Dagny

Dagny is a smallfolk who operates as a blacksmith and armorer from within The Merry Mermaid brothel on Harlaw in the Iron Islands.

Background
Dagny is not quite sure where she was born. In 358 AC, she was found in a boat as a baby, alone, floating near Harlaw. She stayed in an orphanage until she was three, when it was burned down in a riot during the Summer Plague. Soon after, she was taken in by Black Jack, a widower and blacksmith who lost his only son to the sickness. After initially chastising her for wandering too close to the forge and playing with his weapons, he decided to let her assist him. Dagny took naturally to smithing, and began to become known to Black Jack's customers as "The Dagger", for her precise and quick turnaround for the titular weapon. She made a particularly intricate dagger for herself, which she named Swordfish.

Black Jack passed away when Dagny was nine, and his landlord kicked her out shortly after. While begging in the streets, Dagny was given some money by Eliza, a cleaning girl at Bethanny's brothel, The Merry Mermaid. Eliza was enamored by Dagny's dagger, and suggested that she sell it, since it would fetch a good price. Dagny refused, stating that she made it herself at Black Jack's smithy before he died. Eliza pointed out to Dagny that the smithy still lay unused, and that the landlord rarely visited the place.

For several years, Dagny secretly operated in the smithy, serving Black Jack's old customers. Her and Eliza became best friends, and Dagny won favor with Bethanny by arming her brothel's guards with better weapons and armor.

When Dagny was thirteen, a man attempted to rape her in an alley. She stabbed him several times with Swordfish, castrating and killing him.

Eventually, Dagny decided to pay the iron price for the smithy. Bethanny allowed it to be moved into the "cursed", and unused, Red Room of the Merry Mermaid. In retaliation, the landlord paid a band of sellswords to bring the equipment back and cut off Dagny's hands, but were beaten back by the brothel's guards. When they realized that their arms and armor were superior -- and made by the very girl they were paid to attack -- they abandoned the fight and turned on the landlord for lying to them about the security of the brothel. Dagny then moved into the Merry Mermaid for good, where she provided cheap, but quality arms and armor for the ironborn.

Personality
Growing up as a poor ironborn girl apprenticed to a blacksmith, Dagny had to learn toughness from a very early age. Black Jack rarely treated her differently because of her gender, but he warned her that opportunities for her in the trade would not be easy if she didn't cultivate and keep a loyal list of customers. As such, Dagny treats all of her customers like lords, though this does lead her to be taken advantage of for her willingness to drop her prices incredibly low.

While Dagny is tough, she is also bubbly and respectful, especially to those who have been good to her throughout her difficult life. Unlike Eliza, Dagny has no interest in books or education, but she likes to ask a lot of questions. She has dreams of going on a boat now that she's old enough to remember what it feels like, but has very little ambition to make it happen.

Since Dagny lives in a brothel, she is surrounded by sex, and does enjoy listening to stories of exploits by Eliza and the other prostitutes. Eliza has several times suggested that Dagny sell her virginity for a pretty price, but Dagny brushes the idea off every time.

Dagny adopted the religion of the Drowned God mostly out of ironborn custom. Black Jack also taught her about The Faith of the Seven, though she found those gods to be particularly boring. Due to the frequent violence down at the docks, Dagny is not squeamish like other girls might be, and has even killed a man without hesitation when he attacked her. To her, the Drowned God represents opportunity, and fueled some of her motivation to pull herself out of the streets. She believes Eliza used to be a mermaid in a past life.