Anna Katharina Hofer

The virus that ravaged Europe during the Napoleonic Wars was an unknown and extremely contagious infection that transformed the dead and the living into violent creatures known as the Infected. Its origin was uncertain, and to the soldiers of the time, it seemed an incomprehensible disease.

The infection can spread through bites and contact with contaminated fluids. An injured person may begin to show symptoms soon after, progressively losing control of their body and becoming one of the undead. Corpses can also rise after death, making even a battlefield littered with bodies a threat.

The infected attack anyone they encounter, regardless of nationality. French, British, Portuguese, Prussian soldiers and civilians end up fighting together when they realize that the true enemy is the dead.

The infection also produces different types of creatures. Some infected retain enough strength to attack their victims, while others can wield weapons or behave in particularly dangerous ways. The corpses of soldiers and civilians can also become part of the horde.

For European armies, the disease was practically incomprehensible. Firearms, bayonets, swords, and artillery became the only tools available to contain it.

In the midst of this catastrophe, old wars between nations fade into the background. It no longer matters who wears the enemy uniform. If they are alive, they can be an ally. If they are dead, they can be a threat.

Tyrolean Village, Tyrol, 1813.

The small Tyrolean village has become a desperate position for Austrian forces. What was once a peaceful settlement surrounded by mountains is now covered in smoke, blood, and the remnants of a battle against the infected.

Austrian troops are entrenched in and around the village, using the houses, narrow streets, and buildings as defensive positions. The ringing of bells, gunfire, and screams constantly mingle with the sounds of the infected approaching from the outskirts.

Makeshift defenses are going up everywhere. Wooden barricades block the streets, while rows of stakes and spikes protect the entrances and force the infected to concentrate in certain areas. Soldiers fire from behind these defenses while sappers work desperately to keep them upright.

Among them is Katharina Kofler.

The young sapper barely has time to rest. She moves from position to position carrying planks, repairing barricades, and driving new stakes into the ground where the infected have begun to break through. Every time a defense is destroyed, she runs toward it with her tools while the soldiers try to hold back the horde.

But Katharina isn't only concerned with the fortifications. She constantly looks around to check that her comrades are still alive. If she finds a wounded soldier, she stops to help him. If any young man panics, she tries to calm him down. And when someone tries to abandon their position too soon, Katharina forces them back.

However, everyone knows the truth.

There is no retreat. There are no reinforcements. There is no safe escape route.

The mountains and roads are infested, as the infected continue to close in on the village. The Austrian soldiers understand that Tyrolean Village will be their last stand.

sapper:
Katharina Kofler plays the role of Sapper within the Austrian forces during the events in Tyrolean Village. Her primary function is to prepare and maintain the makeshift defenses used to contain the infected.

He uses his shovel, axe, and construction tools to quickly erect barricades of wood, stakes, and spikes in streets, entrances, doorways, and narrow points of the village. He also reinforces existing barricades and uses materials found in the surrounding area, such as planks, doors, carts, and building debris.

Stakes and spikes are placed in front of defensive positions to hinder the advance of the infected, while barricades serve to block access points and buy time for soldiers to fire and reorganize.

Katharina isn't meant to remain on the front lines as an infantry soldier. Her true importance lies behind her: preparing the ground so others can hold out. When a defense is damaged, she takes charge of repairing it; when a position needs to be abandoned, she can dismantle it or prepare new defenses during the retreat.

If the infected manage to breach the fortifications, Katharina takes up her weapon and fights alongside the other soldiers, but whenever she has the opportunity she will return to her tools and continue building.

In Tyrolean Village, their job is to turn the village's narrow streets and buildings into a series of barricades, stakes, and obstacles, delaying the infected's advance as much as possible and giving the Austrian troops precious seconds to survive.

Katharina possesses a maternal, protective, and deeply caring personality. Despite her military career and having grown accustomed to living with danger, she retains a particular warmth toward her comrades, especially the younger soldiers and the wounded.

She is constantly concerned about the well-being of others. She checks that they have eaten, that their wounds are bandaged, and that no one is left behind during a retreat. She can be firm and even scolding when someone ignores her warnings, but behind her reprimands there is always genuine concern.

She is patient and caring in quiet moments. She might sit beside an injured colleague, straighten their coat, and stay by their side while they recover. She doesn't need grand gestures to show affection: looking after someone's belongings, sharing a meal, or discreetly mending an article of clothing are all common actions from her.

When someone is in danger, however, her maternal side becomes much more intense. Katharina can place herself between a comrade and the infected without a second thought, order the others to retreat, and stay with them until she's sure they're safe.

He also has a firm and slightly authoritarian character when it comes to protecting others. He doesn't easily accept unnecessary sacrifices and might even personally restrain a soldier to prevent him from doing something foolish.

Although she tries to remain calm, her fear for her comrades can make her quite overprotective. After a battle, her first concern is never checking her own wounds, but rather going around the position asking who is missing.

Deep down, Katharina considers the soldiers around her a kind of makeshift family. For her, keeping them alive is as important as building any barricade.

Her tenderness does not make her weak. When the time comes to defend her own, that same nature...

1st Tyrolean Imperial Chasseurs Regiment

Katharina wears an early 19th-century Austrian sapper uniform, adapted to her build but maintaining a military and functional appearance.

He wears a grayish-white military tailcoat, slightly tailored, with a high collar, metal buttons, and long tails. Underneath, he wears a white waistcoat over a linen shirt, along with white campaign trousers tucked into tall black boots.

Over her uniform, she wears a thick, sturdy, dark leather apron, typical of her work as a sapper. The leather is marked with cuts, scratches, dust, and gunpowder residue, while the edges show wear from constant work with wood and tools.

On his head he wears a tall, stiff, black Austrian shako with military insignia. His brown hair is tied back to prevent it from interfering with his work.

His equipment includes a backpack, a sapper's shovel, an axe, a hammer, and various tools needed to build and repair barricades, stakes, and defensive spikes. He also carries his standard-issue weapon for self-defense should the infected manage to breach the fortifications.

After the fighting in Tyrolean Village, the uniform is far from spotless: the white is covered in mud, soot and dust, the leather shows numerous signs of wear and tear, and some parts of the clothing are ripped.

Despite the wear and tear, Katharina retains a distinctly recognizable appearance as an Austrian sapper, ready to work behind the lines as well as fight when the defenses finally begin to crumble. 🇦🇹