The cast of Queen At Arms is diverse, colorful, and interesting.
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Marcus Cordale
Marcus Cordale
The player character, a young woman who has been raised as a boy for her own protection.
- Bifauxnen: Most of the cast believes she's male, so the trope is invoked deliberately, but a few of them comment on how feminine her features are.
- The Chains of Commanding: The higher Marcus rises in the military, the more these weigh her down.
- Crossdressing: She does it to hide her true identity, but more than once Marcus comments that she's actually quite happy being a man.
- Dye or Die: As part of her disguise, Marcus has to regularly dye her hair to be red like Nick's.
- Elective Mute: Marcus gets tongue-tied a lot, so she keeps quiet as a defense mechanism.
- Generation Xerox/Strong Family Resemblance: Seen only in one of the possible paths at Alastor's masquerade. Once the prince does her makeup, Marcus looks in the mirror and realizes she looks just like her mother.
- Also used as part of her disguise while growing up. Whenever anyone commented that Marcus didn't look much like Nick, Nick would quickly explain that Marcus took after their mother; since she died in the same battle which left Marcus an orphan, no one knew any differently.
- Happily Adopted: Marcus has always known that Sir Thomas Cordale was not her real father, but she mentions a number of times in her dialogue how much she loved and admired him.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: The player character's default name is Marcus, but the player can name her anything they want. Played with at first, because if the player selects a name that seems too feminine, Assistant-Commander Berin will call her out on it.
- The Immodest Orgasm: In one romance path. If she romances Rubus and has the Optional Sexual Encounter before the battle, Marcus admits that she wishes she'd had a silencing spell to keep herself quiet, and wonders if anyone heard.
- Killed Off for Real: In any choice which leads to her death, which of course is also a Nonstandard Game Over.
- Lady of War: Not that most people know it. Also a princess - not that she knows it.
- Lost Orphaned Royalty: Not that she knows it, and no one even suspects it - those old enough to remember the existence of Princess Callista believe she was killed alongside her parents. Only Nick knows her true identity.
- Meaningful Name: Marcus is a derivative of Mars, the name of the Roman god of war, and for most of the game she's serving in the military. Subverted because it's not actually her name.
- Missing Mom: Both her real mother and the wife of her adoptive father were murdered during the political coup when she was a small child. As a result, she was...
- Secret Identity: She's not really Marcus Cordale; she's a young woman.
- The Stoic: Nick complains, at one point, that Marcus is entirely too good at accepting things..
Nicholas Cordale
Nicholas Cordale
Marcus's adoptive elder brother, now a cleric in the Ortheran army.
- Aloof Big Brother: Nick has turned into this during his time in the army, but he still really loves his "little brother."
- Babies Ever After: Some of the endings have Nick sending letters to Marcus, telling her about all her nieces and nephews.
- Generation Xerox/Strong Family Resemblance: He mentions in one dialogue tree that he looks just like his father.
- The Medic: Nick is gradually forced into more of a military role, but as a cleric, he's happiest when he's able to be this.
- Missing Mom: His mother was killed during the same violent uprising which orphaned Marcus.
- The Not-Love Interest: Marcus reveres him, but he's not one of the options for romance.
He was originally slated to be one, but according to Word of God, the developers felt this wouldn't have worked for the relationship he has with Marcus. - Odd Friendship: With James.
- The Resenter: After revealing Marcus's true identity, Nick admits to having been this initially, because she was replacing his dead little brother. Marcus is surprised because she doesn't remember him ever being anything but loving and kind to her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In one path, Nick deserts the army. Even if Marcus reclaims her throne, he still leaves, settling down as a merchant in another country. Word of God says that player feedback led them to make it possible for him to remain with Marcus in the deluxe edition.
- Secret-Keeper: With his father dead, Nick is the only person alive who knows that his brother Marcus is the rightful Queen of Orthera.
Prince Alastor Granteau
Prince Alastor Granteau
The son and only child of King Kendrick, heir to the throne of Orthera.
- The Atoner: If Marcus visits him in the prisons in chapter 4, Alastor reveals himself to be this now that the influence of the Artifact of Doom has been removed.
- The Casanova: He has a reputation for being a womanizer. It's apparently undeserved.
- Crossdresser: He comments more than once about how he'd much rather have been a girl, and is thrilled to wear dresses and makeup.
- The Dandy: Much to his father's chagrin.
