DKMortals/NPCs

In the Once Dead

Officers

Commander

Rethys, ("Steelhand") - the overall commander of the Once Dead, Rethys is usually out of sight, haggling with the Haslanti Government over resources for his struggling group of special forces. Few but the talonlords have much regular contact with him, although the new recruits to the Once Dead always see him when they take the oath. Rethys is a tall man in his forties, with an iron gray beard and mustache, a well-muscled frame, and a serious attitude. He is missing his left hand, bitten off by an iceberg-eater in his youth while he served with the ice fleet.

Talonlords

Athela Ironheart - the older, hard-bitten woman who commands the Right Talon of the Once Dead. A solid and reliable commander, she was once friends with Thunder Wisdom, and served under esteemed Once Dead officer Hundred Knife Jackal.

Ralloshan - for a man in his thirties, Ralloshan displays uncommon maturity, but there are still many who say he should not command the Left Talon. A big man with long blond hair, he is given to impetuousness, daring, sudden attack and taking risks. The men and women he commands wouldn't have it any other way, and Rethys respects his strength and bravado, but he isn't the most stable person to have in command.

Scalelords

Laughing Jelial ("Jelly") - Third Scale. A large, bald-headed man in his forties, Jelial is as given to good humor as his name suggests. Although he keeps discipline well in his scale, he rules more by love than fear, a fact that many think will eventually doom him. He is much liked by his troops, and much maligned by other scalelords for being too soft. It's not unheard of for troops in the other scales to complain about Jelly's babies.

Mithra - Fifth Scale. A woman of about thirty years of age and a surly disposition, Mithra is respected by her troops and her superiors as being a good taskmaster and a steady hand, but few expect tactical brilliance from her. Her short, severe dark hair, many scars, and missing left eye attest to a hard-earned position, and her stony character demands it.

Soldas ("Trembleshanks") - Fourth Scale. Recently appointed, and from a prominent Haslanti family, his inexperience could prove deadly, and suggests corruption within the Once Dead. A tall, thin, dark-haired man with haunted eyes and a nervous demeanor. He tends to be viewed poorly in comparison to his predecessor, Esteemed Owl, who was killed battling bandits.

Soldiers

Third Scale

Leaping Stag - also known as "Blondie." A fair headed, wiry, and sarcastic man who is nevertheless far more gentle than Rashalla. Red Rashalla - tall, raw-boned, red-haired woman. Abrasive and rather dull-witted.

Shy Fox - young woman, known for being soft-spoken and skittish.

Stitches - the doctor of the Third Scale.

Fourth Scale

Chokes on Mirth ("Carrion Crow") - A tribeswoman of the Tear Eaters, captured during a raid, she was recommended for the Once Dead after viciously wounding three handlers during her transport to the silverlode in the Southwestern mountains. Her dark skin, dark hair, and most of all the Tear Eater tribal tattoos on her face make her seem suspicious to many. Her demeanor, harsh and terse, does not ingratiate her, and few call her by her real name, instead dubbing her "Carrion Crow." An expert with a greatsword, she is noted for her impressive strength.

Fancy Simon - something of a dandy, Fancy Simon enjoys hitting on most things that breathe, using fine perfumes imported from the South, and hearing himself talk. Still, he's quite friendly and well-liked, and his personality is far less abrasive than other jokesters in the scale. Fancy Simon was messily crushed by the closing doorway during the Trout Queen investigation.

Fervent John - A former Immaculate, Fervent John was kicked out of the order for some slight which varies each time he tells it (usually involving ever greater numbers of women and/or sex acts). He still keeps his head shaven in the Immaculate style, though nothing else in his manner, bearing, or activity suggests he was ever a holy man. He is known for being even tempered and having a good sense of humor, and for truly loathing the cold.

Jonah the Lad - a man of about twenty who seems younger, with blond hair, soft, boyish features, and a slim figure. His high voice further accents his appearance of youth, and perhaps in retaliation he is given to bragging about various sexual conquests and the number of women he has bedded.

