Nalrek Mindcog

*" I don’t know if I have tomorrow, but I know, I know that I had yesterday."*

## Physical Description

Nalrek is a fair skinned gnome male with a slim build who stands at a slightly above average height of 3ft 3 inches tall. Him being considered lanky and tall relative to other gnomes. A full head of light blonde hair adorns his head, connecting down to a bushy beard of equal color which covers his unwrinkled face. A violet gaze would peer out from the gnome’s eyes. The gnome’s ears would be round and on the larger side as they protrude from the side of his hefty head.

## History

### Early Life

Nalrek was born an only child, deep beneath the surface of Khaz Modan within the city of Gnomeregan to a loving gnomish couple. His father Nelek Gadgetwrench was a self-made gnome who managed to provide his family with a comfortable life by the sweat of his brow. Nelek toiled away in the bustling crafter’s district of Gnomeregan as an engineer. He would make all sorts of toys, gadgets, and gizmos, some of his inventions would be used for recreation and some would be used for practical purpose. A medium-sized shop was the fruition of Nelek’s hard work, the shop was aptly named Nelek’s Gizmos and Gadgets. Nalrek’s mother Relyza Keengoggle was a biologist who eventually settled on turning biology into more of a hobby by the time she birthed Nalrek.  The small family lived on the 2nd floor of Nelek’s shop, deep within the heart of Gnomeregan. Therefore, Nalrek was no stranger to the hustle and bustle of an urban environment.

The childhood of Nalrek consisted of him shadowing his father’s work in the emporium, clearly seen as the only heir and protege to Nelek’s fortune. Whether it be helping his father in the basement workshop with inventions,  pitching ideas for new concepts, or manning the counter, Nalrek was there with his father. The ordered structure of cause and effect within each gadget brought wonder to the young mind of Nalrek. No matter if the gadget was a child’s toy or a water purifier, the logic which these machines were dictated by stuck with Nalrek. There was not one cog moved without an explanation for its movement. Hours upon hours of instruction and tasks were bestowed upon Nalrek by his father Nelek, and each of these hours molded Nalrek into the man he would become.

Alongside all of this home-grown training, Nalrek was enrolled alongside his peers at a school in the market district of Gnomeregan which would expose him to numerous different disciplines, giving him and his peers a basic understanding of each. This was in order to help Gnomeregan as a whole by providing the city with a future of competent citizens. He would meet many friends throughout his years of schooling, and would be exposed to numerous different points of view through these friends. When Nalrek became a teen, the young gnome began to exhibit a contrary nature to his peers if they would posit anything that didn’t line up with logic.  This would be done in a rather gentle and collected manner, but he did not capitulate to any illogical ideas. Nalrek’s rather blunt words and eagerness to debate any illogical view with the zeal of a hawk hunting a mouse aroused contempt amongst his peers. This caused many of his childhood friends to peel away from him, the amorphous collective of student friends dividing.

By the time Nalrek was 16 years of age, he only retained a cadre of friends which was four gnomes strong. These four gnomes agreed with Nalrek’s views and would debate any gnome or group of gnomes who wished. The debates usually took place directly after the school day, for all to see. If Nalrek’s group was ever found to be weak in any point, they would improve their arguments in the confines of Nelek’s workshop, usually late at night. Nalrek’s parents started to become concerned over how much of an interest Nalrek took in philosophy rather than engineering, and they also worried that Nalrek was chasing air in arguing the metaphysical, seeing his little group as a potential cult.

At age 18 Nalrek, motivated by the pursuit of greater metaphysical knowledge,  would settle on the science of arcanology to be his primary study when it came time to declare a discipline.  His four companions would scatter themselves across the numerous disciplines, but they would all hold one thing in common, a deep passion for philosophy.  Nalrek proceeded to grow in philosophical and arcane knowledge during this time, the two disciplines complementing each-other well. However, after a year of coursework the arcane study grew incredibly demanding for Nalrek. Gnomeregan was set on ensuring that these specialized students were well and ready for their futures, there was little to no time for passions other than coursework.

Nalrek invested his time fully into studying arcane theory and application across numerous classes.  He was swamped with projects, papers, and training sessions. The camaraderie he once enjoyed with that cadre of gnomes began to seem as a shore growing ever distant as the years went on. For Nalrek could never make time for them, nor them for him. His understanding of the metaphysical increased during this time as well as his grasp on the arcane, though he had completely put philosophy on the backburner. The confines of a warm bed at the end of a long night of study or a long day of classes was much more welcoming than connecting the new metaphysical discoveries back to his philosophy. The young gnome would always assure himself that one day things would get less hectic and he’d be able to pursue his passion once more.

