Clef Cramoisi

Appearance:

Clef is a typical gnome, standing just above four feet tall with a head of unruly blonde hair. He keeps his face shaven, and his hair as short as he can manage without drawing undo attention to himself. His clothing often betrays him as he is meticulous in keeping clean and propperly laundered. A small pair of wire rimmed glasses sit on the end of his nose, he doesnt need them, but during some examinations they offer to magnify what he is looking at slightly. He favors black vests over white shirts with rather tight fitting pants of a neutral tan color, along with a plain leather belt.

He carries a large leather bag with his instruments and alchemical supplies in it when he is away from his personal laboratory. The bag generally contains a number of healing potions, sleep tonics, and the supplies to make several tonics, powders and poultices on the spot. It also has the more gruesom tools to perform surgery, including small very sharp knives and bone cutting saws. Clef, as it would appear, is a triage doctor.

He has a pleasant voice, and works to create a soothing effect on others. This is beneficial in his work as sometimes his patients are less than willing to recieve aid, or are quite severely injured and panicked.

Background:

Clef lived among the gnomes until his early adulthood. He studied under the master alchemist Reil of Abunar Freehold, and learned the arts of lesser healing. He was drawn away from these lessons by promises of greater understanding. The wizard D'Capitur lured Clef away from his ecclectic studies with the promise of hard knowledge and true understanding.

To this end, Clef worked with the vivisection and disection of exhumed corpses, both human and gnome. While other gnomish and human healers pondered the nature of the bodies humours, Clef burrowed into corpses. He held in his hands the organs of life, beheld the complex array of nerves and blood vessels. The intricate design of muscle and tendon were visible, real things to the gnome.

Armed with such knowledge, his studies grew apace from his classmates. His peers were dismayed that he was outpacing them in skill when he missed at least half of his lessons and regularly was out and about when others were sleeping. Their arguements fell of deaf ears, the gnome was simply the target of jealousy and they should study more and worry less.

This attitude changed dramatically. Clef had advanced beyond the dead. He had taken, under D'Capitur's instruction, live test subjects. He had begun working on new ways to heal, experimenting on the destitute and the criminal elements of gnomish society. Some died of poisonous tonics, others had died on the table as the gnome hewed them apart to reach their still living organs.

Clef escaped by the barest of margins. The gnomes still on occassion send hunters after the would be healer, but none have ever returned alive. Clef has become a wily foe, evading persuits, and killing with the smallest of cuts and most devious of potions. Some accuse him of worse crimes, blasphemy and cannibalism are common charges. The truth of the matter is propaganda as the gnomish community of Abunar is deeply shamed that the one and only gnomish serial murderer came from their enlightened ranks.

Plot Hooks
The Doctor is In - One of the characters, or an important NPC has been injured in a dramatic fashion. With their life hanging by a thread, they are rescued by a small gnomish surgeon who saves them with ease. Things only become interesting later when the doctor asks them to help him with a little problem he has...seems some people have been trying to hunt him down for imagined crimes. All very convinving. Will the PCs do his dirty work, or will they seek out and question the thugs chasing after the doctor?

The Pharmacist - An important NPC has been poisoned, or needs a special potion to survive -gasp- and only the doctor knows how to make it. The doctor offers them some dodgy potions along with the real deal, just to test them out. Some work, others...dont.

The Bloody Trail - Someone has finally started noticing the vagrants and homeless have begun to thin in number. Their bodies start turning up, carved and sliced open in the most gruesome fashion. Some witnesses hear screams coming from the Doctor's basement.

The Master and the Apprentice - Even though Clef has departed from Abunar, he has not left the attention of D'Capitur, his old mentor. In addition to peddling his skills as a healer, Clef regularly sends D'Capitur information on his independent studies. Sometimes this includes the disposition of people the master dislikes, and might like to see...have an accident.

The Doctor is Quite Mad - No longer content with examination, Clef has begun experimentation. A four armed thief, or perhaps one with the eyes of a cat grafted into his skull, all possible. This can range from the blatantly bizarre to the subtly disturbing. What happens when the PC warrior is offered a chance to double his stamina for the price of a surgury? Does he question this boon, or simply accept the risk for the increased character ability?

Frankenstein - Clef has reached the pinacle of his art, and has discerned the secret of life. With it he has begun to create living monsters from the flesh of the dead. The Pcs might be wanted for 'donor material' for the doctor's next beastie.

Roleplaying Notes:

Clef is a monster since he has lost all of his humanity in the bloody and dark quest for the secrets of life. All of his victims have been treated with cruelty unimaginable, but in the name of advancing science and healing. The people he helps only enable him to continue his studies, he doesnt work out of altruism, nor does he follow anything akin to the Hypocratic Oath. Most gnomes tinker with machines and peculiar devices. What more intricate and complex device exists beyond the living breathing body?