People: Caliper Bravegear

"Do you smell that? Smells like... opportunity."

Caliper Bravegear (CR 258 Kla 18 – / AO -181 Rich 2 – ) is a gnome inventor and entrepreneur. He is notable for having been the first CEO of Coldlands Weaponry, put in charge of that organization by Fortang Diaclo after the revolution, and was instrumental in the formation of the Corporate Congress on Ganymede.

History

Caliper was born in Sharlyik in the year CR 258. As with most gnomes of the era, he took to tinkering with gusto, and while not incredibly successful, he did earn himself some minor accolades, particularly for small innovations on firearms, a field of study that primarily interested halflings and few others.

In CR 328, he decided to strike out on his own and explore the world before settling down. Taking on something of a "gentleman explorer" aesthetic, he first ventured to Molandum, traveling through the Desert of the Unspoken and the Caurak Mountains, until he eventually came to the cities of the Magocracy in CR 336. There, in the city-state of Oronteressë (oh-ron-ter-ESS-ee), he heard rumors of a potential conflict in Ashkar, where - apparently - humans and other "shorter-lived" races were kept in effective slavery by the elves. The elves of the Magocracy found the practice distasteful, but were divided as to what to do about it, and the discussion had been started by rumors that an uprising was imminent.

Caliper decided that getting involved in such a venture would be an exciting prospect and make for a good story, and so he booked passage aboard a sailing ship soon thereafter from the city of Tiriostoldó, and left for Ashkar, arriving in Alistar in CR 338. The imminence of an uprising was apparently spoken of in the elven sense of the word, however, as when Caliper arrived, everything seemed to be perfectly in order. While he was treated somewhat suspiciously at the port for being Technologically-inclined, the elves of Alistar allowed him entry, with severe warnings about sharing any sort of Technology with the shorter-lived races who lived among the elves. "Duly noted," he replied, and went on his way.

It did not take long for Caliper to find himself among the humans and other "lesser" races of Alistar, living in what were effectively slums. The general mood was sour, but Caliper detected a hint of optimism among them - something was in the works, he sensed, and he set out to find it. In CR 339, he found Fortang Diaclo, who was ostensibly planning a revolution against the elves, and attempting to build firearms. Caliper was impressed with the human's work, but he understood that the human was attempting to start from first principles. Having seen the horrors of life under the elves, Caliper decided to throw his lot in with the revolutionaries, and began teaching Fortang the finer arts of guncraft.

In CR 330, he decided that - if the revolution were to succeed - they would need significantly more support. To that end, Caliper left the would-be revolutionaries and went back out into the world, seeking out the flying city of Urilaulri, hoping that his gnomish brethren there would be willing to lend their support. While they refused to unilaterally and outright support the revolution, some individuals in Urilaulri did promise to provide support and supplies, though not overtly: there was little interest in getting involved in a potential war. With this understanding, Caliper left Urilaulri, and returned to Alistar in the winter of CR 341.

The Diaclo Revolution

Having decided that the time was right, Diaclo began his revolution in the spring of CR 342.