Charles Messing

> *"Well, armor isn't all I can make. Weapons, tools, devices, even beings."**-Charles Messing*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

## Biographical information

### Place of birth

Forge

**Charles Messing** is a Human engineer and smith operating out of his workshop in Lanerus; Messing Works. A hard-working soul obsessed with the art of automation, he strives to drive society forward with his creations.

## Appearance

A muscular build, rough hands an an almost ever-present dusting of soot and oil, the smell of metal constantly lingers around him. Sporting short chestnut hair and a medium beard, with green eyes peering out from underneath stern eyebrows.

Charles is most frequently seen clad in simple craftsman's clothes, sporting a toolbelt from which hangs a variety of metalworking tools.

## Personality

Dedicated to his work and responsibilities to society, Charles approaches most aspects of life with a pragmatic and resolute attitude. He treats the world around him like a great machine, and sees it as his duty to maintain its gears.

He has a particular passion for clockwork, and despite possessing no magical abilities of his own practices the intricate art of animating Clockwork Constructs. Most notably among which is his faithful companion Maurice.

## Background

Born in the city of Forge, Charles worked as a blacksmith's apprentice from a young age. Favoring complex mechanisms over crude slabs of metal, he quickly became enamored with the intricacies of clockwork, and would study any and all texts he could find on the craft.

With time he came upon texts describing the means of creating Clockwork Constructs. Immediately intrigued, he pooled all the money that he had earned throughout his apprenticeship into attempting such a feat, and through repeated experiments he managed to create Maurice.

Now broke, but with his new companion at his side, he bid farewell to his old life as a blacksmith, and sought to Reloria to start his new life as as an engineer.

## Inventions

### Constructs

#### Clockwork Arm

This construct is useless in a fight, but invaluable to craftsmen. Consisting of a single large arm attached to a wheeled platform, it sports a wide array of tools and is able to follow its master's instructions with such precision that it can double its master's crafting output.

### Tools and Implements

#### Clockwork Drill

This mechanical device, shaped like a bulky one-handed firearm, uses a Mechanical Battery to substutute the manual operation of a handdrill.

#### Clockwork Jackhammer

This mechanical device, shaped like a wide rod with a handle on one end and a spike on the other, converts the rotational torque of a Mechanical Battery into reciprocation motion to split apart rock.

#### Clockwork Lathe

This workbench features a clamp into which a work piece can be attached and then spun rapidly using mechanical power, allowing it to be carved with perfect radial symmetry. This process is particularly useful for crafting precise objects like clockwork and firearms, and reduces the amount of material waste, cutting the amount of material needed to craft such objects by a third.

#### Clockwork Socket

This mechanical device slots a Mechanical Battery and is designed to be attached to structures and mechanical devices. Some versions come with a reversible ratchet to toggle between charging and discharging mode.

#### Eyeball Extractor

This grotesque surgical implement made of clockwork can be affixed above a patient's eye to automatically pluck the eyeball and sever the optical nerve without risk of further harm to the patient.

#### Mechanical Battery

Inside this brass casing shaped like an octagonal prism sits a powerful mainspring attached to a driveshaft, which is not allowed to unwind unless the driveshaft is depressed. This device can be tightly wound to store large amounts of mechanical power at extremely high torque.

## Trivia

* Charles is the current wielder of Scenario.