Who's who in Valor Mortis: the cast, the factions & the plague conspiracy

The cast of Valor Mortis sits between the historical world of Napoleon’s campaigns and a supernatural alternate history shaped by plague, resurrection, and corruption. This page collects who you meet, who you fight, and the lore that ties them together.

A note on confidence before you read: the studio has officially confirmed a handful of these details — the protagonist is a Grande Armée soldier, Nephtoglobin is the enabling substance, and Vincent Cassel voices Napoleon. Most of the character backstories, boss names, and faction detail below come from previews and community coverage of the Demo, not first-party posts, so this page is tagged Community. Where something is only stated by press or players, treat it as provisional until the retail build confirms it. The Confirmed vs not confirmed section at the end draws the line explicitly.

The story in one paragraph

You play William Dowsett, a young Englishman who volunteered to serve under Napoleon Bonaparte. After dying on the battlefield, William is dragged back to life in a Europe transformed by a mysterious plague. The same corruption now runs through his body, granting him supernatural abilities while pulling him into the conflict between the Empire and the resistance. Along the way he meets Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, the rebel leader known as the Shrike, his fellow soldier James Stewart, and the Polish craftsman Lucjan Skawiński — plus the child spies known as the Mice.

Because this is an alternate history, the cast mixes real historical figures with characters created for the game.

William Dowsett — the protagonist

Role: Playable protagonist. A former soldier of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, resurrected as a victim of the plague and wielding Nephtoglobin-based powers. He becomes the psychological bridge between Napoleon and the Shrike — the axis the whole conflict turns on.

Background: A young Englishman disillusioned with the monarchy. Inspired by Napoleon’s vision of a unified, enlightened Europe, he volunteered for the Grande Armée, enlisting in 1817.

Story: He dies on the Eastern European front where Napoleon’s advance stalled, and awakens amid corrupted soldiers with fragmented memories. Infected by the same corruption spreading across the continent, he channels it through supernatural Transmutations while trying to uncover the conspiracy behind his own resurrection.

The voices in his head: After resurrection, Napoleon’s voice echoes in William’s mind as a commanding, father-figure influence, urging perseverance and loyalty to the Empire. Later the Shrike becomes a competing voice. William is constantly torn between serving Napoleon out of genuine belief and out of supernatural coercion — that internal conflict is the core of his arc.

Kit: Sword and melee combat, parrying, dodging, critical attacks and visceral executions, plus fire-based attacks and Nephtoglobin-powered Transmutations. For the tools themselves see weapons & abilities.

Napoleon Bonaparte — the Emperor in your head

Role: Emperor of the French, commander of the Imperial armies, William’s former commander — and the primary supernatural voice inside his mind, issuing commands to keep him aligned with the Empire.

Alternate history: Based on the real Emperor, but set in a timeline where the campaign drove east and then stalled against a catastrophic supernatural plague. Whether Napoleon is physically present, a psychic entity, or a manifestation of William’s indoctrination is left deliberately ambiguous — it’s one of the game’s central mysteries.

Voiced by Vincent Cassel. This is officially confirmed by One More Level, announced alongside the Demo. See our traversal & cast page for the studio’s own words on the casting.

The Shrike & the Mice — the resistance

The Shrike is the rebel leader opposing Napoleon’s Empire in occupied Eastern Europe. Where Napoleon represents centralized imperial authority, the Shrike represents rebellion, civilian survival, and resistance. Her motives and methods are murky, and — like Napoleon — she can influence William’s mind, which places her at the center of the game’s ideological conflict.

The Mice are resistance children operating as spies and messengers in the City of Orphans:

Member	Character
Mimi	Curious, energetic, least cautious about approaching William
Teddy	Protective of the group’s secrets; warns the others before sharing
Agnes	Playful, but fully aware of the danger of the “deadlies” and the plague

Allies

James Stewart — a Scottish Highlander, son of a blacksmith, and William’s closest friend in the ranks. He serves as a soldier and weaponsmith, and is a link to William’s pre-resurrection past. His loyalty to the Emperor is tested by the supernatural reality of the war.

Lucjan Skawiński — a Polish craftsman and veteran of many wars. Calm, educated, and well-read, he marks safe locations across the ruined countryside with handmade lamps whose oil never runs out. One of the first uninfected people William meets, he acts as an early guide.

Bosses & major enemies

The world is populated by Risen units (Risen Soldier, Musketeer, Grenadier, Sapeur) and corrupted creatures (Eternal Guardsman, Volunteer Brute, Lancer, Howler, Carrion). For the officially-confirmed factions — Napoleon’s Eternal Guard and The Relentless — see the enemies & factions page, which sticks strictly to first-party sources.

Two named bosses appear in Demo/preview coverage:

Boss	Nickname	Style
General Lothaire	The Eagle-Bearer	A corrupted military commander; a multi-phase fight that fields corruption-spawned creatures alongside him
High Justicar Aurelius	Last of the Faithful	A technical duel against an elite fencer — a test of the parry loop

Boss names, phases, and health values are not first-party confirmed. For how to actually approach these fights, see the boss guide.

Historical vs fictional

Character	Historical?	Role in Valor Mortis
Napoleon Bonaparte	Real	Alternate-history Emperor; the voice in William’s head
Vincent Cassel	Real person	Voice actor for Napoleon (confirmed)
William Dowsett	Fictional	Protagonist; resurrected Grande Armée soldier
The Shrike	Fictional	Rebel leader of occupied Eastern Europe
James Stewart	Fictional	Scottish soldier and weaponsmith
Lucjan Skawiński	Fictional	Polish craftsman, veteran, and guide
Mimi, Teddy, Agnes	Fictional	The Mice — child resistance spies
General Lothaire / High Justicar Aurelius	Fictional	Named bosses

The lore, in brief

• Alternate Napoleonic Europe. Rather than a historical end at Waterloo, Napoleon’s campaign drives deep into Eastern Europe — until an apocalyptic anomaly turns conquest into survival horror.
• Nephtoglobin. The volatile substance at the heart of the game’s supernatural ecosystem: a mutagenic plague catalyst, a source of dark alchemy, and the biological fuel behind resurrection. The studio has confirmed the name but not explained what it is.
• The Crimson Plague & resurrection. Death is an infection. Fallen soldiers rise as mutated “Risen” — but anomalies like William keep their mind and free will while harnessing the corruption. Why he was chosen, and by whom, is the core mystery.
• The occupied zones. War-torn Eastern European territories under imperial occupation give rise to underground rebel movements and the child spy rings of the Mice.

Confirmed vs not confirmed

• Confirmed (first-party): you play a soldier of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, resurrected via the plague; Nephtoglobin is the enabling substance; the Eternal Guard and The Relentless are named enemy factions; Vincent Cassel voices Napoleon and is audible in the Demo.
• Not first-party confirmed (press/community): the protagonist’s surname “Dowsett”, his 1817 enlistment, the named allies (James Stewart, Lucjan Skawiński), the resistance (the Shrike, the Mice), the boss names (General Lothaire, High Justicar Aurelius), the “Crimson Plague” label, and the Eastern-Europe framing of the campaign. These come from previews and community coverage and will be re-checked against the retail build.

Launch is 13 October 2026. See the road to launch page for the schedule, the enemies & factions page for the officially-confirmed roster, and the demo walkthrough for the encounters we’ve actually played.