- Face–Heel Turn: After his father dies, Alastor's entire personality shifts and he becomes much like Mad King Kendrick.
- Heel–Face Turn: Once he's been relieved of the cursed crown that was altering his mind.
- Killed Off for Real: Possible. In some of the story paths, Alastor is executed for treason.
- Love Interest: One of the potentials.
- Meaningful Name: Alastor is an old Greek name meaning 'avenger.' After his father is killed in battle, the Artifact of Doom basically has Alastor going on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- Missing Mom: His mother is never seen or even mentioned.
- Non-Action Guy: He's pretty useless in a fight; his Establishing Character Moment has Marcus rescuing him from a wolf attack.
- Pretty Boy: So much so that it's part of why he thinks he would have been better off as a girl.
- Ruling Couple: If his romance path is pursued, he and Marcus eventually become this.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: Has a lot of this going on for the first chapter and part of the second.
- Sweet Tooth: Alastor has a weakness for marshmallow sweets.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: He becomes quite the bloodthirsty tyrant after his father dies, thanks to the Artifact of Doom. However, what he doesn't know is that he actually is not the rightful heir - Marcus is.
Rubus Súrion
Rubus Súrion
The Archmagus of Orthera, magical adviser to the sovereign.
- The Archmage
- Cast from Hit Points: He warns the group at one point that if they want him to use his magic to create an ice bridge for the army, it will use up all of his energy and he will not be able to participate in the battle after they cross the river.
- Court Mage
- Due to the Dead: At the end of his romance path, Marcus helps him perform a memorial for his late mentor, Atropa.
- Embarrassing Nickname: "Ruby," though it's seen only in the culmination of his romance path.
- Internal Reveal: If his romance is pursued, Marcus must decide whether to reveal her true gender to him. He already figured it out.
- Intimate Healing: In his romance path, Rubus eventually reveals that physical intimacy strengthens his magical prowess. Marcus can determine how helpful she wants to be.
- Love Interest: One of the potentials.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: His romance path actually has two optional sexual encounters, the second one being in the Ortheran palace library.
- Memento MacGuffin: He has a flower which he says was the heart of his late mentor. Marcus can console him after a soldier accidentally damages it.
- Odd Friendship: With Lucius.
- Purple Is Powerful: He always wears a purple robe.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: See Internal Reveal, above. He doesn't mention having deduced her secret unless his romance path is followed.
- Walking Shirtless Scene
- You Remind Me of X: He has an attraction to Marcus in part because she reminds him of his late mentor, with whom he was once in love.
Prelate Lucius Bourchier
Prelate Lucius Bourchier
Chief cleric in the Ortheran army.
- Benevolent Boss: As the chief cleric, he's Nick's superior officer, and is very kind to all the men serving under him.
- Color Motif: His clothing and hair are all soothing shades of blue, reflecting his serene nature, his connection to Our Lady of the Ice, and his healing skills.
- Crisis of Faith: He has something like this as a result of a certain conversation with his good friend Rubus, whose beliefs are very different. It creates a rift in their friendship; certain dialogue choices can have Marcus learn the source of the problem.
- High Priest: Unlike many examples of this trope, he's a genuinely good person.
- Love Interest: One of the potentials.
- Meaningful Name: Lucius is derived from the Latin word for 'light,' which suits his gentle and guiding nature.
- The Medic
- Combat Medic: He doesn't do a lot of fighting, but he's always where the fighting is and is prepared to do what he can to defend the troops.
- Nice Guy
- Odd Friendship: With Rubus.
James Collier
James Collier
A mechanist in the army, and Nick's best friend.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: By his own admission, he's easily distracted.
- Boisterous Bruiser
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's very good at what he does, but more than a little eccentric about it, as seen in his Establishing Character Moment when he first meets Marcus.
- Card Sharp: He's seen cheating at cards when the characters are having drinks at the pub. There's actually a reason for it, but this reason is only shown in certain paths.
- Constantly Curious: Wants to get up close and personal with any new machines that come his way.
- The Engineer
- Gadgeteer Genius: He loves mechanics of all kinds.
- Hidden Depths: Seen if his romance is pursued.
- Love Interest: One of the potentials. Subverted if Marcus identifies as female, since he's only interested in men.
- Mad Bomber
- Meaningful Name: James is a machinist. His last name, Collier, is derived from colliery, a word for the buildings and machines associated with mining coal.
- Motor Mouth: Marcus notes that his conversations tend to be a bit one-sided.
