Order of Delas
Most gnomes are sedentary and willing to assimilate. gnomes maintain their cultural identity via the Order of Delas (named after the greatest Gnomish hero of the liberation wars against the dark elves).
The Order of Delas is made up of iterant gnomes who keep lines of communication between disparate gnomish communities open. The Order of Delas is made up largely of members who operate on fairly predictable circuits. They also have roving bands of adventurers who serve as roving trouble shooters. More common than gnomish adventuring bands, are a network of gnomes amidst multi-racial adventuring parties. The adventuring gnomes of both stripes serve as defenders or at least avengers for gnomes who face violent discrimination.
Since gnomes rarely have to deal with their people being systematically oppressed, the roving Order members do standard problem solving that many other adventurers do. They also act as roving trouble shooters trying to mediate between warring factions of other races. Pretty much every gnome adventurer who makes a name for himself or herself is likely to get an invitation to join the Order of Delas.
There is a small but growing faction with the Order of Delas and their supporters that the gnomes should found a sovereign nation somewhere. While many gnomes are sympathetic to the idea, there is no real consensus on where said nation should be, who will populate it, what their government system should be, or even what their nation would be called.
Gnome Holdouts
On paper, the Order of Delas officially looks out for the welfare of all gnomes throughout Scarterra. In practice, the Order's reach is strong but hardly everywhere. In general, the Order of Delas has more influence in human dominated lands than elf or dwarf dominated lands. The Order of the Delas is effectively a tool to uphold proper gnome society. Gnomes who are outcasts, deviants, and especially criminals aren't included under their aegis. Gnomes outside of polite society are often hostile to the Order of the Delas and visa versa. They have no members among Zegdelian gnomes at all. The Zegedlians are not hostile to civilization, but they do no want to minimize contact with it and the Order of Delas is very much a tool of civilization whether they admit or not. The Order of Delas has very few members among the forest gnomes. They are not that much more civilized than the Zegdelians and the nation of Codenya doesn't like to mingle in the political affairs of mortals outside their national borders. The Order of Delas has comparitvely very few members among the East Colassian gnomes and the Order of Delas members in East Colassia rarely broadcast their affiliation. The local humans and elves do not particularly like or trust the Order there.Non-gnomes in the Order of Delas
Non-gnomes are occasionally invited into the Order of Delas. To be invited, a candidate has to speak fluent Gnomish and be good friends with a member of the Order of Delas and have helped the Order significantly at least once in the past. Gnomes are a gregarious and accepting lot and tend to treat non-gnomish Order of Delas very well assuming that any non-gnomes who got that honor must have done something to deserve it.
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