Gnomish Ministry of Engineering

Resident in Ferrodyne, this guild is composed mostly of gnomes. Members are typically artificers, tinkers, inventors, craftsman, and the occasional alchemist - and most would be considered at least a little mad. Entry into the guild requires the registration of at least one original patent with the Ministry, but patents are only awarded to guild members - a paradox that boggles all but the Gnomish mind.

Important Notes

• The Ministry's official name, translated from Gnomish, is The organization charged with granting and recording: patents on all engineered/jury-rigged/built/summoned/otherwise created devices, machines or gadgets; permits to engineer/jury-rig/build/summon/otherwise create devices, machines, or gadgets; membership applications, renewals, or sponsorships, and officiate disputes regarding same.
• In spite of its name, the Ministry is not technically affiliated with the Church. It controls the research and development of new ideas, and was originally only concerned with governing intellectual properties. However, it quickly became concerned with protecting the interests of its members - and protecting its members from the sometimes outraged members of the community, which has often been burned down, blown up, or rendered unlivable due to stench, torrential rain, or giant mechanical constructs on the rampage.
• Although there are many guilds across Crescent composed of artisans, most take great pains to make sure that they are not confused with "Those crazy gnomes".
• Official Ministry patents are difficult to come by. It is very difficult to prove beyond doubt that any given gnomish invention is unique.
• Two of the most famous Ministry members, Barnabus and Nobble, invented the moveable-type printing press to print religious texts (and later moved themselves and their machine to Luminaux).
  • The printing press is also known, in a literal translation from Gnomish, as Barnabus and/or Nobble's multiple-letter/number/symbol adjustable-order paper-based steam-powered columnated textual reproduction machine.
  • There is a nasty rumor floating around that the reason they moved was that they were ostracized for having produced an invention that worked well, was a benefit to society, and didn't explode, go on a rampage, or simply cease to exist in a mind-bending twist of anti-logic.
  • An alternate rumor cites a disagreement B&N had with House CopperWire over the practicality of printing various dictionaries and lexicons.