Some promotional artwork for “Uhrwerk: A Timekeeper’s Tale”  

 
Clockwise:
 
Blitzschnell Alyssia Läufer,  
Though she prefers Blitzen or just Blitz:  
Daughter of Dietfried Dietmar Läufer and Eleonora Gerhild Läufer, younger sister of Caecilia and Burkhard.  
Like the rest of her family, she is gifted in the art of music.  
Unlike the the rest of her family however, she does not wish to be a musician.  
As such, she purposely flunks her lessons, despite having amazing skill.  
She lives with her Aunt Ebba in Kriegsten, but occasionally travels with the rest of her family.  
She ‘adopted’ Beatrice as a surrogate sister, and is trying to teach her how to play the violin in secret.  
But something feels odd about their relationship to her. Lodern can’t feel the same, can she?  
-And her brother’s military ambitions, can she be sure he will stay safe?
 
Magnolia,  
Or Mag for short:  
As far as she knows, no other changeling survived the Guard’s raid on her satellite-hive.  
She remembers her escape quite well:  
The gunfire, the screams, the broodmare lifting the hatchlings in to the narrow pipe, she being the first in,  
The bullet whizzing through the pipe, through her brother, before taking off her ear.  
She remembers the run through the field into the forest, and the two nights she spent there.  
Every rustle was them coming for her. Every little sound was a rifle’s bolt clicking.  
If not for Alexander finding her there, and the work of Dr. Zwilling, she would not have made it through another night.  
Now she lives with Alex in Kriegsten. He has shown her compassion. She can trust him, right?  
-And what of Arville? He seems to know something is wrong with her. How long before he finds out what?
 
Beatrice,  
But she prefers ‘Blaze’ or “Lodern” in Germane:  
Not a lot is know about her past, other than that she ran away from home and train-hopped to Kriegsten.  
Where from, no one knows. She speaks both Germane and Jutlandish.  
She climes to have Two Brothers and Five Sisters, along with a Hydromancer uncle.  
She has a bad habit of playing with fire, quite literally, and sometimes she goes a bit too far. Her scars are proof enough of that.  
She also gets in fights with the three local bullies, the Bodensatz Brothers. But they are all a bit terrified of her.  
Shortly after arriving she, Ben, and Blitzschnell became fast friends. She eventually moved in with Blitz.  
Their relationship is very sister-like, but something feels odd about it to her. Blitz can’t feel the same, can she?  
-And her magic, can she keep herself in control of it?
 
Benjamin R. Flügel,  
Son of Lanfrank Flügel and Ludwiga Federkiel, brother of Berthold Flügel.  
He lives with his mother in Kriegsten. He hasn’t seen much of his father or brother after the divorce.  
He works quietly delivering for the Silver Hoof Courier, but is very out-going when not at work.  
In his free time, he sketches and paints. He uses his wings like a brush, and gets better at it every week.  
He dreams of the day he will be old enough to join the Zeppelin corps. The Count is his hero.  
But, his mother fears what dangers such a life would bring.  
He has always had feelings for Blaze, but can’t find it in himself to ask her.  
What if she doesn’t feel the same? Then again, what if she does?  
-And what if his mother is right and her fears are justified?
 
Alexander Julius Uhrwerk II,  
Formally, Baron von Kriegsten:  
Son of Abelard Augustus Uhrwerk II, Baron von Kriegsten, and Orchideen Zweig.  
His mother died shortly after his birth. His father passed five years later after returning from the Great Rebellion.  
Far too young to perform his duties, he spends his days with the Hall’s servants and maintaining the tower’s clock, rarely leaving.  
The few times he has gone out, a local foal named Arville made friends with him, thus leading him into his small circle.  
The five spent some time in the Hall together, especially in the old library, but Alex still stayed somewhat withdrawn.  
That was, however, until he and Arville when into the forest looking for a lost locket.  
There he found a wounded Changeling, who disguised herself before Arville came to his shouts.  
The two took her back to Kriegsten, where she was treated by Dr. Zwilling, who was the grandfather Alexander never had.  
The Changeling, who he named “Magnolia” as her Changeling name could not be pronounced, moved into the Hall with him.  
She seems harmless, and what could she gain from attacking him? He can trust her, right?  
-And the Allure of Battle, can he live up to the name his grandfather made in the Brother’s War and the War with Prance? Is tradition worth the risk?
 
Arville Higgins Hartmut,  
Son of Alban Hartwig Hatrmut and Marlies Violetrgen.  
His mother was killed in an accident when he was seven, he always keeps her locket with him.  
Fencing is his best skill, always training when he is not helping his father run their shop.  
He dreams of the cavalry, like his grandfather in the War with Prance.  
But his father hates the thought. To Alban, the war was what made his father into the drunken wife-beater he knew him as.  
He made friends with late Baron’s son, Alexander, who’s own Grandfather was a war hero. He introduced Alex to Ben, Blitz, and Blaze.  
He gits in scuffs with the three local bullies, the Bodensatz Brothers.  
One day they stole his mother’s locket and hid it in the nearby forest, so him and Alex when looking for it.  
There Alex found a badly injured mare named Magnolia, who he carried back to town.  
He has always been a bit suspicious of this ‘mare in the woods’ yet he has never really confronted anyone about it.  
But, what if Alex and Mag are hiding something malevolent?  
-And what is something happens during his service as a One-Year-Volunteer, and his father’s fears are realized?