The room was filled with smoke. Something had gone awry, and the device he was creating had exploded.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” he said to himself. He got back on his feet and walked over to the overturned table. He looked around the room. It was in like someone had just thrown a fireball into the room. Everything was a mess.

He looked around for the remains of his device. His latest invention was supposed to put him back in the favour of the Great Artificer, but for some reasons it had blown up right in his face. He was lucky to be still alive, but gratitude was not on his mind. He wanted to find what remained of the device. Self igniting torches he had called it. One stroke after the dungeon wall and they would come alight.

Maybe he had used too much black-powder, but he wasn’t sure. One could never use too much black-powder. Black-powder was one of Gonds great inventions, one so great that even the Great Artificer dared not speak of it except mentioning Gonds name first.

Somewhere a in the church a bell tolled. Redknop looked up. The bell tolled again. Redknop smiled for he knew that it was a suppertime. If it were anything that the gnomish clerics of Gond like more than building all sorts devices and gadgets then it would be eating. And Redknop was ravenous.

He walked to the door, but on the way remembered to look in a mirror. It was fortunate for him; for he looked like he had been to the Abyss and back in a wheelchair full of black-powder. Now, that was an idea. He quickly wrote it down, wheelchair that would be driven onwards by some…. by what, Redknop thought.

Redknop came again to his senses when someone knocked on his door. A small rounded face, with a red nose and black curly hair appeared as the door opened.

“Ahh, Redkop, its you”, Redknop said to his identical twin brother. “You’ll never figure out what I just came up with!!?”

“Something to clean your room…and your face!! The Great Artificer will not be happy when he sees you like that!”

“Oh, yes…just give me a minute!”

Redknop quickly washed his face and hands and the he followed his brother to the dining hall, where all the other gnomish clerics had gathered and where begun eating the evening feast.

Though the dining hall were full of gnomes it was far from that the Temple of Gond was run by them, in fact it was only a small outpost from the great House of Wonders in Urmlaspyr. In this small temple new recruits were trained and disciples taught. It was stationed not far from the city, in Sembia. Mostly surrounded by forest, not many knew of the temples location. Part of it was because the Great Artificer Yanneth Kerigg developed there his latest inventions and his reputation, as a weapon-smith was renowned.
Suddenly a loud noise, one that sounded like a thunder, tore through the dining-hall. The clerics were thrown off their seats and the servants fled for cover. The huge wooden door flew open and a couple of temple-guards came running.

“The temple is under attack! The East-wing is on fire!” one of the guard roared. He turned and ran out the door again. Most of the clerics ran after him and prepared themselves to defend the temple. Redknop, not used to warfare, didn’t know what to do. He looked at his brother but Redkop had already gone out the door, following the other clerics.

“Blast this to the nine hells! Couldn’t they have waited till I had finished eating!!?” he said and ran after his brother. The hallway was mostly on fire and from outside he could hear that a battle had begun. Since he couldn’t get out through the hallway, he had to turn and go through the kitchen.

When he finally found his way out, the battle was over. It had been swift but bloody. Most of the Gondish clerics lay there dead or dying. He could see the mutilated body of his brother. Tears filled his eyes and every nerve cried out to him that he should have been there with him. He could hear that there were still some survivors in the temple and that they were trying resist whoever was attacking the temple.

Redknop went back inside same way he came. He found a suitable place and hid himself. He didn’t know how long he waited but when he finally dared to crawl from his hiding place, day had risen again and the attackers were long gone by then. He took some time to bury the dead and collect his things.

He decided on going to Urmlaspyr to report the atrocity to the Great Artificer. When he came to the House of Wonders, he was told that High priest and Noble Artificer Kerigg was missing and they didn’t have any time for small people like him.

Thus began the journeys of Redknop, Gonds wonder-worker, cleric by profession and adventurer.