A compact dwarf who seems to take up more room than his height suggests: he plants himself squarely in doorways, then remembers to shift aside only when someone asks. His palms are broad and crosshatched with old calluses, the fingertips permanently darkened by stone dust that never quite washes out. He moves with a careful, ground-testing gait, as if every floor might be hiding a hollow. The unexpected detail is the neat, tiny stitching on the inside of his work gloves, each repair made in bright blue thread.

Boru is careful with stone and impulsive with people: he will spend an hour checking a ceiling, then promise help before hearing the full request. In a crisis he becomes brisk and decisive, but after it passes he replays every choice and can grow defensive if challenged. He likes company around a workbench, yet dislikes being fussed over.

Boru was raised in Kettig's Reach among miners, timber crews, and the families who kept their lamps burning. At thirty, he was the junior surveyor sent to mark a newly opened passage. A tremor trapped his crew behind a fall; Boru heard a second collapse coming and ordered the others to leave the injured foreman long enough to shore the escape route. The foreman survived, but Boru's choice cost him the trust of the man who had taught him the trade. Since then, he has learned to value a living rescuer over a perfect rescue, though he still hates being called cautious. He now checks the old mine passages and the hamlets beyond the settlement, where cracked wells and subsidence threaten homes. His sister, Cwen, runs a small bakehouse in Kettig's Reach and thinks he takes too much responsibility on himself. Othas, a longtime friend and connection, has recently asked Boru to investigate a sealed route that Boru believes should remain closed.