WHISTLEVALVE BELLRINGER
GnomesTower Bell Keeper & Timekeeper
"Time is the music the universe plays, and I am merely its conductor.""
Identity
- Residence
- The Great Clock Tower, Gearhaven
- Civilization
- Gnomes
Appearance
• Physical: Whistlevalve has ears trained to detect the slightest variations in tone, and their arms are muscular from pulling bell ropes. They wear their hair short for practicality, and their face is weathered from years of exposure to tower winds. • Clothing: They wear thick woolen garments in the tower's colors, with leather patches on the shoulders from rope friction. Their belt holds various tuning tools and ear protection. • Distinguishing Marks: Calloused hands with rope burns, and slightly asymmetrical ears from a childhood infection that actually improved their hearing.
Relationships
- Family - Estranged from parents who wanted them to join the family locksmith business
- Allies - Other clock tower keepers across Landorya, the tower's maintenance crew
- Rivals - A younger apprentice who wants their position, a rival tower that claims to keep better time
Personality
- Traits: Deeply attuned to rhythm and timing, solitary but not lonely, speaks in musical metaphors
- Mannerisms: Taps out rhythms on any available surface, tilts their head to catch distant sounds
- Voice: Resonant and carrying, trained to project over bell tones
Backstory
Whistlevalve was born during a thunderstorm and supposedly cried in perfect rhythm with the thunder. They apprenticed at the clock tower at age twelve and have lived there ever since. They can identify any bell in Landorya by its tone and claim to hear the "heartbeat" of Gearhaven in the tower's mechanisms.
Daily Life
Their life revolves around the bells—winding mechanisms, checking for wear, performing the hourly chimes, and maintaining the complex system that keeps Gearhaven on time. They live in a small apartment within the tower and rarely descend to street level.
Secret
They've discovered that the tower's oldest bell rings slightly differently when danger approaches the city—a phenomenon they don't fully understand.
Story Hooks
- 1 The bells have been ringing in a pattern that spells out a coded message, and they need help deciphering it
- 2 Someone is trying to sabotage the clock mechanism during a crucial diplomatic event
Narrative Value
Guardian of time and potential early warning system. Can provide temporal information or alert players to approaching threats. ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════