaunt and acts haughty and arrogant. By the time of The Heroes, he's become much nicer.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He and Poulder put aside their rivalry and display respect for each other just before they go to fight the Gurkish attacking Adua.
Rank Up: By the time of The Heroes, he's been promoted to Lord Marshal.
Reasonable Authority Figure: In The Heroes where he cares about the soldiers under his command and does everything in his power to end the war and save lives. In the end he sues for peace with Black Dow against Bayaz's wishes and resigns from his post rather than get anymore of his men killed without reason.
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Kroy and Poulder are two of the most senior generals under Lord Marshal Burr, but they prioritize one-upping each other over actually winning the war. They end up squabbling over every minor point and one will usually disagree with a course of action just to spite the other.
The Rival: He and General Poulder are fierce rivals, to the point where it seems like they want to one up each other more than they want to defeat Bethod.
Smart People Play Chess: He and his daughter, Finree, play squares, a game similar to chess, and are able to remember the game in their head when they're separated by long distances.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: If it isn't obvious, Kroy and Poulder do not get along at all, so getting them to work together to win the First Northern War is a challenge for Lord Marshal Burr and his successor, Collem West.]]
Took a Level in Kindness: He's much kinder and more reasonable in The Heroes than he was in the original trilogy, the intervening years having made him aware of the true limits of power.

Mitterick

Lord Marshal Mitterick

An experienced but reckless and overeager general serving in the war against Black Dow. After Kroy resigns from his position as Lord Marshal, Mitterick becomes his successor.

Leeroy Jenkins: He has a bad habit of being reckless and often wriggles out of orders to do things his way. Calder is able to lure him into a failed cavalry charge by baiting him with captured Union flags. Mitterick orders the charge without waiting for light or inspecting the ground, which Calder had dug with ditches during the night.
Pet the Dog: He thanks Gunnar Broad for saving his life by giving him a pair of lenses that finally lets him see more than a handspan in front of him.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He greatly resembles the deceased Poulder, an equally overweight and overeager general who didn't always follow orders. Ironically, though Mitterick is Kroy's friend, Poulder was Kroy's rival, and Mitterick himself has a similar rivalry with Colonel Vallimir.

Brint

Lord Marshal Brint

Brint was a member of Jezal's circle of friends prior to the latter's coronation. Though Jezal often picked on him at first, following his character development, he treated Brint with more kindness. By the time of Age of Madness, he's been promoted to Lord Marshal.

An Arm and a Leg: He loses an arm during the war between the Union and Dogman's forces and those of Black Dow.
The Chew Toy: Every time Brint appears, there's a near 100% change something terrible will happen to him. He starts off as the poorest member of Jezal's group of friends and is the one Jezal most often picks on. Jezal eventually warms to him but Brint's best friend, Kaspa, dies in his arms at the Battle in the High Places. Then, in rapid succession during the conflict over the Heroes, his other best friend dies, Brint loses an arm, and his wife is abducted by a Northern rapist never to be seen again. By Age of Madness he's become Lord Marshal only to turn traitor and end up a prisoner of the Inquisition in The Trouble with Peace. He's freed during the Great Change in The Wisdom of Crowds and restored as General, only for the more radical Burners to execute him in their purge of Risinau's faction.
Everyone Has Standards: He joins a coup against Orso but is utterly disgusted at the cowardice of one of his coconspirators, who immediately divulges information and offers to turn against his cause upon being smacked around a few times.
Face Death with Dignity: When it's his turn to be thrown off the Towers of Chains, Brint doesn't beg for mercy or give the Burners the satisfaction of pushing him off in the middle of his last words. Instead he retains his dignity and shoos his executioners away with his one arm long enough to march to the edge of the tower and step off without making a sound.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: After Brint tells Vick his numerous reasons for turning she traitor, she points out that everyone has endured tragedy and lost loved ones, but that does not entitle Brint to help start a war that'll just get more people killed.
Hazy-Feel Turn: He turns traitor against the Union because of its corruption and inaction during the war between Angland and the North. Given that the Union is indeed a corrupt nation controlled by the completely evil Bayaz, it's hard to define this as a strictly evil move.
The Lost Lenore: His wife, Aliz dan Brint, is abducted by Stranger-Come-Knocking, a monstrous Northman who intends to rape her to sire "civilized" children. Whether she's dead or subjected to a fate worse than death, Brint has never been able to find her and he's still in deep grief over twenty years later.
The Mole: He joins Leo and Lord Isher's conspiracy against King Orso dan Jezal, informing them of news in the Closed Council.
My Friends... and Zoidberg: He starts off as the "Zoidberg" in Jezal's circle of friends. While everyone else in the group liked him just fine, Jezal would often pick on him. It wasn't until after his character development that Jezal comes to appreciate Brint as a friend.
Tragic Keepsake: His wife, Aliz, was abducted by Stranger-Come-Knocking, and was never seen again. Brint keeps her wedding ring on him at all times as a tragic reminder of his lost love.

