Percival van der Berg

Sir Percival van der Berg is the Chief Artificer of the Technate of Koperdam and one of its co-founders alongside Sir Henry Westcroft. A renowned cartographer, explorer, inventor, and natural philosopher, Percival led the first great expeditions across the continent before the founding of Koperdam, producing the earliest complete maps of the known land. His relentless pursuit of knowledge and discovery laid the scientific foundations upon which the Technate was built. He belongs to House van der Berg.

Sir Percival van der Berg

Title	Chief Artificer
Age	20
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Religion	Vormgeloof
Nationality	Koperdammer (Kopers)
Languages	Kopersch Westmark Common Tongue
Occupation	Chief Artificer Explorer Inventor
Affiliation	Technate of Koperdam
House	House van der Berg
Status	Alive

Biography & Early History

Early Life

Born into House van der Berg, Percival developed an insatiable curiosity from an early age. He spent much of his youth reading, sketching maps, dismantling machines to understand their workings, and venturing into the wilderness in search of things yet to be documented.

These experiences instilled in him the belief that knowledge is humanity's greatest resource and that every discovery, no matter how small, contributes to the advancement of civilization.

The Great Expedition

Percival joined Henry Westcroft and the other founding families in search of a homeland where their people could establish a new nation. While the main expedition searched for a suitable settlement, Percival separated from the group to chart the surrounding continent.

During these journeys he documented countless natural formations, ecosystems, and ancient ruins, producing the first comprehensive maps of the continent before eventually returning to the newly established settlement.

The Founding of Koperdam

After reuniting with Henry, Percival helped lay the foundations of what would become the Technate of Koperdam beneath the great central mountain.

Upon presenting his completed maps, Henry encouraged him to continue exploring beyond the continent after reports of distant ships appearing along the coast. Believing that discovering new lands would ultimately strengthen Koperdam, Percival once again departed, becoming the Technate's first great overseas explorer.

The Rise to Chief Artificer

TBA

Personality & Appearance

Personality

First Impressions

Percival often leaves an unusual first impression.

Friendly, respectful, and approachable, he nevertheless has a habit of asking an endless stream of questions. Whether meeting a ruler, a merchant, or a farmer, he is constantly trying to understand how people live, what they know, or how unfamiliar objects and places function. His curiosity frequently outweighs social convention, causing many to see him as somewhat eccentric.

Despite this, his genuine kindness and enthusiasm for learning often make him easy to get along with.

True Self

Beneath his calm demeanor lies an almost insatiable obsession with knowledge.

Percival wholeheartedly believes the teachings of the Vormgever, that humanity exists to improve the world through discovery, invention, and understanding. Every unanswered question feels like a challenge that must be solved. Every unexplored ruin, unknown material, or unfamiliar culture becomes something that demands investigation.

What begins as curiosity often grows into fixation.

He feels compelled to observe, document, experiment, and understand everything he encounters. At times this pursuit borders on the obsessive, driving him to spend countless hours studying a single discovery while ignoring fatigue, discomfort, or even danger.

Years of exploration have also made him exceptionally perceptive. Percival notices details most people overlook, a subtle inconsistency in architecture, unusual geological formations, changes in wildlife behavior, or the smallest irregularity within a machine. His journals contain observations that others would never think to record.

Although deeply compassionate, Percival deliberately keeps his emotions separate from his work. He believes that scientific progress demands reason above all else, and that personal feelings should never interfere with the pursuit of truth.

Appearance

Percival dresses with practicality before luxury, favoring clothing suited for long expeditions and demanding physical work. Every piece of his attire serves a purpose, reflecting years spent exploring unfamiliar lands, documenting discoveries, and working alongside inventors and craftsmen.

He typically wears a white collared shirt with a broad sailor-style collar beneath reinforced leather gear. Heavy steel gauntlets protect his forearms while working with tools or traversing difficult terrain, and a sturdy belt supports numerous pouches used to carry journals, instruments, and collected samples.

Hanging around his neck is a pendant fashioned in the likeness of a torch, the enduring symbol of House van der Berg and its dedication to knowledge. From a chain fastened to his trousers hangs a collection of keys, gears, and mechanical trinkets, useful tools accumulated throughout his journeys.

Years spent surveying mountains, constructing machinery, and traveling through untamed wilderness have left Percival with a noticeably athletic, well-built physique. Though not a soldier by trade, the physical demands of exploration and invention have made him considerably stronger than his scholarly appearance might first suggest.

Skills & Expertise

Cartography

Regarded as one of the finest cartographers of his generation, Percival personally surveyed and mapped the known continent before the founding of Koperdam. His charts became the foundation for future expeditions, trade routes, and settlements, and are renowned for their precision and remarkable level of detail. Even while traveling, he continuously updates his maps as new discoveries are made.

Natural Philosophy

Rather than accepting phenomena at face value, Percival studies the unknown through careful observation, experimentation, and meticulous documentation. Every plant, creature, mineral, ruin, and unfamiliar material is carefully catalogued before conclusions are drawn. His journals often contain sketches, measurements, and hypotheses, many of which later become the basis for further research within the Technate.

Engineering & Architecture

While Henry Westcroft is widely regarded as the Technate's foremost architect and engineer, Percival possesses considerable expertise in structural design, city planning, and mechanical construction. His knowledge allows him to contribute to large-scale projects and offer practical solutions during the planning of new settlements and infrastructure.

His greatest specialization lies in the creation of copper machinery, a field in which his innovative mechanisms often surpass even Henry's own designs. His inventions emphasize precision, efficiency, and intricate mechanical systems powered through gears, counterweights, and copper components, making him one of Koperdam's leading mechanical innovators.

Observation

Percival's greatest talent is his extraordinary attention to detail.

Years spent exploring unknown lands have trained him to recognize patterns, inconsistencies, and subtle clues that most people overlook. Whether surveying landscapes, examining ancient ruins, studying wildlife, or inspecting mechanical devices, he instinctively notices details that others dismiss. This keen eye has led to many of his greatest discoveries and allows him to draw connections between seemingly unrelated observations.

Research & Documentation

Every expedition Percival undertakes is accompanied by extensive journals, sketches, and field notes. He believes that a discovery only holds lasting value if it is accurately recorded and preserved for others to build upon. His meticulous documentation has established a growing body of knowledge that serves scholars, explorers, and inventors throughout the Technate, reflecting his belief that progress is achieved through shared understanding rather than individual accomplishment.

Relationships

Henry Westcroft

Co-founder of Koperdam, Percival's closest friend, and intellectual equal. While Henry approaches challenges through engineering, architecture, and practical innovation, Percival seeks answers through exploration, observation, and discovery. Together, they balance one another's strengths, combining invention with curiosity to guide the Technate's growth.

Katherine Kingswell

TBA

Hawthorn Sterling

TBA

Preferences & Philosophies

Likes

• Exploration
• Cartography
• Scientific discovery
• Ancient ruins
• Libraries
• Mechanical inventions
• Mountains
• Astronomy

• Documenting new species

Dislikes

• Willful ignorance
• Destroyed knowledge
• Superstition without evidence
• Incomplete records

• Unnecessary waste

Personal Philosophy

• "No discovery is insignificant."
• "Knowledge belongs to every generation."
• "Progress begins with curiosity."

• "Every answer leads to another question."