Laughing Jek- a tall, wiry, dark haired man with a good humored nature. Often cracks jokes, and insists that he joined the Once Dead "for a laugh." Though still alive, Jek is not exactly in one piece - an encounter with Magdala has left him ritually mutilated and missing a hand.

Leopard - a Djala, well known for his skills at stealth and his sharp tongue. He likes to fleece others in games of cards, and fights with a short sword. He is a former circus performer (a tumbler, in fact), and is heavily spotted even for a Djala. Leopard was killed by the monster menacing the Tanstaad Emerald.

Little Adder -a wiry young man with dark hair and a ferretlike face. A former Lieutenant of the Black Boar gang, he was captured by the Once Dead and pressed into military service. He remains as cowardly, sarcastic, and backstabbing as ever.

Pixie - a girl that couldn't be older than eighteen or nineteen, Pixie is the youngest member of the scale. Her short blonde hair and blue eyes are attractive, and her upturned nose has yet to be broken. Despite her rather bubbly and annoying demeanour, she displays remarkable skill. Pixie was killed after succumbing to KVO during the Trout Queen investigation

Ragged Red - a woman, tall and dangerous. She wears leathers from head to toe. They were probably once painted red, but they have now faded to a dull brown. Her body is rangy, bony, her eyes hungry and alight with some inner fire, her hair and lips a somehow vicious shade of red. She is sharp faced, but would be attractive enough if not for the sense of menace that hangs around her. Ragged Red was the leader of a bandit group that included Iscal the Coward. She would have been executed, but her skills were undeniable. Red feels neither pain nor much pleasure - a mild, undetectable Wyld Mutation makes her immune to such annoyances. A ritual mutilation by Magdala left her missing an eye.

Relic - the oldest member of the scale, a man in his fifties with a whipcord frame and a rapidly balding head. The only color left in his face is provided by his gray beard. Given to spitting, coughing, and complaining, but very good at his job. Relic was killed by the essence defenses of the Sunlight during the Trout Queen investigation.

Savage Bear-Daughter - If she is the daughter of a bear, she is the runt of the litter. The woman is not five feet tall, with narrow shoulders and long, dark hair that almost touches the ground. Young and tough, Savage Bear-Daugther almost never speaks - she was punished frequently and harshly for doing so as a child among the Frost Bear Tribe. She is iminently practical, and enjoys the simplest pleasures and the most complex in life equally. A ritual mutilation by Magdala has left her without a tongue.

Slow Ember - A southlander, with dark skin and a bright white smile. Known for being upbeat aside from his complaints about the cold, he fights with a firewand. Slow Ember was killed during his Last Rite.

Selza Twice-Sorrow - Following the events at Tanstaad, Avir recruited Selza into the once dead. She emerged from the experience changed, but hardened. Selza is a young woman with a fair face, fine blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Black tattoos curl up the left side of her face, marking her eternal state of mourning. She is serious, stern, and nursing severe heartbreak, but is known for being reliable. A ritual mutilation by Magdala has left her missing her left ear.

Seven-Fingered Sally - a middle aged woman with short blond hair and deep-set eyes. She supposedly lost three of her fingers due to punishment for theft, and joined the Once Dead as a Prince. Given to bragging and bravado - it's said that if a tenth of the stories about her were true, she'd own all of Creation. Sally was killed by the collision between the Stalwart and the Razor during the Trout Queen investigation.

Snow Peacock - with her pale skin, blond hair and gray eyes, Snow Peacock looks like her namesake. One of the most attractive women in the unit, her beauty is balanced by a good skill with a blade, and marred by a rather abrasive and flippant character. She speaks little of her past. Snow Peackcok was killed by being swept away into the contaminated waters of the Deepwell.

