The Maisign rock gnomes number about six hundred thousand, dwelling in the Ietiwie Hills. Their largest settlement is the town of Wid.
Naming Traditions
The Maisign use trades and crafts as their family names. A warrior's family would bear the name "Eacht," while an engineer's family would be called "Klu" (literally, "warrior" and "engineer," respectively).
Culture
The Maisign worship the Khuldaag gods exclusively. In particular, they gravitate to Essera.
When meeting someone, it is considered polite to look upward to the sky. This is called a "wyrmsearch."
When wishing someone well in a major life venture, while speaking whatever words of encouragement one has to offer, it is also customary to hold the wrists together side by side in front of the heart and rapidly spread ones arms apart, as if breaking free from shackles.
When the Maisign were enslaved by the Egous, they were not permitted to wear any colors save tans, browns, or grays. Ever since they liberated themselves from enslavement, the Maisign have customarily worn the brightest and most colorful garments they could manage to fashion. This is not to say that they wear garish clothing; they exhibit exquisite taste. Their garments are simply very colorful.
Architecture
The Maisign people's architecture is exclusively stone. Buildings, when on the surface, are thick stone, with peaked roofs and shale shingles. Where timber must be used by necessity (doors, shutters, etc.), it is coated in thick clay to make it fire-resistant.
Art
Most Maisign involve themselves in craft, artifice, and practical trades. That does not mean there are not dedicated artists among them, or that they cannot appreciate well-executed art. Their artists produce equisite painting in glazes and enamels that are applied to stone and pottery. Color is vital in their artwork, just as it is in their clothing.
Schals Eacht was a legendary warrior of the Maisign who lived in the fourh through sixth centuries of the Latter Era. He is remembered for helping them drive out the Egous, a tribe of dragonborn who had ruled over the Maisign as slavemasters in the name of Aghaakheghamsë, a tyrannical red dragon who ruled the region at the time. Toward the end of his life, he established Wid, a fortress outpost designed to be a last defense against Aghaakheghamsë, should one be needed. After his death, that outpost grew into the primary settlement of the Maisign, from which their ruler, the Immu (literally, the "Fire Warden") has reigned ever since.
Ideals
Auburn hair, a minority among rock gnomes, is considered the most beautiful color. Many with sandy hair treat their hair with dyes made from ores to artifically color their hair in this way, leading many non-gnomes to believe various shades of ginger hair are common among them, when they actually are not.