Other Military

Kaspa

Lieutenant Kaspa

A lieutenant in the Union Army and the wealthiest member of Jezal's gang of friends.

Died in Your Arms Tonight: Brint, who considers Kaspa his best friend, held Kaspa as he died.
Nice Guy: Kaspa is described as pleasant and likable, even laughing it off whenever Jezal makes him the butt of his jokes.
Sacrificial Lamb: He gets the least amount of screen time among Jezal's friends and dies from a stray arrow during the Battle in the High Places before he can even draw his sword.
Shipper on Deck: He tries to set up Jezal with his cousin Ariss dan Kaspa, but Jezal brushes her off since he's in love with Ardee West.

Jalenhorm

General Jalenhorm

A former lieutenant in the Union Army who was one of Jezal dan Luthar's drinking buddies. Upon the latter's ascension to the throne, Jalenhorm was eventually promoted to General by the time of The Heroes.

The Atoner: Jalenhorm becomes determined to redeem himself for the thousands killed by his mistakes in Osrung.
The Big Guy: He serves as the main muscle in Jezal's group of friends and in the Battle at the Heroes appears to be getting the better of Black Dow before their fight is interrupted.
Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Curnden Craw kills him during the advance on the Heroes, albeit by the time of his death his five-man band had already disbanded.
Death Equals Redemption: Jalenhorm seems to believe this, thinking that his death will in some way make up for inadvertently getting the men under his command killed. He's remarked as looking somewhat peaceful in death after leading the advance to the Heroes.
Dumb Muscle: Jalenhorm is big and brawny, but he has a quick temper and little imagination. Jalenhorm recognizes his own failings, especially after he's promoted to general.
A Father to His Men: Jalenhorm cares about the men under his command and is devastated when his decisions led to thousands of them dying. He visits the wounded afterwards to provide some comfort and apologies, and eventually fights alongside his men when they march on the Heroes.
Frontline General: He fights alongside his men when they advance to retake the Heroes from Black Dow's forces.
General Failure: Proving his liability as a general, Jalenhorm falling for Black Dow's diversion caused the Northmen to recapture Osrung from the Union and ended with thousands of his own soldiers dead. Jalenhorm recognizes his faults and remains haunted by the massacre that resulted from his poor decisions.
Go Out with a Smile: Jalenhorm dies with a smile on his face, seemingly happy to achieve some level of redemption for his disastrous actions at Osrung.
My Greatest Failure: His disastrous loss at Osrung that cost the lives of thousands of Union soldiers. He spends the rest of The Heroes trying to make up for his failure.
Nepotism: Technically "cronyism" since Jalenhorm is speculated to have gotten his job because he's friends with King Jezal. Jalenhorm is himself aware of this and subsequently insecure about his position.
The Peter Principle: It's widely agreed that Jalenhorm's promotion to General is well outside his range of capabilities. Gorst thinks to himself that Jalenhorm was a competent captain, but a mediocre major, a dismal colonel, and a liability as a general.
Rank Up: He starts off as a lieutenant before being promoted to captain after the defeat of Prince Ladisla's division, and eventually becomes general, though this last promotion is attributed more to his friendship with the king than any actual merit.

