Ritualist Iskra Vael

Iskra Vael has heard the comparison before it reaches the speaker’s lips. A distant connection to the Soulbinder has followed her through every appointment, inviting expectations she never requested and favors she refuses to owe.

She built her reputation through careful ritual work aboard Hour of Lead. Her ceremonies take time because she checks each obligation and each name before she begins. An impatient patron once pressed her to omit a step; when the omission endangered the people present, Iskra stopped the rite and sent the patron away.

Her gray hair is braided close, and her bearing is composed enough to make anger difficult to read. She values competence, candor, and the right to be judged by her own work. She has been introduced as the Soulbinder’s cousin more times than she can count. She corrects the introduction every time, politely, and has never once let it stand.