Local Spotlight: Eldon Tonttu

Towering at a mere 3'8" but casting a long shadow across the annals of Dochias’ history, Eldon Tonttu is not your average gnome. At 243 years old and still sharp as a soldering iron, Tonttu is the genius mind behind the solar panels that power the island’s spark and spirit — a technological marvel perched atop the unforgiving peaks of the Danu Mountain Range.

Born on the 8th of Selene (of course he’s an earth sign — and a Virgo at that), Eldon hails originally from the outskirts of Rhode. But since the age of 43, he’s made his home in the harsh but necessary village of Summitgate.

Tonttu founded the Rona island settlement of Summitgate in the year 4050 — an act of creation purely to maintain and attend to the panels on the uninhabitable Ryleigh island. The city is now inhabited primarily by those who work on the panels, or work on the power exchange to batteries in the factory near the town. 

A longstanding member of the Engineer’s Guild Artisans, Tonttu is revered not only for his dazzling intellect but for his relentless belief that knowledge should serve the world. His is a mind that doesn’t just create — it uplifts. “What makes people tick?” he often asks with a twinkle in his eye. It’s not nosiness — it’s purpose. For Eldon, trying to understand people is just as important as understanding circuits.

But life hasn't been all brass fittings and blueprints.

In 4089, Eldon lost both parents to illness, like many throughout time. He and his younger half-sister, Ellory, were both well into adulthood and able to care for themselves, but saddened by their new state as orphans. 

His most recent exploits began as nothing more than a straightforward, though tenuous, maintenance journey — a simple escort up Danu Ridge to recalibrate the solar conduits. But things rarely go according to plan when the mountain groans. What started as a technical inspection quickly turned into a high-stakes expedition. Uncharacteristically common earthquakes had begun to rupture the ground, threatening to tear not only Ryleigh island — but all of Dochias — asunder.

With the aid of three unlikely companions — the sorcerer Eddy, the druid Zono, and the enigmatic Belladona Nox — Tonttu not only restored the solar panels but uncovered and dismantled the subterfuge causing the quakes. Where others saw danger, he saw circuitry. Where others heard rumbling, he listened for rhythm. And where most would have failed, he found a solution only someone like him ever could.

Today, as our islands stand firm and the lights twinkle and glow throughout Rhode with captured sunlight, Eldon Tonttu retreats — not into retirement, but into the heart of his workshop, surrounded by gears, crystals, and silence. That’s where he’s happiest: sleeves rolled up, goggles on, tinkering with the next bright idea that might just change the world all over again.

Profession:

Engineer and inventor, and recently adventurer! ("Oh now don't say that, I'm hardly picking that up as a hobby. I value my lifespan too much")

Any unexpected skills or tricks?

"If you ask me when I've had enough good ale, I might show you how I can rip a phonobook in half" (editors note: a phonobook is a rare scholarly text that is extremely thick and lists the numerical associations of various citizens, who can be reached by the Sending Spell without having to be familiar with them)

Anyone special in your life?

"Have you heard the phrase married to your work? Gnomes often are I think, though I certainly have known many people."

(Doesn't everyone know many people? - "That's not what I meant by 'know'")

How do you feel about the Capitol/Duke Barrett?

"The Capitol is a beautiful place enriched by the many contributions of master artists throughout the decades. The stones alone stand as a testament to the skill of the ancient stoneworkers, whoever they may have been."

(But you didn't mention the Duke? - "Didn't I? Well, Duke Barrett is beautiful young man. And the council is blessed by many intelligent representatives")

Any wisdom for the youth?

"Trust your skills and intuition more than you trust the opinion of others - but never believe yourself to be better than them"

243 year old gnome who invented the solar panels and founded Summitgate. Was briefly traveling with the PCs to Danu Mountain range, but parted ways when the solar panels were restored.

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