Elran Gentrieve IV

Jaeg Roottrip, better known as Elran Gentrieve IV, or occasionally as the “Fourth”, is the leader of the crime syndicate the Hjimstypegn Clan. Unlike other syndicates, Gentrieve makes his gang and some of their associated business ventures known publicly, never fearing the Utopian penal system. The partially augmented Gnome relies on his guile and charm to get by in the world, and though he stands only three feet and five inches tall, his unwavering confidence and razor sharp wit could intimidate an Ogre. He allows his wealth to flow throughout his syndicate, never hesitating to throw a bonus in on a job well-done. Contrarily, if he feels betrayed or let down, his lessons in regret are imaginative and effective.

Appearance
Gentrieve is small, even by Gnomish standards. In addition to standing below average height, he is slender. His fiery red-orange hair, typically unkempt and sticking out wildly in every direction, sits in juxtaposition against his perfectly-groomed mustache and goatee combination. His face is sharply angled, and his bushy eyebrows are sharply pointed, hovering off the sides of his temple. Gentrieve lost his right eye in a chemistry accident, which he now covers at all times with a leather eyepatch. A single brass goggle rests over his remaining pale blue eye. His crow’s feet and laugh lines reflect a long life of mischievous chortles and smirks.

Elran has a decidedly Utopian sense of fashion. He favors finely tailored pinstripe suits, iridescent silken vests and ties, brass or gold jewelry and adornments, no shortage of pockets and pouches for miscellaneous vials and tools, and occasionally a leather cap or top hat to complete his look. Always punctual, he is never without his trusty pocket watch. He has replaced his right arm with a top-of-the-line mechanical body modification of his own design.

The Gnome carries himself with impeccable posture and a head held high. His flailing fingers and hand gestures express the passion behind his words. He often wears a look of smug knowingness.

Personality
Supremely confident and assertive, Gentrieve does not let his small stature inhibit him. He uses his honed wit as the sword and shield which defend himself and his legacy. Gentrieve takes immense pride in what he’s built and he will go to great lengths to see that it is successful. He is tactful, innovative, and a remarkable problem solver.

First impressions may imply that Elran is cold and stern, but he has a dry sense of humor and an easy laugh. He regularly pauses to reign in the emotions which bleed through his expressions. Gentrieve speaks with control and purpose, never blurting what shows in his face, which can give him a sense of reservation.

He has a habit of regularly checking his pocket watch or swinging it by its chain.

Always a full plate of projects, and with so little time in a day, Gentrieve keeps his interactions businesslike. He is not above a little deliberate schmoozing when the situation calls for it, but he is unlikely to sit back and have a recreational conversation with anyone. Work is his love, his passion, and his leisure. Gentrieve is a skilled engineer and chemist. When he is not working or scheming on the syndicate's behalf, he is bound to be reading or experimenting. He seldom imbibes in alcohol. Many Blind Eyes run a rumor that if Gentrieve pours himself a drink, piss-poor news is sure to follow.

Biography
Jaeg Roottrip, better known as Elran Gentrieve IV, was born in a community of forest Gnomes in the woods of southern Drehr Behrkán. His family lived in burrows beneath the grand trees, foraged for food, and lived away from civilization unlike their cousins in Wixicroft. As a coming of age tradition, forest Gnomes must break away from their communities and travel, whether they travel around the world or only a few miles away. The Gnomes must then decide whether to return to their lives in the brush or accept the new lives they’ve found.

When it came time for his departure, Gentrieve knew very little of the world, so he tracked down a tribe of Dendroid and soaked in the information they had to share. Naturally they told young Roottrip of a nation of Gnomish kind known as Wixicroft. They described the Gnomes as a proud people, innovative and ambitious, who have made world renowned breakthroughs in science and magic. Roottrip’s interest had peaked. He hopped a train, an exciting experience in itself, and rode it to Villyx in Wixicroft.

The city was unlike anything Jaeg had ever laid eyes on. The hustle and bustle of Gnomes coming and going intrigued him to no end. Where could all these people be going? What strange, important tasks were pulling them in such a rush? The young Gnome was excited find out, if a little unsure of where to start in this overwhelming environment.

