Hans Voralberg

**Hans Voralberg** is the son of Rudolph Voralberg, brother of Anna Voralberg and the last remaining heir of the Voralberg Mechanical Toy and Puppet Factory.

As a boy Hans had an accident that left him stunted physically and mentally. Due to the accident he also developed an obsession with mammoths. His mind stayed stuck at the age of a ten-year-old. Despite being mentally challenged Hans showed exceptional skills with the creation of automatons and even helped his father in the factory.

He escaped from home at the age of 18 in order to find the last remaining mammoths, which was taken horribly by his father. Rudolph decided to fake the boy's death as he could not think of his son leaving home and preferred to think of him as dead.

## History

### Before Syberia

Hans was born on February 9, 1920.

When he was a 10-year-old boy, on May 13, 1930, he discovered a cave in the mountains, a marvelous cavern with ancient paintings on the walls. While showing the cave to Anna, Hans spotted a Mammoth Doll standing on a peak in the cave. Despite his sister's warnings he decided to climb up to get it. Unfortunately he slipped and fell, hitting his head hard on the floor. Hans fell into a coma which lasted a week.

He regained consciousness on May 20, 1930, and the first thing he said was the name of his sister Anna. Something was however different about the boy, under the watch of the doctors he started his recovery. On June 2nd he left the house for the first time since his accident. He went for a short walk in the garden, but still was very weak.

After a month since he got out of the coma he still didn't say much and had difficulty moving. He was taciturn and solitary, not lively and cheerful like before. He spoke little and was addicted to Anna's proximity, becoming nervous if she wasn't with him. He began to fantasize and get lost in his thoughts very often.

On October 20th he tried to draw a mammoth for the first time. After that he started scribbling almost obsessively, constantly trying to draw more mammoths.

Not long after he turned 11, after an inspection from a doctor, Hans was reported to have been stunted physically and mentally. This news crushed Hans' father, as he was shocked to have a "retard" as a son.

After a year Hans' situation showed no signs of improvement, neither in terms of Hans' mental health, nor his father's attitude toward him. Then, on May 30th, 1931 Rudolph decided to take his son to Paris for new tests, as he believed that only in the French capital he will find truly competent doctors. Unfortunately the French doctors have only confirmed the diagnosis. Hans will remain physically and mentally impaired.

On January 12th 1932, father took Hans to the factory. He continued to do so for the next month and Hans seemed to enjoy the work, he became less capricious. On April 14th he made his first gift for Anna, a small robot mammoth with a trunk that raises and falls. His father was proud of his son's achievement. Later Hans continued to make more mechanical mammoths for the rest of the family, he also started upgrading them, they could wak, raise their trunks and wag their tails.

On February 11th 1933, father proposed a job position at the factory to Hans if he stops making his own little devices. He wasn't responding which sent father in a rage. Later Anna tried to convince Hans to obey father as it could be his chance to do something constructive with his life. He finally agreed. He got his own little workshop on the first floor, crammed with odds and ends, unfinished robots and designs.

One day Anna approached Hans and told him about the fact that father wants to send her to the University as she had passed all the exams very well and that she really wants to go because she loves studying. Hans was angry, but he didn't show it. In secret he destroyed Anna's mammoth robot. When his sister finally decided to leave for the University he didn't talk to her for a week.

When Anna returned for the Christmas, once they were alone, the boy couldn't stop talking, words just leaped from his mouth. He also presented her with a nice little ballerina to replace the broken mammoth.

Four years passed and Hans' relationship with his father became less tense. They still didn't exchange much conversation, but they now had a thing in common, the factory. To help Gertrude with her arthritis Hans designed an automated kitchen. The factory also started to become more famous, more and more people around the world knew the name "Voralberg".

All this time however Hans still thought about mammoths and on January 5th 1938, he told Anna about his desire to leave Valadilene and travel looking for the prehistoric beasts. Anna was devastated and didn't understand the boy's obsession, but she decided to help him achieve his dreams. When Hans declared the news to father, he was furious, his anger was terrifying. He shut Hans away in his workshop at the factory and has forbidden all visits except for Gertrude, who fed him. He decided that he should remain locked up until he changes his mind about leaving the town.

