Gnomes

The gnomes are one of the nine playable humanoid races in Erelest. Oftentimes viewed as mischievous and cunning, these creatures have a tendency to pull off elaborate pranks at the expense of another, take great amusement in rather dark humor, and are in general known to be a chaotic bunch. Gnomes are sometimes called the bridge between the elves and dwarves, as they have the dwarves' love of tools and construct over magic, but also have the elves' care-free attitude. However what makes them unique is their craftsmanship in the form of tinkering. Their dislike in magic has evolved into a natural resistance against it (+1 every 3 1/2 constitution point bonus against wands, staffs & rods). In addition to this their tendency to live in burrows has strengthened their respiratory system, granting them resistance to toxins as well (+1 every 3 1/2 constitution point bonus against poisons), and like most races possess infravision. Being natural burrowers they are expert in underground workings, excavations and constructions (see below), and they have +1 intelligence and -1 charisma.
While gnomes are very mischievous and oftentimes inconsiderate of others, they are always there for a friend or family member who finds themselves in great need, and can usually find an alternate solution to a problem
Default starting alignments: Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil, Neutral Good, True Neutral, Neutral Evil Rare starting alignments: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil

Basic Information

Biological Traits

While short like the dwarves and halflings, a gnome can appear almost comical as their head features can appear larger than most other races when comparing it's head proportions to it's body. Specifically the size of their head, nose and ears. However beyond the differences in proportions they do not look all that different or unique from halflings.

Growth Rate & Stages

While gnomes are certainly among the long lived races, lasting longer even than dwarves, they are one of the few long lived races that have fast growth rates. A gnome is only an infant for around five years, six at most. During that time a parent is typically eagerly awaiting for the infant to gain the ability to walk on it's own and become more independent. Once a gnome has grown into a child they are physically capable of doing chores, though most children tend to goof around more often than not. A gnome will become a young adult at the age of fifty, at which point they are free to leave their home and do as they desire.
Once a gnome reaches their mature stage, they will start thinking more cleverly than randomly, and their inner tinkerer usually sparks to life as well. This results in most gnomes settling down rather than adventuring half the time. Not much will change physically at middle aged, however once they become old they feel the effects of age beginning to take their toll, and especially at venerable.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Gnomes are as capable of eating both meat and vegetation as any other race, however it's uncommon for them to eat many meats as they often live with a variety of burrowing animals and relate to them. They still enjoy the taste however and happily consume it when visiting their dwarven and/or halfling friends, and even when visiting humans. Whenever they are by themselves however they will often eat foods that have been grown from their own gardens or foods growing around the forest. Mushrooms are especially loved by gnomes, who have at times served their guests platters and bowls of mushroom salads.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Gnomes tend to live in small, close knit communities. They tend to have small villages dotted here and there, and are always peaceful to one another. In one sense: all gnomes are one people, one community, but separated. They don't really consider the idea of kingdoms, countries or empires. Only where their friends or family are living. If a gnome community sees another one of it's kind struggling they usually will not hesitate to help them out. These communities rarely have a leader, but instead elders and (rarely), a priest. Should a crises arise, then the eldest and most knowledgeable who is still eligible to fight will assume the role of leader. Disagreements between two gnomes are generally settled in a calm and diplomatic fashion.
There are generally two reasons a gnome will venture out from their community. The first is leaving individually or with a group to pull some form of elaborate prank on a nearby settlement or individual. While most of their pranks are minor nuisances, their plotted pranks can be massive, elaborate, and easily ruin an entire day or even week for a person. The second is when a gnome attains a wanderlust to explore the world and see new sights, or is called to perform a quest for a god or their people.

Facial characteristics

When most other races look at a gnome they often can't stop themselves from at least giggling as their face is often described as 'comically large'. Most every gnome has either a bulbous or long nose (sometimes both). They all have large ears, and their eyes are also larger than one would believe they should be. In addition to this, the top of their head and forehead are often described as 'flat' as if their head was squished by a large creature, which often results in a wrinkled forehead. A gnome's eyes vary greatly, but are often shades of brown, gray, red, and white. Or as others say: 'soil, stone, and mushroom'.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Gnomes are natural burrowers, and prefer stable yet soft soil which they can make their homes in. This makes rolling, rocky hills perfect locations, and they especially prefer these hills to be covered in forests, whether thin or dense. Some gnomes have even gone so far as to find rolling rocky hills and plant trees to create their own forests with the help of druids and wood elves. These burrowed homes tend to stretch into the earth in the forms of tunnels and sometimes even mines. Yet as much as they love their homes beneath the soil, they equally love nature as much, and oftentimes will have wild gardens out near their door.

