Svala is tall and narrow, with the taut posture of a spear shaft and the measured gait of someone crossing thin ice. She never fully turns her head when listening. Instead, one ear angles toward the speaker while her eyes remain fixed upon the nearest exit. Her jaw is slightly too broad for an elf, and her upper canine teeth show when she smiles. She eats with startling efficiency, biting cleanly through hard bread and dried meat, then wiping her lips with two fingers before speaking. Her hands are delicate, but her knuckles are swollen from years of striking burial stones during rites. She gives the impression of quiet severity until some small animal enters the room, at which point her entire face softens.