Adrian is strikingly tall, with a long, forward-leaning silhouette that makes him look as if he is already stepping between danger and someone smaller. His patched gambeson sits awkwardly at the shoulders, its old repairs sewn in thick, pale thread. A single brass button on the collar is polished almost obsessively, while the rest of the armor bears dull dents and road grime. He moves with an eager, heavy stride in a fight, but after exertion his breath catches in short, dry pulls and his shoulders sag before he admits he is tired. The unexpected detail: he keeps a tiny paper windmill tucked in his breast pocket and carefully straightens its bent blades whenever he has a moment alone.

Adrian is quick to volunteer and slow to accept help. In a crisis, he is decisive and physically reassuring; in a quiet room, he can be self-conscious and surprisingly patient with small, nervous creatures. He jokes when praised but bristles when someone calls him reckless. He wants to believe discipline can overcome his limits, yet he privately worries that his courage is only stubbornness wearing a uniform.

Adrian grew up hauling sacks and lumber at a riverside depot, where his height made him useful and his stubbornness made him difficult to send home. At twenty-six, he joined a local watch patrol. During a warehouse fire, he held a buckling door open long enough for trapped workers to escape, then collapsed outside with his lungs full of smoke. His recovery was slow, and the experience left him ashamed of how quickly his strength deserted him. He began experimenting with stimulants and herbal tonics, eventually creating the rough red Monster Draft he now carries. It keeps him moving in a crisis, but he knows the effect is short and the aftermath unpleasant. Adrian still sends part of his pay to his younger sister, Olya, who runs their late mother's stall, and he is on uneasy terms with Bram, the watch sergeant who thinks Adrian's brews are a danger to the patrol. A recent string of night raids has put the depot workers he once protected back in danger, and Adrian keeps volunteering for the front line despite his failing stamina.