RATCHETWICK BOOKMENDER
GnomesBookbinder & Paper Conservator
"Books are memory made tangible. Lose them, and you lose pieces of who we were.""
Identity
- Residence
- The Bound Page, Gearhaven Archives District
- Civilization
- Gnomes
Appearance
• Physical: Ratchetwick has ink-stained fingers and a permanent hunch from bending over his workbench. His spectacles have multiple lenses that flip down for different magnifications, making his eyes appear comically large when all are in use. • Clothing: He wears scholarly robes with leather reinforcement at the elbows, and always has a tape measure hanging around his neck. His pockets overflow with bone folders, awls, and thread spools. • Distinguishing Marks: A paper cut scar across his nose from an accident decades ago, and permanently hunched shoulders.
Relationships
- Family - His wife is a papermaker; they have no children but consider their apprentices family
- Allies - Librarians and scholars throughout Landorya, collectors of rare books
- Rivals - A printing press owner who believes hand-binding is obsolete, a forger he exposed years ago
Personality
- Traits: Obsessively organized, deeply reverent of written knowledge, surprisingly strong opinions about paper quality
- Mannerisms: Sniffs books to determine their age and composition, gently strokes covers like they're living things
- Voice: Dry and precise, with frequent pauses to choose exactly the right word
Backstory
Ratchetwick trained under the great bookbinders of the Grand Library and has restored texts over five hundred years old. He once spent three years reconstructing a single burned manuscript page by page. His workshop contains the largest collection of paper samples in Gearhaven.
Daily Life
He spends his days repairing damaged books, creating custom bindings for wealthy clients, and cataloging his vast collection of papers and leathers. He teaches apprentices the dying art of hand bookbinding and consults with libraries on preservation techniques.
Secret
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Story Hooks
- 1 A valuable book was stolen from his workshop and he needs it recovered before the thief realizes what they have
- 2 He's been asked to authenticate a supposedly ancient text that he believes is a dangerous forgery