Bertold

Information

Player: Beltharean

Character Full Name: Bertold Ironaxe

Character In-Game Name: Bertold

Nickname(s): Bert

Association(s): Ironforge / The Explorer’s League(/guild) / Gnomeregan Exiles / Stormpike / Frostborn / Shen’dralar

Race: Dwarf

Class: Steam Suit Operator (Hunter)

Age: 115

Sex: Male

Hair: Shaved, but naturally red. His beard is kept long, in two braids.

Eyes: Blue

Weight: 180

Height: 5’0

Appearance

Bertold keeps his attire incredibly simple; Most times he’ll simply wear a worn pair overalls with an undershirt when applicable. Various tools for the excavation of various digsites are generally strapped around his waist, and effigies to the titans by way of their own relics can often be seen dangling around his neck, or braided into his beard.

Other: These are not the only relics left behind by the titans however, that Bertold keeps close. More often than not, splatterings of dirt, mud, and ore can be seen thrown about his beard and clothing. His face is often coated in dirt and dust, save for the area around his eyes, which are generally protected by goggles during work.

Personality

Bertold is a fanatic about dirt. By sight he can often times tell what area of the world a specimen of dirt has come from, and even more so by taste. This love of the ground has caused him to spend much of his long life in the company of several close friends in the belly of the earth. The Dwarven shift schedule left him many, many hours to share not only stories but copious amounts of alocohol with his comrades, and he soon became quite the socialite. What this means for the Dwarves however, is quite different than what it would for Elves or Humans. Regardless, Bertold is most happy with his feet on the ground, or his head in it. He loves a good tavern almost as much however.

His style of engineering is based around practicality rather than what grand invention he may scheme up next. Efficiency is necessary beneath the ground, and he knows that. Despite this need, Bertold does give in from time to time; He formed a bit of a gambling problem during his many excavations, and will take on even the most daring bets, even if it puts his own life in danger.

History

Bertold was born to a long line of miners, his father the first of which who was able to meet the gnomes first hand. While they had hardly been using blasting powder to dig their way through the ground, the gnomes were inventing machines that plowed through the earth in moments. The use of machinery became prevalent in the Ironaxe business, and they flourished. He was of course, raised in the luxury of a well off home, and was taught from the earliest age possible the tricks of the trade. He grew fast, but he was not the only one.

The dwarf’s father was aging as well, and content to let his only child run the family business, stepped aside and into retirement. The business did increasingly well, using only the highest quality components and schematics in their business. This proved to be even more useful than they suspected however, as their lives were put on the line, and their wits tested. With the advent of the coming of the orcs, in due time, the green skins headed north and into Khaz Modan. Allying themselves with the local guard, Ironaxe Inc. did what they knew best; They dug. And they dug deep. The strategy was incredibly simple; The excavators were to dig beneath the roads, and place charges within. With several well places explosives, an entire catacomb of tunnels could fall, destroying any force atop them.

This netted the Ironaxe a strong reputation, and with it, Bertold was free to hand control of the company off to a hired manager in order to pursue the newfound interest in the Dwarves’ Titanic Origins. As soon as open enrollment began, the steam suit operator signed up for the League. He was accepted with open arms with his strong record in excavation and the defense of the Dwarven Homeland. His first mission was to head north, into the devastated mountains of Alterac. The turmoil caused by the Second War was heavy, but the Stormpike were not hindered. They needed all the help that they could get in securing lands that may hold interest from an academic point of view. Bertold spent many years there, and acquired a strong respect for the orcs; Not only for their strength in battle, but for their culture as well. They were not so different from the Dwarves really, the Frostwolf of Alterac. The Shamanistic tribe set the precedent for all orcs in Bertold’s mind.

As the years moved on, and the world began to change, Bertold was finally assigned another mission. To move into Feralas after the main attacks on Dire Maul, and see what information could be gathered about the Highborne and the relics that they had. The ancient Libraries of the Shen’dralar could hold anything, even information on the Titanic beings that came so many years prior. It took many months, but in due time, Bertold was able to enter The Athenaeum and forge a tenuous friendship with the elves. Many were slightly confused, their only contact with anything Dwarven being the Earthen during the War of the Ancients. This information was particularly interesting to Bertold, and he soaked in as much information from individuals who had witnessed the Earthen as allies first hand.

Many missions and many years later, Bertold was granted the opportunity to head north into the Frozen Wastes. It was here that, following in the footsteps of other members of the League, the Archaeologist found respite with the Frostborn. He did what he could with the wonderful, frozen ruins, but often times the threat of unstoppable attacks by the undead were enough to keep him away from the more tantalizing jobs. Recently however, with the new information the League has acquired during their time in Northrend, Bertold is moving back into the southern continents to apply their new information and re-excavate old digsite for new clues.

Skills and Abilities

Archi-tech

While Bertold’s steam suit is held to an incredibly high standard of quality, it is built for the excavation of dirt, the toppling of walls and stone, and the safe movement of goods deep beneath the ground. That being said, the various drills and hammers that can be attached to the machine are still useful in a jam, such as fighting off the occasional trogg or other subterranean menace.

Explorer’s League-gionnaire

Being a member of the Explorer’s League, Bertold is trained well in the art of survival when in the elements. Be it with finding his bearings with ease, or finding food in even the harshest deserts. In this vein, he also has a passable use of a rifle, and practical use of various mining tools as weapons.