Tiktok

==Tiktok==
Race: Gnome 
Age: 41 (Approximate) 
Birthplace: Gnomeregan 
Class: Rogue
Professions: Engineer/Mining
Affiliations: Friend and patron of the Wisps and Spirits, one of many Gnomeregan exiles. 
Appearance: Tiktok has a bright red shock of hair. He has pale blue eyes, bordering on gray, with crows' feet at their edges from smiling so often. If you look closely you can see what appear to be very jagged scars on his throat, peeking out from behind his red beard. A series of notebooks of all shapes and sizes peak out from his pack and from his clothing. He has an elaborate silver plated pen, of Gnomish design, hanging from a piece of twine around his neck. 
==Personality==
Tiktok is generally very social and inquisitive, although given to occasional fits of melancholy and stubborn heroism. He is unable to speak and can be most often found scratching away with a pen on a pad of paper, either drawing elaborate pictures to express what he wants to say, or writing responses to the people he is speaking with. He frequently has an impish grin on his face as he watches others try and decipher his drawings. Eventually he will just write down what he means and look a little guilty about not doing so sooner. He is an inventor and a dreamer at heart, although sordid rumors have been bandied about in some quarters that he will occasionally write poetry as well. But this is sheer folly; everyone knows that Tiktok is most likely working on a design for a new invention, such as his "Gnomatic Excursion Vessel." 
==History==
===Childhood===
Tiktok was born into the respectable Quillgrinder family in Gnomeregan. He had one younger sister named Spindle, two parents (names unknown) and a mysterious uncle named Happepert. Tiktok grew up following in his father's footsteps, training to become a Gnomish inventor. His sister Spindle, however, always suspected that this was not what Tiktok really wanted for himself. Spindle shocked their parents by telling them that she would not become an inventor, but rather, wanted to be a cutpurse and a rogue. She spent most of their childhood devising games for sneaking up on Tiktok. During the fall of Gnomeregan Spindle used her stealthy abilities to help save Tiktok from the invading Troggs. They eluded the Troggs for weeks, sneaking from alley to alley through Gnomeregan. Sadly, Tiktok and Spindle's parents, along with most of Gnomeregan, died during the Trogg invasion. 
After several weeks of hiding Tiktok and Spindle finally holed themselves up in a gunpowder storage room in one of the upper levels of Gnomeregan. As the Troggs beat down the door Spindle told Tiktok to light the gunpowder on fire as she breathed her last, prefering to blow herself up rather than be taken by the Troggs. Tiktok fulfilled his sister's dying wish and lit the gunpowder, assuming that he too would die. To his surprise the giant explosion ripped through the earth, tossing his unconscious body above ground and into the snow outside of the fallen Gnomish city. Luckily for Tiktok a dwarvish scout on patrol found him and carried him back to Ironforge. After several weeks in the infirmary Tiktok was no longer near death, but his wounds had left him unable to speak. The Priest who had been healing him and the dwarven scout wrongly assumed that Spindle's knives and equipment, which they found near Tiktok's body, belonged to him. Rather than argue with them, Tiktok started his new life in Ironforge, allowing everyone to think that he was a rogue, which he eventually became. 
===The Wisps and Spirits===
In his travels Tiktok eventually made his way to the Wisps and Spirits Tavern in Stormwind. There he met a wonderful array of people, including the Wisps 'N' Spirits staff themselves. He was overjoyed to meet other gnomes so far from Gnomeregan such as Jinx,Tweck and Jinx's sister Bipney. He met the mysterious Pook, who soon went through a rather dramatic change. He also met Dazin, Saraich,Tekaan, Tybilt and many others. After what is recorded in the remaining journals of Tiktok as "The Cromwell Incident" many of Tiktok's new friends from the Wisps 'N' Spirits were mystically split in half. It is rumored that after Jinx became divided and her new division/sister Redux appeared, that Tiktok was on the cusp of a growing affection for the silverhaired Redux, before embarking on his return to Gnomeregan. It is even rumored that Tiktok was her escort at the Scarlet Ball in Stormwind, hosted by the Scarlet Knights, but that is all conjecture, because many reliable sources say that they saw Redux running away from the ball in tears. Tiktok had many other wonderful adventures centered around the Wisps 'N' Spirits Tavern. One evening Tiktok ran into Tweck and a rather odd looking gnome named Guhrosh. Eventually Guhrosh divulged to Tiktok that she was in fact a forsaken girl named DroshDerling. Tiktok was so inspired by Drosh's ingenious disguise that he disappeared for several week into his workshop working on the Gnomatic Excursion Vessel. 
