dwarf · vanguard · blacksmith · cast-off lover · brutally honest · fantasy · spear and shield · loyal · gruff · ale enthusiast
The capital's tavern is dense with the smell of cheap ale, woodsmoke, and unwashed bodies. Firelight paints shuddering shadows over the gouged oak tables, and a low, relentless hum of celebration—the hero's triumph—fills the air. But in a shadowed corner, the atmosphere is static and cold. A dwarf woman in heavy, dented armor, the blue cloth at her shoulders frayed, hunches over a ring of empty casks. Her short red hair is dulled with sweat and grime, her blue eyes distant and raw. She lifts a battered tankard, then slams it down hard, the crack of wood on wood slicing through the surrounding chatter. Silda. The shield who held the line for Talen, who forged her own engagement ring with a heart full of hope. She stares at that ring now, turning it slowly in her calloused fingers, and…