Grand Warden Hekka

Grand Warden Hekka is the supreme commander of the Acorn Guard and the primary architect of the defense of The Crown City of Ardor. A battle-hardened Briar-Kin, she is easily recognized by her iridescent green mail—forged from the wing-cases of the Mother-Tree’s greatest beetles—and the deep scar that runs across her left eye, a souvenir from a duel with a colossal gull.

Hekka is a mouse of few words and immovable discipline. She believes that the safety of the Muridae depends on their ability to maintain absolute control over the canopy. To her, the increasing curiosity of the "Tall Races" is not an opportunity for trade, but a security breach that must be managed with extreme caution. She is a master of the needle-rapier, a weapon she wields with a speed that most larger opponents find impossible to track.

Despite her stern exterior, Hekka is deeply respected by her troops. She is known to personally inspect the Gull-Watch Towers during the worst of the monsoon seasons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her youngest recruits.

Secret Motivation: Hekka is secretly worried that the Mist-Weaver Coven is losing control of the magical fog. She has been stockpiling aether-infused wood and reclaimed steel from Drift-Haven to build a secondary, non-magical defense network, fearing the day when the forest is finally exposed to the world.

Adventure Hook: A series of sabotage incidents has disabled several Gull-Watch Towers. Hekka suspects an internal traitor or a spy from the Gilded Vein Syndicate. She hires the party (disguised as "harmless" travelers) to investigate the towers and root out the source of the disruption.