Heiro Flovovinnent

Art by Dire; Original concept by TiredHusky

**Heiro Flovovinnent** was a scavenger and mechanic who lived in Klabury. Forced to cobble together engineering kits from scrap, the impoverished Heiro fell into depression, giving up on much of his aspirations. A chance encounter with one of his customers, Zugg, reignited his passion for engineering. Heiro then vowed to assist Zugg and his friends in completing their shardship to leave Klaybury for good.

## Description

### Appearance

Hiero was a tall, slender urban elf with tanned skin and shaggy black hair. As with most urban elves, he combined the typical long ears and svelte build with the ruggedness of his native cityscape. He had a short black beard styled in a chin curtain with a wispy black moustache. A forked scar extended from the edge of his left eye to his hairline. After his fistfight with Felsic, the bridge of his nose was marked with a small cut and dark red bruise. He normally wore a dirty low-cut red shirt with a high collar with a pair of leather suspenders.

### Personality

Initially, Heiro was a lonely and depressed man just scraping by like the rest of Klaybury. This mindset left him with very low self-esteem, often demeaning himself as worthless and a coward for abandoning his dreams. His meeting with Zugg and Felsic, however, reawakened him from this stupor. With his depression stripped away, Heiro revealed himself to be a friendly and open-minded individual with a intense passion for engineering.

Whenever Heiro became gripped by an idea, he devoted all his energy to it, spending his every waking hour working on Zugg's shardship and animatedly throwing out ideas on how to improve it. He also made significant efforts to help his new friends in other ways, getting them breakfast every morning and delivering Felsic's letter to her parents. He was very accepting of them despite their eccentricities and their status as criminals, endeavoring to always be polite and emphatic when conversing with them.

Heiro was also pragmatic and forward-thinking. He did his best to keep the group from getting in over their heads, urging caution and offering alternative approaches whenever they planned an excursion. He also had the foresight to prepare the Ticket for departure on the night of the raid, an act that possibly saved his friends from capture by the authorities. Though Heiro would call often himself a coward, he proved to be courageous in the defense of his friends, stalling Talon as best he could and stumbling away to warn his friends despite his mortal wounds. For these traits, Zugg and his fellow scrapper would remember Heiro fondly as a true friend.

## History

### Background

Heiro Flovovinnent was born in Klaybury and spent most of his life there. Not much of his early life is known, but at some point, Heiro lost both of his parents and had to fend for himself. Heiro spent much of his time learning about engineering, often focusing his efforts on different personal projects. However, the oppressive living conditions of Klaybury were not conducive to such pursuits and Heiro would often have to abandon such projects before completion. Instead, to make ends meet, Heiro set up a stall where he would sell engine kits made from scrap and other spare parts found in the Scrap Yards. The situation was so bad Heiro had to sleep at his own shop.

Over the course of his life, Heiro attempted to leave Klaybury several times. However, Heiro could never bring himself to do it, being too poor to afford living in the rest of Qethos and believing he would be unable to make a future for himself out there. This string of failures and his own destitution left Heiro in a state of deep depression which carried on for several years. His life became a dull routine of scavenging parts and drinking at his local bar, his dreams all but buried.

## Phase 3 Story

### Selling Scrap

One day, Heiro was made aware of a large explosion at the Old Kobold bar in the east of the city. The explosion had claimed the lives of seven people and was reported to be started by four terrorists, two orcs, a human and a raccling. As the Zeon Corporation was pushing the story, Heiro was skeptical, given the dubious reputation they had in Klaybury. Some days after the explosion, Heiro was working in his stall at the workshop district when he was approached by an orc dressed in scrap plating. The orc asked for a variety of engine parts, unconcerned of the state of the materials. Without much fuss, Heiro gave to him rather resigned. The orc handed over 500 credits for the purchase, thanking Heiro and leaving.

### Drowned in Sorrow

Later that night, Heiro made his way to his local, thoroughly down about his lot in life. While drowning his sorrows at the bar, he was approached by the same Orc he had sold a kit to earlier in the day, along with some friends. Heiro was startled to learn that his customer had actually managed to get it up and running in a day. Impressed, he patted him on the back and invited him to join him for a drink. Heiro ordered him a cheap ale for him and his friends and struck up conversation, learning they were from the eastside of town. Heiro inquired about what the engine was for, to which the orc artificer replied it was for a ship. When asked where they might go, the orc responded "Anywhere but here", a sentiment that resounded with Heiro.

The elf mechanic then grew melancholy at the thoughts of being able to leave Klaybury, reflecting on his own failure. He voiced these to his new drinking buddies, claiming to never having the funds for it and scrounging his credits in anticipation of tomorrow's next upset. The orc however, was optimistic that he could pull off this endeavor, impressing Heiro once again. In response to the mechanic's silence, the orc inquired about Heiro's work, which he admitted amounted to just scavenging and assembling engine kits. The orc then invited Heiro to assist him in working on his ship, in exchange for passage out of the city. Heiro fell silent again, wistfully smiling at the concept. However, his doubts took over and he refused, claiming that he had a life here and wouldn't know what to do out there. Heiro then grew angry at himself, calling himself a coward and resigning himself to his fate.

