Melvin

A powerful Order-wizard (a counter to Chaos), and alchemist, Melvin has thrown his lot in with the Dragons and his Dark Lady. Nobody quite know how long he's been a traitor, however.

Physical Traits

 * Race: Gnome
 * Gender: Male
 * Height: 3'4"
 * Weight: 60lbs
 * Age: 226 (looks about 100, acts about 30)
 * White-ing grey
 * Ice blue

Personality
Cruel, manipulative, cunning, intelligent. EVIL.

Pre-Game Story
A respected member of the Walrus Teeth adventuring band, Melvin turned to his business sense and alchemic skills to become Fallcrest's leading expert on potions and magical paraphenalia. A jolly little gnome with a sunny disposition and a lightning-bolt wandd gatling gun, he gained the trust the Wizard never had, and the fear of local criminals nobody else could compete with.

It was common-place during lightning storms for loud cracks to be heard, a hundred rusty gears turning, and a maniacal cackle of "IT'S ALIIIIIIIVE", before half a dozen sirens sound and a dull explosion goes off as he disposes of a yet another failed experiment.

In-Game Story
Melvin was second-place in the firecely-fought contest of "which merchant the party visits most", as a strong supplier and identifier of magical items and oddities. He won the trust, or the apathy, of most of the group with his knowledge and anti-theft measures. He first really entered the group's lives (except for one incident, in which he blew up the front of his shop to spite Gauthak) when he sensed Gauthak's death to a huge black dragon beneath the city.

Weaving many powerful spells, he bound Gauthak's wandering soul to a small tablet, and that tablet was then bound onto the body of a Warforged, a sentient automaton made of living ironwood, steel, and stone. Gauthak was alive, in exchange for a favor, to be specified later.

He next appeared at the top of Mount Khrazak, when Thyella tried killing him as he prepared to release the Dragonflights. Summoning a massive three-headed dragon, and attacked the group, activating Gauthak's geas making him turn on the party, and was subdued himself quickly, but not before being claimed by whatever lay on the other side of the Rift, caused by his ritual.

An appearance of a massive Dragon construct has led to party to believe Melvin has taken a new form, but the dragon expressed confusion at the name, and it is left unconfirmed.

The Warforged
Melvin has long experimented on the creation of life in a construct, but never truly succeeded, until he revealed Gauthak SteelArm. Since then, it has been revealed that he's succeeded many, many times. Travelling to a semi-elemental plane composed entirely of a dryad's grove, he tore out each and every Lesser Heart of the Forest, then bound and sealed them into their own automatons. These became the foundations which gave his creations movement and strength, and his own enchantments bound them to his will entirely.

Melvin now seems to have access to an army of steel warriors, fearless, tireless and without remorse.

Relationships

 * Mr Walrus: Once close allies, Melvin turned on mr Walrus, working witht he very dragon that killed Mrs Walrus. The two have since become bitter enemies.
 * Gauthak: At first the two kept a wary distance due to an incident of theft, exploding knee-potions, and a lightning gatling gun. However, for his own reasons (later shown to be malevolent), Melvin bound Gauthak into the body of a Warforged, and the two seemed at some ease, until his betrayal atop Mount Khrazak.
 * Reciful and Therai: Melvin had not been in contact too often with these two magi, but his respect for their growing power leads him to see them as the closest thing to his peers, holding their own opprotunities...
 * Elorin and Bant: Melvin barely came into contact with two before Mount Khrazak. His opinion is unformed, as he detests judging one's capabilities based solely on appearence, something as a Gnome he suffered regularly.
 * Thyella: Other than her close relationships with Mr Walrus and the Wizard, Melvin did not speak to Thyella often. Except for the time when she trie dto sneak up on him and kill him, of course. He sees her as a clear threat to his plans.

Quotes

 * Hi! How are ya?
 * I see you, Thyella.