Gnomes

Gnomes in Wildemount

Gnomes are not native to Wildemount, and are relatively uncommon even in an age of swift boats from Marquet and flying airships from Tal'Dorei. They hail from the distant continent of Issylra and were largely content to remain there after the Calamity. In lands inhabited by people taller and stronger than them, gnomes often resort to living exclusively among other gnomes for their own security. This attitude has kept the gnomes of Wildemount safe for generations, but it has also instilled many gnomish societies with a pernicious strain of xenophobia.

Gnomes in the Dwendalian Empire

Two major gnome ethnic groups exist within the Dwendalian Empire, one centered in the mountain-city of Hupperdook and the other in the wooded Velvin Thicket. The rock gnomes of Hupperdook originally settled the Silberquel Ridge, and formed their enclave as a defense against bandits and brigands who hunted their kind for sport. This settlement predated the rise of the empire, and after a long and unprecedented period of imperial diplomacy-rather than conquest-the Hupperdook gnomes were finally convinced to add their cultural knack for invention to the empire's might.
The forest gnomes of the Velvin Thicket have resisted imperial takeover for decades. As a result, though most people in the empire see gnomes as their loyal friends and allies, many folk in the empire's western reaches view gnomes as obstinate, backcountry hicks.

Gnomes on the Menagerie Coast

Large numbers of gnomes live within the Clovis Concord, primarily in the city of Gwardan, where a group of gnomes who seceded from Hupperdook settled before the Concord's founding. Just as the elves of Gwardan were the metaphorical architects of the original concordance that founded the nation of city-states, the gnomes of Gwardan were the literal architects of the Clovis Concord's magnificent cities and halls of governance. A rock gnome by the name of Ionia Marbleweaver is revered as the grandmother of Concordian art and architecture for her innovative use of columns, frescoes, and friezes, all of which feature prominently in the great buildings of the Menagerie Coast's cities

Gnomes in Xhorhas

Most Xhorhasians' only contact with gnomes is a brief glimpse of a deep gnome scurrying about the Underdark carrying armfuls of gems. The deep gnomes have little interest in surface politics, and even try to stay neutral in the underground war between the Kryn Dynasty and the duergar rebels. For the most part, the deep gnomes and their settlements are small enough to remain unnoticed by larger folk.

Gnomes in Tal'Dorei

Gnomes and gnomish culture are relatively uncommon in Tal’Dorei, for although humans and rock gnomes both hail from Issylra, relatively few gnomes have the chance or the desire to leave their homeland. Moreover, their short stature has often proved a social hindrance in the lands of taller folk. But where they have settled, gnomes easily prove their mettle through deed and humor, becoming welcome members of the settlements where they choose to make their homes.

Rock Gnomes

The first gnomes to enter Tal’Dorei migrated from Issylra during the Age of Arcanum, and endured the Calamity within the deep caverns of the Cliffkeep Mountains. These folk called themselves rock gnomes, and founded a marvelous settlement called Wittebak. Their society prized cleverness above all other things, eschewing the arts of magic for a focus on tinkering and an understanding of natural phenomena.

Dizzying Heights

By the end of the Calamity, the city of Wittebak was the most technologically advanced place in all of Tal’Dorei, even as the elves and dwarves were emerging from their isolation. However, such greatness could not last. The rock gnomes boasted of their superiority to the “ignorant” stone giants who also called the mountains home, and incurred their elemental wrath. In the earthquakes that followed, Wittebak and most of its people were destroyed.

Eyes Ahead

Most of those who survived the Wittebak disaster made their way to Kraghammer, relying upon the generosity of the dwarves to survive. A few others traveled to Emon and Kymal, and helped build those cities in their earliest days. To this day, most gnomes with any connection to the heady era of Wittebak still call themselves rock gnomes in its honor. These gnomes carry a certain cultural memory of their city’s fall from grace, which drives many of them to strive constantly toward greatness.

Eyes Behind

A fair few rock gnomes dwelling in Kraghammer—elders in particular—take a different view of their people’s fall from grace and glory. These gnomes work bitterly and tirelessly, fueled by spite and pride, with the intention of either reclaiming Wittebak or proving that the city’s lost technology is superior to any magic or other force on Exandria.

Forest Gnomes

Forest gnomes are not native to Tal’Dorei, but unlike rock gnomes, they are believed to hail from the Fey Realm, much like the elves. A half dozen small forest gnome communities can be found in the Verdant Expanse, hidden from the prying eyes of elves and human explorers alike. But how gnomes ended up in the Fey Realm to begin with is a mystery that even they can’t begin to answer.

Magic, Not Tech

The biggest difference between the gnomes of the forest and their rock gnome cousins are their philosophies toward magic and technology. After spending untold centuries in the Fey Realm, forest gnomes have a great respect for magic, especially capricious, unpredictable magic like that of the fey. Forest gnome culture sees technology as predictable and boring, even if its usefulness must be conceded from time to time. Forest gnomes respect the rock gnomes’ dedication to science, and are more than happy to help their kin in their search to understand how nature works and how to manipulate it. But in the end, knowledge is not as important as canniness in forest gnome enclaves.

Worldly Explorers

Not all forest gnomes are as close to their fey identity as the gnomes of the Verdant Expanse, and a number of more worldly clans have spread to other forests across Tal’Dorei. Most notably, a number of familiesfamilies, including the Trickfoot clan, have made the Bramblewood outside of Westruun their home for generations. These clans are more practical than their fey kin and less uptight than their distant rock gnome cousins, giving these gnomes a curious personality perfect for the life of a traveling adventurer.