### The Grand Synthesis

One morning the gnome woke up in a different room with the makings of a beard adorning his chin, he was now 42 years old.  It was time for Nalrek to graduate from his post of a mere student. The arcane student was elevated alongside his peers to the functional title of Arcanist Adept. This title nowhere near the fruition of a master arcanist, though now it was his choice as to how he’d further specialize his skills in order to be put to use for the good of Gnomeregan. Nalrek had no interest in deciding so soon after graduation, he was content with dedicating a year or two to his own passion based pursuits before specializing further. The gnome reached out to those four old friends of his once again, as they had also graduated in their respective disciplines. The cadre was reunited, they all resolved to take a gap year or two or three, or however many they would need to rekindle and get a breath of fresh air. The young adult gnomes departed from Gnomeregan with a goal in mind, the completion of a great work. This work was to be a grand synthesis of all that the five gnomes had come up with over their years together and all that they still had to come up with. Nalrek and his friends would seek to pull pieces from each of their disciplines in order to contribute to The Grand Synthesis, as well as new information that they would gain from their trips beyond Gnomeregan.  Wanderlust coated their hearts, they scoured the world in search of knowledge which could contribute to The Grand Synthesis. Finally, the passion had returned to Nalrek. His ambition was clear and he was in good company.

### The Second War

After a solid year of travel and work on The Grand Synthesis, much progress was made but it was still far from completion. This was mostly due to them spending too many days out of the year hanging out together and revelling. There were entire weeks during that year where Nalrek and his friends simply seemed to be taking vacations across The Eastern Kingdoms. The gnomes had made a fatal assumption here. Nalrek was 42 years of age and the group of friends had just returned from an outing of theirs with plans to travel to Kalimdor next.  After just a few months home their world was turned upside down. The Horde began a full scale invasion of Khaz Modan and Gnomeregan was called upon by The Dwarves to help defend the homeland. Nalrek and his friends were spurred on with a fervor to defend their people, and they resolved to put forth their skills in the defense of Khaz Modan. The five gnomes were put to use, their respective disciplines from schooling determined their roles in the conflict. Nalrek acted as a defensive arcanist, keeping up magical shields alongside other arcanists. The quaint region of Khaz Modan quickly transformed into a battlement and corpse riddled scape. After months of fighting, one decisive battle between The Horde and Khaz Modan forces would open the flood gates. A crucial mountain pass was lost, The Horde slaughtering many gnomes and dwarves alike during the battle.

After this loss, chaos quickly followed, The Horde rushed through the taken pass with an overwhelming force, destroying the Dwarf-Gnome coalition’s defenses with ease. Dwarves and Gnomes alike were forced to flee back to their respective strongholds of Ironforge and Gnomeregan. Nalrek barely managed to escape the ensuing violence, making it back to Gnomeregan in one piece bar a few flesh wounds.  As Nalrek’s wounds were being tended to he was scanning the gnomes which flooded into Gnomeregan. A longing, a searching was laden within his eyes. He didn’t see those four good friends amongst the crowd, he waited until everyone was scored away, he waited until the citizen tunnels of Gnomeregan were sealed. No one was getting into the city now. Perhaps he had blinked at the wrong time and those four zipped on by. The medical area he sat in was filled with broken gnomes, he checked each one of them and it was to no avail.  After this Nalrek retreated to his childhood home, his father’s emporium. The gnome walked up to his old room without hesitation, shut the door and laid down. As if he were a child again, his now venerable parents knocked on the door, asking to be let in. The grizzled, long bearded Nalrek unfurled The Grand Synthesis from his pack, opening it while sitting up in bed. He flipped through The Grand Synthesis until he got to its last page, a few scribbled notes consisting of grand musings they had hoped to complete one day. A picture of a cube with a chip in its form below the musings.  The gnome bit his lip, speaking with a rough tone, a slight shudder to his breath. ***“Ah.. I don’t know if I have tomorrow, but I know, I know that I had yesterday.”*** His parents opened the door after a few moments, hobbling on inside to come to comfort Nalrek.

