E. Gadd

"Detective E. Gadd is a totally awesome guy and probably one of the best people on this whole damn Wiki, he's extremely attractive and smart, and is also the greatest detective in the world. His f--"

Hey! What are you doing!? Get the hell out of here! I'm your creator! Not you! Leave before I get the moderators to ban you! Er- How are you here anyways!? Never mind that! Get out!

''"Alright, alright, alright...Yeesh, don't throw a fit. It's not like I was hurting anybody..."

...Yes, well, regardless. As it should have been said, Detective E. Gadd is a Private and Paranormal Investigator, currently working with the Underfoot Express and-

"You really didn't have to be such a baby about it..."

I told you to- Bah! Forget it! Just read the information box or something, I'm not going to struggle through this while he's around. Screw it!

History
Birth

Gadd was born in Gnomeregan 31 B.D.P. to a Professor Gadd Zooks and Dee Bomm. He was the second of three children, all boys. Three years after being born, the infant Gadd and family left Gnomeregan for Kharanos. The reasons behind their relocation are classified, however, it's believed that it had something to do with Professor Zooks and Bomm being sent out for interfering and inquiring with and on matters beyond their jurisdiction, namely issues with radiation, and the risks that came with it. Shortly after moving, Gadd's younger brother, O. Snapp, was born.

"I don't remember much of anything about this part of my life, but most people don't, so I guess I can't complain about whatever this guy said. And while I am admittedly no genius, it doesn't take a physicist to see that Gnomeregan shot itself in the foot with that one. But hey, hindsight is 20/20, I guess..."

Childhood

G. Whizz, Gadd's older brother, took after his father, and began displaying signs of skill in Alchemy and Chemistry, he was immediately placed in a mentor program under his father. Snapp, the younger, was still fairly young, and received a large amount of attention from their mother. He showed an interest in botany at an early age. Still an infant, large amounts of time were spent taking care of him, and keeping him out of other people's bushes, trees, and gardens.

This left Gadd. Unable to receive any large amount of attention from his already preoccupied parents, Gadd took to causing trouble and tattling on his brothers. Most of his childhood consisted of acting out for attention, wandering around Kharanos alone, and tattling on his siblings and others as he saw fit. He was punished regularly. His siblings, while they were who Gadd believed to be responsible for his loneliness and mild-neglect, offered him support and companionship.

''"Ah, childhood, probably one of the happier times in my life. I mean, they weren't perfect or anything, my parents were so busy...But it was nice to have all of that freedom...I mean, they let me run free because they loved me, right? I was happy..."

"...Right?"

Adolescence

Concerned and annoyed with Gadd's behavior and lack of aptitude in any particular skill, his parents put him under the watch and care of a local mechanic at Steelgrill's Depot. Under the wing of said patron, Gadd began to tinker. Fascinated with his new hobby and in admiration of his new master, Gadd distanced himself from his family, spending all his time at the Depot. He started to behave, and his tattling streak, for the most part, subsided. Gadd bonded with the engineer, they maintained a close master and apprentice, father son relationship well into Gadd becoming a young adult. Gadd took after his mentor in more ways than one, and developed a fondness for dirty magazines and sleaze.

"Ah, Crank! That's what I used to call him....Crank....Uh- Yeah, anyways, he was great. He and I got along swell. Though I'm not entirely sure if he was all gnome, I heard his mother was a dwarf, or was it his dad? Whatever. He was like a father to me alright. Yup, a real pal. Er- No offense Zooks."

Early Adulthood

Early into becoming an registered adult, Gadd eventually resolved to find a career. Settling in as a security guard at the gates of Gnomeregan, the first war had ended, and a second war was beginning to show signs of starting. Neither Gadd nor any of his family members were shipped off during the Tides of Darkness, but Gadd's tutor, who was arguably the most prominent father-figure Gadd has ever known, was sent to fight. He died several months into the war. Gadd was heartbroken and traumatized upon receiving news of his death. A deep-seeded insecurity and fear of being sent out to battle would begin to plague Gadd. His siblings would continue to be one of his only sources of relief from the loneliness.

"...I really don't know what to say here, I get a little...well, to be honest, I get a little emotional every time I remember this.... I miss him. I really do."

