Risema

Risema is a chef who keeps three blades. Two are for the kitchen: a thin one for river fish and a heavy cleaver for forest roots. The third, a battle-worn katana, never touches the cutting board. When a patron once asked about the scar that splits their eyebrow, Risema simply slid a bowl of perfectly simmered stew across the counter, their eyes cold and unamused. That scar was earned far from the amber-leaved clearing of The Heart of the Forest, in the untamed outer woods where their small traveling kitchen was ambushed. Their protector fell in the first moments, and Risema, a cook who only knew the weight of a ladle, took up their fallen friend's sword. They survived. They came here seeking sanctuary, but brought the war with them.