Gnome

Distant cousins of the Dwarves, Gnomes are a race of intellectuals and wanderers, having no true home yet dedicated to their goal of understanding and controlling as much knowledge as possible.
Since the fall of their ancestral home, the race is currently in diaspora, settling wherever it can and offering their services in exchange for a peaceful existence in pursuit of their livelihoods.
While they are just as varied in disposition and nature as other races, they are noted as having a greater proportion of scholars, intellectuals, and magic users of their race in comparison to others. However, it would be a mistake to assume Gnomes lack martial prowess.  The Gnomenknecht maintains an active standing military force of 7,000 soldiers comprised of officers, fighters, rangers, artificers, wizards, and clerics along with associated volunteer cohorts that bolster the unofficial numbr of combat-ready personnel to an estimated 8,500 people.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Widespread, appearing on every landmass and concentrated within civilized areas.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

While first names vary, a common convention with surnames is the appearence of the postfix terms of "gear", "whistle", "bang", "nut", "screw", and the most common "winkle".

History

Gnomes pride themselves on their extensive repositories of written records pertaining to all manner of subjects. From the outset, Gnomish presence has been recorded by Elves, Dwarves, Saurians, and every other sapient species (including Goblins).
During the First Age, Gnomish scientists made arrangements to learn from the Lushanese Magocracy in order to study magic. Shortly after, the still-active Dwarven-Gnomish Alliance formed when the ruling body of the Gnomish Peoples (the Gnomenknecht) negotiated the perpetual exchange of information between their races.
Gnomes played an integral role during both great wars, supplying new weapon designs to the Dwarves and assisting the Elves in the development of new magic spells. Gnomish strategists aided the High War Councils during both conflicts on the formulation of strategies. Unfortunately, during the First Great War, their capital city and ancestral home was overrun and infested by the Undead forces of the Cult of the Waking Plague.
Following the fall of Heartholme, Gnomes have been on an indefinite diaspora, settling wherever they can and earning their living by trading their vast intellect for sanctuary.
Very few purely Gnomish settlements exist, with Gnomes quite comfortable with integraing themselves into the greater societies of their hosts. Currently the greatest numbers of Gnomes can be found within Dwarven and Human settlements, with the city of Freedholme harboring the greatest concentration of Gnomes in the world.
Lately, the Gnomes have been focusing on research primarily focusing on steam-powered technology, a cure for the undead plagues of Terrefore, the development of magic-resistant fabrics, and secretly: Artificial Intelligence.

Common Myths and Legends

Gnomes by rule never deal in legend, only facts. According to their studies, they are a the result of an unnamed Dwarven deity who coupled with an avatar of the God of Air during a fit of inebriation. Their pairing resulted in the first Gnomes, who immediately understood their own origins, recorded their parentage, and set about to acquire more knowledge about Urthe, the Planes, and all other aspects of the universe. Gnomes, regardless of their disposition, loyalties, or personality insist this is the truth of their beginnings and lament that the evidence supporting this tale was unfortunately lost in the fall of their former capital city: Heartholme.

Conservation Status

Gnomes currently benefit from an alliance with the Dwarves, who allow them sanctuary in exchange for their intellectual talents.