Termidan Glockenschmidt was borne, a mere eight decades prior, to the Honorable Herr Fredorich Glockenschmidt, and his wife, Thermadina. Herr Glockenschmidt, as our loyal readers should know, was an gnomish engineer and Clock Smith of some small renown, working out of a small shop in the outskirts of Martira Bay. Herr F. Glockenschmidt's greatest failure, perhaps, was to have been born a Gnome. For if he had been of a more noble race, perhaps his skills would have progressed further, and his ingenious inventions would have been the delight of all of Paridon. However, our readers must forgive us if we do not further recall the elder Glockenschmidt's adventures -- while, in many ways, they were more exciting than the younger's explorations, including Herr F. Glockenschmidt's youth spent in the woods of the Core?, and his passing in the well-told mysterious circumstance that coincided with his wife's 100th birthday, such heart racing stories will only detract from the focus of these tales, the interminably slow progress in the life of Young Termidan. Quite on point, young Termidan's childhood was unexceptional, and he became an apprentice to his father when he reached his twenty-eight birthday.

Our readers may know much of the rest of the tale already, but we your authors, pray some indulgence. We must report, for the sake of completeness, that young Termidan showed great insight into his work as Clock Smith, and quickly out-paced his father's capabilities. By his thirty-fifth birthday, Teridan could construct a helioscopic model in less than a day, and performed nearly all the daily tasks in his father's shop. While, we must remind the readers, Termidan had not achieved a Master Craftsman's status, and as we must point out, a position he never achieved, his skills were beyond that of most early Journeymen.

Termidan also, typical of his ignoble birth, was cursed with an irrepressible curiosity. Despite the labors of an apprentice occupying his days, many a night he spend, illicitly, in the libraries found in Martira Bay. These libraries, of course, pale in comparison with our own University's, as well as many a Lord's private collection, they were enough to teach our young, would-be hero.

Inspired by the fanticful stories he found in the aforementioned books, Termidan broke his apprenticeship, and stole away to Paridon. He booked passage upon a freight ship, with monies garnered from his father's workshop. It was such, as a pauper and a robber, that Herr Glocknschmidt entered Paridon.

Immediately upon arriving, after a sea voyage of such unexciting travel, that we could not bare to mention it here, for it would drive out poor readers to tears to recount the weeks of dull travel upon the seas, with nary a distraction from the constant waves and rocking of the ship, save for the occasional drink of a fine whisky, Termidan presented himself to at Istoria-Dalson University as a applicant in the sciences. This caused much consternation among the Faculty, for who could believe thus, a Gnome wished to study there. As it were, were we to confess, Herr Glockenschmidt's chances to enter the institution were miniscule, for none thought that any Gnome could deserve such a high honor as to study at the premier school in all the world. However, an elder professor, Lord Doctor M____ rightly recalled a similar incidence from the School's past. Perhaps a hundred years before Termidan was apprenticed, another Gnome had been granted entry and a tutor, at the school. Of course, this Herr K____ never completed his studies, but it did set a precedence. So, for novelties sake if nothing else, Herr Glockenschmidt was given the tests of entrance.

After the weeks of tests, Termidan had passed. His scores were mostly unremarkable, not worth mentioning, save for that he had barely passed the tests on the Enlightenment of Humanity, the Nature of Creatures, Physical and Amateur Sportsman Abilities, Investigations of Anatomy, and the Ethics of a Gentleman, and that he passed, with high honors, the tests of Architecture of Buildings, Engineering and Quartermasting, Languages and Dialects, and Archaeology of Lesser Cultures, leaving only Classifications of Animals and Alchemical Formulae for average scores. Thus, with much ado and notice, did Herr Glockenschmidt become a scholarshiped student at the University.

For forty years, Herr Glockenschmidt stayed at college. Never a gentleman, but much the would-be Gentleman Scholar, Glockenschmidt studied all subjects suitable to be studied. His tutors moved on, many become Professors in their own right, others returning to their duties as Lords or enlightened peasantry, while Herr Glockenschmiodt remained at the school. His studies into design and engineering excelled, and even as a student, his mechanical creations were well considered. Finally, nearing his 75th birthday, Herr Glockenschmidt applied for his degree in the sciences.

Again, the Faculty were shocked. It was unheard of a demi-human seeking admittance to the circle of enlightened scholars. Herr Glockenschmidt, even with his notable experiments and studies, was still merely a demi-human. Another issue of concern were the numerable times when Herr Glockenschmit's studies were placed upon suspension, for violation of various school rules, although the list is too long to list in toto, but includes violation of experimental ethics, violation of personal safety, violations of the safety of his test subjects, forgetting to apply for experimental permits, destruction of personal property, destruction of University property, injuring a member of the student body, injuring a member of Faculty, forgetting to get approval from his tutor, and a number of other violations. Herr Glockenschmidt somehow convinced the faculty to allow him to defend his dissertation, on the nature of projectiles fired from mechanical artillery in the defense of the Paridon Navy?, although it is rumored in order to be allowed his defense, he challenged many a Professor's dignity using his remote listening and recording devices to record their indiscretions and reveal such to the professor's wives.

In this manner, Herr Glockenschmidt matriculated from University and became Herr Doktor Glockenschmidt, the subject of our discussion. It is also, as thus, that Doktor Glockenschmidt came to be of more note, within Paridon. the Doktor, denied tenure continued to perform experiments and studies out of his tower, a small building which became the eyesore to the neighborhood in which he lived. It has never been fully explained how his tower came to be; one day a small uninhabited building, or at least uninhabited by anyone of note, stood watching over the W___ Square. The next day, in a shower of light and sparks, it was missing. A week later, after many nights full, the Doktor's neighbors report, of sound and fury, a small Tower?, emitting such manner of smells as not fully describable by your loyal authors, replaced the building. The Doktor took up residence there, performing all manner of studies and research. Much to the chagrin of the University, the Doktor sent his results to his old College, seeking publication in their Bulletins of Science. In order to reduce his productivity, and reduce their load of paperwork, the school established a work scholarship for a peasant scholar, as the Doktor's aide. So far, none of the these scholars has remained at the school long enough to apply for a degree, and most have left their studies prematurely, in rather a poor condition.

Herr Doktor has become an easily excitable and easily offendable agent or science. Never growing out of his youthful curiosity, he has become something of an embarrassment to the University, which finds his studies distasteful, even if insightful. Further, the Doktor has always been willing to discard Scholarly Ethics, in favor of research and new studies. Despite all signs to the contrary, the Doktor has continued to apply for membership the in Faculty. It was in such a manner that M. NotImportant? came to call upon the Doktor. At M. Not Important?'s request, and under the promise of serious consideration for a seat on the Faculty, Doktor Glockenschmidt too it upon himself to find the Lady Corbridge. He has taken along with him Portable Laboratory?, his faithful, loyal companion, a Weasel named Pelzim Kettenrad, enough reagents to destroy many a small town, and the traditional Gnomish solution to fear -- the belief that fire will fix everything, if applied in sufficient quantity.

For those of our interested readers, who wish to learn more of our subject, we loyally present a Physical Description of Doktor Termidan Glockenschmidt and a copy of the Character Sheet for Doktor Termidan Glockenschmidt.