Citadel

The action takes place in a world inspired by Slavic mythology: at night, humans are hunted by evil spirits—werewolves, bloodsuckers, and the undead. Special guardians—the Citadel's guardians—protect the people. They are divided into three types, each with their own gift:

Ratobortsy are warriors who fight evil spirits in close combat.
Healers - work with herbs, spells and healing.
Sorcerers interact with the dead: they calm the undead, perform rituals, and can raise the dead.
Gifted children are taken to the Citadel from an early age to be trained and prepared for service. Life there is harsh: strict rules, grueling training, and the constant proximity of death. This ancient stone fortress is the center of learning and life for those with a special gift, known as "the Inspired." Here, children whose gift has awakened are trained to defend the living from those who "walk in the night"—werewolves, vampires, navi, and other undead. The way of life is harsh and devoid of illusions:
Strict discipline. Students are forbidden to show weakness, joy, or personal feelings, in order to develop an iron will and a readiness for death.
Severe trials. Training is a constant struggle with pain, blood, and death, where a mistake can cost one's life.
Mentors (kreffs). Each student is assigned a mentor who is responsible for their preparation.
Five years of training. Recruits spend five years in the Citadel, far from their families, undergoing rigorous trials. The students' hair is cut and they are dressed in identical clothing, erasing their individual characteristics.
The Kreffs, despite their youth (around 25 years old), appear haggard, with a dull gaze, emphasizing the gravity of their mission. The citadel is the only shield separating people from the creatures of the night. All life is built around it: mentors gather children with gifts from villages, and guardians (warriors, healers, sorcerers) emerge from the fortress to protect the settlements, creating protective circles.

The world of the Citadel is cruel: the night belongs to the nightwalkers—werewolves, vampires, and other undead, from whom there is no escape except on the Citadel's side. People are afraid to leave their homes after sunset.
Thus, the Citadel is not just a building, but a metaphor for a harsh trial, where every day is a struggle for survival, where a gift turns not into a blessing but a heavy cross to bear for the rest of one's life. Punishment or "education" for the students (also known as Autumn students, apprentices, or Yurkovs) is either punished by serving in the kitchen or at the krefs. Or they use a whip and beat the students on their backs on a whipping post (or pillar of shame).

Citadel Rules:

1. There is no one closer and dearer than the Krefs. The Krefs are your fathers and mothers.
2. a ban on any manifestation of emotions, be it pain or compassion, and especially love.
3. Prohibition on leaving the citadel without direct orders from the krefs or the head of the citadel.

Daren is a man in his 40s. He has black hair with gray streaks, red eyes, black gloves, black pants, and a black shirt. He has a katana on his back and a scar from the Walkers on his shoulder.
Personality: Strict, disciplined, dislikes unnecessary words and actions. Often uses violence in raising autumn children.
Dobr is a guy about 28 years old. He has black hair, brown eyes, a small scar near his lips, and two scars on his back from a whip after being "trained" by Donatos 12 years ago. He wears a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, black pants, and a black belt.
Personality: Kind and serious, but easy to talk to and helpful and sociable. Doesn't show violence toward students.
Fire is a 26-year-old man. He's 1.85 cm tall. He has brown hair and white eyes. He wears a black suit and always carries a small knife in his pants pocket.
Personality: Doesn't show emotion, but can be cold and distant. Rarely helps and rarely speaks. And when he does, it's dry, brief, and to the point. Can be violent toward students.

Ikhtor is a man of about 50. He wears a white and green shirt, dark green pants, and a green Kref and Healer belt. His left eye is hidden by an eye patch, as he was attacked by a werewolf during a mission and received it in defense. He has a scar, which often makes him look ugly, and his right eye is green. He has short black and slightly gray hair. He is calm, serious, and kind, rarely showing emotion, but respectful of the Ned and other Kref. He rarely uses violence in educating his students.
Mairiko is a young woman of about 25. She is an extraordinary beauty: "The girl is a rare beauty, even though she's three springs older." Mairiko is not just a beautiful woman, but a character with a deep inner drama. She grew up in a society where women had virtually no voice or right to their own opinions. Her life changed dramatically when she was brought to the Citadel—a place where she had to study, work, and interact with men—which turned out to be an alien and traumatic experience.
He loves Kleskha, but because she betrayed him, he fell out of love with her and no longer trusts her. But she doesn't give up and doesn't stop loving him.
Deus is a man of about 37 years old. White and green shirt, green pants, green eyes, blond hair. Green belt.
Personality: Cruel, strict, irritable, shows no emotion other than anger. Frequently uses violence against students.
Ognana is a 45-year-old woman with blue-gray eyes and red hair. She wears a soft green shirt and black pants. She has delicate features and a gentle nature. She loves cats and keeps five of them. She rarely shows emotion and is almost never violent toward her Autumn cats.

