The Altar of Pergamon Characters

A skeptical lecturer on rationality and the supernatural who receives an ancient illuminated manuscript from Max Yildirim. He is drawn into a global investigation of the Altar of Pergamon after Yildirim is murdered, and he later makes peace with God at the pagan sanctuary. He is also called Mr. Herzog and Ariel by Lara.

Arc: He moves from unbelief and fear to committed pursuit of the mystery, then to faith and a calling to write a book revealing what he was shown. He parts from Lara at Mount Sinai to write alone.

• Lara Winter — traveling companion, fellow investigator, and romantic interest
• Max Yildirim — man who gave him the manuscript before being murdered
• Detective Adam Richter — detective who questions him about Yildirim, later threatens him
• Professor Lorens Marinus — expert who translates the manuscript and later reveals his calling
• Kazim Yarikan — contact who becomes his adversary at Pergamon
• Antipas of Pergamon — ancestor mentioned by Marinus

A Christian apologist and expert in illuminated manuscripts who initially distrusts Ariel because of past online attacks. She is drawn into the journey by dreams that often come true, and she translates the successive pages of the mystery. She is also called Lara.

Arc: She moves from refusing Ariel to becoming his partner and fellow investigator, following her dreams across the world. She parts from Ariel at Mount Sinai and leaves for Israel.

• Ariel Herzog — ideological opponent, traveling companion, and romantic interest
• Professor Lorens Marinus — colleague and mentor who recommends she join the mission
• Yaira — recognizes her from a dream and receives revelations from her
• Mr. Isik — guide who welcomes her and gives her the third page
• Kazim Yarikan — trusted contact who reveals himself as adversary

The ancient evil force behind the Altar of Pergamon, called Satan, the Devil, the Dark Angel, the Dark One, the Enemy, the Dragon, and Diabolos the Divider. He is identified as the red dragon warring against the Jewish people and as the power whose throne is the Altar. The notes say he mimics and inverts the things of God and seeks to replace God's throne with his own.

Arc: He remains the hidden antagonist whose plans move through empires, occult societies, and world crises. His purposes are repeatedly opposed by divine intervention and the revelations given to Ariel and Lara.

• God — mimics and seeks to replace His throne
• Adolf Hitler — used as a vessel and pawn; the Dragon's rage raged through him
• Israel/Jewish people — wars against, pursues, and persecutes them
• Kazim Yarikan — served by Kazim and the Keepers of the Altar
• Zeus / Jupiter — presented as a mask for the Enemy

An intelligence agent specializing in terrorism who first follows Ariel and Lara in the bazaar and warns them of a dangerous clandestine organization. He later reveals he is a Keeper of the Altar and Guardian of the Throne and intends them as sacrifices. He is killed by lightning at Pergamon.

Arc: He moves from apparent protector and advisor to revealed adversary and executioner. His assurance turns to terror before he and his men fall from Pergamon.

• Ariel Herzog — pretended ally and contact, later adversary
• Lara Winter — pretended ally, later orders her sacrifice
• Keepers of the Altar / Guardians of the Throne — member and heir of this ancient order

A man who contacts Ariel about the homicide of Max Yildirim, saying a paper with Ariel's name and a library address was found on the body and a note read 'Thieves don't live long.' He later makes a threatening call and is revealed to be the same voice as the man on Capitoline Hill.

Arc: He moves from investigating detective to threatening pursuer. His identity as the Capitoline Hill man exposes the reach of the opposition.

• Max Yildirim — homicide victim he is investigating
• Ariel Herzog — questions and later threatens him
• the man on Capitoline Hill — same voice and person

The Nazi leader who made the swastika the symbol of Nazism with red, white, and black imagery. He is identified as the River Child, Satan's vessel, and the high priest of the Holocaust who stood on the Zeppelin Tribune as the Throne of Satan. He killed himself and ordered his body burned.

Arc: He is presented as the satanic king prepared alongside the Altar, rising to power and raging from Nuremberg. His final sacrifice is himself, after which the Altar passes to another.