Average Intelligence

Gnomes tend to be of slightly higher intelligence than the average race, and are often described as 'cunning' 'clever' and even 'conniving'. Their intelligence certainly shows itself in their inventions which have come a very long way. Just as elves have come up with every conceivable way to use magic to fulfill their daily needs, so have gnomes come up with technological means to fulfill their own. Most of their creations are a mystery to the kingdoms on the edges of Erelest, but everyone knows that their technological advantages are not to be underestimated. They're also known to have invented coffee.
Their knowledge doesn't just end there however. Nearly all gnomes are natural burrowers, and while they aren't deep miners like the dwarves are, excavations aren't outside of their realm. Thus they are able to detect the following facts within a 10' area (except when determination of depth, which can be done at any distance):

• Detect grade or slope on passage upwards or downwards (80%/d10 1-8)
• Detect unsafe walls, ceilings, or floors (70%/d10 1-7)
• Determine approximate depth underground (60%/1d10 1-6)
• Determine direction of travel underground (50%/1d10 1-5)

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like most races other than human the gnomes have the capability of looking into the infrared spectrum, which allows them to locate enemies in the dark, and makes it a little easier on them should they suddenly be plunged into darkness. Their infrared vision is limited to sixty feet in range, and while it is powerful it has weaknesses, as any cold object can block heat sources from view.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Gnomes absolutely adore names, and have been known to have three to five names, and sometimes a title if they are well known in their community. They give their children names that represent where they are from, such as a homeland or their parents (Samson, Johnson, etc.). They will name their children after emotions (joy, awe, pride, curiosity, etc.). They will name their children after physical objects or structures in the world (flowers, celestial bodies, fortresses & cities, nature, etc.). And even name their children after their personality, which usually comes later on once it develops (shy, devious, childish, lovable, etc.). There have even been instances where gnomes were named words which mean an entire phrase. If their three to four names plus title is too much for others to handle, they just make up a word built out of their four names.

Beauty Ideals

Regarding physical beauty most gnomes don't have a preference as they can find anything funny, regardless of your sense of beauty. They often make fun of one another's disfigurements and laugh together. However they tend to find that people who are considered 'ugly' within their community are often the most likely to have the strongest self confidence, and do find that attractive. In general their word for beauty tends to be close to 'open minded', as they feel most other races tend to be too stingy or close minded for their humor.

Gender Ideals

In a very unusual way, the gnomes are both stereotypical and abnormal in terms of what each gender should do with their lives. One one hand, the male gnomes usually do most of the inventing, engineering and physical labor. They are the ones who put the pieces together, problem solve, and come up with crazy ideas that may work, or may blow a hole in their roof, while the women are often doing housework, raising the children, doing chores and tending to their gardens. However, what most races tend to forget, is that gnome women are just as mischievous as the men, and are all the more cunning. When a male gnome makes a prank it's a nuisance. When a female gnome directs the prank, it becomes hell on earth for the victim. Additionally most gnome inventors complete their projects far more quickly with a wife than when alone, as the women are often less scatterbrained than the male gnomes.

Courtship Ideals

No one is quite sure how courtship between gnomes happens. The gnomes don't talk about it, though they way they dismiss it makes the other races wonder if courtship between gnomes is just as mischievous and dark as their humor...

Relationship Ideals

Most gnome couples will live out their lives like a traditional human couple: The male gets a job (or in a gnome's case a job or starts inventing), and the woman takes care of the house, food, chores and children. However it is all but quiet and simple for a gnome household, as their antics make nearly everything interesting, loud, and crack laughs every day. If one is lucky when visiting a gnome household for the day, it will be nothing more than rude humor and bad jokes, maybe an explosion or two. If one isn't so lucky, they may flee the house and all it's ensuing chaos.

