Zekell Proudhammer

**Zekell Proudhammer** is the village blacksmith in the Village of Lutia and Senton's father. He is Rena's father-in-law and one of the few merchants and artisans in the village that like Lith.

## Appearance

Zekell is a short man in his mid 40's, about 1.62 meters (5'4") tall, with grey short hair and a finely trimmed short beard. During his youth, he had tried to grow them both but after one burn too many Zekell had resigned himself to the fact that long hair and high temperatures don't mix.

He wears a white shirt stained with sweat, a canvas apron over loose brown working pants, and an adjustable glasses-like contraption on his head that allow his old eyes to perform the finest incision on any metal. Despite his age, he has muscular arms and legs that barely fit his loose clothes. Only his belly betrays the lack of exercise and the love for warm food and cold beer.

## Personality

Zekell is a caring family man, and not greedy, preferring a quiet life.

## Abilities

Zekell is able to cry on cue, which he had learned to do ever since he was an apprentice. His father had taught him that even the cruelest merchant had a hard time haggling with a crying man, and Zekell had passed that creed down to Senton as well.

## Workshop

After his son Senton marries into the Verhen family, Zekell buys his neighbor's house, turning it into a new and better equipped workshop after converting the old smithy into living quarters. He splits his workshop into a blacksmith and goldsmith after Lith brings him most of the unsold silver, with which he would craft items for Lith to enchant in the tower. The blacksmith handles the Orichalcum orders while the goldsmith crafts fine silver tools and charms for Lith's experiments.

Between the money that Zekell makes by smelting magical metals for Lith and the constant need for supplies that the city's growth requires, he is forced to expand his business. The workshop is split into three different single-floor buildings adjacent to each other, with Zekell moving into a two-story house on the other side of the road to have his family nearby without the customers bothering them or mistaking them for clerks. Zekell becomes the owner of a state-of-the-art smithy that he entrusts to Senton, a goldsmith where he works to keep himself busy, and a shop from which he sells Lith's creations like chess boards, strollers, and underwear.

## Background

During the national emergency with the Kandria plague, rumors of an illness spread around the Kingdom, leading the villagers of Lutia to panic buy weapons from Zekell and food from farmers. Zekell also works to convert tools into weapons.

After Rena marries Zekell's son Senton, the dowry Lith provides allows Zekell to expand his business and buy a family name. His family would also receive the best treatments for free and would never be bullied due to their connection with Lith. Zekell teaches Senton the family trade and hopes for grandchildren so he can teach them the art of blacksmithing as well. One day, a noble named Tikin Rath barges into Zekell's shop and attempts to swindle the ownership from him, but Captain Locrias intervenes, killing Tikin after charging him with crimes.

When King Meron bestows upon Lith a family name, Zekell makes sure that Rena and Leria keep the Verhen name, painting the family crest over all the doors and windows of his house so no one dares to mess with him, not even the local nobles. He would be able to leave the shop's doors open at night and find everything where he had left it.

Over the next several years, Zekell renovates his home, creating a small inner garden to give Leria a place to play with her friends while Lith builds a swing for her. As working all his life, Zekell decides to take a break and enjoy his grandchildren. Zekell still helps his son deal with the most complex Orichalcum related procedures and personally crafts Lith's orders, but delegates everything else to his apprentices. As Lith's chess set and strollers become popular, Zekell's workshop expands and even open branches in the nearby cities. Zekell helps Lith with making the DoLorean's silver chassis and tries asking Lith for one after seeing it work, though is declined. The Verhens leave Lutia, disgusted by the villagers shamelessly offering Lith their daughters as wives or mistresses after witnessing the DoLorean, and Zekell sneakily follows on board.

The Verhens visit Count Lark, and Zekell acts a bit too familiarly with the Count, adding to the #TeamRaaz rumors. The blacksmith eagerly enjoys the unique opportunity for lavish hospitality as he never follows the Verhens to official events. Zekell catches up with his family and the Verhens after they return from the trip to the Blood Desert. Zekell informs them of the newer Lutians' complaints against the Verhens and attempt to seize their lands during their absence. Disgusted by their attitudes, Raaz brings his family back to the Desert, but not before Lith intimidates Hogum by flying over the Hogum mansion in his Voidfeather Dragon form.

## Quotes

* *"You could have killed him out of here, or at least given me the time to put a carpet on the floor. The b\*stard sh\*t himself dying. Between this stench and the blood stains, no one will enter my shop for weeks!"* (Zekell to Locrias, Chapter 177)
* *"Ah! Suck it, you bastards! I'm the only one with a god in the family!"* (Zekell after Lith opens a Warp Steps in the village, Chapter 245)
* *"Didn't you hear your mother-in-law? The air stinks today and we should get away from those ruffians. I can't believe that my own son doesn't consider me a member of this family and wants to leave me behind."* (Zekell to Senton while fake crying in the DoLorean, Chapter 1279)
* *"Hi, I'm Zekell, the other Grampa and Lith's right-hand man. You sure jumped through a lot of hoops for the kid."* (Zekell to Count Lark, Chapter 1279)
* *"Vacation! Who do you think you are? A noble?"* (Zekell to Senton, Chapter 1671)
* *"There's no point in making money that I can't live to spend."* (Chapter 1672)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chapter 1671: Treacherous Seeds (Part 1)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 177: Tickle
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 1278: Chapter 1278: Test Drive (Part 2)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 1095: Double Date (Part 1)
5. ↑ Chapter 165: Domestic Affairs (3)
6. ↑ Chapter 176: End of Trimester
7. ↑ Chapter 1100: Mourning the Dead (Part 2)
8. ↑ Chapter 1285: Keeping Busy (Part 1)
9. ↑ Chapter 1279: Test Drive (Part 3)
10. ↑ Chapter 1673: News from an Old Friend (Part 1)