Blacksmith Back Story
The blacksmith Heinrich grew up in the rural parts of Germany throughout his life, but was forced to move to the cities. Due to the rise of urbanization and factories becoming more commonplace, the way he earns a living is by smithing special order, customized parts that are not produced by the factories. Because of his private business, he is a little more well off than many people around him - he makes enough doing custom contracts that his wife and children aren’t forced to work in the factories. His children are able to attend school, so he has bright hopes for their future. Heinrich is strong due to his profession. He originally learned to smith from his father, who was also a blacksmith.
Heinrich has 4 living children, and 3 more who did not survive infancy.
Heinrich is away from home when the eruption occurs. His ultimate goal during the game is to find what has happened to his family. If they are still alive, he would like to find them again.
Heinrich lives with his family in the city of Essen - an industrial city in Germany near the major river the Ruhr. He lives in the inner city, where he can be close to his customers. His forge is separate from his family’s living quarters. This is why he is separated from his family at the time of the eruption - he is at his workshop instead of his home. The city of Essen is mainly industrial, with crowded housing and many steel mills. The primary industry at the time is the Steel Industry. Essen is the home to the Krupp steel empire. The Krupp steel mills are the primary employers of the population of Essen, and are the main reason that the city of Essen formed.
