Fýrgnást Færscyte Mæslingr

**Fýrgnást Færscyte Mæslingr** is a Deep Gnome inquisitor and witch hunter from the underdark below the Scientarian Empire. Also known as Ferg or Fyrg to non-gnome acquaintances, and Fergi to their closest and most familiar coworkers (friends). Devoted to the principle that magic should only be used for the good of all, they ruthlessly hunt down villainous magic users on behalf of the highest bidder or his own moral compass.

### Physical Description

She is relatively young for a gnome, only in their mid 50s. He is bald, dark purple-grey skinned, and has a long white moustache. They stand small, with little physical force. However, they move with great agility and fluidity, much like an acrobat or swimmer. Without her bracers, they can barely carry their things, but they are not quick to tire when doing so. They are mostly expressionless and stand with a neutral posture. With their hands, they can operate the smallest of tools, even for their size, with lightning speed and mechanical precision. On a whole, they are a ninja-like robot.

### Mental Description

They are nearly prescient in their ability to predict events and notice details. They very quickly get the gist of their surroundings and usually have the knowledge to calculate on the spot too. However, they can barely express their emotions or care about the emotions of others. On a whole, they are woke, but abrasive or cold, like a self-sufficient and reclusive saint.

### Early Life

Born around 15 b.s.r., Ferg was raised in a deep gnome city in the Underdark. They are the middle sibling of four after losing the first oldest brother. The oldest brother’s life was cut short in a technological accident that was caused by his brother’s own carelessness while learning magic from a wizard/alchemist in a risky construct experiment. His other older brother took after the family trade: clockwork. His younger sister also practices illusionist magic, but is only in her early studies. Ferg, initially looking up to his brother as an inspiration of arcanic wonder, grew to resent his brother for ignoring caution in pursuit of learning, achievement, and recognition at any cost. However, he still held a tremendous appreciation of science and advanced arcana. Of the deities, they felt a closer connection to the god of constructs, which their brother and his mentor worshipped. Their closest friend in this time period was a quirky gnome named Gilbernort Galliumsie that had immigrated to the city when Gil’s family was accepted as part of an act of solidarity with the closest gnomish settlement. Gil’s aunt was a powerful illusionist that would later teach his sister.

Ferg started to learn the family trade pretty early. However, as his remaining older brother excelled at it already, he felt cramped and uninterested in clockwork. He wanted to pursue something further in scientific advancement, but the mentor of his late brother would not take on another student. However, the mentor did have connections to a gunsmith at a Scientarian laboratory in the above ground world who needed a student with attention to the minute details of fine gun crafting. Ferg ran with this opportunity, interested in this technology and already familiar with technical crafts to some degree. They studied gunsmithing and was able to pick it up relatively easy after dismantling and observing all manner of firearms the Scientarians developed. In conjunction to learning the craft, his gunmaster taught him to properly aim and fire the weapon as well. During this apprenticeship, Ferg was mildly interested in the local deity as a curiosity, but found a local cult of constructs that worked in scientific construct creation of automata, rather than the arcane. While he did not study with them, he quickly became affiliated and acquainted. In this time period, he also became close friends with an elf fur hunter (Moreidwyn Shimervale) and a human acolyte of the construct god (Argus Mandata). Moreidwyn grew to be a slayer, while Argus grew to be a warpriest of Adele. After finishing the apprenticeship, Ferg was offered a position in the Western Scientarian rifle corps, but did not agree with the general magic ban. However, Eastern Scientarian, while it did not ban magic outright, still had magic criminals and bounties on them. Encouraged by his friends, he set out with them to collect bounties on these magic targets.

### Bounty Mage-Hunter

Joined by his comrades, Ferg set off for the Eastern Scientarian Empire and quickly made a name as a skilled target at hunting down mages and neutralizing magic threats as a team. Of course, other bounties were filled as well to keep themselves busy, but the mages were usually the most dangerous and highest paying. Together, they spent a couple decades doing this, accruing a great deal of experience and equipment and bonding as a party. In this time, Ferg furthered in his faith and started learning divine magic and the principles of the difference between magic and science that progresses civilization versus that which threatens it.

Once, while hunting a particularly gruesome necromancer who was rumored to be building a blood golem, Ferg was caught by his target and was tortured for a week by having blood harvested for their rituals, while watching the previous blood hosts be slain and transmogrified into undead monstrosities. Ferg was anemic from blood loss, but managed to keep focus and was able to keep themself from fainting from pain or blood loss. Immediate escape was not an option, as the necromancer had alarms if he ever escaped. Therefore, Ferg endured and observed the habits of his captor. When the captor wasn’t around, Ferg slowly undid their restrictions to gain more maneuverability to influence their prison to some degree while still mostly bound. Ferg learned that the captor would be conducting a ritual that required a specific reagent in balance for the binding of the golem to the master. Ferg, through a rube-goldberg machine like contraption, was able to disrupt the reagent while the captor was not looking. When the ritual came to, the blood golem was created, but malformed and unbound to the master, so it killed its creator. Using the commotion, Ferg escaped.

After a particularly gruesome case, the party disbanded. In their hunt, they discovered that the target of the bounty hunt was not actually a danger. In fact, the magic the target was researching would have been extremely useful for the people, but politically and economically inconvenient for a corrupt official. In the fight the target was killed, but so was the elf companion. The party had disagreed on philosophical grounds; the elf wanted to kill the target and collect the bounty anyways, while the human said they should turn them in but explain the error to the state, whereas Ferg did not trust the political powers and wanted to protect the target. In the end, Ferg shot Moreidwyn in an attempt to stop him from killing the target, but it was too late. Argus could not forgive Ferg, but she did not want to see him executed, so she kept his secret. Furthermore, Ferg felt a calling to not just hunt bounties anymore, but to embark on an inquisition beyond just hunting down spell casters, but an inquisition to investigate and pursue both magic and scientific innovators alike who were on the verge of breakthroughs that could push progress or spark tragedy. If they were dangerous, Ferg would eliminate them for the safety of civilization. If they were martyrs of advancement, Ferg would protect them and their work until completion. This has continued for awhile, with Ferg working in the shadows alone. From recent intel, Ferg is looking after Squibble as their next target.

### Desert Insurgence

Ferg arrived in the Vern Oasis tracking the rogue sorcerer Squibble Addington all the way from Shiron. The Tanuki had abandoned his post as a history professor when his attempts to hide his arcane fae bloodline were revealed. Ferg joined alongside Kityu Durinn and Eris Nimblefoot to travel to the Library of Infinite Sands, as Ferg believed that to be where Squibble was heading.

### Additional Details

Seven things that make you happy:

* Perfect headshots
* a freshly cleaned and properly reassembled firearm
* psychedelic hallucinogens
* the joy of discovery
* being right about a target
* chocolate croissants
* imagining utopia

Seven things that make you angry:

* Carelessness around magic
* Snake oil vendors
* Followers of demagogues
* False prophets of progress
* gun misfire
* reacting emotionally
* being late to a rendezvous

Life's Ambition

A target worthy of being protected and seeing their inventions come to fruition and bringing forth a revolution of progress to the world. Or perhaps a truly challenging target that is a rival worth pursuing. Additionally, a perfect gun that can kill anything. Satisfaction in doing the right thing for the building of a future built on science, justice against the people who use magic to endanger people, and the chance to get in a good shot.