The Xethic Faction

The Xethic Faction is an anti-authoritarian, anti-Imperial dissident movement and subculture within The Mountainhomes.
The Xethic Faction is believed to have developed from a social movement among Gnomes dissatisfied with the highly traditionalist, authoritarian nature of Mountainhomes society. For at least two thousand years, Gnomish culture was separate but generally coexisted in symbiosis with that of the Dwarves. However, in the millennium since the The Seventh Thalassan Crusade  , Gnomish society has undergone a slow but noticeable change, with more and more Gnomes feeling unsatisfied with their role in Dwarven society. The increase in Gnomish population and prosperity in the 600s-400s PE culminated in the Fragglecrux Strikes of 372  — a series of strikes, protests, and later riots that paralyzed the Mountainhomes as Gnomes demanded equal political and economic rights to the Dwarves. These events cemented a strain of egalitarianism and social liberalism among the Gnomes that often finds them at odds with their Dwarven neighbors. The next shakeup to Gnomish-Dwarven relations came when the High King joined the Union of Granmor. Most Gnomes opposed this move, as they felt that Dwarven society was already strict enough in controlling and appropriating their creations. The creation of the Royal Mages' Guild only exaggerated these concerns, and pushed many Gnomes into the arms of some unlikely allies.
The Serene Republic of Xethess was known to recruit among the Gnomes and quite a few had already left the Mountainhomes to live in Xethess. However as confrontation with the Empire neared, Xethess began to send some of these Gnomes (as well as some Dark Elves) back to the Mountainhomes in order to recruit discontented neighbors to their cause. Those who returned combined the anti-human and ecologist sentiments of Xethess with the egalitarianism and liberal ideals of the Gnomes. This fusion created a new subculture within the warrens of many Mountainhomes that came to be termed the Xethic Faction.
Recently the Xethic Factions across the Mountainhomes have begun to hold demonstrations against the RMG. An increase in embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, and trade of black market goods including magical items and drugs has also been linked to Xethic Factions in many mountainhomes. A few have even experienced sabotage and assassinations linked to Xethic adherents, although the Xethic Factions disavow violence that causes bodily harm.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Xethic speech incorporates Wood Elven terms into the normal Gnomish-Dwarvish creole / colloquial sociolect spoken by Gnomes among their own kind outside the home. Outsiders, immigrants, and foreigners are encouraged to learn the language but group decision-making is often done in Verdonese Common so as to be maximally inclusive, with any untranslatable Xethic concepts (of which there are actually quite a few) defined for listeners to the best of the speaker's ability.

Shared customary codes and values

The Xethic Faction is not an organized political body but a cultural, political movement. The ultimate goal of Xethic thought is to remove arbitrary hierarchies and use meritocratic, distributive, and directly democratic systems to delegate duty, leadership, and materiel. Xethic adherents live together in communal spaces and take turns performing tasks, with any specialized duties taken on by individuals with experience. Accountability comes from "stand-up" forum style meetings wherein each lists their tasks accomplished and future goals, and asks for consensus on any concerns they may have.
Xethic decision making works on the principle of "C minus 1", the idea that consensus can be reached without a single person blocking the agreement of the group. Large decisions are put to quick "show of hands" votes but the outcomes are usually more to gauge group opinion than to represent a final agreement.
Xethic ideals state that no individual is above any other and that the proper course of action for any individual is to use any societal advantage or personal surplus (ie. Money, Influence, Stockpiles) to help the group. Personal property is not frowned on in Xethic communes but the group will frequently request mutual aid from individuals who have something to give, so to avoid guilt and awkwardness commune members often will make more modest contributions on their own than the group would demand. Items made by multiple members of the group are considered collective property unless the group reaches an agreement on how best to distribute or divide access to the item or items.
Xethic Faction members take in immigrants and down and out members of society and introduce them to their values. This not only increases diversity and grows the culture, but also gives the faction extensive underworld connections with which to pull strings and advance their political agenda covertly. Some believe that the Xethic Factions of the Mountainhomes are organizing campaigns of sabotage, assassination, and terrorism. However Xethics respond that this is against their ideals of "bodily integrity and autonomy" which hold that life is sacred and harming others is unacceptable unless one's own well being is threatened.

Art & Architecture

Xethic Faction Communes are nearly always set up in the Warrens, an area common to Mountainhomes that consist of mining tunnels repurposed into living quarters, commercial zones, industrial sites, and public areas. Communes are quite utilitarian and do not have many luxuries, but Gnomish ingenuity provides them with plenty of advanced technology, creative and eclectic artwork, and of course top of the line utilities. 
The Xethic Factions have adopted the Norägthaz (or the Dwarven Danger Rune, which they claim was invented by a Gnome) as their symbol. They see themselves as an "uncontained threat" to the social order and the rune fits this perfectly in their eyes.

Common Taboos

Ostentatious displays of wealth, individual accomplishment, or knowledge are deeply frowned on in Xethic society as it is firmly believed that the individual should serve the group with humility and quiet pride. This last is the closest translation of farggamignuggen, a Xethic Gnomish interpretation of the Wood-Elven concept of xallissenattineth, to raise up the works of others and the group as a direct reflection of the pride one takes in their own accomplishments.

Historical figures

So far, few have come forward or been identified as prominent in the establishment of the Xethic Factions. However, the following individuals are revered by their adherents:

• Severin Fragglecrux - Gnomish labor leader, political activist, and later Noble.
• Chissa Inassianni - Wood Elf politician who advocated for a cosmopolitan, ecologically conscious Wood Elf nation to lead a Pan-Elven alliance against The Regency of Verdon.