The swagger that comes with being Kel Firehair has been diminished only a little by her deepening sense of responsibility and connectedness. The god-blooded carries herself with a confidence that has too much smiling in it to cross the line into arrogance. Her namesake hair is a vivid red-orange that, when she is agitated or using her essence, throws sparks and eventually bursts into full flame. The edges of her fingernails seem charred, though they're neither more fragile nor sharper for their appearance.

She arrived in the Hundred Kingdoms as a precocious swordswoman, trained in a ground-eating, evasive style from the Southeast. Kel was good enough to find work as a champion, a mercenary hired to end the petty wars of petty kingdoms through high-stakes duels. She was eventually hired by Horn to resolve a conflict with a neighbor that eventually became part of Six Waters. Heliar, the king of Horn, was pleased enough with the champion that he took her on a swordmaster and bodyguard for his young daughter, Bessa.