Gnome
Nimble and Inventive
Gnomes are a very excitable and energetic race, and they stand as one of the shortest races in all of Veteria, being a bit smaller than Halflings. They were created by the god Polymetys, the great inventor. Gnomes tend to be fun loving and free, with a knack for ingenuity and invention. Gnomes pioneered artificy as a magical craft and artform, and there are no finer inventors in all of Veteria, at least according to them. There are three types of Gnomes, the Rock Gnomes that live in and around Brassborough, the Deep Gnomes of the Underdark, and the Forest Gnomes of Feldsparn. Gnomes are surprisingly common, and the Petrean Hold Coldhall has a large population of Rock and Forest Gnomes.
Rock Gnomes
Rock Gnomes are the most commonly seen subrace of Gnome in Veteria, being especially common in Norria. They usually live around the great city-state Brassborough, and several Gnomes sit the Brassborough High Council. Rock Gnomes are especially inventive and clever with their hands, creating many interesting inventions, and pioneering the art of artificy. The architecture in cities they live in is often "steampunky" with a clockwork theme to their inventions and buildings wherever they can help it. They love designing unique and interesting things, and their buildings and other creations are often elaborate and intricate for no reason other than their love of design. They also possess a hardiness that most other Gnomes do not, being a tad bigger and hardier than the other Gnome subraces.
Forest Gnomes
Forest Gnomes mostly live in Feldsparn, a mysterious wooded land filled with nature and mystery. They often live near or alongside Wood Elves, and like Wood Elves, they are fiercely independent and elusive. Forest gnomes are rare and secretive. They gather in hidden communities in deep forests, using illusions and trickery to conceal themselves from threats or to mask their escape should they be detected. Forest gnomes tend to be friendly with other good-spirited woodland folk, and they regard elves and good fey as their most important allies. These gnomes also befriend small forest animals and rely on them for information about threats that might prowl their lands. Forest Gnomes have a natural knack for illusion and inherent quickness and stealth.
Deep Gnomes (Svirfneblin)
Forest gnomes and rock gnomes are the gnomes most commonly encountered in the lands of the surface world. There is another subrace of gnomes rarely seen by any surface-dweller: deep gnomes, also known as Svirfneblin. Guarded, and suspicious of outsiders, Svirfneblin are cunning and taciturn, but can be just as kind-hearted, loyal, and compassionate as their surface cousins. The Svirfneblin have an ability to camouflage themselves among rocks, and an ability to see far in the dark. They have lower lifespans than the other Gnomes however, living about 200-250 years on average.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
A gnome’s energy and enthusiasm for living shines through every inch of his or her tiny body. Gnomes average slightly over 3 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their tan or brown faces are usually adorned with broad smiles (beneath their prodigious noses), and their bright eyes shine with excitement. Their fair hair has a tendency to stick out in every direction, as if expressing the gnome’s insatiable interest in everything around.
A gnome’s personality is writ large in his or her appearance. A male gnome’s beard, in contrast to his wild hair, is kept carefully trimmed but often styled into curious forks or neat points. A gnome’s clothing, though usually made in modest earth tones, is elaborately decorated with embroidery, embossing, or gleaming jewels.
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