Softhands - a thaumaturge who looks more like a smith. Softhands has huge fingers and a dark, graying beard. A pair of round glasses that don't at all seem like they belong perch on his massive nose. His name is accurate. Softhands specializes in alchemy - rumors say he was born in the outwall as a shaman's son, but rejected traditional methods to study as a savant in Icehome. Like any rumor, it could mean everything or nothing. Softhands was torn apart by an Ice Hag while investigating the Trout Queen.

Springing Elk - a young stalker in the unit, with a serious face and short, dark hair. He is an excellent woodsman and tracker, and a skilled knife user, but sometimes falters in pitched battle, or when given authority. Looks up to Miruna.

Startled Rabbit - a woman of about thirty, whose blond ringlets and determined blue eyes are her best features. She favors the young and inexperienced type when it comes to romantic partners. She is very tolerant of the cold, and talks a big game, but true to her name is always one of the first to retreat from a dangerous situation. Fights with javelins. A ritual mutilation by Magdala left her with only one eye, and she was horribly scarred soon after.

Two-Bits - a woman of about twenty. The left half of her face is hideously scarred and burned, with exposed gums and a blank, scabrous socket. The right is well... not gorgeous or beautiful, but certainly very attractive, especially for someone in this line of work, with a piercing green eye and flaxen blond hair. Two-Bits died of an infection suffered during the mission to Tanstaad.

Vulgar Oda - a dark-haired and ill groomed man with a laugh like a donkey and hygiene far worse.

Fifth Scale

Bright Eyes - a well-liked member of the Fifth Scale who was recently killed during an Icewalker raid.

Gentle Sparrow- a member of the Rabbit Tribe and the daughter of a great warrior-chieftain. Very strongly disliked by her unit. A recent deserter.

Jondar - an Easterner and a eunuch, called "Mother" by his unit. Known for having a gentle disposition and no small amount of skill.

Stalwart Oak - a quiet, severe man with dark hair, eyes, and a thin mustache. Given to serious contemplation and bouts of guilt.

Walleye - a small and wiry man, with a tangle of unruly brown hair and a milky, staring left eye. Rather neurotic and slow-witted.

In Icehome

The Anathema - ???

Alyeska - the somewhat absentminded but good-hearted husband of Faithful Hare. Works as a craftsman, and puts in a lot of late nights.

Bentfinger - the balding and crooked spokesman for Kekkonen and Winter Fish's gang of ne'er do wells.

Black Ice Waiting - member of the Ears of the North, and a major figure in the underground smuggling network in Icehome. An acquaintance of Winter Fish.

Blind Lily - a woman of Realm birth, with dark hair and pale skin. Lily has no eyes thanks to an unspecified accident. A player of Gateway, and a good friend of Pear Blossom. A rather melancholy soul.

Cathak Sora - an older woman in her forties, with brown hair going to gray and a cool gaze, Cathak Sora is a skilled diplomat and a bitter woman. Her twisted left leg meant that she was passed over for a number of jobs in the Realm and assigned to the relatively unimportant branch of the Talon of the Realm in Icehome. She had a good working relationship with Whispering Bear, and perhaps nursed a bit of affection for him.

Clever Tansy - a young, slim, and fairly attractive woman dotted all over with freckles. Addicted to opium. This low grade thaumaturge, astrologer, and meteoromancer gets recommendations from the local Guild in Icehome and gives them a cut in exchange.

Cynis Jindara - a devout Fire-Aspected Immaculate whose hunt for the Anathema brought her to the heart of Icehome itself. Deceased.

Delya and Mika - Faithful Hare's sons, headstrong and adventurous. Fond of attending quasi-legal street fights to see Red Boar perform.

Fetching Peach - a prostitute of some reknown, possessed of dark, enchanting curls and smoldering brown eyes. A friend of Avir's. She has recently been badly burned, her beauty perhaps permanently marred. She has recently been employed by Nellens Ralinona.

Little Adder - a wiry young man with dark hair and a ferretlike face. A Lieutenant of the Black Boar gang.

Lothar - a massive, dark-skinned man with bright white teeth. Bouncer at Madame Pearl's, noted for knocking teeth across the barroom floor. Inexplicably vanished during a dangerous situation.

