Gnomes, Forest

A constant hum of busy activity pervades the warrens and neighborhoods where gnomes form their close-knit communities. Louder sounds punctuate the hum: a crunch of grinding gears here, a minor explosion there, a yelp of surprise or triumph, and especially bursts of laughter. Gnomes take delight in life, enjoying every moment of invention, exploration, investigation, creation, and play.

Compared with other gnomes, forest gnomes were even more diminutive than, rarely growing taller than 2.5 feet (0.76 meters) in height or weighing in over 30 pounds. Typically, males were slightly larger than females, at the most by four inches or five pounds. Unlike other gnomes, forest gnomes generally grew their hair long and free, feeling neither the need nor desire to shave or trim their hair much, though males often did take careful care of their beards, trimming them to a fine point or curling them into hornlike spikes. Forest gnome skin was an earthy color and looked, in many ways, like wood, although it was not particularly tough. Forest gnome hair was brown or black, though it grayed with age, sometimes to a pure white.