• Klara — her son
• Heinrich Himmler — Himmler was below Hitler in the dark priesthood
• Albert Speer — commissioned him to design the Nuremberg rostrum
• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — used as a vessel; the Dragon's rage raged through him

Head of the SS, steeped in mystical and occult beliefs, who envisioned the SS as a Nazi priesthood. He required SS officers to renounce Christianity and partake in pagan ceremonies, and sent the SS to administer the concentration camps. He sent the SS to Dachau on April 11, 1933, Passover.

Arc: He remains the dark priesthood's leader under Hitler, presiding over the SS in the Holocaust. The notes place him below Hitler in the dark priesthood.

• Adolf Hitler — fellow powerful leader, below Hitler in the dark priesthood
• the SS — headed it and fashioned it as Nazism's dark priesthood
• Arthur Kahn — his SS sent to Dachau took charge before Kahn's killing

Born in Germany in 1875, he became fascinated with the Ottoman Empire, lived there, took the identity Rudolf von Sebottendorff, and became enmeshed in Turkish mysticism and the occult. He returned to Germany and founded the Thule Society. Its political arm became the German Workers' Party and then the Nazi Party.

Arc: He brings occult knowledge from the Ottoman Empire to Germany and gives birth to the Nazi Party. His occult and political lineage of evil leads to the Third Reich.

• Thule Society — founded it
• German Workers' Party / Nazi Party — Thule Society's political arm became the Nazi Party
• Adolf Hitler — Hitler entered a meeting of the party born of Sebottendorff's Thule Society

An expert on illuminated manuscripts and ancient history who examines the manuscript at the museum after hours. He confirms its date and language, translates its Koine Greek text, and explains its Satanic imagery and Pergamon references. He later appears on Mount Sinai to reveal Ariel's calling and ancestry.

Arc: He begins as the scholar who interprets the manuscript and challenges Herzog to investigate Bergama. He ends as the mentor who tells Ariel he was chosen to write a book revealing the mystery.

• Ariel Herzog — examines and translates his manuscript; later reveals his calling
• Lara Winter — colleague who recommends she join the mission
• Antipas of Pergamon — mentions him as Ariel's ancestor

A Grand Bazaar shop owner who welcomes Ariel and Lara, knows Ariel's name, and reveals the mystery of the Altar's unearthing and removal to Germany. He recounts the history of Schliemann, Troy, the swastika, and the dark trio of resurrections in 1871. He later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: He begins as a mysterious shop owner who gives Lara the third page and ends as an angelic guide praying over Ariel. His name means light in Turkish.

• Ariel Herzog — knows his name and reveals the mystery to him
• Lara Winter — gives her the third page and second manifestation
• Carl Humann — recounts his unearthing of the Altar
• Heinrich Schliemann — recounts his discovery of Troy and the swastika

A mysterious woman who overhears Ariel and Lara at the Schlossbrücke, explains the dream through Revelation, and leads them to the Altar of Pergamon. She later reappears at the Fischbrunnen in Austria, leads them to Braunau am Inn, and reveals that the River Child is Adolf Hitler. She is later revealed as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: She guides Ariel and Lara from Berlin to the Altar and then to Hitler's birthplace, giving them the next manuscript. She ends as an angelic figure of light.

• Lara Winter — Lara recognizes her voice from a dream
• Ariel Herzog — guides him to the Altar and Hitler's birthplace
• Adolf Hitler — reveals him as the River Child

A Polish archaeology student from Gliwice who joins Lara and Ariel in a Berlin café and says she is there to help. She explains the Keepers of the Altar and Guardians of the Throne, their book, and the Altar's connection to the world wars. She later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: She moves from helpful student to revealed angelic guide. Her name means bright.

• Ariel Herzog — joins and assists him and Lara
• Lara Winter — joins and assists them; later appears as an angelic guide
• Keepers of the Altar / Guardians of the Throne — explains their history and book

A man who sits alone with a chess set in Sarajevo and reveals the third mystery to Ariel and Lara. He uses chess pieces to explain the Altar, Germany, World War I, and the occult birth of the Nazi Party. He later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: He leads them from the chess table to the Latin Bridge and Yellow Fortress, revealing how one evil gives birth to the next. He ends as an angelic guide.

