Gnomes

Gnomes are the smallest of the core ancestries, standing on average at around three feet tall. Gnomes are strange little people with their eccentric personalities and odd physiology. Gnomes all have very colorful appearances. Their hair is always a bright shade of some obscure color, from pastels to extremely vivid colors, gnomes sport hair of all shades. Their eyes, which are large and expressive, either share or complement the color of their hair, and they typically have personalities to match. Gnomes pride themselves in not belonging to an ancestral home, rather for as long as anybody can remember, gnomes have been travelers. Some travel in caravans, bringing goods across the world, and others make their homes on large ships, which often house hundreds of gnomish merchants and their wares. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, it is difficult to separate gnomes into distinct nations, so instead, the rulers of the region treat them as guests. It is said that if a gnome ever remains in one place, without adventure, for too long then the color will leach from the hair, their eyes, and eventually their life, killing the gnome in the end. This process is known as the Bleaching, and every gnome is taught to fear it from a young age.
Although the greater gnomish lifestyle forbids thievery, gnomes have nonetheless been labeled as basic thieves who steal valuables only to disappear the next morning. there is no actual foundation to this horrible stereotype, but gnomes are subjected to the prejudice of the more stationary folk regardless. Most people would never dream of denying a gnome their coin, because they bring such interesting items, but many never mention where they got that fascinating trinket that appeared in their curio cabinet one day.
Gnomes have a knack for imbuing magical properties onto items, but beneficiary and malevolent. They often seek out the greatest craftskin of the region to create beautifully wrought items for them to imbue with magical properties. Gnomes will also seek out adventures and hire them to collect rare ingredients for their talismans and runes.