Fendrel is a sharp-eyed Aerost with slender, light bones, broad shoulders, and flexible joints that let him fold himself into maintenance shafts meant for smaller workers. Storm-gray feathers lie in neat, wind-combed bands along his forearms, spine, calves, and cheeks. His avian profile is softened by a blunt, ink-stained beak ridge and expressive amber eyes that seem to measure angles even while he is listening. A short feathered crest rises like a row of signal pennants when he is excited and flattens into a severe aerodynamic ridge when he is angry. He moves with restless precision, making tiny balance corrections even while standing still. The unexpected contradiction is his hands: broad, scarred, and blunt-fingered, more suited to hauling cable than delicate drafting. Despite his severe appearance, he smells faintly of cinnamon oil and carries a tiny knitted sock for one of his relay spiders.