The gnomish miners slowly gathered before a group of family members waiting outside the mine. The sorrowful looks of the rescue party told them everything. They were giving up. It was just too dangerous to attempt another rescue. The mining accident had taken both parents, leaving Karlen and Kloey alone. Karlen, not more than child himself, held his little sister tightly, offering her what little security and comfort he could. Kloey’s little frame trembled as she fought to stifle an impluse to scream. This was all too much for her to bear.

With teary eyes, she looked up at the vast ever-turning cog wheels that helped keep Ak’Anon running smoothly, waiting to hear about her and her brother’s future. The young siblings’ relatives offered their homes and loving care, but Karlen objected.

Surveying the huge mechanical machinery, robotic workers, giant gears and pipes that hummed and rotated deep inside the large underground city of Ak’Anon, Karlen made a decision. He and his sister were going to leave, at least for a while. Even though they came from a family of gnomes that created machinery such as foozlebits, flizgigs and fuzzlenoggins, many gnomes were also expected to work hard in crystal mines that were filled with dangerous creatures and volatile elements.

The gears and windmills of Steamfont Mountains

They needed to start a new life that had nothing to do with mining or Ak’Anon. Soon after the accident, they packed their things and ventured out to the Steamfont Mountains. The large mountainous windmills that slowly turned with the power of the wind seemed to bid farewell to the little gnomes as they carefully made their perilous journey to a nearby monastery.

As the two gnomes grew up in the safety of the monastery, they were educated and taught forms of self-defense. Kloey studied to become a druidic warden healer for she was interested in animals and the healing arts. Karlen became a druidic fury to learn how to control the weather elements for protection and combat. After several years passed, Karlen and Kloey decided they were old enough to join a guild.

Kloey & Karlen Brytestar

They explored the lands of Greater Faydark and Antonica, taking care of each other along the way. During their travels, they found a village filled with halflings and gnomes. It was called Baubbleshire, and the inn there became their home. They each had their own room and pets. They both adopted two baby dragons. Kloey also found a strange little creature that could hover called a Gazer. This was because the creature had a large eye and it also had tentacles with eyes at the end of each one. It was a very odd looking creature and it ate like a goat, chewing a many things besides food. The gazer had to be penned up in her room or it would snack on her furnishings and possessions.