Gnomes in E'ahna can be found worldwide, but probably 80% of rock gnomes come from their homeland in Geddri. It is said that back in the primeval ages of constant warfare with and between dragons and giants, many of the rock gnomes either fled to the hot, dry south or they fled to the hot dry north. No one was fighting over these areas, composed of vast badlands, towering mesas, and very little plant-life. The rock gnomes were innovative, however, able to see potential that others could not. They looked upon a mesa and saw a pre-built home, perfect for digging out massive communal burrows that could be well guarded. Using their skills in engineering they were able to make wells and pumps and aqueducts and soon the tops of their mesas were strewn with farms. They made their own oases, high up where almost no one else could reach or pillage from. Thus grew the twin homelands of Geddri in the south and Gulthar in the north. Gulthar would fall one day under the might of a draconic goddess, but Geddri has survived in tact. It may be now separated from the mainland and many of it's lower levels long flooded out, but it remains the proud homeland of most living rock gnomes.
The forest gnomes on the other hand do not have one single homeland. In the chaos of the early ages they spread among the many woodlands of the world, finding deep, hidden, un-touched places where they might be safe from the war. To this day, most remain hidden in their forest burrows, using illusion magic to keep anyone from coming across their little communities. They don't have a united culture in the way rock gnomes do and different forest gnome communities can be vastly unique. Some live very similarly to a halfling, with burrows set into a quaint little forest clearing along with some small gardens or orchards. Some groups are more nomadic and practice the druidic arts, even keeping loose alliances with the wood elves of Shora. Others, like those found in the jungles to the west, can be hostile and have been bred for survival against incredibly dangerous beasts and the Yuan-ti. Most forest gnome communes and their locations are not known to outsiders- even by the elves who share these forested homelands. Only two are known to the general public of Namiza- the village of Foldweg near the forest border of Langollyn, and Gefindiweld, a massive forest town deeper in that can only be found if a forest gnome leads you to it. Forest gnomes are well known for keeping to themselves but every once in awhile you can find one that left home for one reason or another. You find them living among others most often in Namiza, the fishing towns of the Wild South in Arna, Kardath or the elvish cities of Astrithyr. They are easiest to find in the Namizan town of Leyline. Over time the Hullvudd forest has largely shrunk and they've run out of places to hide their communities. Many simply decided that living among the elves and dwarves would be a better alternative to finding a new forest to hide in.
Rock Gnomes
Geddrian Gnomes
The gnomes of Geddri can be found all around the world, studying this and inspecting that, trying to add to their communal trove of information back home. Sometimes they set up base camps to study a certain phenomena or ruin and that camp becomes a town- such as is the case in Geirrghal and Edina's Post in Namiza. Going on these research trips is almost analogous to a religious mission to them, because for many, gaining knowledge
is divine work. Most gnomes in Geddri primarily worship Cyreda, their chief god of scholarship or Geirr, the god of craft and invention. In Geddri, which is a massive plateau sticking out of the ocean (south of and between both continents of Arna and Kharza), there are five massive mesas and a number of smaller buttes and these serve as individual "Den-cities"; packed in burrows full of working gnomes that climb up like skyscrapers. There are also a few Den-City island mesas off the coast. Most of these dens have a particular code or credence in regards to the work that goes on. These codes could be religious, ethical, determine the areas of study allowed, or the power structure within, but each Den-city functions independently from the others. Most gnomes, when they come of age, are expected to choose their area of study, and this is to become their life's work. Those who are struggling to choose will often be given a civil service type job until inspiration strikes- for some it simply never does. Some swap their area a few times before landing on what they truly have interest in. Once they
have chosen they are sent to live and work in an appropriate den-city and placed under the tutelage of a professor in that area. They start off in a school like structure until they graduate and are gifted (or created) their very own small research lab or workshop. At this point it is expected for them to go on at least one 'research mission', a trip to another continent for one year to learn what they can on their subject through the eyes of an outsider. Rivalries between scholars can be intense and politics in Geddri can get messy fast. Through a lifetime of study and success, a gnome may earn larger and more prestigious labs or workshops, and the higher their reputation the more say they have in the government, which is a meritocracy. It is a rigid structure to live in and it's not for every gnome. Many gnomes go on a 'mission' and never return home. For some it's because they are too involved in what they are studying (such as the ruins of Gulthar or the mysterious destruction of Zenam) and others simply realize for the first time that they were miserable in Geddri. Some prefer to set up shop someplace where their heightened intelligence is more appreciated, where they are not under the constant scrutiny of their peers. For others, despite the natural talent they may have, sometimes a lifetime of study is not what they even want. Some leave to pursue lives as musicians, business owners, sailors, criminals, martial artists or even treasure hunters. Many do not even realize those are options until they get away from the university-like cult that is the gnomish homeland.
