Gnome

"As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously." - Meditation 37 of the Meditations of Enkera, an important philosophical text in Gnomish Society.

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Ingenious and magically gifted, Gnomes are the descendants of the Dwarfs who hid in the mines of Thakantal instead of fleeing into the vast cave network in the Underdark. Every Gnome is born with a drop of blood from their martyred god, Thakan, which allows them to use magic while their Dwarfish cousins are unable to. Gnomes are not nearly as widespread as Dwarfs, only living in areas with large gem deposits like Einar, Huvaria, and northern Ultemac. In these regions, Gnomes have played the competing Humans off of each other to advance their own standing.

The Godlost

After the martyrdom of their God, Thakan, the Dwarfish people were split on their religious doctrine. Dwarfs believe that by faith and hard work of the Dwarfish, they can revive Thakan. Gnomes, on the other hand, believe that the blood of Thakan in them means that it is up to continue his legacy alone.
The Gnomes do not have a religion per se, but they do have a traditional set of philosophical beliefs known as "The Thought." The Thought holds intellect, exploration, and freedom from constraints as virtuous. There are uncountable different interpretations of the Thought, as no Gnome fully agrees on every philosophical issue. Most of these disagreements arise on the subject of what freedom from constraints should mean exactly. While every Gnome is different in their interpretation of the Thought, there are a few large schools of thought:

• Duru-Gar: Meaning "Embrace Nothing" in Gnomish, Duru-Gar focuses on inner freedom by rejecting all ethical principles and believing that individuals should always act in their own best interests. Duru-Gar is the least popular of the major philosophies, although it is especially popular among Gnomish pirates in Einar.
• Lirru: Meaning "Ascendance" in Gnomish, Lirru focuses on external freedom over internal. developing a perfect understanding of the world so that the individual may control it. This is done by meditating on your ancestral memories, and by rigorous study. Lirru is the most popular school of thought.
• Shen: Meaning "Flow" in Gnomish, Shen focuses on inner freedom before external freedom. Those who follow Shen believe that it is always possible to live a good life, whether you are as high in society as a king, or low as a slave. This is done by training your mind to become indifferent to changes in fortune and to pleasure and pain. Shen is the second most popular school of thought, only a little behind Lirru.

Ancestral Memories

After the first Gnomes were born from the fragments of Thakan's Heart, they also inherited many of his memories and his expertise. These memories were vague and often distorted but still assisted the Gnomes in developing their society. In the modern day, all Gnomes can tap into these memories in addition to the memories of their ancestors. It is because of this that even completely inexperienced Gnomes can make new discoveries in a field and quickly learn a subject they've had no previous exposure to.

Cooperation With Humanity

Because of the relative rarity of the gemstones they need to reproduce, Gnomes are forced to cooperate with other species, unlike their Dwarfish relatives who only require stones. While many Gnomes cooperate with Dwarfs, often forming large communities in Dwarfish Holds, they have also found it preferable to cooperate with Humans. This is because it is easier for Gnomes to get a better deal with Humans, only needing to trade some of their technology for a large number of gemstones, and because they're easy to play off other Humans for their own benefit. Gnomes can be found in most Human cities, but are most commonly found in Huvaria and Northern Ultemacian cities. They are also very common in Einar, with whom they trade Gnomish weapons, armor, and improved ship designs for protection, food, and stolen gemstones.

God Complex

"If you want absolute power, you must first eliminate ethics and oversight. Our intentions are noble, and our strive for advancement is unshakeable. All must be permitted for the sake of our end goal." - Meditation 99 of the Meditations of Enkera.

Curious and filled with a love for the world, Gnomes often fall into a desire to control it and shape it to their whim. Gnomes that excel in a field often develop a god complex and believe that they alone hold some key to the Gnomish people's ascendancy. This is further compounded by the priority of the individual in Gnomish society, and the ideal hero in most Gnomish stories being a Randian one. Because of their faith in their own ability and the righteousness of their goal, Gnomes often fall into "ends justify the means" thinking and are likely to achieve their goals even if their method is unethical.

Creating a Gnomish Character

• Your Philosophy: Do you subscribe to a major school of thought in Gnomish philosophy, or have you developed your own worldview?
• Your Personality: The average Gnome is passionate and curious, but is often very reserved. Are you the same, or are you different from your kin?
• Specialization: Are you especially fascinated in any field that you believe it's best to be a jack of all trades?
• Religion: Most gnomes believe in the existence of the Gods, but refuse to worship them. This is because, with Thakan's blood in them, they believe they are their equals.

Gnomish Names

Due to the importance of individualism in Gnomish culture, an individual chooses their own name after having lived for a year. Gnomes loathe to give their true name to non-Gnomes, as it is considered dishonorable and unwise, and usually go by an obvious pseudonym. True Name Examples: Amedin, Bilad, Gishimar, Karadin, Mashda, Semush
Pseudonym Examples: Pseudonyms are usually abstract concepts like "Revelation," "Esteem," or "Zeal."
Creating Your Name: Gnomish names are based on Ancient Sumerian or Babylonian names or words.
Here is a list of Babylonian Names: http://www.20000-names.com/male_babylonian_names.htm

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Dwarf

Origin/Ancestry

Isanian

Lifespan

90 years

Average Height

3'4"

Average Weight

50 lbs.