Durni is a broad-shouldered, soot-streaked dwarf whose movements have become careful and economical since the collapse. His beard is braided with copper wire, broken stone chips, and one tiny brass bell that never rings unless he is frightened. Blood has dried in a dark fan beneath his left ear, and his right knee is bound with a strip of his own torn work coat. His skin is ridged with old burns and pale scars from mining accidents. He smells of iron dust, lamp oil, wet wool, and crushed mint. Despite his battered condition, he keeps his back straight whenever another miner is watching, creating the strange impression of a wounded statue that might suddenly start marching.