Gnomes

Small, rare and thought to be the stuff of legend, Gnomes live in small villages in enchanted woodlands throughout the world. Gnomes are a vibrant and expressive race that take delight in life. They live every moment to the fullest and because of this they have some incredible moments of invention, creation and exploration. Gnomes burrows are vibrant and expressive, with many different colors and hues. Their homes are underground and often hidden at the base of great trees or other natural wonders. A Gnomish forest home is hidden beneath layers of illusion that make it difficult to tell that it even exists. Because of this, many stories tell of Gnomes and their lives, or of people coming across Gnomish burrows and succumbing to dangerous magic artifacts that were kept within. These stories are rather far from the truth as most Gnomes are only passable casters with 1 in each household being more highly trained in the ways of the arcane and being responsible with the upkeep of the illusions that cloak their homes. Gnomes live in particularly large family groups often totaling more than two dozen members. 3 or 4 of these family groups live in the same part of a forest, save for some occasional outliers. There are 3 types of gnomes. Forest Gnomes are the ones who live in central Brenaurus and other forested parts of the world. They specialize in illusions and are especially playful, living lives of fun and tricks hidden from the rest of the world. Rock gnomes are the rarer gnomes that live in the foothills of the dragonspine range as well as other mountainous parts of the world, especially among Dwarves. They live in larger groups than most other types of Gnomes and don't partake in illusions, instead being prone to the invention of clockwork and other mechanical tools. It was rock gnomish inventions who first invented firearms and taught the dwarves how to make them. The third type of gnomes are the deep gnomes, also known as Svirfneblin. They were among the fallen races who were deceived by Asmodeus. They now live on in the underdark, the usual gnomish glee silenced by their dreary surroundings. They frequently deal with the drow who, like them, regret their ancestors decision to betray the other mortal races. They are exceptional masons and stay in the underdark mainly because they are ashamed of their betrayal and are afraid of how their surface dwelling kin would react to their return.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gnomes are short, humanoid creatures. They are rarely muscular and usually quite skinny. Their ears are, like elves, pointed and their eyes are especially keen.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Gnomes are exceptionally intelligent and frequently dabble in magical pursuits, especially those related to illusion magic.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Gnomes can see in the dark but this rarely matters except for the deep gnomes.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Gnomes love names and have many of them. A typical gnome has at least a dozen names, but usually only uses one of them as their favorite armor.

Major Organizations

Gnomes usually live in small communities except for 2 exceptions. The rock gnomes live in villages among the dwarves, especially in the cities built near large hilly areas. The forest gnomes gather in the fated city of Mythburrow, a sprawling metropolis located in the middle of Ivellas glade. The city is defended by several layers of illusion and people can walk through the entire city without noticing a thing, as most of it is located underground.

Average Technological Level

Forest gnomes have very little technology and mostly use bows and spears. Rock gnomes on the other hand, love technology and invention. They make toys of clockwork as well as other industrial things. They are the ones to design firearms and skyships.

History

Gnomes were among the races created during the age of creation. They were created by Ivella as caretakers of the forest. The original forest gnomes loved their homes and cared for the wildlife but their intelligence meant that they had a hard time focusing on the animals instead preferring more intellectual pursuits. Ivella was not pleased by this and reprimanded the gnomes for straying from their purpose. This caused a number of gnomes to forsake their forest gnomes and leave in a great migration to the more mountainous zones of Brenaurus. The deceiver Asmodeus appeared to them and offered them great places of invention in his new army. The gnomes who helped Asmodeus in his war against the Alliance became the deep gnomes as they retreated underground after the war. The ones who did not became the rock gnomes. After this tragedy, Ivella created the firbolgs to be the keepers of the wild and let the rest of the gnomes go about their lives as they liked.

Lifespan

500 years

Average Height

3'1

Average Weight

45 lbs