Gultharian Gnomes (& Deep Gnomes)
The gnomes of Gulthar are not quite so different from those in Geddri... because most are 2nd generation immigrants from Geddri, if not directly from there. The Original den-city of Gulthar was established in ancient times. During the dark ages when most of the world was enslaved by the draconic deity Eresh, the gnomes of Gulthar were the only ones capable of holding her off and did so through their next level technology and weapons. They held out longer than anyone (other than the dwarves anyhow), but eventually Eresh weaseled her way in with trickery and destroyed it from the inside. She collapsed most of the tunnels on her way out after causing a mass genocide and the burrow faded into history and even myth. There are myths of groups of gnomes able to escape with their lives and it's possible some descendants of Gulthar did live on, but there's no way to tell who and obviously they lost their technology. A number of these gnomes actually escaped by retreating further down into the Underdark. They never made it to the surface so they simply built a new civilization down there. They became the Deep Gnomes. To this day they have really never surfaced and only a handful of explorers have ever run into them down below. Their existence is more like a silly story or rumor. Another group of these gnomes escaped by portal to one of the celestial realms and stayed there for quite a long time before eventually realizing it was safe again and returning to the material plane. Their extended stay altered them slightly and gave some of their bloodlines hidden advantages. See
Campaign Specific Subraces & Half-Bloods for stat information. Most gnomes of these special bloodlines have no idea that they are special or different from the average rock gnome. Hell, the story of Gulthar was considered just a myth for a very, very long time.
A couple hundred years ago a gnomish researcher disguised himself as an important dwarf and managed to sneak into the archives of Uladun. Within he found the smallest of clues- records of a few trades that occurred between these dwarves and "the Gultharians". Putting together context clues they determined that Gulthar existed just to the west and within a certain number of days travel- likely either a part of the Khalvo plateau or the Red Pillar Mesa. They set up research posts at Edina's Post and (future) Greyshore and after many years of searching, the mythic ruin of Gulthar was found. They established "New Gulthar" atop the Red Pillar mesa as a new base camp and they have been trying to excavate the site ever since. Those first researchers have passed on this holy mission to their children at this point. It's dangerous work- the old ruins are full of ancient and dangerous technology and deadly creatures who have taken up residence. The den city of Gulthar goes down very
very deep into the earth- far deeper than those first researchers ever imagined. New gnomes from Geddri with an interest still arrive to New Gulthar looking to aid in the excavation and study of the ancient technology they are constantly finding. Some of the second generation gnomes have instead been pulled over to Geirrghall over the last 50 years, drawn into the mysterious fall of Zenam and the dangerous phenomena of Thiabet Valley.
Forest Gnomes
Afenedennian Gnomes (The Grove of Astrithyr)
The forest gnomes of Astrithyr (Afenedenn, as they themselves call it) have lived there just as long as the elves have, but hardly anyone would know. They make their burrows deep within and far from any major elvish city or pathway between them, mostly along the hilly base of the mountains. They have been known to find lost or injured travelers and assist them, but few can claim they've actually been within one of their hidden communes, as they prefer to keep their locations a secret. Their towns are well hidden with illusion magic and generally appear as a massive thorny grove of brambles no one would reasonably try to cross. Some of them are protected by plants that have some measure of sentience and who can attack trespassers, though it appears the gnomes have managed to befriend them. There is trade between them and a system of hidden pathways connecting them, marked only in a way they know or can see. Their biggest issue tends to come from kobolds making their way through from the mountains and stumbling upon them and roving packs of gnolls who manage to sniff them out. One unique thing about them is a cultural tradition of taming and riding displacer beasts. No one knows how they do it so well, what with their small size, but many an elvish ranger has come across a traveling pair of forest gnomes atop one of these fearsome beasts. They use these creatures for protection as well as for hunting.
