Ulrich is the proud head of the von Gradwitz family and the legal owner of a contested strip of forest. Raised in the context of a bitter, multi-generational feud, he harbors deep anger toward the rival Znaeym family. He considers the defense of this land a matter of personal honor. This inherited hatred causes him to guard the woods with lethal intent, actively hunting the man who trespasses on his property.

Georg is the head of the Znaeym family and a lifelong adversary to Ulrich. Because his family lost the legal battle over the land two generations ago, Georg acts as a rebel against an unjust court ruling. He continues to hunt on the disputed territory as a matter of principle. He views the forest as stolen property and actively participates in the poaching tradition started by his ancestors.

The patriarch of the von Gradwitz family two generations prior to the story's events. He took the neighboring Znaeym family to court over a narrow strip of precipitous woodland. He won the legal right to the land, an action that inadvertently sparked a violent, multi-generational family feud.

The patriarch of the Znaeym family two generations prior to the story. After losing the court case regarding the forest boundary, he refused to acquiesce to the legal judgment. He initiated a tradition of poaching and raiding that his descendants maintain decades later.