Nagajirou

The air in The Crystal Highlands of Armaria always tasted of ozone and cool stone, a flavor Nagajirou had come to associate with peace. Before, their world tasted of road dust and cheap ale, and the wanderer's life had left them with little more than an old azure cap and a scar that pulled at their eye. Then they met a quiet gem-cutter who tended the shrine of Hogo-sha. The artisan spoke of how every crystal held a different light, a different story, and taught Nagajirou how to see it. They spent a season tracing constellations reflected in the monoliths. When the gem-cutter was summoned away, Nagajirou made a promise—not with words, but by picking up the polishing cloths. They still wear the cap, but they no longer wander.