- This article is about the weaver. For the human, see Hedy Braum (human).
Hedy Braum, also known as Other Hedy, was the first weaver to come to Marielda.
Appearance[edit | edit source]
Hedy's small body is smooth and very elastic; she can stretch further than most weavers. She no longer resembles the human Hedy she once seemed to be. Her voice is reminiscent of air being let out of the stretched neck of a balloon.
History[edit | edit source]
The Quiet Year[edit | edit source]
Found inside a tree in the Western Wood southwest of Marielda by a logging party, she appeared to be a stretched-out version of Hedy Braum, a woman from Canopy Row who had disappeared during the first excursion into the forest looking for wood. They brought her back to Marielda, where she quickly showed herself to be adept at weaving ropes, helping build the nets that shielded Canopy Row from the fishrocks launched by Samothes.
Although Hedy was the first weaver to come to Marielda, more soon followed, with weavers appearing at a rate matching that at which some humans would decide to leave the city for the forest as a result of the disappearance of their loved ones. However, the body of the human Hedy was later discovered, casting great doubt as to the weaver Hedy's trustworthiness. In the middle of a discussion about what to do about Hedy, an elf appeared and told the people of Canopy Row, "Give her to us, we are where she belongs." After a while, having seen the fear in people's eyes, Hedy decided to go.
She later returned to Canopy Row as a small featureless creature in elf children's clothes, apologetic but still unable or unwilling to explain why she claimed to be Hedy Braum. She told the community she wanted to help and began fixing the holes in their net that have formed since she left.
In spite of the mistrust some held for her, others came to support her, and when Tamsyn tried to get people to force her out of the community, they ended up supporting Hedy, and Tamsyn left for the army instead.
As Samot's forces approached, Hedy brought back a battalion of other weavers from the forest to protect Canopy Row. Their abilities went a long way towards protecting the community in the coming war.
Later endeavors[edit | edit source]
Hedy became a community leader among weavers, leading a group known as the Weaver Union that petitioned for workers' rights and acceptance. The Weaver Union allied itself with the Black Slacks and the cobbins of Black Sand Alchemical, and the three took control of Emberboro, Iris, and parts of Helianthus Parish. She is regarded with disdain or hostility by elves and weavers in Quince Parish and the Western Woodswho believe that rather than pushing for acceptance in Marielda, they should be moving back toward a less industrial society.
In "Four Conversations," Hedy meets with Sige in Quince Parish, home of the elves, hiding in an alley and saying that "They can't see me here, they don't like me anymore, but I said I would do a favor for a friend," and leads him to meet with Samol in the forest.