Though a bit hesitant at first, it did not take long for Roottrip to dive in and discover the Wixicroft way of life. He began as an apprentice to Su Burnerman, a woman gifted in tech enchantment. Tech enchantment is a technique in which the user places an enchantment upon a piece of machinery or other technology, typically allowing for the use of magic as a power source. Roottrip learned rapidly and quickly discarded the notion of ever returning to his life in the burrows. Though Jaeg was content with the life he’d stumbled upon, he still yearned for something else. Magic and enchantment were no stranger to him and the forest Gnomes. He was much more interested in the tinkering perspective, so once again Roottrip uprooted and moved to the what was known as the science capital of the world.

He used some of the money he’d saved up to take the teleporter from Wixicroft to Skyaard, then walked and hitchhiked his way to Rondale. The rumors could never live up to the real life experience of Utopia. Robotics were commonplace in the magnificently advanced city. Patrolbots scoured every corner of the city day and night. Black Square was booming with the businessmen and -women, and Jaeg knew he had found his new home. Never to his memory had he ever been so elated. Unfortunately the rumors had not warned of what would come; the plight that had burdened so many immigrants before him.

Jaeg Roottrip was a quick learner but had little experience compared to the hundreds of aspiring tinkers around him. Worse yet, he was nearly flat broke. He’d spent his humble savings on the journey to Rondale. This meant he’d had no coin, the universal language, to give his name significance, no spare copper to get him through the Tinker’s College. He was nobody, a small fish in a massive and highly competitive pond, and to top it all off, he spoke primarily an obscure dialect of Gnomish. His immense potential was concealed within a tiny, indistinctive package and behind a voice no one could understand.

For many years, Jaeg lived on the streets in the slums. He picked up odd-jobs where he could, but never made enough to claw his way out of the pit he’d found himself in. He was depressed, the taste of failure unrelentlessly lingering at the back of his throat. He contemplated running back to his former life among the trees of Drehr Behrkán, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t enough coin to get back by ship or teleporter. This period in the young Gnome’s life taught him a cruel lesson in resilience.

After years of living around Rondale, the ever-adaptable Roottrip began to pick up the Common tongue. With it, he began establishing and building interpersonal connections with the men and women around him, many of whom had fallen on hard times themselves. He began to gain confidence, recognizing that perhaps it wasn’t he who had failed Rondale, but Rondale which had failed him. One of the most defining turning points for Jaeg thus far in his life in Rondale was a relationship he’d created with a young Human by the name of Harmon Vutap. Vutap was a chemist born into the Kingpin’s crime organization. The young man made note of Roottrip’s intellect and coachability and took the Gnome in as an apprentice. This is how Jaeg Roottrip became a part of the late Kingpin’s syndicate and began work as a chemist.

Finally Roottrip was making a steady, albeit humble, income. Furthermore he had built himself a tightknit crew of friends: Harmon Vutap and his betrothed, the assassin Reyn Vancse; the Jill of all trades, smuggler, tinkerer, mercenary, and the Kingpin’s own personal bodyguard Ivica Tori; and perhaps his most unlikely friendship, the enforcement and security officer, Guthroth. With this group of friends to support him and teach him the ins and outs of Underlaw, Roottrip climbed the ranks, bought himself a small house in Slag’s Rest, and began using his growing resources to further his knowledge in chemistry, alchemy, and engineering.

After gaining some notoriety under the Kingpin, Roottrip was promoted to tormentor, a select few whose job was to dig out answers from enemies and punish betrayers by any means necessary. Though work was somewhat inconsistent, the pay was good, particularly for a job well done, and Roottrip was very good at getting what he needed.

With a small cache of coins now at his disposal, Jaeg Roottrip bought out the failing Hotel Gentrieve in Black Square. He renovated the hotel and established a new business model. This would not be your average inn. Anyone who wanted to stay in Black Square ought to be paying good money for the experience. He kept prices relatively inexpensive on the lower stories, but exponentially boosted prices on rooms with a view. The right gossip in the right ears turned the Hotel Gentrieve into the place to be, a status symbol akin to staying on the Acropolis. Business took off, and Roottrip’s coin purse filled to bursting.

