Laro

Overview

Laro is an extramuros traveler who boards a small smuggler sledge alongside Dag and Brajj during a north-south crossing toward an icebound coastal port. He is identified in-scene by a fellow passenger as one of the Deolaters. After surviving a crevasse fall and being taken for treatment at a local Kelx clinic, he is later seen in Mahsht, brought forward as a "witness" by a group of Gheeths to accuse an avout involved in the mountain incident.

Appearance and Traits

• Seen bundled in a cold-weather suitsack, huddling under a blanket with Dag; not notably talkative over engine noise.
• In crisis he prays rapidly with Dag, and, on reviving after the fall, cries out to his deity (consistent with how travelers describe the practices of Deolaters).
• Later sighting shows his leg immobilized in a military-issue cast.

Roles and Actions

• Passenger on a one-sledge smuggler rig that peels away from a long sledge train before an inspection sweep, aiming to reach the coast by a mountain pass.
• During a halt, joins Dag in staring at a massive military convoy in the valley below and nearly gets stranded before scrambling back aboard.
• After the drivers abandon the sledge to seek fuel, helps repurpose gear for an over-snow trek.
• Falls during a steep descent when the party crosses unprobed snow; a botched knot on his line is later observed as the likely failure point.
• Is recovered alive from a crevasse after a companion (an avout traveler later identified as Erasmas) improvises with a bolt, chord, and sphere to first self-extract and then cocoon and tow Laro on an air-bed over snow.
• In Old Mahsht, arrives by pedal-cab as a "witness" among Gheeths; he points out the same avout and asserts to onlookers that the "vout" saved himself but left "our kinsman Dag" for dead. Crowd leaders use this testimony, together with the avout's concealed gear, to rally a vigilante attack. The account reflects Laro's statements and the crowd's interpretation; formal authorities are not seen taking a report at that moment.

Relationships

• Dag: Fellow traveler and apparent close kin; Laro's later statement calls him "our kinsman." Dag is presumed dead after the same fall that injured Laro; this remains unconfirmed beyond circumstances.
• Brajj: Fellow passenger who takes charge during the over-snow trek; his priorities are pragmatic and, at times, ruthless. He eventually separates from the party near the convoy's track.
• Erasmas: An avout traveler who assists in Laro's rescue from the crevasse and tows him toward the port; later, Laro publicly identifies him in Mahsht as the "vout" he blames for Dag's fate. Subsequent events at the square are driven by the crowd as much as by Laro's words.

Current Status

Alive but injured in the aftermath of the mountain descent; first seen under care at a charity clinic and later sighted in Mahsht with a leg in a cast. After the crowd disperses, no further information about Laro's movements or condition is provided.