Snibbles

* In Progress.*

Before the Cataclysm

Snurk "Snibbles" Blastcrank is a ninety-two year old, three-foot-four Deep Gnome from Kraghiem. Their Mother and Grandmother told stories of the time before Kraghiem expanded far enough into the mountain to encompass the small, predominantly Gnomish settlement. All it meant to Snibbles was that they grew up in enough comfort to take an interest in intellectual pursuits.

They took to reading at a young age, and tinkering—breaking, in their mother's words—not long after. Every technological endeavor Snibbles undertook always seemed to go their way, somehow. In a grand sense, at least; Everything worked... after a fashion. However, their complexion and eyebrows paid the price for their experimentation.

It wasn't long before Snibbles ran out of books to read, and gadgets to reverse engineer. So, with some supplies, wares, and what money they had scraped together, they set off for the upper reaches of Kraghiem for the first time. It didn't take long to find another nested sub settlement—still well underground—that was willing to entertain Snibbles' proposal. They ended up trading a modified wax substance that they had created for a pack load of books and a promise: That merchants reaching that far would continue down a while longer to offer wares to Snibbles' family.

That simple expedition began a boom of information and technological advancement for the lower reaches of Kraghiem that could only be compared to the boom the entire city had experienced following the defeat of Libidine, the Three-Eyed God. Suddenly, a vibrancy of culture sparked deep in the mountains that echoed up to the fringes of the great city. Merchants regularly traveled deep into the mountain, not only bringing new knowledge, but also carrying innovations back to the surface for the entire city to benefit from.

However, word of mouth only provided so much, and Snibbles' insatiable thirst for knowledge did not allow them to rest very long before seeking out new avenues—or creating their own. As they once again set off towards the surface, Snibbles experienced the oddity of seeing their inventions being used, and even having their name recognized a handful of times. They were able to use both of those phenomena to infer how far their influence spread, and begin trading when no heads turned at the mention of their name.

This pattern continued for several years, eventually leading to Snibbles experiencing sunlight for the first time in their life, and resulting in more time spent away from home. On their first night in a proper inn, rather than renting a bed from a kind soul, they were approached by a person who identified themselves as Bart, and expressed a deep interest in Snibbles' creations. Bart proposed an exchange of information for work, which Snibbles leapt at without asking for any further details.

This meeting resulted in Snibbles learning how to efficiently transcribe—even translate, in some cases—information for a variety of uses. Whether to sell copies to a library, or record personal accounts; the applications Bart revealed were endless. Over time, Snibbles learned that Bart shared their lust for knowledge. The partnership lasted for a while, only coming to an end because of an apparent ransacking of Bart's home, resulting in his disappearance.

Largely because of Bart's disappearance—which resulted in a noticeably cooler reception on the surface—Snibbles opted to return home. They had collected more books and devices than they had been able to absorb in their time working with Bart.