Gnomes in Virthys were pretty much like everywhere: They loved life and did their best to enjoy it. Now, this goal becomes compromised when everyone around you is fighting religious wars. As the conflicts got worse, many gnomes retreated from civilization. They hid in secluded places, magically protected their cities from being seen and kept contact with most other races to a minimum. Their closest contacts in most places were halflings, as they shared a divine pantheon and a lot of cultural aspects derived from that.
The majority of gnomes simply tried to keep out of trouble. In their hidden villages and cities, they focused on what was important to them. But some of them understood that things wouldn't end well, and they tried to do something about it.
And when a gnome decides to get involved in something, they do it with passion. During the last years of Virthys, the old world has seen an overproportional number of gnomish heroes. In the final war of the dragon gods, some of them led entire armies into battle, or accomplished critical missions to stop Zathruax.
Of course, none of that was enough to prevent the apocalypse. It was a shock to most gnomes - both those who got involved in the battles, and those who lived in seclusion. But there was a third group, who called themselves the Shield Bearers.
These gnomes asked the question that everyone else was too afraid to ask: What is the worst thing that could happen? And the Shield Bearers got the answer right. They predicted the end of the world, and they prepared for it. The big question was: How can you survive when nothing else does?
And after years of research, experiments and engineering masterwork, they found a solution: Void Carapace Armor. Expecting to end up in literal nothingness, these gnomes built armors for themselves that could sustain and protect them. They built many thousands of these protective suits, equipped with some of the best magic and technology gnomes had ever created.
When Zathruax ripped Virthys apart, many gnomes actually survived thanks to this invention - even on regions that would not become a part of Ashandri. Their fate is unknown, and it's entirely possible they still drift in the empty space that was left after the world died.
But those who ended up on Ashandri met a different fate. Being transported to Braythe changed something in the arcane core that powered the Void Carapace Armors. In the seconds after the dimensional shift, the protective suits began to shine with an intense violet light. What followed was a magical explosion, which ripped both armors and the gnomes inside apart. But just as Braythe was reborn, so were the gnomes. The shreds and pieces of both armor and gnome bodies were pulled back into the arcane core, fusing the gnomes with their carapace armors. This was the moment the Carapace Gnomes were born.
Subraces
Carapace Gnome
As with many newborn races in Ashandri, the Carapace Gnomes needed some time to adapt to their fate. Becoming half gnome, half engineered machine, many of them wondered what they even were. To some, their metamorphosis was so unbearable that they killed themselves, often with the very arcane forces that now flowed through their bodies. Of course, this only turned them into Unbound Spirits, making their fate even worse.
Other Carapace Gnomes accepted their fate better. Some of them, engineers and sages in particular, try to figure out what exactly happened. Marisha Veilbreaker explicitly stated that their creation was not an effect of the magic that made Ashandri. The metamorphosis must have been triggered by a freak magical short circuit, something within the very fabric of reality in Braythe that activated an unforeseeable chain reaction in the Void Carapace Armors.
A small amount of these protective suits went unused during the apocalypse, and actually made it to Ashandri. They, too, began to shine magically - but with no living being inside, the light simply vanished after a few seconds, leaving the suits unchanged. The gnomes also claim that the Void Carapace Armor is a safe way to travel the Braythian Void, even if they can't explain why.
Within gnome society, the Carapace Gnomes are met without much prejudice. As usual, the members of this race react more with curiousity than anything else. But outside of their settlements, many people react shocked or even horrified. The organic body fused with machine parts is an unsettling sight at first. The soft electrical buzzing sounds that occasionally appear during movement don't exactly improve this impression.
Most Carapace Gnomes were created in Delvaroth, but there were groups in what is now known as the Ocean Heart, too. They had retreated to swimming settlements there, so they could work mostly undisturbed. After the birth of the new world, some of these gnomes spread out to explore the new world. And a small group of them were determined to travel into the Void itself, finding clues to what exactly created them.
There are also those trying to find a way back to their original reality. They can't stop thinking of those gnomes that survived the apocalypse in the original Void Carapace Armors. These castaways might still be drifting through the nothingness that was left after the world ended, and some of the Carapace Gnomes want to do everything they can to save them.
The Arcane Core that fused with a Carapace Gnome's heart is seen as a valuable magical component by some ruthless spellcasters. While it's not something that happens constantly, there are tales of mercenaries and evil wizards hunting Carapace Gnomes to use their body parts for rituals.
Carapace Gnome Traits
A Carapace Gnome shares most of the traits that all gnomes have. The following traits replace the Gnome Cunning trait.
Ability Score Increase: Constitution+1
Size: Carapace Gnomes keep their original size. But due to the engineered body parts, they average about 120 pounds. Your size category is Small.
Age: Carapace Gnomes don’t seem to grow old - not even if they are kids. The new race is too young to say for certain if time affects them. There have been cases of magical aging that actually impacted them, so sages are really unsure how to evaluate the situation. Some parents actively seek ways to magically age their children, to allow them a way to mature normally.
Implanted Tools: The body of a Carapace Gnome is half organic, half mechanical. Which parts are what differs from gnome to gnome. Implanted into the engineered parts is a set of tools that you can use as well as your own hands. Choose one toolset (for example, Thieves’ tools) as part of your body. It cannot be taken away from you, and it counts as always equipped. Checks made using these tools are always made with advantage.
Arcane Force: You can summon arcane lightning to engulf your fists or weapons with it. On a melee hit, you add 1d4 lightning damage to your attack, which counts as magical damage.
Protective Carapace: You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class, stacking with worn armor and abilities like a fighter's fighting style. When making a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution Saving Throw to avoid damage from a spell or spell-like effect, you can choose to roll with Advantage. Once used, you need a long rest before you can use this ability again.
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