The people of Godsrest tend to be tall and athletic. It is common for men to be over 6 tall, and it is not unusual for women to reach that height. Skin is usually heavily tanned, and hair is usually dark. Blondes and redheads are rare, but not unknown. Most women and many men wear their hair long.
Personal names are usually simple nouns or adverbs, such as Ivy, Wolf, Robin, Maudlin, Haggard, Sweet, Sunny, etc. Occasional compound names such as Darkrunner, Farwalker, or Stormbrow aren't unknown. And individuals who have become so identified with a particular function or position might end up with that as their most commonly used name (for example, Willow, now the Wisdom, is almost always referred to as "The Wisdom" and addressed as "Wisdom" to her face).
Family names are kind of free and loose, some people use them (like the Smiths and Governors), some people don't. Lots of children use their father or mother's family name until they've done something to make a name for themselves (so to speak). If they go into the same trade they keep the name, if not they take another. Some people change their names several times in their lives, others keep the name they were given as a babe until they die.
Over the centuries refugees from more troubled lands have found Godsrest to be a haven, and this has resulted in a certain mixing of racial types. There is a folk-saying that sums up the local attitude to such "new folk": "Marry a Godsrester and you're still half an Outlander, have one as a parent and you're one of us."
When travelers come to Godsrest they can either camp outside town, take a room in The Sun tavern, or, if persons of obvious quality, be hosted as guests of Benefice Governor.
Benefice Governor - The patriarch of the Governor family, and the most respected and influential person in Godsrest. Benefice was a powerful warrior in his youth, and forged the villagers into a unified fighting force that so ably defended themselves against the local bandit bands that even now, years later, none dare attack. He is aging, and his physical prowess is beginning to decline, but he has lost none of his sharpness of mind nor force of character. He has white hair that falls to his waist, pronounced features, and intense blue eyes.
Riven Governor – Grandson of Benefice Governor, and his heir.
Peregrine Governor - Benefice's younger brother, he left home in his youth and only recently returned from decades of absence, crippled in body but still retaining the dry sense of humor his elders despaired of in his youth. With him he has brought an exotic foreign servant and a library of almost a dozen books - which means the number of books in Godsrest is now at least double the number of people who can read.
Halcyon Sacramentaire – Servant of Peregrine Governor. He's a handsome, though very foreign looking, young man. Only about 5'6" tall, with a complexion more yellowish than any the locals have ever seen before, and slightly slanted dark eyes. His hair is long and black, and he usually wears it braided down his back. He is always polite, and just a little distant. Neither Melody nor Harmony has had any success with him, although they are both convinced that he likes them.
Prospera Miller - The head of the second most important family in Godsrest, Prospera has a shrewd head for business and a tendency to walk the knife's edge between the letter and the spirit of a bargain.
Maker Smith - An immense dark-skinned man from the far southlands, with tightly curled red hair that he cuts very short, Maker is a master metalsmith. He is as silent as he is strong, and when he does speak it is usually to the point. He is one of Benefice's few truly closer friends, the two men often spend long nights together, with Benefice speaking of the history of Godsrest and his dreams for the future, while Maker listens gravely and occasionally interjects a single pointed comment or question.
The Wisdom - Midwife and healer, she was called Willow in her youth, but the only person how still calls her that is Benefice. It is an open secret that the two of them still continue an on-again off-again affair that began long before Benefice's wife died. Wisdom can be calming and gentle to those she believes deserve such care, or cutting and sharp to those behaving foolishly.
Sable Fletcher - Known for his equally amazing woodcraft and his ability with a bow, Sable is said to be able to sneak up on a watchful stag, skin it, and be halfway back home before it notices that it's dead. While he would be the first to laugh at such a ludicrous hyperbole, he does take a great deal of pride in the recognition of his skills.
Sable’s apprentices: Oak, Ash and Thorne. Oak is tall and burly (one of the local champion wrestlers), Ash is fair haired and handsome and a crack archer, and Thorne is the most promising woodsman of the three.
Fox Brewer - Brewmaster and master of The Sun, the village's only tavern. A jolly rotund man, who notices everything and enjoys gossip. The Sun is one of the centers of social life in Godsrest, and Fox is happy to believe that he himself stands at that center.
Buck Brewer – Fox’s son, he works in The Sun and is expected to inherit it.
Harmony Brewer – Fox’s daughter, the apprentice to The Wisdom.
