Yelda-Ed is a broad-shouldered orc woman with a weathered, workmanlike presence rather than a towering warrior's grandeur. Her movements are measured and economical, with a slight forward lean that makes her seem perpetually braced against wind. Her hands are the first thing people notice: thick-knuckled, deeply callused, and permanently roughened by bowstring, frozen bark, salt, and field dressing. She keeps her left hand warmer than the right because it handles living plants and injured animals. Her face is heavy-browed and square, but her expression is often unexpectedly patient. She smells faintly of juniper smoke, wet wool, and crushed evergreen needles. The contradiction in her appearance is that her powerful frame is paired with an almost delicate habit of touching snow, leaves, and animal tracks as if they were written letters.