Tork Gildengear d'Cannith

Tork Gildengear d'Cannith, a gnome artificer from Eberron, was accidentally transported to Neverwinter when his experimental teleportation circle malfunctioned, tearing open a rift in the multiverse. Despite being stranded in this unfamiliar world with different magical rules, he quickly found a place working at the Heroes & Hammers Forge alongside Freya Battlehammer, where his unique Eberron-style artifice skills have proven extremely valuable. While adapting to his new life and forming a close friendship with Freya, who appreciates his innovative techniques, Tork secretly conducts ongoing research into the magical differences between worlds. He carefully collects components and documentation, hoping to eventually build a device capable of bridging the multiverse that might allow him to return to his home world of Eberron.

His most striking feature is his light blue hair, which sticks out in various directions despite his attempts to tame it with leather straps and tiny metal clips (some of which are actually functional tools). The blue color seems to have intensified slightly after his multiversal accident, occasionally showing faint glowing highlights when he's deeply focused on magical work. His face is narrow for a gnome, with sharp, intelligent eyes that shift between gray and silver depending on the light. Deep laugh lines frame his eyes and mouth, evidence of his natural gnomish humor, though they're now complemented by newer worry lines across his forehead. His nose is prominent and slightly crooked from an old workshop accident. Tork's skin is tan and weathered from years of forge work, with numerous small scars and burn marks on his hands and forearms. Most notably, his right shoulder and arm bear the modified Mark of Making - an intricate pattern of blue-gold lines that sometimes glows faintly when he's working with magical items. Since his accident, the dragonmark has developed unusual metallic highlights that shimmer when catching the light. He typically wears practical, multi-pocketed work clothes in browns and deep reds, modified with numerous straps, loops and hidden compartments to hold his various tools and components. His vest and boots are made of fire-resistant leather, and his apron bears both scorch marks and the insignia of the Battlehammer Forge. His belt is adorned with multiple pouches and a custom-built tool harness of his own design. Perched perpetually atop his head or pushed up onto his forehead are brass-rimmed goggles with multiple interchangeable lenses for detailed work. When not in his work clothes, Tork favors comfortable yet dignified attire that subtly incorporates patterns reminiscent of House Cannith designs, a small homage to his former life in Eberron.

Tork Gildengear was born to a modest rock gnome family in the outskirts of Fairhaven, Aundair. His parents were skilled tinkerers who specialized in creating magical toys and minor convenience devices that were popular among the nobility. From an early age, Tork showed exceptional talent with mechanical devices, often disassembling his parents' creations and reassembling them with "improvements" that sometimes worked brilliantly and sometimes resulted in small, colorful explosions. At age 15, while repairing a broken music box for a House Cannith dignitary, Tork's dragonmark suddenly manifested a glowing pattern of blue-gold lines forming across his right shoulder blade and arm. The Mark of Making was unmistakable, a rare occurrence for someone outside the House bloodlines.

The appearance of the dragonmark changed Tork's life forever. House Cannith representatives arrived within days, offering to adopt him into the House as a distant cousin, a common practice when dragonmarks appeared in outsiders. His parents, recognizing the opportunity, reluctantly agreed. Tork was brought to the Cannith enclave in Fairhaven and enrolled in their prestigious academy. Initially, the transition was difficult, the human-dominated House often viewed gnomes as curiosities rather than equals, and some purists resented an "outsider" bearing their mark. However, Tork's natural affinity for artifice and his mark's unusual potency soon silenced most critics.

By his thirtieth birthday, Tork had earned full membership in the Thinkers Guild, the research and development branch of House Cannith. While many artificers focused on warforged development or conventional magic items, Tork became fascinated with dimensional theory and transportation magic. He theorized that the principles behind teleportation circles could be expanded to create more efficient methods of transporting goods throughout Khorvaire. The Last War was in its final years, and House Cannith saw potential military applications in his research. They assigned him a small laboratory and assistants to pursue his work, hoping for breakthrough transportation techniques that could give Aundair's forces an advantage.

In the year 996 YK, just after the Day of Mourning and shortly before the Treaty of Thronehold would end the Last War, Tork was on the verge of a breakthrough. He had developed a modified teleportation circle incorporating elements of elemental binding (borrowing techniques from House Lyrandar and House Orien) that he believed could transport objects between fixed points without the traditional magical infrastructure. On the night of the accident, Tork was working late, making final adjustments to his experimental circle. His assistant had gone home hours earlier, leaving him alone in the laboratory. When he activated the circle for a test run, something unexpected happened. Instead of creating the stable portal he expected, the magic interacted with his dragonmark in an unforeseen way. His Mark of Making flared with blinding intensity, and the teleportation circle's energies seemed to feed directly from it. The pain was excruciating as the mark's power was channeled into the circle. Magical energies swirled chaotically, creating a multicolored vortex. Tork tried to shut down the experiment, but the process had become self-sustaining. Arcane lightning crackled throughout the laboratory, destroying months of research notes and equipment. As the laboratory began to collapse around him, Tork made a desperate attempt to stabilize the portal using his dragonmark's innate magic. For a moment, it seemed to work—the chaotic energies coalesced into what appeared to be a stable portal. But instead of closing, the portal pulled him in with irresistible force.

What Tork experienced next defies easy description. He felt himself stretched across an impossible distance, tumbling through planes of existence never meant for mortal eyes. He glimpsed fragments of countless worlds, some eerily similar to Eberron, others utterly alien. For what seemed like both an eternity and an instant, he existed in a state between realities, his consciousness barely held together by the magic of his dragonmark. Throughout this journey, his mark burned with constant pain, leaving permanent scarring that slightly altered its pattern. The experience fundamentally changed his connection to the mark, giving him occasional flashes of insight into the workings of the multiverse that few artificers can claim.

When reality reasserted itself, Tork crashed into existence in an alleyway of Neverwinter (1488 DR), his clothes smoking and his tool kit (which had somehow made the journey with him) scattered around him. It was night, and the stars above were in unfamiliar patterns. His dragonmark was painfully visible, glowing through his torn shirt. Disoriented and injured, he was found by a patrol of the Neverwinter Guard, who were suspicious of the strange gnome with glowing markings who appeared in a flash of light. He was initially held for questioning, suspected of illegal magical activities. It was Freya Battlehammer who vouched for him, having been called to examine his unusual tools and devices. The dwarf craftswoman recognized quality workmanship when she saw it, even if some of the techniques were unfamiliar. She offered to take responsibility for the strange gnome, giving him work and a place to stay while he recovered. Over the following weeks, as Tork came to terms with being stranded in an unfamiliar world, he and Freya developed a mutual respect. His innovative techniques and her traditional dwarven craftsmanship complemented each other perfectly, and soon the Heroes & Hammers Forge began producing items that combined the best of both worlds, developing a reputation for unique magical items that couldn't be found elsewhere in the Sword Coast. While outwardly adapting to his new life, Tork has never abandoned hope of understanding what happened and perhaps one day returning to Eberron or at least sending word to his family and House that he survived. His workshop at the Forge contains a hidden compartment where he keeps the remnants of his Eberron equipment and his ongoing research into multiversal travel.