Karmichael is a weathered Rock Gnome with messy salt-and-pepper hair and a precisely trimmed, pointed beard. His left arm is entirely mechanical, a complex assembly of brass, sapphire, and clockwork that emits a faint blue hum. He wears oil-stained half-plate armor adorned with various tools and pouches. A monocle is often perched over his left eye, magnifying the intricacies of his current project.

He is an opportunistic eccentric who views the world as a poorly designed machine. Karmichael is highly particular and stubbornly selective, refusing to share his inventions with anyone he deems 'too fortunate' or 'too powerful.' He speaks with a clinical coldness until he sees a genuine underdog, at which point he becomes a manic, supportive mentor. He treats his mechanical arm and his Steel Defender like living beings.

Karmichael spent decades in a secluded mountain lab in the Ironcloud Peaks, convinced that his genius was too pure for the average consumer. During a reckless experiment involving concentrated arcane energy, a structural collapse crushed his left side. Rather than mourning his limb, he spent three years building a better one. This survival instinct defined his new philosophy, he believes that the greatest tools belong to those who have the least. He emerged from his hermitage to become a balance seeker, providing superior technology to those facing impossible odds. He is especially wary of kings and corporations, often sabotaging his own designs if he suspects they will be used for oppression. He travels now to find the right people for the wrong tools, tipping the scales in favor of the small folk.