His 18th birthday Hans spent alone still locked in the workshop. While in there he started designing a new way to communicate with his sister in secret. On February 20th, he gave Anna a small robot of them as children, which worked with small cylinders on which he recorded messages. He told Anna that he prepared an escape. On March 6th Hans disappeared. His father decided to fake his burial, as the boy was now for him dead.

Hans travelled to Barrockstadt, where he stayed for a couple years. He didn't have enough money to study on the University, so instead he started creating automatons for the town as an alternative means of payment. That convinced the Rectors to let him stay and study. He made a mechanical eagle that collected cocatoo eggs from bird's nests located on the Barrockstadt Station as well as the University Bandstand. During his stay he would learn everything that had anything to do with mammoths. While there Hans also met Cornelius Pons who became his friend, sharing a passion for mammoths. After he learned everything there was to learn, Hans left Barrockstadt.

He traveled to Komkolzgrad where he designed mining automatons to help people working in the mines. This attracted the attention of the Russian military. They funded Hans' inventions and decided to use his genius to their advantage. He was in Komkolzgrad when Helena Romanski arrived on her tour. During his stay he sent a Voice Cylinder to Anna, informing her of his achievements, he got a message back in which Anna described to him what is going on back in ther home town. Hans stayed in Cosmodrome for some time meeting Boris Charow. He decided to make a Spring Loaded Launch Pad to help Boris achieve his dream of flying among the stars. However, before he finished he realised that the Russians wanted to use his project to launch bombs on their enemies so he decided to leave the town.

He arrived at Aralbad on March 2nd 1981 and decided to stay there as a resident. He got to know Helena Romanski more during his stay and they became close friends. He left the hotel after four years on March 28th 1985.

His next stay was Romansburg, a small town and his last stay before endless tundra. There he met Cirkos and designed mechanical horses for his act. Soon he left the town and headed further into the snowy north.

He reached the Youkol Village and learned that the legend of the Ark is true and the real ship is in the Village, but unable to move, covered in ice. Hans had a genius idea, he designed a mechanical train that would help him unfreeze it, and continue his journey to The Isle of Syberia along with Oscar an automaton that could drive it, and sent the plans to his sister so that she can use the factory to build them. He also wanted Anna to get on the train, so that they can both reach the fabled island. After he sent the plans he decided to travel back to Aralbad, so that he can meet his sister half way to the Village. Anna died before she could start the journey.

### Syberia

After his sister's death, Hans became the only heir to the Voralberg Factory, which was in the middle of getting taken over by an American firm - The Universal Toy Company. The lawyer that was sent to finish the deal - Kate Walker - had to now obtain his signature. Kate decided to board the train insted of Anna, and after a long journey, full of adventures she met Hans in Aralbad. During her journey he learned so much about Hans and his story that she decided to join him on his journey to Syberia.

### Syberia II

Kate promissed Hans that she will take him to Syberia no matter what, although he was very old at that time and his health wasn't the best. They reached Romansburg quite fast, but ran into a problem there. There was no gas in the coal machine, but they needed it to not freeze on their journey north. When Kate finally managed to get it, Hans decided to visit Cirkos for the last time, to see the horses he made and greet the old friend. While there Hans got a sudden strong fever.

...

Hans ends up meeting the Mammoths. He gets onto one and they both ride off further into Syberia. Hans' further fate is unknown.

### Syberia III

Hans is only mentioned by Kate and others that have met him when he was younger.

## Trivia

* There was an article on Hans' "death" in The Valadilene Gazette.
* Barbara Scaff who voiced Young Hans is also the voice of Malka.

## Gallery

A photo of young Hans.Young Hans showing the cave to Anna.Young Hans with the Mammoth Doll in a fake memory.Hans in Komkolzgrad.Hans in Komkolzgrad during the visit of Helena Romanski.Hans when meeting Kate for the firat time in Aralbad.Hans in the Mechanical Train of his design.Hans meeting a mammoth for the first time.Hans petting the mammoth.