Valka Ash-Forged is a heavily scarred, stocky dwarf whose presence seems to occupy more space than her compact frame should allow. Her skin is the color of weathered granite warmed by furnace light, crossed by pale seam-like scars from shrapnel, automaton claws, and one chemical burn that puckers the left side of her neck. Her iron-grey hair is braided into thick cords threaded with small lead weights, causing the braids to click softly against her armor when she moves. One eyebrow is split by an old blade cut, and her piercing slate eyes rarely settle on a face when they could be studying exits, hands, or ceiling supports. She moves with deliberate economy, never hurried, yet somehow always arriving first. The unexpected contradiction is her hands: scarred, callused, and strong enough to bend a rifle stock, they are remarkably gentle when repairing a frightened scholar's gloves or fastening a child's coat.