Of course with wealth comes reputation. Jaeg Roottrip changed his name to Elran Gentrieve IV, (the first through third, of course, never existed) to give off the impression of a lineage of proud and successful businessmen. To further improve business, Gentrieve knew he needed more than an impressive name. He needed to fit in with the people to whom he’d hoped to sell rooms. He built himself a bionic right arm, performing the surgery entirely on his own. The arm has undergone several upgrades since.

One day while Gentrieve was attempting to create an alchemical elixir to aid in his inquisition work, the concoction reacted unpredictably and erupted in his face. The burns eventually healed, but the Gnome’s right eye was damaged beyond repair. Today he is usually found wearing a leather eye patch to cover the scarred mess left behind.

Gentrieve continued to gain reputation, and as he did so, he grew closer to his boss. He became one of the Kingpin’s consultants, and together they discussed business plans. During these days, he learned what it took to run a successful crime syndicate. He learned how to make quick, unerring decisions. Not least of all, he learned of the corruption with which the Kingpin ran his prized organization, of the abuse, cheating, lying, stealing, and mistrust with which he treated his underlings. Gentrieve fantasized about how successful the gang could be under proper management. With the Wolf Brigade growing, many of the Kingpin’s pawns fled to the Alphas to pledge their alliance. Something had to be done about the Kingpin, and somebody had to do it. That person would be Elran Gentrieve IV.

Gentrieve had a plan, but he would need help to carry it out. He used his infamous charisma to convince his friends to assist in dethroning the Kingpin. It started with Reyn Vancse’s expertise. While Guthroth stood guard at the storehouse, Vancse picked the lock and stole a shipment of wraithrose, a poisonous flower which could be processed and ground into a powder to form a potent drug. Harmon Vutap used his alchemical knowledge to create a liquid concentration of the wraithrose poison potent enough to kill a Centaur. He designed the elixir to bind to its powder form and dry out rapidly to decrease the likelihood that it would be detected. He also created an antidote for the poison. Once again it was Vancse’s turn. While Ivica Tori lured the Kingpin out to the arena, Vancse would sneak into his chamber to poison his drug stash. The Kingpin’s chambers always had two guards on duty. Gentrieve created a diversion to distract one guard, while, once again, Guthroth pretended not to notice the Dark Elf as she slithered through the doorway.

Everything was in place, and now the rebels’ fates were entirely in Tori’s hands. She seduced the Kingpin to get into his room, and convinced him to sample his supply. Together they partook of the extraordinarily potent wraithrose late into the night. Tori injected her antidote before they both passed out. By morning Ivica Tori’s crocodile tears had swayed the guards to believe there had been an accident. Medics concluded the Kingpin had overdosed.

Naturally gossip bred different rumors as to what had transpired. Gentrieve grew paranoid, worried what would become of him if anyone could unravel that he had masterminded the mutiny. He scrambled and pinned the blame on Ivica Tori. He claimed the Kingpin’s place at the top of the chain, exiled Tori, and sent Vutap out to sea to pirate and smuggle on behalf of his syndicate. Reyn Vancse disappeared, and many claim that Gentrieve had her killed. All that remained of his core friend group was Guthroth, his right hand man. Guthroth may have been dealt with as well, but he sought out Gentrieve to pledge fealty. Gentrieve told the behemoth of an Ogre that he needed something to prove trust, a token or an action. Without hesitation, Guthroth unsheathed his dagger. He jabbed the sharp blade into his right eye socket and popped out the monstrous eyeball in a bloody mess. He dropped the organ on the Gnome’s desk, providing both the token and the action.

Years later, after the dust had settled, Gentrieve publicly confessed to murdering the Kingpin and usurping his position. Since then, Gentrieve has innovated the syndicate game beyond comparison, branching out to other cities and even setting up bases in other nations. The Hjimstypegn Clan as it became known is now the wealthiest crime organization in Utopia, and Gentrieve has ties all over the world. He cleared out a floor in the Hotel Gentrieve, which can now only be accessed via a hidden elevator, as a base for his syndicate.