Invent characters

Appears from the start

Havoc's human apprentice is charged with developing the captured volcanic site at Grandma's Shoe. His combined talents as a Ritual Architect and Reductionist let him turn salvaged material into buildings and magical infrastructure.

Appears from the start

A dwarven Major General, master crafter, and Joe's mentor. He insists that Grandma's Shoe grow in defensible stages, reserves a workshop district for himself and Joe, and directs the settlement's early planning.

Appears from the start

A dwarven captain assigned by Havoc to escort Joe and keep his dealings with senior officers from causing further trouble. She serves as both his protector and his guide to military expectations.

Appears from the start

The city planner responsible for designing Grandma's Shoe. He initially proposes a fully developed city around the alchemy pyramid, then adapts the plan to support gradual growth from a small settlement.

First appears in chapter 2

Joe's returning party member is present at Grandma's Shoe. Like Joe, he has not received an expected class quest and needs to satisfy a prerequisite.

First appears in chapter 2

An engineer assigned to the settlement who wants to learn from Havoc. He collaborates with Joe on an emergency system to draw dangerous heat away from the alchemy pyramid.

First appears in chapter 4

The Oligarchy's senior military-justice authority. He confirms Joe's promotion after reviewing the human's unusual wartime record and presides over the dispute concerning further rewards.

First appears in chapter 4

An Oligarchy officer who challenges the scale of Joe's rewards. His case weakens when the tribunal examines Joe's contribution to victory, and his own reporting is placed under investigation.

First appears in chapter 4

A Legion officer who speaks in support of Joe before the military tribunal. He credits Joe's costly magic with protecting allied forces, restoring fallen dwarves, and adding recruits.

First appears in chapter 4

A dwarven princess who sponsors Joe as a noble candidate. Her intervention allows Grandma's Shoe to be developed as a settlement instead of remaining only a military fortress.

First appears in chapter 5

Captain Cleavage after her promotion to major. She remains Joe's assigned escort, and he restores her through the Ledger of Souls after learning that her new rank makes resurrection more costly.

First appears in chapter 5

An elf-employed bounty hunter who targets valuable enemies. He kills Joe during an ambush while also searching for Jaxon, establishing an ongoing threat to both companions.

First appears in chapter 6

A coffee elemental bound to Joe and carried with him as an associated magical presence.

First appears in chapter 8

The owner of a temporary-work agency who accepts Joe's offer to administer Grandma's Shoe himself.

First appears in chapter 8

A construction-company representative already known to Joe. After providing the needed building plans, she accepts a position helping develop Grandma's Shoe.

First appears in chapter 11

A strong but undisciplined human private who tries to force his way into Joe's workshop to obtain magical training. Joe uses his military authority to bar him from the premises.

First appears in chapter 34

A dwarven noble, Scholar, and official assessing Joe's readiness to govern a city. He requires a town hall or city center before Grandma's Shoe can continue its administrative advancement.

First appears in chapter 36

Joe's shapeshifting cat ally, able to take the form of a small human woman. Their partial bond alerts her when he thinks about her, and she chooses to accompany and assist him.

First appears in chapter 36

Stan's sub-commander in a human effort to bridge the warring factions. He and Stan deliberately joined opposing sides so they could work toward peace from both camps.

First appears in chapter 42

The evolved form of Joe's coffee elemental, housed in a rare mug Joe forges. Automate can provide a daily enhancement, exchange liquids for coffee, and periodically shield Joe from a lethal physical blow.

First appears in chapter 47

Havoc's brother and a Grandmaster enchanter. He will consider supporting Grandma's Shoe if Joe first secures a settlement guardian and constructs linked portals from supplied templates.

First appears in chapter 53

The city guardian's final form, embodying the will of an early dwarf who sacrificed themself for the dwarven people. It explains that Joe's altered ritual released it from controlling enchantments.