Caliban is not an individual that would pass by unnoticed. Not because he was a well-muscled dwarf who happened to stand taller than most other dwarves and not because of the remarkable array of coloured ribbons that he wore in his braided mahogany beard. It wasn’t his hunchback appearance clearly noticeable under chainmail armour that caused him to adopt an awkward and irregular way of walking. And it wasn't the poorly fitting dark tan leggings or the solid pair of black iron capped boots that clicked and scraped in accompaniment to his unusual gait. Even the warhammer and shield that he carried, despite both showing signs of good craftmanship, were of themselves otherwise typical. Neither the hand axes, the explorer's backpack nor the interesting brass ring that he wore on his left hand. What lingered and grated to the core was the wheezing whistle that escaped continuously through the gaps in his teeth, demonstrating a severely limited musical talent, and the complete inability to hold a tune.

Caliban the Hunchback has said that he is from Maventhia. The Grand Duchy of Maventhia has been ruled by seven Grand Dukes since its establishment over 150 years ago following the Grand Uprisings led by Paolus Mavenwold, the first Grand Duke. Although predominantly a human region, dwarves number over a third of the population with many veterans from the establishment wars still receiving royalties; much to the annoyance other human descendants that do not. It is commonly accepted that Paolus III has been the Grand Duchy's best ruler, with most of the regions cultural identity founded during his 60 year rule; a meritocracy based on erosion of human-dwarf barriers and a shared identity. The Grand Duchy is most known for Redstone Brandy, Camphor Bread, Marble Brick buildings and the distinctive hexagonal 6-in-1 chainmail pattern known as Ironskin. The rulers following Paolus III, each in their own way have never lived up to expectation. And together have gradually added to the tensions between the human and dwarf populations.