Langollian Gnomes
The gnomes of Langollyn have lived in this region, which once spread all the way to the southern seas, long before the elves arrived or their fey-infested forest creeped its way through the mountains and killed off the Old Wood. They see the "Shorawood" as an invasive species and most forest gnomes from the Old Wood slowly immigrated north, across the river. It is unknown why the Astrithyrian/Shoran woods do not seem able to cross the river that separates them from Langollyn but some myths suggest that an a powerful individual or perhaps group of forest gnome magicians or druids were able to imbue the river with some kind of anti-fey protective magic. The two forests are ecologically very different, and Shora is much more dangerous, so most forest gnomes live in the north in the forest they themselves named Langollyn. There are only a few forest gnome communities left here, now that much of the Langollyn forest to the north was chopped down by humans to build towns in the southern region of Namiza. Two of their small communities have become known to outsiders- Foldweg and Gefindiweld. Gefindiweld has grown to a massive size for a forest gnome commune, as it became a place many gnomes fled to when their homes were discovered or chopped down. It has yet to be discovered, though many Namizans have
heard of it. Despite the hardships of being driven into a relatively small area over the centuries, the forest gnomes here don't seem to hold too much of a grudge against the elves to the south or humans to the north. Those of Foldweg even act as guides to lead groups of people through and to the southern mountain pass. Some think they do this explicitly so that outsiders have less of a chance of stumbling upon one of their few remaining hidden towns.
Cladathian Gnomes (Hullvudd Forest)
The gnomes of the Hullvudd forest (which they call Cladathwud) have faced many of the same problems the gnomes of Langollyn have. Their vast forest homeland has been steadily shrinking. The Cladathwud once stretched all the way from the top of the Andun Mountain range, through Thiabet Valley, to the bottom of the Ulad Mountains. The edges touched the Ochre Mountains and spread as far west as to border the claw river. The destruction of their home to lumberjacks began with the Marasen Empire's occupation and doubled with the rise of the city of Zenam which resulted in the near-complete clearing of Thiabet Valley. The Cladathwud is comparatively tiny now, and most forest gnomes have been forced to move to the more remote forests in the north or to give in and join the increasingly diverse cities of Namiza- largely the woodland city of Leyline. There are still a few hidden communes around, but keeping them hidden has become increasingly difficult since the fall of Zenam made this region a major detour trade route. Those that remain hidden have become very bitter, even wont to lash out upon those who might discover them. In fact, they were believed to be the culprits behind the fall of the town of Lumberfell, which now lay in ruins. It seems some of them have decided to fight back. Cut down the forest of Hullvudd at your own risk.
Fyrthfugolan Gnomes (Western Jungles)
Not a great deal is known about the forest gnomes of the western jungles of Kharza. They have been spotted both far in the wild north and deep in the Meliferan jungles to the south. The gnomes here refer to this long stretch of coastal rainforest as Fyrthfugol or the Bird Wood- mostly for the loud and colorful plethora of birds who dominate the treetops. Many believe there is something about these jungles- some curse or energy, that makes everything (including gnomes and elves and the yuan-ti who were once human) violent and feral. Whether or not a particular group of forest gnomes are hostile towards you is a roll of the dice. Typically in the south they are. Some groups here have managed to remain civil but not many. Most see any outsider as a threat to them and attack on sight. You can't blame them really- the wild elves and Yuan-ti and the Grung don't hesitate to attack them after all. These gnomes subsist largely on hunting and gathering fruits or mushrooms, which are plentiful. They travel in hunting parties for protection, assisted by a number of tamed creatures including giant wolf spiders and riding worgs. They often cover themselves in mud or clay to blend in with the surrounding jungle. Their villages are hidden with illusion magic but also surrounded by a number of elaborate, incredibly well constructed traps, fully utilizing their superior gnomish intelligence against their violent neighbors.
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