Herr Kurt

Overview

Group/Faction Affiliation: Black Cross

Status: Unknown

Known as Kurt to his friends, but Professor Doctor Herr Kurt Mueller to those he disdains. As a volunteer of the Black Cross and frequent face of the organization, Kurt is a doctor of history who uses his knowledge to help others. He has worked to promote peace through open diplomacy with the many factions of Chernarus.

Appearance

Kurt is an older man with ashen gray hair and wrinkles. He is often seen wearing a white scarf and a Black Cross helmet.

Origins

Kurt was born in the last years of East Germany. His family had moved to Chernarus just before the collapse of the USSR. When Kurt came of age, he served the minimum mandatory term in the Chernarussian Defense Force before beginning his academic career. The Chernarussian Civil War sent Kurt's life into chaos when he initially tried to avoid service, however he later became dedicated to Chernarussian independence after a massacre of protesting students. After the war ended he worked hard to rebuild his life and managed to get himself in a good place, only for his world to crumble for a second time when the outbreak hit.

Demeanor

Kurt is known for being overly stern and serious the vast majority of the time, which is likely due to the nature of life in the apocalypse and the painful events that Kurt has lived through. However, he occasionally reveals a more mercurial or even childish side when surrounded by his friends. He is also known to launch into heated rants against perceived problems both great and small. His inconsistency might be blamed on drug use or his eroding sanity.

Actions

Kurt has not shared what he did during the first years of the outbreak, other than to say he was in seclusion for a long time. When he returned to what remained of society, he found purpose with the Black Cross - a neutral group of combat medics living in Severograd. For three months he fought alongside them against constant attacks from groups such as Dark as Midnight and The Scribes, only to suddenly disappear for a period of nine months. He later re-emerged, telling everyone he had been to the neighboring country of Takistan to search for someone. While it is not known exactly who he was looking for, it was likely somebody close to Kurt. Whether he found them is also unknown.

A lot had changed in the time while Kurt was missing from Chernarus, prompting Kurt to re-acquaint himself  with the lay of the land and re-dedicate himself to the Black Cross with a renewed vigor. Over the next few months he helped the Black Cross secure three major peace agreements with; Dark as Midnight, the Scribes, and the Enclave. Achieving peace with these groups was a particularly hard task, as DAMN and the Scribes have both had notably hostile histories with the Black Cross. Despite this challenge, remaining above the never-ending melee of faction warfare has always been a founding goal of the Black Cross, and for a brief time Kurt was instrumental in achieving that goal.

HerrKurt after being left to die by Torchwood.

Soon after establishing these peace agreements, Kurt was betrayed and shot by a religious extremist group known as Torchwood. Torchwood had been friendly towards the Black Cross previously, but had recently taken issue with the peace treaties Kurt had helped form due to their long-lasting rivalry with Dark as Midnight. After being lured out by his supposed friends to a secluded location, Kurt was shot by Cain and left to die nearby; but was saved when one of the fanatics, by the name of Jarge, who was a former Black Cross volunteer before joining Torchwood, had a change of heart. His history with Kurt may have had something to do with his decision to save his old friend. Despite this help, Kurt’s physical and psychological scars from the incident have never fully healed.

Ever since his near-death experience, Kurt has been trying to fall into a supporting role for other volunteers of the Black Cross and attempted to remain out of the spotlight. However, in spite of this, his reputation and history as one of the group's best diplomats leads people to misidentify him as the definitive leader of the anarchist group. This misperception has nearly almost cost him his life on several further occasions.

After Iris, a new leader of Dark As Midnight emerged, Harvey. Initially under Harvey’s rule there was a thinly veiled peace between the cannibals and the volunteers however eventually this fell apart when DAMN began pillaging the north. The Dugout, a neighboring group of the Black Cross, wanted to end the hostilities and Lewis, a high ranking member of the Dugout, visited Gorka to talk things out.

DAMN demanded Lewis return with Kurt within the next week so that Dark as Midnight could discuss Black Cross’ surrender as well, however, Kurt’s refused to accept the meeting having run out of patience for the cannibal marauders, and both sides prepared for war. However, a man called YB helped Dark As Midnight orchestrate a plan that led to the capture of Kurt using the allure of a Cult of Papa sighting, a group who Kurt was known to take interest in. Once Kurt was delivered into the hands of Dark As Midnight he and Harvey bickered back and forth before DAMN decided Kurt was more trouble than he was worth shooting him and leaving him for dead. Although Kurt again survived the incident, it was at a price. Due to the betrayal that led him to his capture, Kurt has become far more paranoid and has changed his diplomatic style towards those who he distrusts accordingly.

In recent times, Kurt has taken to focusing on continuing his other mission against the Cult of Papa. Kurt has gathered stories and identified key witnesses to build a profile of how the Cult operates. He has begun to share this knowledge in the hope that truth and openness can counter the Cult's lies and secrecy, and aspires to one day bring about their defeat.

Where are they now?

Kurt has been seen recently, and on the surface appears to be in good health and high spirits. In truth however, Kurt is becoming more reclusive as a result of suffering several betrayals and watching the downfall of the peace treaties he worked so tirelessly to build. Kurt is undoubtedly in a dark place and whether he will move past his hurt and return to the person he once was, remains to be seen.

Notable Relationships

Cain The Messiah

Dubbed a “lunatic” by Kurt, Cain the Messiah of Torchwood and Kurt have a hostile history that runs back several years. With the help of other members of Torchwood, Cain lured Kurt out to a secluded location and betrayed him as revenge for the peace deals he worked to broker with groups who were hostile to Torchwood. Both are known to favor words as a weapon to further their goals - and somewhat ironically, both perceive the other as a deranged liar.

Harvey

Kurt thought Harvey could be reasoned with, a rare trait for a leader of DAMN. Believing this, Kurt attempted to work towards creating a lasting peace between the Black Cross and Dark as Midnight, however Harvey proved not to be as reasonable as Kurt initially thought and the short lived peace blew up in Kurt’s face almost costing him his life. Since then Kurt has grown more paranoid, and the amicable approach he once adopted with Harvey has soured and hardened.

Jeff

Jeff became a volunteer one week before Kurt did. Although very different, the two developed a brotherly relationship while passing recruitment and are very close friends. However, Kurt's nine month absence from Chernarus created a rift between the two as Jeff felt abandoned by his fellow volunteer. Jeff is yet to fully forgive Kurt for leaving to this day, however the two still remain friends.

Edward Hill

Edward Hill was a member of Torchwood who left and began down a path to redemption that led him to the Black Cross. Kurt saw Edward as a friend, a protegé, and his last A star student, however one day Edward left the Black Cross for some secret purpose. Kurt had worked hard to protect Edward from Torchwood after he joined the Black Cross, taking them down from killing him, but when Edward left the Black Cross Torchwood decided he lost Kurt’s protection, Kurt would later learn that The Warden had shot Edward. Despite being someone who has famously argued against holding grudges, Kurt now has one against The Warden.