Forest

Colonel Forest

An enlisted man who slowly makes his way up the ranks of the Union's Military, fighting in every major conflict since the war against Bethod.

Ascended Extra: Forest is introduced all the way back in The Blade Itself as a sergeant sent to get Major West for an urgent briefing. He plays a minor role in Last Argument of Kings and Heroes before gaining increased prominence in the Age of Madness trilogy.
The Determinator: After Orso is overthrown by the People's Army, Forest spends the following months rallying the royalist forces and continually beating them back as he heads towards Adua to save his king.
Four-Star Badass: He becomes this once promoted to General and then Lord Marshal of the Union. A segment from his POV during the Battle of Stoffenbeck has him being unflinchingly calm and acting as a pillar of strength as he turns back wavering soldiers to the fighting and marches forward himself. His men are able to hold back the Northmen long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: He's one of the more noble characters in the series and has a traditionally "heroic" looking facial scar.
Manly Facial Hair: Forest begins growing out long lustrous mustaches later on in his military career, and he proves his badass credentials by unflinchingly participating in the Battle of Stoffenbeck against a relentless tide of Stour Nightfall's Northmen.
Mauve Shirt: Forest has been a minor character since the original trilogy and gains more prominence in The Age of Madness only to be abruptly murdered in The Wisdom of Crowds.
Rank Up: Over the course of the series Forest goes from Sergeant, to First Sergeant, to Lieutenant, reaching Colonel by the time of A Little Hatred. The Trouble with Peace has him promoted by Orso to General and then Lord Marshal in short order.
Surprisingly Sudden Death: Just after Forest and Leo's combined forces defeat the Burners, save Orso and take back Adua, he's abruptly stabbed in the chest by Leo who betrays Orso's faction to seize power.
Vitriolic Best Buds: When he and Tunny aren't spending their time trading verbal barbs, they're playing cards together and drinking.

Poulder

General Poulder

Another of the senior commanders of the Union Army during the First Northern War.

Fat Bastard: He's an overweight, arrogant and self-interested man.
Foil: Poulder and Kroy are both generals, but otherwise they're polar opposites. Poulder dresses casually, has a flamboyant personality, and prefers to just charge into things. Kroy, meanwhile, is always formally dressed, has a stiff demeanor and prefers to do things by-the-book.
Horseback Heroism: Poulder is famous for his renown cavalry charges.
Leeroy Jenkins: During the war against the Gurkish, Poulder just can't resist prematurely launching one of his famous cavalry charges. Unfortunately, it ends in his death at the front of his charge.
Mildly Military: In further contrast to Kroy, who is always sharply dressed and acts by-the-book, Poulder adopts a casual demeanor and actually puts effort into undoing the top button of his uniform and mussing his hair.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He and Kroy put aside their rivalry and display respect for each other just before they go to fight the Gurkish attacking Adua.
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Poulder and Kroy are two of the most senior generals under Lord Marshal Burr, but they prioritize one-upping each other over actually winning the war. They end up squabbling over every minor point and one will usually disagree with a course of action just to spite the other.
The Rival: He and General Poulder are fierce rivals, to the point where it seems like they want to one up each other more than they want to defeat Bethod.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: If it isn't obvious, Poulder and Kroy do not get along at all, so getting them to work together to win the First Northern War is a challenge for Lord Marshal Burr and his successor, Collem West.

Tunny*

Corporal Tunny

POV: The Heroes

"Wars are hard enough work without people fighting in the middle of them."

Standard-bearer of the First, a veteran Union soldier.