- Odd Friendship: With Nick.
- Optional Sexual Encounter: One which doesn't go quite the way he expected, for obvious reasons.
- Perpetual Smiler: James is usually this; however, if his romance is pursued, Marcus learns that he actually struggles with depression.
- Plant Person: He raises plants in one of the machinist tents. Somewhat subverted, because while he clearly loves the flowers and means well, he's easily distracted and not the best at caring for them.
- Raised by Grandparents: He mentions that his grandfather is all he has left.
- Retired Badass: In endings where he and Marcus are close enough friends that he doesn't disappear (see below), she reveals that he leaves the military and settles down to a happy career making clever mechanical toys.
- Straight Gay: If his romance is pursued and he and Marcus start the Optional Sexual Encounter, he discovers that she's really a woman. Although he still likes her, he regretfully informs her that it won't work between them because he's only into men. He changes his mind again if Marcus identifies as male.
- Stuff Blowing Up: As suggested above, he's a bit overly fond of this trope.
- Sweet Tooth: He loves horehound candy.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: In some story paths, Marcus notes near the end of the game that she has no idea what became of him; he turns down a high-ranking machinist position, and disappears.
Captain Lorimette Ortens
Captain Lorimette Ortens
A soldier in the Sylgard army.
- Abusive Mom: How she views the way her birth mother treated her in the past. If Lorimette tells Marcus her Backstory, she notes that she basically hates the woman and doesn't care if she's dead or alive.
- Adopted into Royalty: She's the adopted daughter of the childless Queen Charlotte, and heiress presumptive to the throne of Sylgard.
- Arranged Marriage: She was forced into one of these at the age of fourteen; see below.
- Boisterous Bruiser: She can be this on occasion, as suggested by a few of the endings. If she and Marcus are queens of their respective countries at the end of the game and in a relationship (or just really close friends), her first suggestion when they reunite is that they go have a beer and let their hair down.
- Fiery Redhead
- Happily Adopted: If their relationship is shown in chapter 4, it's clear that she loves her adoptive mother very much, and is much loved by her in return.
- Lady of War
- Love Interest: The only potential female love interest in the Vanilla Edition game.
- May–December Romance/Old Man Marrying a Child: She may reveal to Marcus that at the age of fourteen, she was married off to a much older nobleman. It would be difficult to actually call their relationship a romance, but Lorimette does recall that before his death, her husband told her he didn't just marry her because of her beauty, suggesting that he genuinely had affection for her. The way she tells the story implies that she grew somewhat fond of him as well.
- Meaningful Name: Lorimette is an extension of Lori, which is derived from the laurel plant - a symbol of victory.
- Proper Lady: If she's helping with Marcus's 'princess lessons' in chapter 4, Lorimette is shown to be very much this as well as a Lady of War.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Adopted royalty, but it still counts. She's also a noblewoman by virtue of her brief marriage; after her husband's death, she had to take control of his estate and look after his people. She was sixteen when he died.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: If Queen Charlotte is killed in chapter 3, Lorimette is not seen again.
The deluxe edition of the game adds two more potential Love Interests for Marcus.
Fox
Fox
The master of spies in the Ortheran court, Fox is an extremely mysterious person. He serves as King Kendrick's personal assassin, and answers only to him.
- Animal Motif: He's known only as Fox.
- Cool Mask: He wears one more often than not; he's only seen without it in his romance path. It looks more like a cat than a fox.
- Early-Bird Cameo: His presence in the vanilla edition of the game amounts to basically this; Marcus never even has a conversation with him.
- Gray-and-Grey Morality: According to the official art book, his morals are "questionable at best."
- In the Hood: He usually wears a hooded cape.
- Mysterious Protector: He serves as this for Prince Alastor, as part of his spymaster duties.
- Personal Mook: After a fashion, to King Kendrick.
Cesca
Cesca
Cesca is a young noblewoman, and the chief archer in the Ortheran army.
- Cold Sniper: With arrows instead of bullets, but she fits the trope otherwise. Those who serve underneath her are put off by her cold personality.
- Pride: One of her main failings. The official art book says that she's very concerned with how others see her, but too stubborn to change her own views easily.
- Royal Blood: Well, noble blood, anyway. Her father is an Ortheran nobleman.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: She has very little understanding or appreciation for how "lesser" people live.
- Straight Gay: She's this, if not bi, as indicated by the fact that she's a potential love interest for Marcus.