• Ariel Herzog — invites him to sit and calls him by name
• Lara Winter — invites her and Ariel to his table and reveals mysteries
• Rudolf von Sebottendorff — reveals his role in founding the Thule Society and Nazi Party

A homeless-looking man sitting in front of St. Basil's Cathedral who says his name is Yaroslav and offers to help Lara and Ariel. He reveals the Altar's transference to the Soviet Union after Hitler's suicide and its consequences. He later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: He reveals the Altar's move to Stalin and the Soviet Union, then is revealed as an angelic guide. His name is Russian for bright.

• Lara Winter — offers help and reveals the Altar's transference
• Ariel Herzog — addresses him by name and reveals the mystery
• St. Basil the Blessed — Lara says he resembles St. Basil's icon
• Joseph Stalin — reveals the Altar passed to him

A girl in a red coat at the Brandenburg Gate who claims to be seven years old and reveals that the Devil is Diabolos, the Divider. She explains how division spread from Berlin to Germany, Europe, and the world, and links the Altar's move to East Berlin to the Berlin Crisis. She later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: She reveals the Altar's role in Cold War division and the near-nuclear confrontation, then is revealed as an angelic guide. Her name means the shining one.

• Lara Winter — shares secrets with her and Ariel
• Ariel Herzog — addresses him as Mr. Herzog and reveals division history
• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — speaks of him as Diabolos the Divider

A man who opens the lion-marked door in Old Jerusalem, invites Lara and Ariel in, and explains the origins of the mystery through Antiochus, the Altar of Zeus, the Maccabees, and Eumenes of Pergamon. He then walks them through the Jewish Quarter, the Temple Mount, and the Western Wall. He later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: He reveals the Altar's origins and return, then instructs them to stand on the right side of the cosmic war. He ends as an angelic guide. His name is Hebrew for he who shines and he who brings the light.

• Lara Winter — reveals the origins and return of the Altar to her and Ariel
• Ariel Herzog — reveals the origins and return of the Altar to him and Lara
• Antiochus — recounts his desecration of the Temple with the Altar of Zeus
• Eumenes of Pergamon — recounts his setting up of the Altar of Zeus in Pergamon

An older Russian woman who approaches Lara and Ariel at the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg and explains the angel crushing the serpent. She reveals connections between the Altar, Marxism, Lenin, Stalin, and the sealed train. She later appears as one of the radiant guides on Mount Sinai.

Arc: She leads them through St. Petersburg and reveals the Altar's link to communist revolution and terror. She ends as an angelic guide.

• Lara Winter — guide and revealer
• Ariel Herzog — guide and revealer
• Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) — recounts his radicalization and revolution
• Joseph Stalin — recounts his origins and rise

The murdered man who had visited Ariel and given him the manuscript page. His body was found after he was pushed from a hotel window, with a note around his neck. He believed 'them' were trying to stop him and warned that the danger he spoke of was real.

Arc: He appears only as the catalyst whose death draws Ariel into the mystery. His murder remains a warning of the danger surrounding the manuscript.

• Ariel Herzog — gave him the manuscript before being killed
• Detective Adam Richter — the detective investigating his murder

Born in Trier to a family of rabbis, he wrote a Christian essay at seventeen, became radicalized in Berlin under Hegel and the Young Hegelians, and wrote dark verses about building a throne and being sold a sword by the prince of darkness. He authored the Manifesto and The Civil War in France. The notes argue his writings served the Dark Angel's goal of destruction.

Arc: He is presented as a vessel of contagion whose writings are resurrected through the Paris Commune and the Leipzig trial. His Manifesto becomes The Communist Manifesto in German in 1872.

• Friedrich Engels — collaborator and partner
• Georg Hegel — influenced by his theories
• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — wrote of being sold a sword by the prince of darkness
• Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) — ideological influence

Born in 1870 in Simbirsk, he radicalized after his father's death and brother's execution, encountered Marx in 1889, and organized the Marxist underground. He returned to Russia via the German-arranged sealed train, led the Bolsheviks to overthrow the Provisional Government, and wrote The State and Revolution. His body was wrapped in a flag created in 1871 in the Paris Commune.

