--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Eleanor Wallis Hutchins
Second Lieutenant, United States of Liberion Army Air Forces
"Umcolcus"

Nationality: Liberion
Date of birth: March 23, 1930
Familiar: Raccoon
Striker model: Northrop P-61C Black Widow
Weapon of choice: M2 .50-caliber Browning machine gun

Notes: A "90-day wonder" - product of the Liberion armed forces' accelerated wartime officer training program. Through no fault of her own, 2nd Lt. Hutchins has seen little actual action, despite having been overseas for three years and being older than several of the 501st's veterans. When she had just about finished flight training, her magic radar manifested and prompted a switch to the Night Witch role, which meant still more training, and by the time that was finished, so was the Battle of Britannia. A posting to the 507th JFW in Suomus followed, and while she did see some action there, she missed out on the Venezia campaign as a result.

If Perrine thought Yoshika was a country mouse, she hadn't seen anything until Eleanor showed up; she comes from the northern reaches of Dawnland, the northeasternmost Liberion state, where there is (in Eleanor's own words) "not much but woods and potato fields." (The latter piqued Hartmann's interest; few people love a potato more.) Still, what she lacks in urban refinements, she makes up for with canniness and a number of interesting woodland skills, which may prove useful if she's downed in the Belgican wilderness. As befits a witch with a raccoon familiar, she's mischievous and fun-loving; gets on well with Lucchini and Hartmann. As an up-and-coming Liberion Night Witch, she has some of the best equipment currently available to that specialized profession, and her heavy P-61 Striker, though not as maneuverable as some, enables her to pack a heavy weapon and a lot of ammo.

She is also the local DC of Gryphon's grandfather Leonard, which he finds slightly startling. (She first came to his attention in '43, when Shirley noticed her uncommon last name in that month's issue of Star and Stripes, the Liberion armed-forces newspaper, as one of that country's forces newly arrived in Britannia for advanced training.) Her callsign is an Abenaki (Native Liberion) word meaning "whistling duck", which is the name of a lake in the region she comes from; how it ended up attached to her is unclear, but it happened at some point during basic flight training at nearby Presque Isle Army Airfield in 1943.

Phyllis "Phee" Schwartz
Sergeant, Royal Farawayland Air Force
"Quills"

Nationality: Farawayland
Date of birth: April 13, 1928
Familiar: Porcupine
Striker model: Hawker Hurricane Mk XII
Weapon of choice: Hispano Mk V autocannon

Notes: Phee comes from the same borderland region of the North Liberion continent as Eleanor, having been born in the town immediately across the Farawayland-USL border from the latter's birthplace, and her unit is now posted out of the same forward base. Two years older, she's seen a good deal more action, having joined up with the RFAF in 1941, and fought in the Battle of Britannia (but not Venezia, having been on a home-defense posting in Britannia at that time). Her interest in the current campaign goes beyond a simple desire to contribute to the fight against the Neuroi, as her ancestors came from Alsace-Lorraine - the Gallia-Karlsland border region where both the 501st and 511th are currently based, and one of the present frontlines of the war. Her Striker is based on a Britannian design now considered obsolescent by the RAF, but still in production in Farawayland. Though not as fast or maneuverable as the current-generation Spitfires or Hawker's own late-model Tempest, it's very sturdy and powerful enough that she can carry the devastating Mk V autocannon. Strong-willed and not shy about telling people exactly what she thinks, she's sensitive to jokes about her familiar's somewhat legendary lack of brightness... which Eleanor generally can't stop herself from making.

She, in turn, is the local DC of Gryphon's grandmother, which really messes with his head when he sees her and Eleanor in their natural habitat. Her callsign is a reference to the most dramatic side effect of her familiar - where most witches merely manifest animal ears and a tail (if their familiar has one) when employing magic, Phee's entire head of hair turns into a spiky mass of barbed spines. These normally lie flat back but stand up most impressively when she's agitated. (She also does manifest a quill-covered tail, which can be used as a weapon in an emergency.)