Gnomeregan, a Realization and the Failed Business

After the war, Gadd began to relax more. He continued engineering, regularly visiting the memorial with his mentor's name on it, and largely going through the daily routine that was becoming his life. Gadd was happy to know that he'd never have to worry about being sent out to die ever again, and during the few years between the second and eventual third war, things were relatively peaceful for him. Much to Gadd's dismay, however, it seemed a third war was beginning, and this time word of a new breed of monster(The Scourge) had returned Gadd's anxieties and repressed cowardice to the front of his mind. He wouldn't have to worry long, however, as shortly after, the Gnomeregan catastrophe occurred.

Amidst all of the chaos, Gadd, like the rest of the gnomes, was far too preoccupied to be worrying about some war elsewhere. Gadd, day and night began tirelessly searching for evacuees and wounded buried in the rubble. All able-bodied gnomes, including all of Gadd's family, were called to help.

It was a week before the irradiation of Gnomeregan that Gadd's father noticed Gadd's innate talent for finding missing people and crucial technological objects through deductive reasoning and keen observation. Professor Zooks immideately began testing, sending him to find and rescue missing people and tools inside Gnomeregan, progressively upping the ante. The missing people became more obscure and harder to locate, the tools became smaller and harder to trace. Sure enough, Gadd's unique talent for investigation and tracking earned him a place on the special forces, a force specifically centered around dangerous and unusual issues and disasters. Unfortunately, Gnomeregan was irradiated the following day.

Regardless, Gadd's family encouraged him to continue honing his talent, eventually sending him to Ironforge, telling him to start off as a small-time Detective. Unfortunately, all the talent in the world couldn't make up for Gadd's financial ineptitude, and he eventually lost his office and everything but his badge. Depressed, and unable to face his family, Gadd set out, vowing never to return to his family until one day he'd become successful enough to prove to them, and himself, that he was important.

This vow was short lived, however, as Gadd returned several weeks later, begging his family for financial help. They happily helped him get back onto his feet, and sent him back again. The understanding his family showed him in spite of his failure renewed his faith in himself and in the idea that his family cared for him, an issue he struggled with for most of his natural life at that point. This time Gadd left home with a clear head, and tangible goals. Success, happiness, and the pursuit of knowledge.

"I hardly ever talk about him, or any of my family, but I really can see that I owe almost anything here to Zooks and company...I didn't think I'd ever be that successful, even if it didn't end so well, what with the whole Gnomeregan thing...and me going bankrupt...and the mugging...and me living on the streets for two weeks."

''"...Fuck my life..."

The Burning Crusade

Upon wandering around Azeroth, namely Stormwind and Ironforge, looking for work, Gadd met a woman by the name of Jan Vahalen, who told him about the Underfoot Express. After being recruited, Gadd continued working as a Detective from within the Express, honing his ability (but mostly slacking off) and meeting new people. Some of the people Gadd would meet as a result of his recruitment would be responsible for several adventures and life-shaping, eye-opening experiences that Gadd would run into in this exciting and dynamic period of his life. Gadd began to understand the world outside Dun Morogh through experience and observation.

Like many, however, Gadd eventually grew bored, and began to look for something new, a change of scenery. Many warriors were sent off to battle the Legion in Outland, Gadd figured a little vacation couldn't hurt. While he experienced the majesty of Outland and witnessed the wonders of the nether later than most, as the Crusade was almost over, he enjoyed his "vacation" thoroughly.

Gadd was nearing the end of his vacation when word got out that the Scourge, an enemy Gadd had never truly confronted, had begun invading Azeroth, and were trickling into Outland. Worried about his friends and family, Gadd rushed back to his home. The chaos caused by the Arthas' forces was frightening. Stormwind and Ironforge were in ruins, people in Azeroth were huddling into whatever pockets of safety they could find. An infectious disease had been spread throughout the world, nobody seemed to be safe.

"While I haven't ever admitted it, that year or two was my first time really getting out and seeing the world. I'm surprised I wasn't eaten alive...Well, in a sense I was eaten alive, but still, I'm surprised I wasn't eaten alive literally, by the Scourge OR the Stormwind citizenry."

Wrath of the Lich King

Time went on, a week had passed, and the plague vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The members of the Alliance, under new leadership, began to take the fight to Northrend. Gadd resolved to do what he could to stop the Lich King, in spite of his fear of being shipped off. He left the Express, attempting to improve and find himself.

After a brief, and semi-successful stint working with his own business (Ambitious Enterprises), Gadd returned to the Express with renewed vigor, learning new things from his position as the leader of a business that would bolster his confidence and drive.