Madame Pearl - the chubby, curly haired, and generally friendly proprietor of an alehouse and brothel friendly to Haslanti patriots. Pearl was incinerated during the anathema attack on her establishment.

Milka - a massive, square-headed, and singularly unattractive woman, notable for her inarticulate nature and her belligerence. Head of the Red Fists, a gang of dangerous thugs rumored to be smuggling drugs within Icehome.

Milly - a tall, solemn faced, and long fingered young woman, Milly is a puppeteer of some mild reknown. She is also one of the Quiet.

Nellens Ralinona - the city's only resident Dragonblood, an exile from the Realm. Ralinona runs a brothel in the Old Market of the city, The Seven Sighs of the Dragons. She is the League's most famous courtesan and madame, and it is said that her girls and boys are the best, if the most expensive, to be found. Ralinona is a notable social butterfly, and has a habit of investigating tirelessly those events that catch her eye...

Pear Blossom - a murdered courtesan who may be more than she appears...

Plodding Mammoth - a dreamseer or rather ill repute, who is a well known fan of alcohol. Occasionally provides skewed and possibly wrong readings to Winter Fish and others who are willing to pay for them.

Red Boar - notable pitfighter and former partner of Faithful Hare.

Whispering Bear - a retired member of the Once Dead, official liason to the Realm, and recent murder victim. Had converted to the Immaculate Faith in recent years.

The Ears of the North

Hooded Owl - a tall woman with a hawkish nose who always conceals her face. Hooded Owl serves as the liason between the Once Dead and the Ears of the North. As a result, the Ravens see more of her than they would probably like.

Kemi - a scout for the Ears, Kemi grew up on the streets of Icehome, using her wits to live as a thief. She was recruited to be an agent in the Ears by Hooded Owl's predecessor.

Risa - Kemi's younger sister, Risa is given to making jest of her duty to the Ears of the North, but is quite skilled at her job.

The Guild

Cadda - having escaped Tanstaad Emerald with her life and most of her fortune, Cadda now tries to corner the drug trade in Icehome, and supplant Varun.

Varun Silverpalm - the local Guildmaster, Varun is extremely young, with a rounded chin, boyish face, and pair of spectacles that make him look far younger. He is canny and ruthless, which isn't unusual in a member of the Guild, and a Wordsmith, which is. Varun only speaks in rhymes and poetry, a fact that frequently infuriates friend and foe alike.

At the Immaculate Temple

Brother Thunder - a kind but stern monk who was born an urchin in the Imperial City. Devotes much of his time to educating Shimmering Twilight and caring for the senile abbot of the temple, Ledaal Gemma.

Ledaal Gemma - once a surprisingly devout monk, in his old age Gemma has become quite senile and requires almost constant care. He no longer appears to lead the prayers.

Oros - a boy of about eleven or twelve who pushes a pastry cart for his mother (reportedly). Always stops to speak to Shimmering Twilight.

Shimmering Twilight - a young red-headed girl of about twelve, raised by the Temple as a foundling orphan. Learning to read. Has a crush on Oros, the Sweets Boy.

Sister Plum - the severe, middled aged female monk who works as an assistant to Brother Thunder.

The Quiet People

Compassionate Rain - Obligatory's sister, and a worker at the Blue Queen. Short, dark hair, dark eyes, and a sunny smile - which is missing a tooth since she was assaulted and beaten by a gang on the streets.

Little Solemn Brightness - Obligatory's youngest sister, a girl given to odd fits of religious sincerity and extremism. Afflicted with a mortal, wasting illness.

The Mother - Obligatory's grandmother and the leader of the Quiet community in Icehome.

Stout Oak - Compassionate Rain's betrothed.

Tigers

Blood Rose - the leader of the tigers, a young woman of about twenty, with a thin frame, a beautiful face, and long, dark hair. A sadist and a religious fanatic, she kills as much for pleasure as for necessity. Her trademark weapon is an Orichalcum sai.