Arc: He is presented as the revolutionary who unleashes mass terror and creates the apparatus for annihilating millions. He lays a cornerstone for an upside-down kingdom.

• Alexander Ulyanov — older brother
• Karl Marx — ideological influence
• Joseph Stalin — successor and radicalized by his writings

Born in 1878 in Georgia to Ekaterine and Besarion, he studied at seminary, came across Marx and Lenin, was expelled, and became a full-time Marxist agent organizing bank robberies, kidnappings, and bombings. He later ruled with mass executions, famine, labor camps, and terror. The notes say he chose evil and took the Marxist state to darker depths.

Arc: He rises from seminary student to Bolshevik revolutionary and then to ruler of the Soviet terror state. He is one of the two evils born to lead to a satanic kingdom.

• Ekaterine — mother
• Besarion — father
• Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) — ideological influence and predecessor

A German engineer who moved to Turkey because of tuberculosis and came to Pergamon repeatedly. He found ancient stone pieces, led Dr. Curtius to the ruins, and sent two pieces of the Altar to Berlin. He oversaw the beginning of the Altar's unearthing, which commenced in 1878 and was officially completed in 1886.

Arc: He moves from unofficial exploration to leading excavation and shipping the Altar's pieces to Germany. His discovery forges the Altar's connection to German soil.

• Dr. Ernst Curtius — led him to Pergamon
• Alexander Conze — collaborator in lobbying to excavate the Altar
• Altar of Pergamon — unearthed and shipped its pieces to Germany

As director of the Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities, he examined the fragments Humann sent, realized they were part of the Great Altar of Pergamon, contacted Humann, and together they lobbied the Ottoman government for permission to excavate. He sought to identify and secure permission to unearth the Altar.

Arc: He remains the institutional force who recognizes the Altar fragments and enables their excavation. His collaboration with Humann leads to the Altar's removal to Berlin.

• Carl Humann — collaborator in lobbying for the Altar's excavation

A German classical archaeologist who began reconstructing the Altar of Pergamon in 1888 and completed the initial work in 1889. His work coincides with Hitler's conception and birth, called the two appearings. He undertakes the Altar's reconstruction.

Arc: He completes the initial reconstruction of the Altar in the years matching Hitler's conception and birth. His work is tied to the parallel appearance of evil.

• Altar of Pergamon — undertakes its reconstruction
• Adolf Hitler — his reconstruction years parallel Hitler's conception and birth

A German businessman obsessed with Homer who set out to prove Troy was real and discovered its ruins at the Hisarlik mound. He unearthed almost two thousand variations of an ancient symbol, the swastika, and believed it connected German civilization to ancient Troy. His discovery later fed German nationalist and Nazi symbolism.

Arc: He moves from Homer enthusiast to discoverer of Troy and the swastika. His findings are taken up by Hitler and made the symbol of Nazism.

• Homer — became obsessed with his works
• Adolf Hitler — Hitler later took up the swastika connection

A nineteen-year-old Bosnian Serb waiting by the Latin Bridge on June 28, 1914, who fired two shots that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. He said he did it to free Bosnia from Austrian control, but he was called a pawn in the Enemy's hand. The assassination sparked World War I.

Arc: He appears as the assassin whose act triggers global calamity. The notes frame him as a pawn used in the larger chess game of the Altar.

• Franz Ferdinand — assassinated him and his wife Sophie
• Sophie — killed her in the assassination
• Black Hand — secret organization behind the plot

Archduke and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, driven through Sarajevo in an open motor car with his wife Sophie. The motorcade took a wrong turn, and the car stalled by the Latin Bridge, where he was assassinated. His death helped ignite World War I.

Arc: He is presented as the royal whose assassination becomes a trigger for world war. He dies with his wife Sophie at the Latin Bridge.

• Sophie — husband and wife, killed together
• Gavrilo Princip — assassinated by him
• Austro-Hungarian Empire — heir to its throne

Wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, riding with him in the open motor car when Gavrilo Princip fired two shots, one of which killed her. She dies alongside her husband in Sarajevo. Her death is part of the event that sparked World War I.

