The Gunsmith, v2

The captain of the city guard is in a panic. One by one her guards are being found dead on their patrol, with no mark but a smouldering hole in their Regency-issued helmets. She has taken the search into her own hands, scouting the area of the Clocktower District where all of the guards had been found. In a last ditch effort, she peers through her spyglass at the glowing clock face, just as it strikes midnight, and the last thing she sees is the end of a barrel, jutting out of the tower window...

Tugging on his manacles, the archmage curses these savage creatures. If only he could reach his spellbook, the road back to the Academy would be paved with orc's blood. Suddenly, echoing through the foggy foothills comes a series of blasts, accompanied by a medley of warcries from outside the timber walls. After the screams subside, another bang resounds and the gates creak open, revealing a bloodied dwarf. The warrior totes what looks like a handheld cannon assembled from scrap as he stands at the head of a ragtag group of adventurers. Brandishing a set of tiny iron instruments, the dwarf easily dismantles the headmaster's cuffs...

Both of these adventurers are Gunsmiths, masters of a new and strange technology at the forefront of warfare. They are capable of controlling the wild and unpredictable forces of combustion to direct strikes of heretofore unknown precision and devastation.

They may be scholars and adventurers brought into a life of adventure by circumstance, to reclaim a lost secret or rescue an endangered colleague. Or they could be the other way around; opportunistic adventurers seeking to take advantage of developing technologies to aid in their pursuits.

Quick Wits, Quick Triggers Most Gunsmiths possess a strong intelligence, as is typically necessary to invent or operate the firearm technologies that are still in their nascent stages. As a result, many are cautious, calculating tacticians. However, others find themselves invigorated with a gun in their hand and a shout on their lips: for these, the firearm awakens a carnal wrath. Of course, anyone can pick up a gun and pull the trigger. It's not the possession of a firearm that defines a Gunsmith, but what one does with it.

Weapons Personified It doesn't take much experience with firearms to know that those who wield them wield an incredible power, and Gunsmiths are more aware of this than anyone else. Some find pride in this responsibility, performing flourishes with their weapon and flaunting it in public. Others are more protective of their technology, keeping it hidden and away from the prying hands of those who would misuse it. Some find gunsmiths' relationship to their weapons jarring; many care for their firearm as it was a favorite child, even going as far as giving it a name.