Cowardly Lion: Subverted. After seeming a coward for most of The Heroes, the big twist is that he's suicidally brave when his adrenaline's going, and spent the battle trying to repress it.
Deadpan Snarker: There's little that comes out of Tunny's mouth that isn't snark regarding the army and soldiering, as well as the idiocy of everyone around him. A lot of this is him deliberately putting on an act of apathy to hide his virtues.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: He eventually delivers a speech like this to Orso after Savine and Leo's wedding. Orso holds a pity party for himself in a whorehouse while playing cards with Tunny and Yolk, finally prompting Tunny to snap and tell Orso to stop feeling sorry for himself since it's unbecoming now that he's a king and not just a crown prince. Orso realizes the truth of Tunny's words and thanks him before returning to the palace.
Hidden Depths: Tunny treats war and soldiering with a lot of cynicism, but not only is he surprisingly brave, but he holds tremendous reverence for the standards he carries.
Intergenerational Friendship: He's old enough to be Prince Orso's grandfather and is possibly his best friend.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- He acts cynical towards the rookies under his care and charges them for anything he can, but he also does his best to keep them alive. He even writes notes to their next of kin if they don't survive.
- In The Wisdom of Crowds he seemingly defects from Orso to the Breakers during the Great Change only to reveal he's completely loyal to his friend and is planning to restore him to the throne. The note he reveals this in even has an apology to Hildi for having to insult her so she could get close enough to get the message.
Mean Boss: He frequently demeans the soldiers under his command and gives them shit assignments. He does care about them, deep down, however.
Old Soldier: While not that old during The Heroes, he's a long-time veteran and is much older than his immediate underlings. Decades later during Age of Madness, he properly qualifies.
The Peter Principle: He's been Sergeant Tunny four times, once even Colour Sergeant Tunny, but each time he's demoted back to Corporal.
Redshirt Army: He leads one and he hates it. Mostly because he cares more about his subordinates than he lets on and hates seeing them die.
The Scrounger: His specialty is finding things and selling them to his subordinates, keeping them reliant on him for everything.
Soldiers at the Rear: He's the Standard-Bearer of the First Regiment. Throughout the entirety of The Heroes, he and his men wait for orders to attack while behind enemy lines. By the time they finally do attack, they realize the enemy isn't where they thought they'd be, and the war is over.
Undying Loyalty: He's eventually revealed to have this for Orso. At first it appears he turns traitor during the Great Change only to reveal to an imprisoned Orso that he's been planning with royalist forces to overthrow Judge and return Orso to the throne. His loyalty is why Leo plans to execute him after betraying their alliance, and once Savine frees them, he plans on sticking with Orso despite the manhunt going on throughout Adua. Orso shoos him and Hildi away so the pair will have a better chance to escape, and Tunny's parting words are that he'll keep his standard ready for him.

Yolk

"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's doing things badly."

A new recruit assigned to Corporal Tunny's command during the Battle of the Heroes, decades later he's become a drinking buddy to Crown Prince Orso.

Ascended Extra: He was just a new recruit assigned to Tunny during The Heroes but manages to survive the entire ordeal and becomes part of Orso's retinue of friends.
Butt-Monkey: He's treated with the least respect out of all of Orso's entourage, but Yolk doesn't let it get him down.
The Millstone: Yolk is the most useless member of Orso's group and is proud of it. It speaks volumes that Orso takes the carouser Tunny and the thirteen-year-old Hildi to an upcoming battle, but leaves the professional soldier Yolk, behind.
Sole Survivor: Tunny is given command over a fresh band of troops during the Battle of the Heroes, Yolk among them. Somehow, despite his uselessness, Yolk is the only one that manages to survive.
Trading Bars for Stripes: Yolk was a thief who was conscripted into the military for his crimes.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He's last seen in The Wisdom of Crowds delivering a message to Forest and Leo's forces before their attack on Adua. He's not mentioned at all after Leo's betrayal, nor does he show up after Savine frees Orso's inner circle. Given that Leo is in the middle of purging everyone loyal to Orso, it's unknown if he was executed or spared for not being loyal enough.

Jurand

The best friend of Leo dan Brock and the most trusted member of his brothers-in-arms.