Casca - a middle-aged woman, her brown hair pulled up in a bun. Although capable of brutal violence, she is the most reserved of the tigers, and attempts to somewhat temper Rose's cruelty. Her weapons of choice are twin hook swords.

Pinyar - an elderly man with striking blue eyes and a body corded with muscle, the taciturn Pinyar uses a tetsubo as a weapon.

On the Outwall

Albiran - first mate aboard the Stalwart. A middle aged man with a muscled frame and an iron-gray beard, dramatically set off by his upswept mustache.

Caraway - the captain of the airboat Honor, a short, gray-haired, sturdy woman of sour disposition.

Enduring Prudence - an attractive blond woman of about twenty. Prudence is one of the Quiet People, serving as a much maligned member of the airboat Honor's crew.

Farnese - swaggering female captain of the iceship Stalwart.

Fennel - the one-eyed, arrogant, and combative first mate of the Honor, Fennel has never forgiven Captain Caraway for leaving the iceship trade and "going soft."

Gambler Denn - a sharp nosed and sharp-eyed man with dark hair, Denn is always willing to make a quick wager. But is there more to this man than first appears?

Harn- airship captain.

Hector - a young and handsome member of the League's urban elite, Hector is boisterous, aggressive, and frustrated by his arranged marriage to a woman he finds wholly unsuitable.

Jens - old, dour, and severe, the long-suffering Jens tries to rein in his master, Hector, and is sometimes even successful.

Kragos- an amiable Dreamseer whose relative youth (he appears to be about thirty) belies his wisdom. Prophecied to the Once Dead on their journey to Tanstaad. Has had a recurrent and disturbing dream that he does not yet understand.

Lady Amelia - an overweight woman with her hair pulled into a tight bun, Lady Amelia is a Scavenger Lord from the Scavenger Lands, on a visit to her son who is doing excavation work in Crystal.

Sven - old, gruff, and usually quiet, Sven is one of the Greenmen. Like the others of his sect, it is his duty to police the Emeralds of the League and oversee their husbandry.

Zeeda - the one-eyed, obese guild member in charge of Fort Bear's drug trade.

The Tribes

Elk Tribe

Jakka - a young girl of thirteen or fourteen, with two long, dark, braids and bright brown eyes. On her first Outride with her brother, Rondvar. Has had a confusing dream. Rider of the beautiful elk Sundancer.

Oko Coldeyes - a powerful, learned, and ancient shaman of the Elk Tribe, who moves spryly despite a missing leg. Known for wearing the pelt of an enormous winter wolf.

Rondvar the Quick - Jakka's older brother, with similar features and an intense resolve to protect his sister. Determined to escort the Dreamseer, and also the victim of a puzzling dream.

Frost Bear Tribe

Dagga - an elderly tribesman with a massive gray beard and bushy eyebrows. Given to boasting.

Kachina Foecrusher - the youngest daughter of Oleg Foecrusher, chieftain of the Frost Bear Tribe. Kachina stands at least six feet tall, with bright red hair, several missing teeth, and a snub nose. She is well known for being bombastic and aggressive, but she is smarter than one might expect due to the teachings of Volyas.

Kono Graybeard - a shaman of the Frost Bear Tribe.

Manaba - a young, massively powerful warrior in the Frost Bear Tribe. Manaba is six and a half feet tall, with a massive beard and long braids. His frightening appearance means he is seldom tested, and his soft heart and cowardly nature remain hidden.

Sihu - Manaba's younger brother. Very religiously devout.

Volyas - a man of about forty, who walks about swaddled in furs and wears a pair of delicate spectacles. Volyas is a former citizen of the Realm, hired by Oleg to educate Kachina. He finds this no easy task.

Rabbit Tribe

Crimson Bear - the father of Gentle Sparrow. Harmed some time ago in a Fair Folk attack.

Fleet Doe - the mother of Gentle Sparrow. Recently deceased.