===The Gnomatic Excursion Vessel===
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After being inspired by Drosh's ingenious gnome-suit disguise, Tiktok disappeared into his workshop and constructed a giant, mechanical Snapjaw Turtle. The metal turtle had a collar around its neck with the phrase "NotTiktok" embossed on it. Tiktok bribed an Ironforge Griffonmaster into dropping the mechanical turtle into the middle of the barrens, close to an oasis. While in the barrens Tiktok happened upon an aging, nearly blind Troll hunter named Selassi, who was having problems being able to tame and keep pets because of his eyesight. Tiktok let Selassi "tame" him and he had many adventures with his aging troll companion in the lands of the Horde, even surprising Miss Drosh at one of her singing engagements at the Drunken Kodo Tavern run by Jehotay and the other members of the Zephyr Crew. Tiktok was surprised to run into a mysterious Troll named Seletall who was working at the Kodo. He was sure that he recognized her. She looked so much like an elf he had seen at the Wisps 'N' Spirits, but he couldn't be sure. One of the most exciting parts of the evening was the moment when Tiktok's mechanical turtle brushed up against a strange looking Tauren, only to discover that the Tauren was mechanical as well, and that Tweck was riding around inside of it.
===The Return to Gnomeregan===
Even though he had many wonderful adventures with his new friends, Tiktok still felt haunted and as time went on he seemed to spend more time brooding by himself in the tavern. One day he disappeared very abruptly. He had written a series of letters to his friends and instructed the postmaster not to mail them until he had been gone for three days. Unbeknownst to those who cared so much for him, Tiktok then rushed off foolhardely, returning to Gnomregan alone. The letters he left behind were cryptic, indicating that he needed to go back for something. Many of his friends were distraught and confused by his disappearance. It is rumored that Redux may have even ventured into the bowels of Gnomeregan herself to try and help him find his way out again. Eventually, when Tiktok emerged from Gnomeregan, shaken, but still alive, he was carrying the remains of his sister Spindle. He asked his friends to help arrange for a proper burial for her. Tiktok did seem as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders after he returned. One by one he handed out elaborate sketches to his friends. Each one depicted them at their happiest, although few of them believed his story that he had actually sketched the pictures deep within Gnomregan. Tiktok insisted that while he was in the horrifying, deserted city that he had come to the conclusion that THEY were in fact his new family, and that Gnomregan held only ghosts. His friends were overjoyed to see him, but it was a bittersweet reunion. At first Tiktok refused to let anyone examine the jagged gash he had received from one of the irradiated gnomes while in Gnomeregan. Dazin, Pook, Jinx, Redux and several others all tried to heal it for him. Tiktok had made an elaborate show of letting them all know that their attempts at healing had been successful, jumping up and down and waving the arm vigorously. Redux was the only one who continued to frown and eye him skeptically, trying to peak under the bandage. Tiktok then took his leave of his friends and headed in the direction of Darnassus to find a proper place to bury Spindle. No one heard from Tiktok after he left, although his Uncle Happepert had been seen questioning people in Stormwind for weeks, trying frantically to find his nephew. Happepert is said to have told everyone that he had not seen Tiktok since before the fall of Gnomeregan. Eventually Happepert was also seen leaving in the direction of Darnassus. Tiktok eventually found a proper place to busy Spindle on a small island off the coast of Auberdine. Unfortunately, his wounds were worse than he expected and he slowly expired on the beach of the small island, next to the bundle of his sister's remains.
===The Ritual and What Happened to Happepert=== 
Several months passed after the disappearance of Tiktok. His friends feared the worst and mourned his death with heavy hearts, since he still had not returned. 
Happeppert went off in search of Tiktok and discovered his nephew’s body next to the remains of Spindle on the small island. While sobbing over it a ghostly presence appeared, announcing herself to be Anaya Dawnrunner, the ghost of a Highborne Elf. She made a deal with Happeppert; she would return Tiktok to life if Happeppert would help her perform a ritual that would return her to life as well. Unfortunately, as part of the bargain, Happeppert would slowly go mad until the ritual to revive Tiktok was complete. The culmination of the ritual would also result in Happeppert’s death; he would need to take Tiktok’s place. Happeppert agreed, vowing to save his nephew, even though he had never met him in life while he was off fighting in the great war. Anaya instructed Happeppert to take Tiktok’s journal and have his friends sign the book as part of the ritual. Also, Happeppert would need to find Tiktok’s friend Jinx and steal a Warlock tome of magic that held the incantations for the ritual. Happeppert agreed and returned to Stormwind, eventually tracking down Jinx and the rest of Tiktok’s friends and getting them to sign the book while slowly going mad. 