Ambiguously Gay: It's strongly implied that Jurand is gay during A Little Hatred. He shows no signs of attraction to women, unlike his friends, seems jealous of Rikke when she starts dating Leo, and multiple hints are dropped that he sees Leo as more than a friend. The Trouble with Peace confirms that Jurand is indeed gay, when Leo stumbles upon him having sex with Glaward.
Best Friend: Jurand is Leo's best friend and most trusted advisor.
Cannot Spit It Out: It's all but stated that Jurand is in love with Leo but stops himself whenever it seems like he's on the verge of confessing.
Childhood Friend: He's been friends with Leo and Antaup since childhood.
Childhood Friend Romance: He's been friends with Leo since they were kids and is very plainly in love with him. Savine believes Leo reciprocates and sent Jurand and Glaward away not because they were having sex but because he was jealous Jurand wasn't having sex with him. She even encourages Jurand to act on his feelings after her and Leo's marriage sours to the point of being all for show.
Green-Eyed Monster: When Rikke and Leo become romantically involved, Jurand acts cold and distant towards Rikke. When she asks if he dislikes her, he admits that he doesn't, since she's very hard to dislike. While Jurand claims he's just looking out for Leo since he has poor luck with women, the implication is he's jealous of her.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Not only is he the most loyal of Leo's men, he's also the most competent, seeing right away the bigger picture that Leo often misses. After Leo usurps control of the Union and discovers Savine arranged for Orso's escape from prison, Leo falls into the obvious trap Savine set for them. It would've worked had Jurand not taken the precaution of alerting their forces to block every exit out of the city so Orso couldn't escape.
The Lancer: Among Leo's tight knit group of friends, Jurand is Leo's right-hand man. He's the most intelligent member of the group, good at organization and well-read in military strategy, as well as one of the few people who can talk Leo out of his reckless decisions.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Jurand isn't an evil person, but he loves Leo too much to go refuse following him, even if it makes him a traitor. Orso's assessment of him and Glaward are that they're probably good people who just happen to be serving a bad person.
Put on a Bus: After Leo discovers Jurand and Glaward are gay, he sends them away prior to his attempted treason against the Crown.
Only Sane Man: He's one of the few people in Leo's band of brothers who consistently advises him to follow his mother's sound military advice and speaks out against the other members of the group spurring Leo on to take unnecessary risks "for fun."
The Reliable One: He's the only one of Leo's friends who can organize, has an eye for detail, and puts the needs of the mission above his own desires. One character compares him to a wagon's axle: you don't pay attention to it while it's there but take it away and things rapidly plunge off road.
Subordinate Excuse: It's strongly implied, and eventually confirmed in The Wisdom of Crowds, that the main reason why Jurand follows Leo into the army is because he's in love with him.
Undying Loyalty: He's incredibly protective of and loyal to Leo, claiming that he would follow him into hell.
What the Hell, Hero?: Leo sends Jurand and Glaward away during a crucial point in his rebellion after catching them having sex. The next time Jurand sees him, after Leo has lost the battle, an arm and a leg, and gotten two of their friends killed, he finally chews Leo out on his idiocy and recklessness that got their friends and men killed.

Antaup

The resident "ladies man" among Leo's brothers-in-arms.

Can't Hold His Liquor: When Antaup accompanies Leo and his friends to a brothel, Antaup quickly gets drunk off his ass and spends the rest of the evening hopelessly intoxicated.
Casanova Wannabe: Antaup always has a new story fresh on the heels of his latest romantic conquest. His brief POV segment reveals most—if not all—of his stories are made up, and in reality he has no patience for women.
Childhood Friend: He's been friends with Leo and Jurand since they were kids.
Mauve Shirt: He gets a decent amount of characterization and screen time over the course of two books, only to die at the Battle of Stoffenbeck.
Moment Killer: During one conversation with Jurand, Leo begins to experience feelings that he can't quite understand but are implied to be romantic. Just as Jurand is on the verge of confessing something to Leo, Antaup comes stumbling in and offers his friends a drink, thoroughly ruining the moment and putting off any potential revelations.
Secret-Keeper: He knew Jurand and Glaward were gay but kept their secret because he knew how homophobic Leo is.
Urban Legend Love Life: It turns out it's easier for Antaup to make up stories about seducing women than it is to actually seduce them. At one point he starts formulating a story about a romance with a noblewoman whose name he can't disclose because of the possible scandal.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: He knows Jurand and Glaward are gay and considers them to be good men, even if he thinks to himself that their orientation is "not something to be proud about."

