Of all of the adventurers that surrounded Archduke Xan and put their talents to work in the furtherance of expanding and improving Renatus, none were as delightfully comical as the gnome tinkerer and inventor Orben Twinkleshoes. Sporting a mechanical third arm that was mounted either on a special helm or attached in some way on his torso, Orben did more than anyone else in the realm to find magical and technological means to make everyday life easier for the inhabitants. Tanglepond had been something of a neglected backwater in the southwestern portion of Oublier until Orben set about making it a major industrial center. The sleepy hamlet of Midway Meadows grew over the years to become a bustling center of business and innovation unrivaled in central Partum.

One of the first industries to set up shop in Tanglepond was a company that designed and built the first effective roller bearings to be mass produced in central Partum. Three men from Kleine Provinzen, a halfling named Laurence Rumgold, a gnome named Terrance Elderberry, and a human named Olderbog were warmly welcomed by Orben and they quickly established the R.E.O. Speedwagon Company to not only make the roller bearings but also to build superior carts and carriages. In the years that followed there was no place in the continent that could boast the speed and comfort of Renatus’ horse drawn drayage and passenger ability. Soon other entrepreneurs and industry pioneers began a building boom in Tanglepond that hasn’t yet abated.

There is simply no way to overstate the impact of Orben Twinkleshoes to the flourishing economy and military strength of Renatus. From the ease of transporting goods to the massive “walking forts” that guard the frontiers of the archduchy, just about every aspect of life in the land has the joyous laughter of Orben echoing in its shadow.