Arc: She appears only in the assassination scene and is killed with Franz Ferdinand. Her death reinforces the chain of calamity.

• Franz Ferdinand — wife, killed with him
• Gavrilo Princip — killed by him

Commissioned by Hitler to design a massive rostrum for the Nuremberg rallies. In seeking inspiration, he was led to the Altar of Pergamon and admitted its influence on his design. His Zeppelin Tribune became a colossal re-creation of the Altar of Pergamon.

Arc: He serves as Hitler's architect and designs the Nuremberg platform that the boy identifies as the Throne of Satan. His admission ties Nazi architecture directly to the Altar.

• Adolf Hitler — Hitler's architect
• Altar of Pergamon — used it as inspiration for the Zeppelin Tribune

A twenty-one-year-old German Jewish university student preparing for medical school. He was arrested in Nuremberg, taken to Dachau, and shot in early April as the first killing of the Holocaust. He is described as a descendant of Aaron, so his name Kahn means priest.

Arc: He appears as the first Holocaust victim, a priest of Israel offered up by the dark priesthood. His death begins the sacrifices on Passover.

• Heinrich Himmler — Himmler's SS administered the camp where he was killed
• the SS — the dark priesthood that killed him

A prophetic figure who rebuked the evil of tsar Ivan the Terrible and appears in Lara's dream as a thin, barefoot man in rags. He says they call him a saint but he is only a fool crying out, and warns that the evil has come into the house. Lara identifies him as St. Basil the Blessed and they go to his cathedral in Moscow.

Arc: He appears in Lara's dream to guide them to Moscow and St. Basil's Cathedral. His warning sets up the next stage of the mystery.

• Lara Winter — appeared in her dream and was identified by her
• Yaroslav — the man on the pavement resembles his icon

In July 2008, while running for president, he visited Berlin and addressed hundreds of thousands from the Tiergarten. The man says he spoke of Berlin's role in modern history and the fall of the Berlin Wall. His nomination stage is described as a re-creation of the Altar of Pergamon.

Arc: He is linked to the Altar through his Berlin speech and nomination stage. His presidency is connected to the dechristianization of America and the West.

• Altar of Pergamon — the man says he was connected to the Altar
• Nike/Victoria — spoke under the image of the goddess at the Victory Column

Mobilized American forces and put the American military in Europe on high alert during the Berlin Crisis. He sent troops into West Berlin, ordered guardsmen and reservists into active duty, deployed military aircraft, and moved tanks toward the wall. He saw the building of the Berlin Wall as a threat to the stability of Berlin and the postwar order.

Arc: He is presented as the leader who confronts the Soviet Union at the Berlin Wall. His decisions bring the world close to nuclear war.

• Khrushchev — Soviet leader in the Berlin Crisis
• Berlin Wall — responded to its building with military mobilization

Described by the woman in Havana as one of the Enemy's pawns. His revolution turned irreversible in November 1958, the same month the Altar was returned to Berlin. His rise is linked to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Arc: He appears as a pawn whose revolution coincides with the Altar's return to Berlin. His Cuba becomes the site of the missile crisis that brings the world to the abyss.

• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — described as one of the Enemy's pawns
• Cuba — leader of its revolution

In the recounted myth, Zeus transforms into a white bull, abducts Europa, carries her to Crete, reveals himself, and impregnates her. The man says Zeus is a mask for the Enemy, and the Altar of Zeus is the Throne of Satan. His name and altar are said to be joined to Europe.

Arc: He appears in the mythic explanation of Europe's pagan roots. He is presented as a mask of the Enemy and the power behind the Altar of Pergamon.

• Europa — abducts and impregnates her
• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — presented as a mask for the Enemy
• Nike/Victoria — she fights for Zeus and drives his chariot

In the recounted myth, she gathers flowers, is drawn to the bull, climbs on its back, is carried across the sea to Crete, and bears three sons associated with death. She is the princess of Phoenicia and daughter of King Agenor. Europe bears her name and is symbolized by her abduction.

Arc: She is carried away by Zeus, and her story is interpreted as Europe being drawn away from Christianity. The EU currency shows Europa being carried away by the beast.