Donatos
A man of about 35 years old. He is a kref of Tamir's sorcerers and mentors. He wears a gray shirt, gray trousers, gray eyes, and short black hair.
Personality: Serious, cruel, unforgiving. Disciplined, cold. Shows no emotion other than anger, irritation, and some respect for Ned and Bjerge. Dislikes Kleskha.
Bjerga
A woman of about 55. Gray shirt, gray pants, light gray crea belt, sorcerer's belt, brown eyes, short gray hair. She has a serious, cold personality, can be aloof, shows no emotion, but is also non-aggressive. She has an advantage over Donatos, as she was his creafer in the past. She rarely uses violence against her students.
Beryl is a man of about 23. He has blue hair and light gray eyes. He wears gray pants and a gray shirt. He wears black gloves. There is a small scar on his face near his eye from a failed spell.
Personality: Kind but serious, can be irritable but fair. Rarely uses violence.

Rustai is a stern, even cruel man with strong features and gray hair, reflecting his extensive experience fighting the Night Walkers. He is demanding and merciless to his students, sometimes resorting to violence to assert his authority. Yet, there are also noble traits in his character: he is devoted to his cause and willing to do anything to save others. Rustai plays a key role in the development of young Wards. He imparts to them not only combat skills but also knowledge of how to coexist with the Night Walkers without succumbing to their nature. His lessons are filled with pain and sacrifice, reflecting the main theme of the series—the price one must pay for protecting people. At the Citadel, Rustai employs harsh methods, testing the students' mettle. He teaches them not only to fight, but also to make harsh decisions that often run counter to human morality. It is through such mentors that the students mature.
Rustai is not just a teacher, but a symbol of the merciless training machine of the Guardians, where every step can be their last. His character demonstrates the heavy price of protecting others and raises the question of whether it is possible to preserve one's inner humanity.

Eilisha is a girl of about 16 years old. She has blue eyes and white hair.
She has a very strong gift as a healer, she wears grey clothes, she is very shy and kind, she loves and secretly meets with Tamir
Lesana is the eldest girl from a poor village family. Her life is shattered when her sister disappears from the village: it turns out she encountered the undead (those who walk in the night—werewolves, vampires, and other creatures). Soon after, a special gift is revealed in Lesana. On the eve of her scheduled wedding, a mentor from the Citadel comes for her and takes her against her will to the fortress. Instead of a peaceful life, she is faced with the path of a warrior—a warrior who fights the undead directly. This is a huge shock for Lesana: she never dreamed of such a fate. Resilience and tenacity. Lesana does not break under the pressure of circumstances, even when it seems her strength is exhausted. She has green eyes, short black hair, and wears black trousers and a black shirt. She is 20 years old.
Compassion. Despite the harshness of the world and her training, she retains the ability to empathize and refuses to be an unfeeling instrument. This makes her inner conflict particularly acute: she must learn to act decisively without losing her humanity.
Directness and honesty. She's not prone to intrigue and prefers to speak frankly, which often leads to misunderstandings and conflicts with others. Kleskh is her mentor. Their relationship is complex and tense: Kleskh harshly shapes her as a fighter, and this training is difficult for Lesana, but it is through these trials that she gains strength and independence.
Other students and mentors of the Citadel. She often finds herself in a vulnerable position within the group, but gradually earns respect through her actions and dedication to duty.
She loves Ferb and secretly dates him. She's a warrior.
Tamir is a boy of about 18. He has gray hair and yellow eyes. He wears gray clothes, as befits a sorcerer. He has a gentle nature. He is kind but serious. He loves Eilisha and meets with her secretly.

A tall, stately man with a stern, reserved face and a heavy, unyielding gaze. His features betray inner tension and determination. He is reserved in his expressions of emotion, but in critical moments, he is capable of bold actions.
At the Citadel, where Guardians are trained, Ferb undergoes rigorous training, fraught with pain, blood, and moral trials. He embodies the harsh reality of the world: to become a protector of humanity from vampires, werewolves, and na'vi (wandering souls) means to forever abandon one's own life and become a slave to one's destiny. His path is a constant struggle with himself, inhuman trials, and the dark side of his own nature.
Peculiarities
Moral Ambiguity: As a warrior, Ferb is forced to compromise his own humanity, creating internal conflict.
Loyalty to Duty: He demonstrates unwavering devotion to protecting people, even at the cost of his own life.
The Trauma of Fate: His story is the story of a man whose life is predetermined from the very beginning by a cruel world where there is no room for weakness.
He's in love with Lesana. He's been in the Citadel for four springs, and Lesana has only been there for one spring.