Gadd is currently moving back and forth between home and Northrend, taking cases one day and trekking through Scholazar the next. He is currently investigating issues involving paranormal undead activity, the Cult of the Damned and Yogg-Saron.

"Yeah...Hah...Those few months leading Ambitious Enterprises really taught me a something. Namely that I'm a terrible leader under normal circumstances, heh. But in all seriousness, they really were good people...most of them...and I learned a lot"

"I'd talk about what's going on in the present, but if you're reading this you could probably just find me anyways."

"Detective E. Gadd, Detective and Paranormal Investigator, at your service."

Behavior
Personality



Normally impish and impetuous, Gadd quite regularly frustrates those he is around. He enjoys pulling pranks and fooling people for frivolous reasons, and often for no reason at all. Gadd's outward demeanor, in many cases, is like that of a child who craves attention. He possesses many of the positive and negative traits of a normal child. While he is friendly and innocent, he also lets the selfish, crude, immature side of himself slip through. Likely a holdover from his childhood, Gadd's peculiar behavior is often just labeled as "Gnomes being gnomes", attracting either regard or contempt from those around him. Some of Gadd's personality traits, like his outgoing nature and brash behavior, seem to belie his childhood, tendencies he was born with, one could say.

His outward personality, while a key part of who he is, hides a more thoughtful, troubled inner-self. Gadd was traumatized and bothered by the loneliness and negative attention that comes with being "the problem child" and losing his mentor/surrogate-father during the Second War. Both of these issues have had a profound effect on Gadd. The former is largely responsible for his outward personality, love it or hate it, while the latter explains Gadd's cowardice and unwillingness to deal with conflict. Gadd sympathizes deeply with those who can relate to him, and in many cases those who cannot. While unfortunate, Gadd seems to attempt make the best of them, or at least deal with them constructively.

While not as extreme as an idiot savant or child prodigy, Gadd possesses a unique proficiency and ability for gathering information and deductive reasoning that shows itself on occasion, particularly when under pressure. It's assumed that Gadd's information gathering ability at least partially stemmed from his tendency to eavesdrop and tattle as a child, two traits he still has (to an extent) today. Gadd, being an extrovert, has several key connections with important social figures, also helpful when searching for information (Whether or not the majority of these relationships are based on trust or blackmail is debatable). Where Gadd's deductive reasoning skills come from are unknown. However, one of Gadd's former child-psychologists theorizes that it was a dormant ability, and likely why Gadd seemed inept when compared to others growing-up. Stating that it only became active when under the severe psychological and mental stress caused by Gnomeregan.

A notably unique trait, or perhaps quirk that Gadd has, is his openly perverted and sleazy thoughts and actions. Gadd can be seen wearing his X-Ray goggles regularly, even to this day, ogling female passers-by, and has been caught peeking on a regular basis. He is an avid reader of the Steamy Romance Novel series, and has a astronomical amount of dirty magazines and posters stashed away, his "collection" growing since his early adolescence. Gadd doesn't hide this from most, even wearing it as a badge of pride on some occaisions. Only if a woman is pure, dangerous, or has earned Gadd's respect does he keep his tendency in check.The culprit behind this socio-psychological oddity is likely Gadd's mentor.

"...Well, that was interesting, I can pretty well say I've never read a psycho-analysis article on myself before.....Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go hide in a corner, I feel a little exposed right now..."

Idiosyncrasies


 * Has semi-severe arachnophobia


 * Can be easily quieted, and on occasion stopped in his tracks, if something, or someone, reminds him of his childhood.


 * Frequently responds with "Eh?" or "Wha?" even when he knows what was said.


 * Doesn't enjoy silence when it isn't on his terms, going as far as to make random noise in order to break it.


 * Habitually whistles show tunes.


 * When nervous, twitches and sweats profusely.


 * Frequently breaks the 4th wall, making references to the real world. When confronted, he acts as though it's completely normal or totally ignores it.

Other Information

 * During an incident on the job, Gadd lost most of his right hand, the one he has now is almost entirely mechanical.


 * After an mishap when he was a child involving a magic, Gadd acquired an acute magical sensitivity. Magic used on Gadd is prone to either weakening upon contact, or having it's effects multiplied. Gadd can also vaguely sense negative and positive magical energy. Gadd classifies these feelings and sensations as his "gut" feelings.


 * Gadd's name and profession as a paranormal investigator are a vague homage to the Nintendo character of the same name, Professor E. Gadd.