Barent-Lukas "Plug" Ploegmakers, Gnome Artificer

He has been mostly out of work
since the uneasy peace came and the treaty of Thronehold was signed.
Now he is rather mercenary in his outlook, selling his services to
the highest bidder.  He doesn't so much care where his next big
paycheck comes from, as long as the client doesn't seem like obviously
bad news to the rest of existence.  When he is not on the job, he
is a bold tinkerer who works mostly on items for himself, overcoming
the limitations (relative to humans) that are part of being a gnome.
He is also on the lookout for any nifty new devices, or the recipes
to make them, and he's not opposed to traveling long distances to
obtain them.

Grew up and trained in Zilargo, in the city of Zolanberg.  It was
here that he learned the importance of the artificer's craft, and
to be nimble both mentally and physically in taking care of the
city's great mineral wealth.  Goblins and kobolds provided convenient
field test subjects for many of his early devices.

During the Last War, he was summoned to contracted to assemble (and
perhaps some day design) some of the elemental-bound devices which
were sold to Breland.

Loyalty: mostly self-serving, and very dedicated to increasing his
personal and material wealth.  Not so much a fan of particular
organizations.  Great respect for Houses Cannith, Kundarak, and
Sivis.

Relations: Mother works for House Sivis (in bureaucratic capacity,
so she claims).  Father occasionally engages in high-priced consulting
for House Cannith.  Both parents try to keep arms' length from their
employers.  Brother tries to get involved in complicated intrigues
so that he might have a leg up on someone someday, but really earns
most of his money by gambling, swindling non-gnomes, and trying to
stay one step ahead of the law in Trolanport.

Magic in general: If you've got it, use it and don't half-ass it.

Why in Sharn: The protection racket, while it was a fine way to cut
one's teeth, just got too dull after a while.  Aren't there more
interesting problems to solve, or at least other races out there
for live-fire field tests?  Go where the action is, so that's why
he's here.