• Zeus / Jupiter — abducted and impregnated by him
• King Agenor — her father
• Europe — Europe bears her name and is symbolized by her abduction

Identified as the winged creature Lara saw in her dream. She is described as having flown from the Berlin Wall to the Victory Column, watched over the gathering, and appeared in European cities as the goddess of victory. As Zeus's charioteer and herald, she ushers him in before the Altar of Zeus appears in Europe.

Arc: She appears in Lara's dream and is linked to the Victory Column and the return of paganism. Her reappearance signifies dechristianization and the rise of anti-Christian ideologies.

• Zeus / Jupiter — goddess who fights for Zeus and drives his chariot
• Lara Winter — appears in her dream as the winged creature

Promised to dwell between the cherubim on the Ark, and His presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies and on the Ark of the Covenant, where atonement was made for Israel on Yom Kippur. The notes contrast the Altar of Satan with the Altar of God's love. He is the source of ways, laws, power, and plans sought by Moses and Elijah.

Arc: He remains the divine counterpart to Satan, whose throne and altar are inverted by the Enemy. The custodian says if darkness is real, so too must be the light.

• Satan / the Devil / Dark Angel / Diabolos / Enemy / Dragon — Satan mimics and seeks to replace His throne
• Israel/Jewish people — central vessel in the covenant
• Moses — showed Moses things on Mount Sinai
• Elijah — source of power and plans Elijah sought

Mentioned by the custodian on the Pergamon terrace when he explains the light, God, love, Jesus/Yeshua, and the Altar of God. He is part of the revelation of the Altar of God's love contrasted with the altar of Satan. He is not developed beyond this explanation.

Arc: He appears only in the custodian's explanation of salvation and the Altar of God. His mention completes the contrast between the unholy altar and the holy.

• God — explained with God and love by the custodian
• Ariel Herzog — custodian explains Jesus/Yeshua to him

Wrote down the things he saw and heard, what God had shown him. He ascended Mount Sinai to come into the knowledge of God's ways and laws. Ariel reflects on Moses as the model for writing down what he himself was shown.

Arc: He appears as the biblical precedent for receiving revelation on Mount Sinai and writing it down. His action inspires Ariel's decision to write.

• God — received what God had shown him and came into knowledge of God's ways and laws

Ascended Mount Sinai to come into the knowledge of God's power and plans. He is mentioned alongside Moses as one who sought divine knowledge on the mountain. Ariel reflects that he has ascended into a different knowledge than Moses and Elijah.

Arc: He appears as a biblical example of seeking God on Sinai. His ascent contrasts with Ariel's own calling.

• God — ascended to come into knowledge of God's power and plans

Revealed by Meir as the ruler who desecrated the Temple with the Altar of Zeus. His act is part of the mystery's origins. The Maccabees rededicated the Temple after this desecration.

Arc: He appears as the ancient desecrator whose act sets the pattern for the Altar of Zeus and the spiritual war. His desecration is later reversed by the Maccabees.

• Zeus / Jupiter — desecrated the Temple with the Altar of Zeus
• Maccabees — they rededicated the Temple after his desecration
• Meir — Meir recounts his act in the mystery's origins

Revealed by Meir as the one who set up the Altar of Zeus in Pergamon amid spiritual war. His act places the Altar that becomes central to the mystery. He is part of the origin story of the Altar of Pergamon.

Arc: He appears as the ancient king who establishes the Altar of Zeus in Pergamon. His act begins the Altar's historical role.

• Altar of Pergamon — set it up in Pergamon
• Zeus / Jupiter — set up his altar
• Meir — Meir recounts his role in the origins

A famous archaeologist whom Humann told of his discoveries and led to Pergamon. He arranged for Humann to send two Altar pieces from Pergamon to Berlin. His involvement helps move the Altar toward Germany.

Arc: He appears as the archaeologist who validates and facilitates the Altar's transfer to Berlin. His arrangement contributes to the Altar's connection with Germany.

• Carl Humann — Humann told him of discoveries and led him to Pergamon
• Berlin — arranged for Altar pieces to be sent there

Under him Prussia warred with Denmark, Austria, and France, organized the North German Confederation, united the southern German states, and saw the birth of the German Empire proclaimed at Versailles. His wars and unification led to the birth of the German Empire. His era coincides with the Altar's discovery and shipment.