When Happeppert returned to Auberdine with all that was necessaray to perform the ritual Anaya’s still living lover, Cerellean, spied the strange gnome and tracked him through the forest to Ameth’Aran. Cerellean watched as the ghost of his beloved began the horrible ritual that would take Happeppert’s life. He interrupted the ritual at a key moment telling her that she must not do such things. Cerellean gallantly stepped in to take Happeppert’s place, causing his own death. Tiktok was revived only to be greeted by an excited Happepert and two elvish ghosts. He promptly fainted. After the ritual, Happeppert’s madness subsided but he lost most of his arcane knowledge. Tiktok and Happeppert moved into a small wagon in Lakeshire in the Redridge Mountains, next to the town’s small graveyard. Happeppert spends his days studying to re-learn his arcane lore while Tiktok does most of the work cleaning up and cooking all the food for his eccentric uncle.
===Tiktok's Return=== 
Tiktok was overjoyed to be revived and reunited with his friends following the ritual. His reappearance came as a shock to many of them, especially Redux. Tiktok and Redux have slowly started admitting to each other that they may have feelings that are more than friendship. At the very least, they have both sworn to be honest with each other from now on. Tiktok had emotional reunions with many other of his friends as well, all of whom made him swear that he would try to not go off and get into trouble on his own quite so frequently. In one memorable reunion Pook picked Tiktok up off of the ground and Flamebeard had to tell her to stop crushing Tiktok’s ribs.
===Dragon-Gnomes and Lady Prestor=== 
One day, after Tiktok's return, Dazin went drinking with him in a tavern and started telling him tales about dragons. Dazin told Tiktok gravely of Lady Prestor and her true, draconian form. Tiktok asked Dazin to show him the dragon and they went to the throne room. Once there, Lady Prestor bewitched Tiktok, making him fall deeply in love with her. Dazin tried to reason with him but Tiktok would not listen; he was too deeply smitten with the evil creature.
The next day when Tiktok saw Dazin in the park he accidentally dropped his notebook. Dazin picked it up and saw drawings of Lady Prestor with her name written over and over again in the book. Dazin spoke seriously with Tiktok, again trying to explain to him that he must be under some kind of spell. This didn’t work. Dazin then tricked Tiktok into thinking that he had a present to give to him and to Lady Prestor. The two went to the throne room and Dazin caused Lady Prestor to change into her true form while holding Tiktok in place, making him watch. Tiktok realized the folly of his ways and began fleeing the throne room. However, one of Lady Prestor’s draconian guards clubbed him on the head and he fell to the ground. 
After Dazin had a priest revive Tiktok from the conk on the head he realized that something very strange had happened to his gnomish friend. Tiktok was hissing. After the head injury Tiktok believed that he was a dragon wearing a gnome disguise. He started dressing strangely and even made a pair of paper wings that he would put on when no one was looking. 
Dazin convinced Tiktok that he, too, was a dragon and could be trusted, in order to get Tiktok to listen to him. Happeppert was also very concerned about Tiktok and told his nephew that he should be healed by a priest or druied so that he could “take his true form” once again. This was a trick to try and get Tiktok to seek medical attention. Dazin eventually convinced Tiktok that he should try to speak with Pook to see if she could heal him and allow him to take his “true form.” Dazin took Tiktok to Pook and Erunamo. They tried to reason with him and at one point Eranemo suggested that Tiktok take his true form. Tiktok became angry when Pook suggested that he was not really a dragon and he ran away from the group, making his way to the griffon riders on the Stormwind walls. He jumped from the walls, full expecting to transform into a terrible, green dragon. Instead, he plumetted into the moat, conking himself on the head again, against one of the rocks. This second jar to the head righted his mind and he no longer believed he was a dragon, although he was a little confused about what he was doing swimming in the moat.
===The Travel Log and Empirical Evidence=== 
After Tiktok returned to the wagon and told Happeppert the story of what happened with Lady Prestor, Happeppert gave Tiktok a strange, gnomatic contraption and instructed him that he would need to start using the machine to take pictures of his adventures, lest people start to call the Quillgrinders a family of liars. Tiktok reluctantly took the machine and began working on a series of travel logs that he has titled "Bad Places for Gnomes to Be; a Memoir." He has been publishing these accounts of his adventures under Happeppert's direction, although some of their friends, such as Jinx, Bipney and Redux, have sent letters to Happeppert warning him of the danger such an experiment might entail. Happeppert has been eating the letters to hide them from Tiktok so that he will continue with the Travel Log, which he finds highly amusinng, and necessary, given their family honor.
===Recent Times=== 
In recent times Tiktok has been split in half, rejoined, and formed a somewhat suspect, agricultural organization called "The Farming Collective."
Category:Alliance
Category:Gnome
Category:Rogue
Category:Miner (A)
Category:Engineer (A)