Name: Ernst Heller
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Nationality: German
Appearance:
Personal Effects:
1. Luger P08 Pistol: A standard-issue sidearm for German officers during WWI, retained by Ernst for personal defense. It's kept in a worn leather holster under his coat.
2. Pocket Watch: A brass heirloom from his father, engraved with the Heller family crest. It holds sentimental value and serves as a symbol of his family’s former status.
3. Leather Wallet: Contains a few Reichsmarks, identification papers, and a photograph of his parents and younger sister from before the war.
4. Cigarette Case: A silver-plated case with a few hand-rolled cigarettes, a habit Ernst picked up during trench life.
5. Small Flask: Filled with schnapps, carried more out of habit than necessity. It provides warmth and a sense of familiarity during moments of uncertainty.
6. German Army-Issue Folding Knife: A practical tool that Ernst keeps for utility, but which could double as a weapon in close combat if necessary.
7. Notebook and Pencil: Used to jot down notes, information, or names of potential allies and contacts.
8. Rosary Beads: A keepsake from his Catholic mother, carried not for religious devotion but as a quiet homage to his family's past.
9. Brown Leather Gloves: Worn during cooler months or when he expects to get his hands dirty, either literally or figuratively.
10. Matchbox: For lighting cigarettes or providing quick illumination in dark or cramped spaces.
Background: Ernst Heller served as a junior officer in the German Army during the Great War, where he gained extensive combat experience on both fronts. Currently, he works as a notary in Munich, using his legal skills to navigate post-war bureaucracy while maintaining ties to his nationalist organization.
Backstory: Born into a prominent Munich family of industrialists, Ernst Heller enjoyed a privileged upbringing with a strong sense of national duty. When the Great War broke out, he enlisted with zeal, eventually serving as a junior officer. Ernst’s combat experience was marked by brutal trench warfare on the Western Front and grueling campaigns on the Eastern Front. His military career was distinguished by tactical skill, but he also witnessed the devastating costs of war, leaving him hardened and deeply cynical.
After the war, Ernst returned to a Germany on the brink of collapse. His family’s business suffered as the economy spiraled, and the Hartmann wealth dwindled rapidly due to reparations and inflation. Ernst, embittered by the outcome of the war and the subsequent chaos, joined the Freikorps—paramilitary units that fought communist uprisings in German cities. He played a direct role in suppressing the Bavarian Soviet Republic, engaging in brutal street battles that shaped his perception of communism as a mortal enemy of Germany.
Now part of a clandestine far-right organization seeking to restore Germany's strength, Ernst’s political activities have grown more intense. While the group speaks of taking decisive action soon, Ernst’s exact role in these plans have been ambiguous to him as he awaits for them to be set in motion, though he sees himself as an instrumental figure in Germany’s resurgence.
Ernst is strategic and methodical, with a sense of honor born from military discipline. While he is slow to trust, he is fiercely loyal to those he sees as kindred spirits. His bitterness towards Germany’s political landscape drives him, but beneath the hard exterior is a man seeking meaning beyond mere vengeance. Ernst is both drawn to and wary of the darker forces that seem to be rising around him, unsure whether they are tools to be used or threats to be confronted.
Late one evening, Ernst received a letter delivered to his modest flat. The handwriting is unfamiliar, but the contents mention a meeting of the “Nachtwache,” supposedly recommended by an unnamed acquaintance. Intrigued and believing it might be connected to his political movement — perhaps a covert recruitment meeting or an opportunity to network — Ernst decides to attend. The venue, a notorious cabaret, struck him as an odd choice, but he assumes it’s a necessary cover. With his Luger hidden under his coat and a mix of curiosity and cautious optimism, Ernst makes his way to the meeting, unaware of the true nature of the group he’s about to join.