Hand-of-Ice - a severe, middle aged man whose brown hair and bushy eyebrows are slowly going gray. His muscled frame and careful bearing speak of his skill as a hunter and warrior. Arrogant and given to overconfidence.

Little Jackal - Hand-of-Ice's twelve year old son. Tall for his age. Rather sullen.

Rises-with-the-Sun - the friend of Gentle Sparrow, a girl with long, red hair, a nose that has been broken many times, and a number of missing teeth. Said to have departed with her and Jondar.

Son-of-Hare - chieftain of the Rabbit Tribe.

Stands-Tall-in-Snow - a moderately powerful shaman of the Rabbit Tribe.

Thoughtful Deer - the tall, dark haired, and rather unattractive wife of Hand-of-Ice.

Walrus Tribe

Wild-Eyes - the aging chieftain of the Walrus Tribe, Wild-Eyes is an old woman, with long, gnarled hands, slate gray hair, and a lingering and probably fatal cough. She is skilled in the ways of medicine.

Wolf Tribe

Drunk Njal - tall, hairy, red-headed, and usually drunk. Known for being coarse and abusive.

Dead Things

Lady Twilight - the mysterious woman that runs a part of the ghostly slave trade in the Northern Underworld.

Soft Breeze and Snake - her agents

Two-Bits - Unquiet Twice-Dead.

The Forces of the Winter Wolf

Magdala - a Lunar anathema (totem: wolf) noted for the rampage of terror her raiders launched fifteen years ago. She now prepares to lead her wolfmen and tribal forces in an attack to eradicate the Haslanti League.

The Three Bitches

Iri - also known as "The Fearsome Wolf." Iri is a solidly built woman of some forty years, her body covered with scars. She is known for being laconic, honest, and incredibly powerful. She uses a moonsilver daiklave in battle, a gift from her mother.

Luyu - also known as "The Young Wolf." Luyu is a young woman of only eighteen or nineteen. Little more than an infant during the Wolf War of fifteen years ago, she has grown into a striking young woman with yellow-colored wolf-eyes, a pleasant face, and two long braids. Luyu is known by her admirers as a kindly soul, and her detractors as a weak one. She is both less effective at waging war and much less enthusiastic than her siblings. It is whispered that this comes because her father was a foreigner seduced by Magdala, but no one knows if this is true. She fights with a chopping sword and war boomerangs.

Onil - also known as "The Callous Wolf." Onil is the middle child, a woman of some twenty-five years. She stands taller than either of her sisters and is as narrow and shapeless in her doeskin dresses as a steel blade. Her face is attractive enough, but harsh, and her hair spills down her back in a long, dark braid. Onil is the most educated of her sisters, preferring the intellectual to physical conflict. She would be no true tribeswoman if she did not also value that conflict, however. In battle, Onil makes use of a large scythe. Additionally, it is whispered that she can wield the powers of thaumaturgy and even Exalted sorcery. Her cruelty is as savage as it is casual.

Dragon Kings

Shrikk the Red - this Raptok Dragon King has allied his small nation to Magdala's war effort for reasons that remain unclear. Though seemingly a primitive beast, he wields impressive essence powers.

Spies and Schemers

Ajax - a tall man with a brutish face, a mop of red hair, and an incongruous spray of freckles across his nose. A ruthless killer and a former member of the Quiet People, he will stop at nothing to topple the League and change the lives of the Quiet.

The Strange Fellai

Royalty

Queen Ariela - the Ash-Touched Queen of the Fellai, an attractive woman of about twenty. She is considered to be quite graceful, a vision of beauty with an elegantly curved neck, a tall and sturdy frame, and piercing amber eyes, whose head barely bows beneath the weight of her impressive crown. She is known for being viciously conniving and sloppily sentimental by turns.