The artificer protested, stating Heiro's engine kits were well-designed in their own right and he could do that and more elsewhere. Heiro floundered, stumbling through his previous excuses. The orc reiterated that he believed Heiro was better than he believed and introduced himself as Zugg. Heiro offered his own name and shook his hand. He then felt silent again after apologizing for killing the vibe. In response, the woman with Zugg, Felsic, then asked Heiro to fight her. Heiro was thoroughly bemused at this offer, despite Zugg assuring him she only meant to cheer him up in her own way. Felsic then told Heiro the story of how she got her scars tangling with an owlbear in her youth. Though she nearly died in the encounter, it was an pivotal moment in her life, both humbling her and giving her perspective on the fragility of life. Moved by her story, Heiro accepted the challenge, concluding he was probably drunk enough for this.

### A Second Chance

Felsic took Heiro outside the bar into the street, with Zugg and the other two following behind. Felsic squared up to Heiro and asked if Heiro would fight back. Heiro stated he would only to instantly receive a heavy punch to the face. The blow caused him to reel back and he started bleeding. Psyching himself up, Heiro went to retaliate, landing a punch. Heiro, shocked by his success, asked if Felsic was okay, only for her to demand he hit her again. Charging her, he struck again to Felsic's delight. Heiro began to feel energized going for another two punches. Invigorated, he taunted Felsic to strike back, which he dodged. However, he misjudged his momentum and slipped, falling face first onto the pavement. Laying on the ground, Heiro rolled over to stare up at the sky, taking in the moment. For the first time in years, Heiro felt truly alive, smiling and chuckling to himself. Felsic hunkered down to offer some tips on his exercise regime and generally encouraging him, citing her own struggles with self-confidence and mental health.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Heiro laughed at the absurdity of it all, somehow both in pain and very happy. Heiro turned to Zugg, asking where he might go with his ship. Another of Zugg's friends, who Heiro had come to know as Bomb, tactlessly informed him they were wanted criminals. Heiro then recognized them from the news, piecing it all together. When asked by Bomb if he was cool, Heiro decided that he was. Heiro then told them that he suspected Zeon Corporation was twisting the story when they offered the bounty, and he was on Zugg's side through and through. Zugg said he wanted to reveal more to Heiro, but it was getting late. Thinking to himself, Heiro asked where to find Zugg's garage, stating if Zugg wanted him, that's where he would be. Zugg enthusiastically agreed, excited to share his plans for the ship. Heiro then started to walk off, encouraging the others to follow him. He then ransacked his own store, offering it all for Zugg's ship free of charge. He also returned the 500 credits Zugg had paid him earlier. He also showed off one of his pet projects: a propulsion motor of his own design. Zugg was more than happy to take it all back to his place, giving the mechanic a big hug. With all the gear in town, they returned to the Zugg Yard, Zugg's personal workshop. Heiro then found a space in the garage to settle down for the night, going to sleep happy for the first night in years.

### Building the Ticket

Heiro awoke the next day, both sore and hungover. However, his cheerful demeanor was still intact. Heiro then stepped out for coffee, offering to get the others food as well. Taking their list, he agreed to do the party's errands for the future, so they might lay low and avoid detection. Upon his return, Heiro observed Zugg working on upgrading the engine. Heiro quickly intervened to stop Zugg accidently frying the system and help him in getting the engine functioning. Elated at their success, the two high-fived. Coasting on their success, they also put together a basic food replicator. With this completed, they had the absolute basics for the ship. The two artificers began to outline their plan for the ship over the next few days before resting for the night. One such project was the completion of Heiro's propulsion motor, which he assumed they might find parts in the Junk Yards to that end. Heiro noted it was the first night he hadn't needed a drink in a long time. Before they went to bed, Zugg turned on the food replicator, producing two unappetizing gelatin cubes. Taking one, he found the food extremely bland, but nonetheless pleased with the outcome thus far. They then added upgrading the replicator to the list.

<TBC>

## Powers and Abilities

* **Skilled Mechanic:** Heiro had significant skill in engineering and tinkering. He was able to build his own generator independent of shard technology from scrap and also assisted Zugg in completing his shardship, the Ticket.

## Etymology

"Heiro" may be a corruption of the Ancient Greek word "hiero", meaning a holy place or shrine, or the English word "hero", an individual who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. It is also possibly based on the Japanese name Hiro, which has different meanings depending on the kanji used, including "abundant", "tolerant" and "prosperous".

"Flovivinnent" appears to be an original name created for the Ioverse setting.

## Trivia

* Heiro Flovovinnent was initially designed by fanartist TiredHusky after his debut in Pipe Dreamers Episode 7. Official art based on this design was subsequent created by Dire, which became the official depiction of Heiro in-game.