Born and raised in the hills of the country, Restrop Stoneheart led a simple life. His father a blacksmith and his mother a baker, he was the only child of a small family of modest means. Living was absent of conflict until the time came for Restrop to choose a line of work. The expectation was he'd follow in his father's footsteps at the forge, but Restrop showed little promise for working with tools. In fact, very uncommon for his kind, the Dwarf preferred to omit devices from his daily life, preferring only the simplest apparatuses to see use from him. Initially, he didn't know why he opted for the more primitive methods – breaking his mother's bread with his hands instead of using a knife, moving objects by hand instead of using a pack or cart – but he felt more at ease relying on himself for actions as much as possible. This queerness caused his clan to ostracize him over time, and the process was accelerated when young Stoneheart responded to the shunning by distancing himself even further; he spoke to few outside his family, and almost always when necessity demanded the speech. His introspection gave Restrop great wisdom, especially for one so young (for his race), and since this insight manifested itself during the seldom times he did speak, an awkward mix of avoidance and respect of him came about from his community. The adolescent did, however, retain his race's obsession with stone, though he didn't really care so much for how it was worked as opposed to how solid it was. This focus materialized itself in actions Restrop took to make himself more like the rocks he was so fond of: strong, enduring, and unbreakable. He began a set of training regimens to tone his body, attempting to made it as impenetrable as the hardest granite.
To the surprise of few, the red-bearded dwarf left soon after he reached adulthood. Restrop had decided he needed to be away from the criticism of others and focus on training himself further. Many expected he'd remove himself to the wilds to be a hermit of sorts, but instead – and only his parents knew this – he set out for the big city. There, he believed, he would find someone who understood his desire to make his body more perfect, and there, he believed, he could find someone capable of showing him how to do so. He found a monastery which took him in, and though none of his kind were denizens of it, he felt oddly at home. The simple life among like-minded individuals seemed perfect for him.
For a while, it was. As he approached the level of expertise his instructors possessed, however, Restrop grew restless. No further challenge awaited him at the monastery, and he felt his progress would be stultified were he to remain, only reaching a resilience of limestone instead of hematite. Seeking further tests of mettle – mind, body, or spirit – he ventured about the city, searching for a trial which would challenge him...