Average Technological Level

Of all the other races, the gnome's technology has no limits or restrictions. They have invented many grand gadgets and gizmos, including firearms, printing presses, even mechanical horses. Most of the other races can learn how to operate them, however their fuel source tends to be another matter entirely as most of their inventions are steam powered. "While black powder is powerful, as the blast furnace can attest, steam power is just as reliable, and renewable!" Most gnomes don't like the idea of using magic as a power source which is what lead to the discovery of steam power. When people ask the gnomes why they don't build nearly as much for warfare as they do for everyday living, as they'd probably get paid much more if they did, the gnomes usually respond with: "I don't invent just to kill someone! I wanna help make the world smile! See a need fill a need!"

Major Language Groups and Dialects

All gnomes speak the languages of gnome, dwarvish, halfling, goblin, kobold, alignment, the "common" tongue of mankind, and burrower's tongue. Depending on how high their intelligence is, they can learn up to one to two additional languages.

Common Etiquette Rules

Gnomes have very few rules regarding etiquette or manners. However there are several things no one should ever do regarding another gnome inventor:

1. Never touch his or her inventions without their permission. And even then don't touch if you can help it.
2. Never look at an inventor's research or blueprints without them inviting you to see it.
3. Never attempt to help another inventor, as you will ruin their project (each invention must be unique to the inventor's personality)
4. Never interrupt an inventor in the act of inventing. You could cause them to blow a hole in more than a roof this time.
   

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Their entire culture is completely built around inventions. This all started way back when gnomes were a helpless race that were both scorned, mocked and enslaved for being bad at most things. That is when a group of gnomes had an epiphany. If they couldn't achieve something, why shouldn't they invent something that could? After the first invention they made themselves a creed, a motto. To always seek to invent gadgets that would make life easier for those who were helpless. To always make people smile. That if they see someone in need, they would invent something to fulfill that need. At first they tried the black powder for their inventions, but the supply and demand was a very big issue for them at that time. For a while they tried water powered machines, but due to the lack of maneuverability, they scrapped the idea quick. And that is when steam power was discovered. Once steam power was discovered everything changed, and the entire invention field went wild with ideas. Nothing has changed to this day, save for the number of working gadgets and upgraded models.

Common Taboos

While gnomes are chaotic and seemingly unruly, there are several taboos that shouldn't be crossed.

1. Never steal a gnome's invention as your own.
2. Never participate nor aid the acts of slavery, murder, nor anything that would make life hard for another individual.
3. Never kidnap, threaten, or kill an inventor. Doing so unleashes the wrath of every gnome inventor and their followers upon you.

History

"Sure we have some of hour history written, but only what's important to us. We don't bother that much with the past, as most of us gnomes are always looking to the future! Who cares about what went right or wrong last month? We want to see how our inventions turn out tomorrow!"
-- Umben Dorston

