Deep Gnome
Hidden far beneath the surface of Aigusyl, where light is a stranger and silence wears the weight of time, dwell the Deep Gnomes—grim, enigmatic kin to the Rock Gnomes, shaped by a world of stone, shadow, and ancient pressure. Known as Svirfneblin in old tongues, these subterranean folk are as elusive as they are resilient, carving out quiet lives in the dark corners of the earth where few dare to tread.
Unlike their surface-dwelling cousins, Deep Gnomes are somber and reclusive, shaped not by joyful tinkering but by survival in the oppressive depths. They are small and wiry, with skin that mimics the stone around them—ashen grey, slate, or dusty umber—allowing them to blend into cavern walls and tunnel floors with uncanny ease. Their large, gem-like eyes gleam with a faint luster, adapted to see in complete darkness and detect the faintest shimmer of danger.
Deep Gnomes dwell in fortified enclaves known as stoneholds, carved from cavern walls or hidden beneath labyrinthine passages. These settlements are marvels of subtle architecture—low-ceilinged, narrow, and easily defensible. Within, communities are close-knit and disciplined, bound by ancient codes and communal loyalty. Trust is hard-won among the Svirfneblin, but once earned, it is steadfast and unwavering.
Magic among Deep Gnomes is practical and defensive. Illusions, protective wards, and stone-melding spells are favored, used to mask their movements and protect their strongholds. Many are innately gifted with minor illusion magic, an inherited trait that serves both cultural customs and battlefield evasion. Their mages—called Veinstitchers—weave enchantments into the rock itself, creating traps, warnings, and hidden paths known only to their kin.
Though wary of outsiders, Deep Gnomes are not heartless. They are slow to trust, but not cruel; cautious, but not hostile. Their suspicion is born from centuries of hardship, of battles with encroaching aberrations, territorial duergar, and nameless horrors that prowl the Underearth. The Svirfneblin have long memories—and longer grudges—and survival has taught them to be meticulous, cunning, and quiet.
Despite their grim surroundings, Deep Gnome culture is not without beauty. They carve intricate patterns into stone—sigils, stories, and sacred geometry. Their songs are murmured in echoing caverns, reverberating with soft harmonics only they can fully appreciate. Gems are more than currency; they are symbols of wisdom, memory, and lineage. It is said that each clan keeps a Heartgem, a crystalline record of its history, tended by its elders and guarded with absolute devotion.
In religion, some Deep Gnomes revere Aetherial, The Creator God, as the silent architect who forged the bones of the world. Others venerate lesser spirits of stone, ore, and echo—whispering deities who move unseen through the cavern veins. Many practice ancestral rites and stonebinding rituals, believing their dead become part of the bedrock and guide future generations from within the earth.
They are cautious allies and dreadful enemies. When forced into conflict, Deep Gnomes rely on ambush, misdirection, and terrain manipulation. Their warriors—called Delveguards—train to fight blind, move unheard, and strike where the stone is weakest. A Deep Gnome war party may never be seen, only felt, as the ground collapses, illusions fracture, and enemies fall to traps laid generations ago.
Deep Gnomes are not driven by conquest or glory. They are the silent sentinels of the deep, protectors of sacred places and ancient secrets long forgotten by surface dwellers. While others shape the world above, the Svirfneblin endure below—watchful, hidden, and unyielding, like the stone that surrounds them.
