Ekko Stormhand is a broad, towering goliath who seems to occupy more room than his body should allow. He stands with his shoulders slightly rounded, not from weakness but from a lifetime of trying not to loom over everyone else. His movements are startlingly quiet until combat begins, when every turn of his torso seems to drag a pressure change through the air. His skin is deep slate-gray with pale mineral striations along his forearms and collarbones, like veins in weathered mountain stone. His hands are large enough to cover a man's chest, and his knuckles are permanently darkened by contact with awakened steel. The unexpected contradiction is his gentleness with small objects: he repairs tiny wind-up toys, cups, and glass charms with the concentration of a jeweler. Within a minute of meeting him, most people notice his breathing first. It is slow, measured, and faintly audible, as if he is constantly listening to a distant storm. When rattled, he stops breathing for one dangerous second, then exhales with a low rumble that makes loose metal tremble.