Whitewater Jin

A Northman among Leo's brothers-in-arms who's been friends with him ever since he fostered in Uffrith.

The Big Guy: He and Glaward split the role of "main muscle" among Leo's group.
Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: He's killed during the Battle of Stoffenbeck.
Childhood Friend: He's been friends with Leo ever since he fostered with the Dogman at Uffrith.
Defiant to the End: After he's shot in the leg with a flatbow and approached by enemy soldiers, Jin rages at them to get it over with. They do so with several more bolts.
Manly Facial Hair: He's a fierce warrior with a thick red beard.
Mauve Shirt: He accompanies Leo faithfully over two books only to die at the Battle of Stoffenbeck.
Undying Loyalty: He has this for Leo to the point where he chooses to die alongside him rather than abandon him when the latter is crippled at Stoffenbeck. While Jin dies, Leo is ultimately spared.

Glaward

One of the main muscle among Leo's brothers-in-arms.

Big Beautiful Man: It's implied that Glaward might be more heavyset than his friends. One character thinks it appropriate when he sees Glaward wearing a mask of a whale, but Glaward is still included among Leo's brief rumination on the attractiveness of his friends, and Jurand evidently agrees if sleeping with him is any indication.
Big Fun: He's a larger man who's boisterous and good natured.
The Big Guy: Glaward splits the role with Whitewater Jin as the main muscle among Leo's brothers-in-arms.
Boisterous Bruiser: All the members of Leo's brothers-in-arms enjoy fighting to a degree but Glaward is very exuberant about it.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Orso's assessment of him and Jurand are that they're probably good people who just happen to be serving a bad person.
Put on a Bus: After Leo discovers Glaward and Jurand having sex, he sends them away while taking the rest of his forces to fight in the civil war against the Crown.

Barniva

The war-weary member of Leo's brothers-in-arms.

Sacrificial Lamb: He's the first member of Leo's brothers-in-arms to die onscreen near the end of the first book, not counting Ritter who died before the readers ever met him.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Barniva is a veteran soldier and he often ruminates on the horrors of war. His friends tend to mock him for how maudlin he acts and when going into battle, Barniva does seem more enthusiastic than his previous behavior would imply.
Taking the Bullet: He uses his shield to protect Leo from incoming arrows, leaving himself vulnerable. This results in his death when he takes an arrow to the face.

Characters / The First Law Union Military

The Union Military Forces

Leadership

Lord Marshal Varuz

Lord Marshal Burr

Lord Marshal Collem West

POV: The Blade Itself, Before They are Hanged, Last Argument of Kings

Lord Marshal Kroy

Lord Marshal Mitterick

Lord Marshal Brint

Other Military

Lieutenant Kaspa

General Jalenhorm

Colonel Forest

General Poulder

Corporal Tunny

POV: The Heroes

Yolk

Jurand

Antaup

Whitewater Jin

Glaward

Barniva

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Characters / The First Law Union Military

Edit Locked

The Union Military Forces

Leadership

Lord Marshal Varuz

Lord Marshal Burr

Lord Marshal Collem West

POV: The Blade Itself, Before They are Hanged, Last Argument of Kings

Lord Marshal Kroy

Lord Marshal Mitterick

Lord Marshal Brint

Other Military

Lieutenant Kaspa

General Jalenhorm

Colonel Forest

General Poulder

Corporal Tunny

POV: The Heroes

Yolk

Jurand

Antaup

Whitewater Jin

Glaward

Barniva

Previous

Index

Next