Aiku - Prince of the Fellai. Aiku is a tall, hard-eyed man, whose dark hair falls around his shoulders. He has amber eyes, and is handsome in an androgenous way. He is almost the exact mirror image of his twin sister, Queen Ariela. Aiku was a kinder man, once, but his heart was broken when his sister chose their older brother, Airon, as consort once they came of age. He is soft spoken, unfailingly polite, and absolutely murderous. Because of his penchant for using poison in combat, he is known as the Asp. A scratch from his blade will fell the strongest man sooner or later.

Airon - the Consort of the Queen, a powerfully muscled man with a scar down his left cheek and short-cropped hair. He is the brother of the Queen, which is not unusual among the Fellai, but he is also a year her senior, which is.

Others

Aeri - the commander of the royal guard. Aeri is a woman of about twenty, with a plain face, a hard and almost shapeless body, and a fierce devotion to duty. She walks with a slight limp due to a leg lamed in the very process that awoke her essence, but is nevertheless noted as a brutally effective fighter and martial artist. She would give her life for the royalty of Fellai without a second thought.

Aru - a dusky-skinned, handsome young man with long, dark hair and eyes. Possessed of a friendly disposition, he is the head of a group of Fellai weapons traders who do business among the tribes of the Haslanti League.

Alar, Anau, Ava, Alia - his companions.

The Democracy of Shanarinara

Governor Jeral - young, handsome, and charismatic, Jeral is the governor of the Shanarinaran city-state of Nabradia. A member of the Blue Goats party, he finds his life complicated by an illicit romance and a political challenge. His desire to win re-election pushes him to desperate ends.

Falloe - this dark-eyed, harsh-featured man is the Warden of Nabradia. Violence colors his understanding of a harsh world. He will kill without remorse or cessation.

Sami - an aging warrior in the employ of Jeral, Sami displays more sensitivity than is wise for someone in her position.

Hort - a demon-blood hired as muscle by Jeral. Hort stands nearly seven feet tall, with long, shaggy hair, a brutal face, strangely pale skin, and enormous hands and feet. Hort's father is an Erymanthus. Conceived in rape, Hort crippled his mother at birth. When she died not long after, he became a street fighter and mercenary.

Solomea - an intense, harsh-featured woman, Solomea is Hort's business partner. A former Nexus street thief, she combined her efforts with Hort's in an effort to make them both prosperous.

Tanstaad Emerald

Broc - A dark-skinned southlander given to visiting the Pony, Tanstaad's only ale house. Vanished.

Cadda- debauched Guild merchant princess. She is not beautiful, but her dark, silken hair and her curves make her appealing enough. Bored, angry, and generally frustrated with Tanstaad.

Elder Swan - the put-upon elder of Tanstaad, who hopes the Once Dead can solve the mystery plaguing the town. A wizened, white-beared old man who apologizes for the fear that runs through the Emerald.

Delf - Selza's husband. Killed by the monster menacing the Tanstaad Emerald.

Gaf - Shinza's husband, who has never accepted the explanation for her death.

Greta - the proprietor of The Pony, the town's only inn. May fulfill other roles as well. Has a soft spot for Rolf.

Grond - the shaman of Tanstaad. Feared deceased in an attack. May have been involved in shady business.

Lark - a Wyld mutant. Once a hunter, he was mutated by the Wyldfog and executed for the murder of the pregnant Shinza thirteen years ago.

Rolf - a good man, once. Rolf was a scout, and ranged far searching for shelter ahead of the group of refugees fifteen years ago. Exposure to the Wyldfog has given him curious compound eyes. Says he saw a human figure steal Selza's baby. A drunk.

Rovas - a tall, thin youth of around twenty. Gate guard at the Emerald.

Samson - an easterner with red-streaked black hair, light tan skin, and the brutal face of a killer. Armed with a flame piece and a chopping sword. Cadda's dispirited and bored bodyguard.

Selza Twice-Sorrow - (form. Selza sun-bright) - the niece of Elder Swan, who has recently lost both her infant and her husband, Delf, to the violence in Tanstaad. She has vowed vengeance, and marked herself with the sigil of eternal mourning.

Shinza - the daughter of Elder Swan. Vanished thirteen years ago.