kazidiadm

The blacksmith's son and childhood friend who has harbored feelings for Elara for years. He's strong and dependable, with dark hair and soot-stained hands from working the forge. Rowan represents the comfort and security of staying in the settlement - he wants to build a life here, marry, and continue the traditions of their people. He's loyal almost to a fault and struggles with jealousy when he senses Elara's attention drifting toward the world beyond their forest home.

Elara's father, a weathered man in his fifties with kind eyes and strong hands shaped by decades of farmwork. He lost his wife years ago and has raised his daughter alone, teaching her everything he knows about the land. He's protective but fair, and though he sees the restlessness growing in his daughter, he fears losing her the way he lost her mother. He's respected in the settlement for his wisdom and steady nature, often mediating disputes between neighbors.

A spirited and curious young woman in her early twenties who helps her father tend their modest farm on the edge of the settlement. She's grown up knowing every tree, every path, and every person in the community, but lately finds herself gazing beyond the forest canopy, wondering what exists in the wider world. She's practical and hardworking, with calloused hands from tilling soil and a sharp mind for solving problems. Despite her humble circumstances, she has a natural warmth that draws people to her, and a quiet strength that surfaces when her community needs her. Her greatest conflict is between duty to her family and an awakening desire for adventure.