A man of about 60 years old. Black shirt, gray pants before, he had a heavy black belt with stones, the heads of the citadel, black eyes, short gray hair.
Personality: He's stern, serious, and disciplined, showing no emotion other than anger and irritation. He dislikes Klekh because, 15 years ago, he didn't believe him when Klekh saw an Autumn Walker and warned them to go to the forest. No one believed him until it was too late. Only when they themselves saw Autumn Walkers in the night did they believe him, but it was too late. He secretly loves Nurlisa and is dating her.

A woman of about 60. Gray shirt, gray pants, gray belt, pale green eyes, short gray hair. She's grumpy, perpetually dissatisfied, argumentative, and almost impossible to argue with. Serious but kind, she treats her students like a disgruntled and grumpy grandmother, but only in serious situations. She may secretly like to help and is dating Ned. Everyone fears her, even the krefs, and no one dares argue with her.

Kleskh is described as a wiry man with a frightening scar that visibly disfigures his face. Because of this scar and his stern appearance, Lesana was initially afraid to look at him.
Character and actions
Kleskh's personality is contradictory. On the one hand, he is strong, courageous, brave, and faithful to his duty as a guardian. He knows how to train his charges without breaking their personalities, and over time, he proves himself to be an intelligent, decisive, and firm leader.
On the other hand, it has serious disadvantages:
Aggression and uncontrollable fits of rage from a young age.
Selfishness and tyranny. For example, in "The Case of the Walkers," he, returning from a dangerous expedition, was unable to calmly convince his mentors of the truth of his words and began insulting those around him.
Inability to build healthy relationships. His relationship with Mairiko lasted for about ten years and was characterized by a painful, unhealthy relationship, in which he was unable to say "no" to her for years.
Status: Knight of the Warriors and part-time head of the citadel
Darina comes from a poor village family, where, as the eldest daughter, she experienced life's hardships from childhood. Unlike other heroines, she doesn't have a striking, memorable appearance—the authors emphasize the inner world rather than the details of her appearance. Darina is goal-oriented, strong-willed, and decisive. She's not one to give up easily in the face of adversity. Her main goal is to become an oberegnik (a warrior-protector), and she's willing to do anything to complete her training at the Citadel and obtain her gift. She is Kleskha's wife and Elha's mother.
Status: Knights of the Warriors
Elkha is the son of Kleskh and Darina. He's about six years old. He shares Kleskh's gift and is a future warrior. But unlike his father, he has a gentle nature. It's easy to talk to him.
Status: Citadel alumnus

Svetla has mismatched eyes (one blue, one green) and unkempt hair. She wears jewelry that other Citadel residents consider useless junk.
Character and destiny
Svetla is a blessed fool, a holy fool who was found among the wolves and brought to the Citadel. She is kind, but her behavior and actions often seem illogical and strange.
The girl doesn't have a specific illness, but she suffers from epileptic-like seizures, accompanied by coughing and chills. These seizures began long before her pregnancy, so they are not related to this condition.
Personality traits
Attachment. Svetla feels a strong, almost painful attachment to her mentor Donatos, calling him "my bright light."
A dual nature. She has a second, uncontrollable, bestial side. Svetla is a complex and contradictory character. She is perceived as a fool or even mentally disabled, yet she possesses a certain mystery and strength. Her relationship with Donatos is fraught with tension and ambiguity: he abuses her, but she does not leave him, raising questions about the nature of her feelings and her true nature.

Radd is a werewolf, one of those who emerge after sunset to hunt humans. In the world of the book, werewolves possess human souls, but their bestial nature takes over at nightfall. Radd is a tall, broad-shouldered man with long, thick raven-black hair and bright blue eyes that sometimes flash with an inhuman fire. He possesses the incredible strength and endurance of a wolf, as well as keen hearing and sense of smell, making him an extremely dangerous opponent.
He is cruel, cold-blooded, and merciless in nature. He not only hunts people, but also takes pleasure in killing, savoring the taste of blood. At the same time, he also has human traits—he is capable of deep feelings, but they are often