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Gnomes

A(nother) race born of unintentional coupling, this time of small fey and dwarves. Gnomes come in several varieties, the most common being the surface dwelling Rock Gnomes, who tinker with technology, and the world wary Deep Gnomes of the underdark. Both are descended from curious fey, with deep connections to both the natural world and the fey world. Deep Gnomes didn't so much flee to the underdark, but rather initially went there for the scientific opportunities it provided. That initial curiosity soon gave way to the practicalities of survival, once exposed to the harsh conditions of the under world. As such, Deep Gnomes are far more pessimistic than their surface-dwelling brothers. Rock Gnomes, as stated before, are natural tinkerers. Nothing excites them more than inventing a device that will be their legacy to the world at large. They thrive on acceptance and approval by the "larger" races, especially man. It's not uncommon to find a tinker gnome in counsel to a king or other dignitary. They aim to ingratiate themselves through "time saving," practical inventions. But what practical means to them is often out of sync with how most other races define it. They get their strength in math from their dwarven ancestors, and their curiosity from their fey blood. Many can be found, in larger cities, as proprietors of curio shoppes and other places where they can sell their bizarre inventions. Rock gnome adventurers are either on a quest for ingredients or life experience that will inform their inventions. Woe be to the adventurer who travels with a gnome "field testing" a new product of their imagination. Deep Gnome adventurers are typically those who no longer can tolerate the stifling, hard life underground. Perhaps they retained a bit of the curious spark gifted to them by their ancestors, or perhaps they're running from something (or to something). They have the capacity to invent as well, but their output tends to be more practical than that of the Rock Gnomes. They are even known to create new, "technological" weapons, and Deep Gnome arms dealers are not unheard of. If it's not obvious from the above, Deep Gnomes tend to trend more evil than good, mostly out of survivalist needs.