Pedro Jobbnar Volantus

You ever see on of those ships that sail through the air and wonder "how does that even work"? Well, the gnome who made them once asked the same sort of questions about everything in our world. Folks say the inventor, Volantus, traveled the world in his youth, gathering secrets and knowledge and creating new gizmos as he went. To be fair, a gnome's youth can extend into it's early hundreds, so don't feel so bad if you don't get as much done in yours. Anyway, folks say he traveled to the desert continent of Alshams Al'ard, where he first laid eyes on the floating bird-folk city called the Golden Eyrie, and that sparked a fire in his mind that would eventually result in those ships. Damned if I know how they work though. I travel the landand punch folks, I'm not really one for books.

Hurok Stone-fist, Toa'ana traveler

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Growing up in Tonacali, deep within the Bloodwood, Pedro was burdened with a love for knowledge and a thirst for the unknown. In his secluded home, he took every opportunity to learn, from the arcane secrets of the elves and forest gnomes, to the tinkering and smithing knowledge that his own rock gnome people were known for. But even this could not quench Pedro's thirst, and so on the eve of his 80th year, he set forth to discover the secrets of the world.
From Kaldrold to Teikokami, Pedro traveled all across Gyrraholm, gleaming information from different cultures about everything from food preparation, to boat building, leaving gnomish gadgets in his wake. His greatest discovery, however, was one that had been lost to the ages. The Avian city known as the Golden Eyrie had long called the sky it's home, suspended far above the twisting sands below it, but it's existence has always been attributed to the Monumentals, particularly Akhomat the Skyfather, who gifted the floating citadel to his closest followers. The citadel was rather isolated for a very long time, and the only outsiders to gain entry did so with the approval of it's leaders, and usually made their way into the cloud wreathed settlement with the help of the Eyrie's own giant eagles. Pedro managed to gain favour with a group of traveling Avian, who in turn would help him into the city. Once there, Pedro would spend hours a day scouring the city for any secret to it's aerial nature.
Eventually, during a particularly dangerous climb (to the underside of the floating city), Pedro discovered the presence of hundreds of crystals that gave of a dim golden glow. Chipping a piece off of one of these minerals and rushing back to his makeshift workshop at a local inn would be the breakthrough he had longed for.
The substance, when exposed to wind elementals and integrated into another object correctly, would allow that object to float. With a larger chunk of crystal, the object would float higher. With a little gnomish ingenuity, and years of effort, scouring the sands of Alshams A'lard for more mineral deposits and building a suitable apparatus, Pedro's labours eventually bore fruit. An airship, with the look of a Wildehart frigate but without any sail to speak of. The crystals, dubbed Volantium, in his honour, would be used to power the ship's vertical and horizontal movement, allowing for aerial travel of not unimpressive speed, without having to deal with beasts with a mind of their own.
Now, centuries later, the Golden Eyrie is far more accessible to outsiders, and the Volantus trading company, run by Coyolt's grandchildren exists as the greatest beneficiary of the Airship design, trading goods across Gyrraholm without fear of sea-based pirates or other land-based threats

Accomplishments & Achievements

As far as the records of the city say, Pedro was the first gnome to step foot in the Golden Eyrie itself, before learning the secrets of the crystals that held the floating citadel aloft and reverse engineering it to create airships. Now, the crystal mediums used to power these airships are referred to as Volantium, in his honour, and travel between the mainland of Alshams Al'ard and the Eyrie is commonplace. Pedro also established a partnership with a forest gnome from his once home, who had established a successful trading caravan in his absence. The gnome woman, named Gabriella, would go onto marry Pedro with their respective pursuits combining to create what would become the Volantus Trading Company.

Failures & Embarrassments

An early endeavour of Volantus could be seen as a sign of things to come, though was nowhere near as successful as the Airships he would one day design. A balloon crafted from dried animal bladders stitched together and suspended above a small basket. When a fire was lit beneath the balloon, it would (in theory) fill with hot air and rise. Though the contraption did rise a few feet, the fire underneath it burned out of control, setting fire to Coyolt's creation, as well as his workshop.

Mental Trauma

Aside from a mild phobia of uncontrolled flame, PedroJobbnar Volantus was more curious than fearful. His constant need for more knowledge would leave him with mild insomnia, unable to sleep until the latest problem or question had been solved. This would eventually become more severe, leaving him sleepless, even on the rare occasion where he had no mysteries to keep him occupied.

Life

120 UE 167 PCE 287 years old

Eyes

Golden Brown

Hair

Long, dark and often frizzy

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned, slightly red

Height

3'5''

Weight

39 lb