Character List: The Genealogy of Germans
In the Susan and Adric chapters, our heroes find themselves in the middle of a feud between two German families in the eighteenth century (oh gee, what else in the fic is set in the eighteenth century?). In order to clarify (or try, anyway) this sudden plague (upon both houses) of original characters, we've created a family tree of sorts for both families. And yes, astute readers will notice that there are both Schneiders and Lahnsteins in Verbotene Liebe. These families are intended as their ancestors of sorts, though their actual relation is up in the air.
Brackets {} around a name indicate a character is deceased (or believed deceased) prior to the start of the fic. Ages in parentheses (##) are ages from a character's birth date, even if the character is dead, and should not be assumed to be age at death for dead characters.
Those who died during or shortly after childbirth are not listed and can be assumed to account for age gaps between siblings of a generation if the reader so desires. Their (former) existence is up in the air unless they're explicitly named or indicated not to exist in the fic.
This sound like the wrong character list? Click here for the list of primary characters.
The Schneiders
Descended from merchants several centuries ago, the Schneiders are newly made aristocrats in the eyes of the Lahnsteins. They are also more familial, having less land and wealth to distribute, which is why the parents of the wives live in the castle while the same is not true of the Lahnsteins.
The Elders
{FRIEDRICH SCHNEIDER} (74) - Died choking on a chicken bone at dinner.
married to JULIA PREUS (69) - Matriarch of the family but going senile.
his siblings:
VERNER (71) - Living in Prussia.
SASCHA (65) - Living in Sweden.
IMRE SCHMUCK (70) - Moved into the castle with his daughter, Rosa.
married to {FRANZISKA EHLERS} (71) - Died of a heart attack half an hour after Friedrich's death. Famous last words right before she collapsed: "Goodness, I think I'm dead."
her brother, VIKTOR (68) - Moved into the castle with Imre and Franziska at Imre's behest.
The Parents
RAOUL SCHNEIDER (45) - Eldest son of Friedrich and Julia. Head of the family.
married to ROSA SCHMUCK (42) - Eldest daughter of Imre and Franziska.
her sisters:
WILHELMINA (44)
ALOISIA (41)
her brother, CONRAD (40) - Inherited her parents' estate. Doesn't live in the castle.
his siblings
TANJA (46) - Best friend of Rosa, introduced Rosa and Raoul.
married to {EBERHARD ROTH} - Drowned in a fishing accident.
OTTO (43) - Inventor. Born with a lame leg.
ULRIKA (41) - A witch, maybe.
The Children
HUEY (23) - Raoul's heir. A proper gentleman who challenges Lahnsteins to duels and otherwise uses his time trampling around in the forest killing things to take home to study in his lab.
ULA (21) - A proper lady who nevertheless doesn't want to get married and is given to flights of fancy.
GAUTHIER (20) - Traumatized by Ula in his childhood, his only goal in life is to be as improper as possible.
HILDEGARD (18) - One of identical twins, not so much a proper lady as just a woman who likes pink frilly things.
KARIN (18) - Hildegard's identical twin, except she only likes pink frills as decorations to hide the fact that she's carrying around a shotgun designed to look like an umbrella.
LOUIE (9) - The resident brat.
The Lahnsteins
Ancient nobility, so everyone who's not a Lahnstein might as well be peasantry in their eyes. All Lahnstein males (and some females) have been sent abroad to prestigious universities to study.
The Elders
WALDO VON LAHNSTEIN (77) - Extremely conservative family patriarch whose authority has nevertheless been subverted by his wife in favor of his son. Ill with the gout and unable to move much.
married to ADALIE HEINZE (68) - We were going to name her Theresa but thought that might be a bit much.
her idiot brother, JAKOB (65)
his siblings:
{BERNARD} (76) - The latest casualty of the Lahnstein-Schneider feud. Killed in a duel 22 years ago against Friedrich.
ANNEGRET (74) - A genius with plants and herbs.
her maid, amongst other things, LYSANNE BAMBERG (20)
The Parents
ABELERD VON LAHNSTEIN (52) - Head of the household in practice, though the title still belongs to his father, Waldo. Is a little oppressed by his parents.
married to SCHMETTERLING HANSEN (44) - Knows her husband is a bit of a wuss so decided it couldn't hurt if she ordered him around too.
his siblings:
ADOLFA WIENER (54) - Abelerd's elder sister, lives in Saxony with her husband.
married to BERNARD WIENER (58)
ADALIE (49) - Abelerd's younger sister, an old maid.
EDMUND (47) - Lives in a castle on the adjacent property.
married to DOROTHEA LEUPOLD (47)
The Children
RAINART (26) - An academic, in contact with numerous liberal activists working for a democratic Germany. Due to his excessive interest in politics and other things practical, he has been passed over as Abelerd's heir.
EDWYNNA (25) - Married a cowherder at 16 and subsequently got disowned but still lives on the property.
married to SIEGBERT NEUFELD
BARON (23) - Abelerd's heir now that Rainart has been set aside as a troublemaker with "ideas." Excellent marksman who loves hunting.
ELISE (20) - After Edwynna proved a disappointment, Schmetterling forced Abelerd to send Elise to a university in Britain to get an education, just like Rainart and Baron. Unfortunately, Edwynna was the smarter sister, and Elise dropped out, returning not the slightest bit smarter but with an intense passion for afternoon tea.