I wanted someone who transforms the seemingly eternal into something even more lasting. Obsidian takes millions of years to form; she liquifies it in hours to make ink that will outlast empires. There's something deliciously paradoxical about destroying geological time to create human permanence. The Oroqen bring their reindeer leather and their comfort with vast wilderness; the Cantabrians bring their cliff-dwelling audacity and Atlantic stubbornness. She's not precious about her power — she's been doing this long enough that destruction feels like breathing. That's what I wanted to capture: the joy of competence in dangerous work. — Volt