After a few days of staying within his parent’s home, Nalrek was summoned by Gnomeregan once again, along with his father.  The Father and son moved out alongside each other in formation, moving through the citizen tunnels in order to exit the city. Nalrek and a few steam warriors guarded Nelek as he rigged explosive traps throughout the surrounding forests, scouts had caught wind of an oncoming Horde force. Nalrek watched his father assemble the explosives, there was not one cog moved without an explanation for its movement. The pair, father and son moved away from the forest after the explosives were rigged. They watched with their steam warrior sentries, looking down upon the oncoming horde from a fortified position near Gnomeregan. When The Horde forces reached the forests, the explosives were set off, a flurry of blood coated the Khaz Modan snow.  In unison with the explosives it seemed, the advanced firepower of Gnomeregan rained down death upon the now fleeing Horde forces, not letting them escape so easily. Nalrek himself slung balls of flame and ice towards their backs, killing many. A hand reaches over to Nalrek’s wrist, it is his father’s hand. Nelek pulls Nalrek’s hand down and the gnome ceases his onslaught. After all was said and done, Nalrek stayed at his childhood home, leaving his own home abandoned for a short time. For weeks, the bombardment of another horde force raged against Gnomeregan’s impenetrable defenses. The gnomes ignored this as their formidable walls and gates withstood stalwart. The Horde eventually called off the siege of Gnomeregan.

Though, a more destitute fate ensued shortly after this.  The Horde enlisted The Bleeding Hollow Clan to establish a hold over Khaz Modan, keeping the dwarves and gnomes contained within their respective cities. To leave the confines of Gnomeregan and venture out past the sentries would mean imminent death at the hands of Bleeding Hollow orcs. During this time Nalrek would have a very routine life of manning the sentries alongside his father in shifts with other gnomes. The number of wandering orcs that Nalrek killed rose with each passing day. His eyes were always searching for those four friends, hoping for them to just pop out over the horizon. After years of this life, The Alliance eventually broke through and defeated The Bleeding Hollow Clan, releasing the people of Khaz Modan from their containment. Time began to blur for Nalrek from this point out, he sallied out into any battle which he was summoned by Gnomeregan to fight in, effectively becoming a battle mage. The Grand Synthesis had not even a dot added to its pages in this time. Through battles all the way to jubilee, Nalrek fought for Gnomeregan and Gnomeregan fought for The Alliance.  The Alliance had fought back The Horde and the second war was over. Nalrek remained at his father’s emporium, spending his days aiding Nelek with the family business.

### The Mindcog

After 4 years, Nalrek departed from his family’s home and returned to his home which he previously abandoned.  The place he returned to was exactly as it had been left before the war. With The Grand Synthesis clutched within a hand he entered the home.  Nalrek would begin to put things back in order, he had resolved from there to complete The Grand Synthesis for the cause of honest logic and in memoriam of his fallen friends.  A laden joy began to spring up within Nalrek’s being as he delved again into the philosophy which once gripped his heart. At this point, at the age of 55, it was odd for Nalrek to keep the name of Gadgetwrench. The Gnome pondered the things he had done up to this point in life, he pondered what his achievements truly were.  His mind was drawn back to the fallen orcs, to his service. Though, this was no achievement to Nalrek, his violet eyes settled upon The Grand Synthesis and he spoke, ***“If I do not pay mind to The Mind, then I may as well have no mind. Let my mind be as a cog, worked to purpose, spinning away from nihilism.”*** with that, Nalrek crafted his new surname, Mindcog. Nalrek Mindcog resolved to continue in his arcane studies as to harness greater understanding at the forces at play within this world he finds himself in, though this would not be the primary science which he was to pursue, for his passion was always the same.  The Gnome lived in his Gnomeregan apartment without incident for 4 more years, contributing to The Grand Synthesis. His reputation during these 4 years was that of a bumbler, a gnome that was war weary and not to be trusted. He let his beard grow out large while his disposition remained joyful. This was rather unsettling to even the most eccentric of gnomes, the man looking to chase after things not seen as if they were easily seen.

### Present Day

After the quaint 4 years, word grew rapidly of a menace from within Gnomeregan, the troggs.  The troggs seemed to have emerged out of the very caverns themselves, terrorizing the gnomish people with a ferocity.  Nalrek once again answered the call, taking up spell in defense of his beloved city. He spent an entire year on the battlefield with those troggs, killing numerous with his arcane prowess alongside the collective citizenry of Gnomeregan.  After this year, the gnomes were forced to evacuate Gnomeregan after radiation was released in order to destroy the multitude of troggs which overran the city. Nalrek, his father Nelek, and his mother managed to escape Gnomeregan in one piece, following the refugee train to Ironforge where they would stay. Nalrek Mindcog was given an apartment which he shared with his parents in Ironforge, his mission was clear now. To complete The Grand Synthesis.

Nalrek currently is a traveler, returning to Ironforge frequently on his treks in order to visit his parents or rest in the apartment for a few weeks.  He still pursues the study of arcane theory of application, increasing in his power under the mentorship of Marrek. Though, his primary pursuit is to finish The Grand Synthesis.

## Nalrek's Writings

**Nalrek's IC writings can be found at this link:** https://grobbulus.org/?whois=363

**Consideration:** *All of these writings are unknown to player characters until specifically given to a character by Nalrek in rp.*