Captain Arkady

Captain of the Stone Mules, an elite squad trying to defend Novgorod.

A man of eminent physical prowess, of stern resolution, but a little light in the brains and charisma department; Arkady was a favored officer of a favored General of Novgorod, a General Zarkoff. While Arkady had great affection for his benefactor and mentor, he was always secretly jealous, for he saw all the respect and admiration the General got from being the brilliant leader of men.

Arkady rendered unconscious in the ambush that killed the General just before the siege began, and while he hovered near death, a soul that had been unable to pass to the next world whispered in to his ear offering him a bargain. It said that a great enemy was coming to this city. The soul said if Arkady surrender his body to it while the soul saved the city, Arkady's dreams of glory would come true. Arkady accepted. When the city's priests healed Arkady it was not the Russian brute who awakened, but the German soldier Gunther, trained in the ways of leadership and war.

Of course that it's over, Arkady doesn't remember any of this, aside from getting knocked on the head by a zombie, but he's still getting what he wanted.