Backstory

Viktor Vance, born in 1842, was the second son of EnochVance, and scion of a bloodline steeped in iron and instinct. While his younger brother Silas ran with the Ironhowl Pack, Viktor’s path was bound to the forge. From a young age, he shadowed his father, learning to wield hammer and tongs with the patience and precision that would define him. His hands bore the burns and calluses of the work, earning him the name “Ironhand” after a brutal accident left his right hand scarred but unyielding.

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When his brother, Gideon, vanished in 1860 — just like his father, Enoch, before him — Viktor took control of the forge at 17. It wasn’t a choice; it was a duty. The weight of two generations of loss settled on his shoulders. Under his rule, the forge became as unyielding as his name. Monaghan’s men came with offers of gold to buy him out, but Viktor answered with iron. When one foreman demanded he “pick up the pace,” Viktor seared a red-hot horseshoe into the man’s desk. No one asked him to hurry after that.

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By 1890, Viktor’s name was as sharp as the tools he forged. His customers were miners, hunters, and outlaws alike, all knowing that a Vance blade never failed. Some whispered that the ‘V’ stamp on every tool didn’t just stand for “Vance” — it stood for “vanished,” a mark of the legacy left behind by Enoch and Gideon. His apprentices knew not to question his silence, especially when he stopped mid-swing to stare at the forge door. It had been open the night his father disappeared, and sometimes, they caught Viktor watching it like he expected something to step through.

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He never spoke of it. He didn’t have to. His gaze was warning enough. No storm. No man. No beast could break it. But something had taken his father and brother. Viktor Vance still waits to see if it will try him next.

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