May to Z: C

Clinka Cogswell - gnome inventor.

I know. It's cliche to have an technome inventor. But I thought maybe it would take some of the sting out of it to make her a girl. Interestingly, a female gnome is still just called a gnome. Not a gnomess or gnoma, although I do like either to specify gender.

Clinka's father was Cadwagan (from Cadwgan) - Welsh for "glory in battle". Her shortstack dad was so named because he invented a large mechanical exoskeleton to wear as armor in battle. Although terribly fearsome to his enemies when lumbering around in his iron giant (which stood maybe all of 6 feet tall), other gnome tinkerers marveled at the genius of the invention. Clinka served as her father's mechanic and apprentice to help maintain the suit and keep it show-worthy.

Clinka always dreamed of being as famous as her father, but he cast a large shadow. Exceptionally large considering his monstrous accomplishment.

But Clinka got her chance to make a name for herself when her father's girth became to great to fit into his robot anymore. Everyone knows gnomes have a gluttonous appetite, but they don't grow up, just out. her father feared his showpiece would rust away in a corner and be forgotten until proud Clinka suited up to save her father's honor. With some modifications of her own, she was able to make the suit lighter for the wearer and thus quite a bit faster. She also added dexterous fingers instead of the solid fists that Cadwagan had made. Now it wasn't just a banging battle beast, but also a work suit that could perform useful tasks. By literally standing on her father's shoulders, Clinka managed to elevate all gnomekind to new levels of greatness.