Arc: He appears as the political force whose wars and unification create the Germany linked to the Altar. His work sets the stage for the dark kingdom.

• Prussia — the German state and kingdom he led in wars and unification
• Germany — his wars and unification led to the birth of the German Empire

Wrote of the ancient city of Troy in the Iliad. Schliemann became obsessed with his works and set out to prove Troy was real. His writings inspire the search that leads to Troy and the swastika.

Arc: He appears only as the literary inspiration behind Schliemann's obsession. His Iliad sets the search in motion.

• Heinrich Schliemann — Schliemann became obsessed with his works

Named as Marx's future collaborator. The man quotes Engels calling Marx a 'monster' and says Engels and Marx released a new edition of the Manifesto after the Leipzig trial. He is part of the resurrection and spread of Marxism.

Arc: He appears as Marx's partner in the dissemination of the Manifesto. His collaboration helps the Manifesto become a foundational text.

• Karl Marx — collaborator and partner

The German philosopher whose view of history as a series of conflicts influenced Marx. Marx became an adherent and joined the Young Hegelians in Berlin. His theories contribute to Marx's radicalization.

Arc: He appears as the intellectual influence behind Marx's transformation in Berlin. His philosophy helps shape Marx's later writings.

• Karl Marx — his teachings influenced Marx's transformation in Berlin

Lenin's older brother. He joined a socialist revolutionary party and terrorist organization, was arrested in 1887 for plotting to assassinate the tsar, and was executed that May. His execution catalyzed Lenin's radicalization.

Arc: He appears as the brother whose execution drives Lenin toward revolution. His death is a turning point in Lenin's life.

• Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) — younger brother

A peasant girl from Georgia who grew up in poverty, worked as a domestic servant and laundress, married Besarion, bore two sons who died in infancy, and gave birth to her only surviving child, Stalin. She is Stalin's mother. Her devotion to her surviving son is noted.

Arc: She appears as Stalin's mother and the one who gave birth to him. Her role is in Stalin's origin story.

• Besarion — husband
• Joseph Stalin — son

A shoemaker who married Ekaterine and was a brutal man who often beat Stalin. He abandoned Stalin while Stalin was a child. He is Stalin's father.

Arc: He appears in Stalin's origin story as a brutal and abandoning father. His treatment of Stalin is part of the background of his rise.

• Ekaterine — wife
• Joseph Stalin — son

Founded the first Marxist organization in Russia in 1883. He is mentioned as a product of Das Kapital's impact in Russia. His organization helped create a generation of radicals.

Arc: He appears as the founder of Russian Marxism and part of the chain leading to Lenin. His work is one of the early fruits of the Marxist contagion.

• Karl Marx — ideological influence

A former servant girl who gave birth to Adolf Hitler in the ordinary-looking building in Braunau am Inn. She is Hitler's mother. Her death is linked in the notes to the year 1907 and Hitler's move to Vienna.

Arc: She appears as Hitler's mother and part of his early life. Her death coincides with a turning point in Hitler's youth.

• Adolf Hitler — her son

Mentioned by Professor Marinus on Mount Sinai as Ariel's ancestor. His connection explains why Ariel was chosen for the calling. He is part of Ariel's revealed ancestry.

Arc: He appears only as the ancestor whose line explains Ariel's selection. His mention ties Ariel personally to Pergamon.

• Ariel Herzog — ancestor
• Professor Lorens Marinus — Marinus mentions him when revealing Ariel's ancestry

Mentioned in the myth as Europa's father. He is part of the recounted story of Zeus and Europa. His role is only as Europa's father in the mythic explanation.

Arc: He appears only in the mythic genealogy of Europa. He does not act in the main story.

• Europa — her father

Named in relation to the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis and DEFCON 2. His actions brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

Arc: He appears as the Soviet leader whose missile placement creates the crisis. His decision is part of the Altar-linked conflict.

• Kennedy — adversary in the Berlin and Cuban crises
• Cuba — placed nuclear missiles there