Main character; love interest; reality check

Guardsman Cole, Stigand (family only), Dusty (friends only), Miner (people who don't like him), Mog (people who are extremely prejudiced against Mountain folk)

Male

28

About 215 lbs

Six feet or so

Brown

Vaguely wavy. He keeps it longer than the average Flower citizen, almost shaggy, but swept back from his forehead.

He has a magnificent thick scruff that he keeps at a meticulously short length, as part of his Mountain heritage but to not draw terribly much attention to himself.

Baby blue-gray

Human

Dustin is very pale, but more on the pink end of the scale. He's of the Mountain's mining heritage.

Dustin is basically built for balance- long arms, narrow body, strong legs. He's also very fit and fast- why he was able to get into the Royal Guard despite being of Mountain stock.

He's got a little mole on his right cheekbone, and a deep scar over his left elbow from a mining accident. Also has various small scars, nearly invisible in most lights, from training.

Stands stock-still when he's not actively engaged in something; deep, even, rhythmically consistent breaths, which gave him such an advantage over the guards in early training (Mountain lungs, y'all, don't underestimate them) that a few of the guards asked him to teach them; often stares at the horizon in bewilderment; unconsciously goes to higher places; hands always free if he can help it; tendency to not blink when he's focused on someone/something

Dustin just wants to fit in and support his family. The desire to eventually go back to Mountain feels like a pipe dream to him now, since he's been away for most of his life, although he's still loath to let go of that part of him. Instead, he's turned to making himself the best Flower citizen he can be, despite his obvious Mountain heritage and the distrust between the two countries, and doing his job as best he can. If that's standing in front of a treasury vault that no one ever goes into for hours each day, then he'll stand in front of a treasury vault that no one goes into for hours each day.

Dustin is quick to anger- he's very protective of his Mountain heritage and sometimes struggles to reconcile that with Flower's casual aggression towards his country. He takes insults to heart a lot more than Flower citizens feel he should (but they're the ones who shouldn't be insulting his heritage in the first place.) He cools down very quickly, though.
He also tends to get frustrated by stagnation in social situations, although this at least he catches himself on. For instance, when they don't have any leads for finding the next Artifact, he knows he's gonna get pissy and tries to busy himself with doing something that makes him feel productive.
KING of wandering off, for someone who's supposed to stay at a post all day long.

He assumes everyone is out to get him solely because of his Mountain heritage, and more specifically because of his mining heritage. To a certain extent, he's right. He's also very prejudiced against Hillsfolk, due to the longstanding rivalry between Mountain and Hills, and like most Mountain, thinks Seafarers are a load of loonies.

He's very good at fighting and playing instruments. He can figure out most traditional Mountain songs on just about any instrument if you teach him how to play it, and has a habit of making up his own funny little ditties. If he doesn't have an instrument, he sings, and while his tone isn't the best his enthusiasm (especially when drunk) more than makes up for it.

He loves playing with dogs, spends as much time with them as possible. Carving is another favorite of his, a very common Mountain hobby, although he's learning to do it with wood instead of stone. And despite his grumpiness and standoffish persona, Dustin absolutely adores children and will gladly hang out with them for hours, letting them "defeat" him to "rescue" their friends. He's a big hit at festivals because of this, and people often tell him he'd be a great dad if only he'd settle down with a nice girl.

Sort of a spitfire? It's tricky to explain. Quick to take the side he thinks is right, but just as quick to change if properly convinced (which can take some doing.) Extremely strong morals, especially over protecting weaker people and animals. Can and will speak his mind if he's pissed, but prefers, especially among the guards, to keep to himself.

Cultural shock/displacement- he moved away from Mountain as a mid-teen, still sometimes has trouble adjusting to Flower customs/traditions/culture. Struggles with forming connections, as the added displacement from small intimate town to larger town to very large city was the icing on the "moving countries sucks" cake.

While he believes in the Powers, as they are rather undeniable, he also has some vague ties to his pre-War ancestry (more common in Mountain and Tundra than anywhere else, really) and keeps some faith to old gods. His father, who nicknamed him Stigand (wanderer) in keeping with old tribal traditions, was and continues to be his main religious influence. (needs expansion)

Whatever politics will keep him safe and eventually happy in a country that doesn't like him for his heritage.

none

He particularly loves reds of all kinds.

While he dearly misses Mountain staples, he has to admit that the Flower Kingdom does a damn good job with its flavorful roasts.

Probably his heirloom necklace, a hand-me-down from his father, who sadly had to stay in Mountain when the rest of Dustin's family moved to Flower.

Projectiles of any kind, generally; however, those are frowned upon in Flower, so he settles for a bastard sword. The maneuverability of the weapon is a big bonus for him.

Dogs!!! Big dogs specifically. He also adores ponies and their sass, and any particularly spirited horse is sure to grab both his attention and his heart.

He is a part of the Royal Guard.

March 2nd.

Pretty decent, actually, when it comes to history/folklore and math and science. While his education wasn't what you'd call formal, he has a knack for the latter two, and often finds people who can teach him more about these things. Also, his village has some surviving story-songs from the pre-War times, as well as traveling bards/actors who preserve history. On average, though, he's about a middle school level.

Grew up for twelve years in a small mining town in Mountain. His mother unfortunately has a condition where the mining town's polluted air makes it difficult to breathe, and relocating in Mountain is extremely difficult. Instead, when Dustin was twelve, she uprooted their family (Dustin and his two younger sisters) to go live with her cousin, who emigrated to Flower a few decades prior. Dustin then spent his teen years doing odd jobs and missing home, before a guardsman came through the town looking for recruits. Dustin volunteered to go with him; he had zero attachments to his new town, needed to help support his family somehow, and was hoping that maybe in a new city, he'd be able to build his own life. Instead, he simply felt like he lost more of himself, as the new city and responsibilities ate away at even his Mountain ties.

He had a mountain dog back home, Spirit, and now has a couple of favorite hounds/guard dogs, although they're not really his.

needs expansion

acquaintances/underling to friend to lover with Brock

strangers to friends with Tyson, Charlotte, Thalia, and Wylan

acquaintance to enemy with Damien

outlier to beloved with the Flower Kingdom as a whole

drifter to breadwinner and close member with family