Gnomes have partaken in many great events, including the "War of Sin". However they generally do not care for such things and let their involvement become forgotten by all save for those who really want to know. In general gnomes only record the names of inventors and what they created, improved on, and so forth. The more famous inventions include: Spindial, invented by Yekas Yelin. The printing press, invented by Davbar Lowor. Eyeglasses, invented by Saser Kelmin. Sky Gliders, invented by Voli Fenmila. The Iron Horse, invented by Niwar and Miwar Kelwan. And Sky Islands, a collaboration between Alvis Magnim and the elf Omalar Thenan.
There was one point of time which the gnomes take great shame in that is recorded so that they never forget. It was an ancient time before the gnomes had made any true advancements and were considered a race of nothing but pranksters and fools. During this time many of the gnomes were discontent with their lot in life and took to thievery and assassination. This lead to many becoming bandits, and they only grew worse from there. It came to the point where they had created their own organization involving every evil deed man can imagine. The rest of their brethren had reached the end of their patience, and with their first new invention, this being black powder, they drove their treacherous brethren down into the underdark, though they did not know it was called this at the time. To their surprise they never tried to return to the surface until a great many thousand years later. Ever since they've been named the Svirfneblin (otherwise called deep gnomes).
To this day the gnomes have only focused on creating more inventions to make the lives of others more pleasant and easier. While some gnomes have less of a moral compass as to how these inventions are used, their goals are more or less the same as the rest of their brethren. Even in this era of adventurers, while some gnomes pick up a wanderlust and venture out, many gnomes are content with coming up with new ways to aid those adventurers.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Dracon: Tolerance - Gnomes don't enjoy spending time with a dracon for the simple reason that they are unbelievably stubborn and unchanging. The good dracon are kind and open, but do not approve of their dark humor and practical jokes, nor do they enjoy the consumption of excess alcohol. The evil dracon on the other hand are destructive of nature and enslavers of men. With there being no in between with this race the gnomes simply tolerate their existence when around them, and ignore them when the dracon are nowhere within sight.
Dwarves: Goodwill - The similarities between the dwarves and the gnomes have reinforced the bonds of friendship between these two races. They both have a love of gemstones, they both enjoy burrowing, excavating and mining underground, and they both enjoy feasting and drinking merrily together. Very rarely has there been many arguments, fights, or battles between these two races, and none of them have ever been major. When out adventuring, other than their own race gnomes are likely to choose dwarves as their companions.
Elves: Tolerance - Gnomes do not enjoy being in the presence of the elves half the time. Elves are obsessed with magic and seek it wherever they can, often practicing it themselves while gnomes distrust and dislike magic on nearly every level. Additionally the elves dislike the gnome's dark sense of humor and never react well to their rather extreme pranking lifestyle. However they choose to tolerate elves because despite their life choices, elves are usually wise due to their age and their mindsets. Additionally they are naturally stealthy and observant which can come in hand.
Half-Elves: Tolerance - While gnomes do not prefer elves because of their lack of humor and their obsession with magic, they tolerate half-elves because they are too much of a wild card. Half-elves can easily turn out to be like their elven parent rather than their human. Their physical traits all descend from elven ancestry by default, making the chances of their personality matching the magic loving nature of elves rather high. Additionally humans are completely unpredictable, as they can choose to be evil, good, law abiding, law breaking, or completely random. So in the eyes of a gnome, while it isn't always the case, half-elves carry the cons of both races.
Halflings: Goodwill - While the halflings do not enjoy mining, excavating or burrowing like the dwarves or gnomes, nor do they obsess over gemstones and the like, their love of growing things, feasts and drink is just as great as the gnomes. Additionally, halflings are able to handle the unnatural humor of gnomes most of the time, and will laugh along with gnomes when they pull a prank. While gnomes don't often see halflings out adventuring, when they do they will often rejoice and attempt to persuade halflings to join them.
Half-Orcs: Hated - Nearly every gnome who lives long enough comes to hate half-orcs at some point in their lives. This is because before the half-orcs, every orc was too stupid to figure out how to get past their traps and defenses which are typically set up in secret. However with half-orcs retaining the genetic capacity for higher intelligence, many half-orcs who become leaders of orc clans lead them in raiding skirmishes against the gnomes to steal many of their gadgets, crops and the like. Humans : Neutral - Gnomes are generally partial to humans. They are relieved to know that many humans enjoy dark humor and pranking as much as they do, however they have also learned the hard way that they can't trust every human as they can be extremely deceptive. This is one of the reasons gnomes have become more secretive about their gadgets over the years. When humans gain a gnome as a friend however, their life's boring trend ceases immediately and they enter a world of chaotic excitement.
Nephilim: Hated - They hate the nephilim, because the nephilim are everything they despised about the deep gnomes, and thus are a reminder of that shame. The gnomes are the most open minded of all races, but most gnomes will refuse to believe any single word a nephilim says, and always assume they are related to some underground organization or behind some nefarious plot. Even when there's no evidence to back it up.

Lifespan

Gnomes will generally live up to seven hundred and fifty years on average.

Average Height

Most gnomes range between two foot seven and three foot one in height.

Average Weight

Most gnomes will weigh between thirty six to forty eight pounds.

Average Physique

Gnomes tend to have a large head in comparison with their body, even for their small size. Otherwise their physique varies.