Gnomes of Summer's Tale

Small Humanoids (Gnome(=)

The gnomes are of mysterious and shrouded origin, living on Summer's Tale’s various regions for unknown thousands of years. Their legends tell of some kind of migration from another world in the sky, a magical and mysterious place far away. They often get by just fine without ever entering civilized and populated areas, residing in rural areas or wilderness. Plenty of gnomes either dwell in or make their way to big cities, with all their bustle and flash.
Often gnomes seem just plain weird to those not familiar with them. They are known for their piercings, dyed hair, and tattoos, although in truth most of them go without these things.
“People of the Earth”: Gnoma is a word from an ancient language long forgotten. Gnomish society is as old as the land itself, potentially tens of thousands of years. They are great tinkerers, illusionists, and engineers, of small stocky stature. They are known for their jolly and playful nature, bringing joy into their experience every day. For this reason they love animals and the latter's spontaneous enjoyment of life.
The Gnomish people are a mystery to all of Little Dream. They sometimes appear as mysterious wanderers, and they are always interesting individuals. They are children of the underground—especially the underground in hilly country—but they are also thought to be related to the Fey, such is their adeptness at wizardry and magic.

They are excellent inventors and creators, and the greatest of them use their magic for amazing, fantastic (and often odd) feats of engineering. The stories of Gnomish cities nestled into rocky hills, in all their strange and bizarrely engineered wonder, are stuff of children’s tales in lands where gnomes are known.
Their illusion-magic likewise displays an enormous creaitity and love for fantasy. A favored game among them is called the Baggy Grindiggi, (or "theatre of the real"). By this game--and a great deal of illusionary magic--one tells a story, the more vivid the better; then the Boggy Wizz provides an illusory experience for the teller, a virtual living-out of the story, from any or all perspectives.
Gnomes are nevertheless real, and their existence has been confirmed by those lucky enough to meet them on the road, or in a small town somewhere, usually off the beaten path. They are jolly and happy, and they love to entertain others with humor, antics, and magic—tricky or otherwise.
The oldest stories, told by the Elves, say that the gnomes have simply always been a part of Summer's Tale. They have just been here since the beginning of time. They certainly do seem at home wherever they are encountered. They wander the world or live out their creative lives in good cheer and wisdom.
The Elves hold them in greatest respect, as they do many of the Fey creatures, for (they tell) these were the first sentients of Little Dream, possibly even tied with its very creation.
In Summer’s Tale, Gnomes seem to represent the world itself, in all its good, bad, weird, boring, dangerous, funny ways, although they have a very strong bent toward mirth about it all--a devil-may-care attitude about it all that comes from the knowledge that life goes on, despite what happens anywhere in the world. Gnomes are like immortal mortals: They are blessed with the gift of seeing life as fleeting and permanent at the same time. That’s probably why they can have so much fun.
Gnomes take a slightly different flavor wherever you might find them. They have a particular situation, traditions, and culture depending on their home locale.
Some say the Gnomes are balanced out by Trolls, , that they were both created at the First Time and both carry the banner of the world since its first days, and that the stupidity and cruelty and size and lack of humor that mark the Troll’s personality offer balance to the intelligence, kindness, smallness, and sense of humor of the gnomes.
Gnomes keep no standardized calendar of their own, but they honor the full moon and the solstices, and especially the equinox days.
For information on the "Umbral" gnomes, or Svirfneblin, (otherwise known as "Deep" or "Shadow"), see
Svirfneblin, "Deep Gnomes"
Some Notes on the Gnomish People groggincubby is a popular stimulating drink among many gnomish societies. Sharing the drink with visitors and guests profers respect and affection. Ragbean and Groggin-Cubby .......... and An example of a gnomish village--this one locatedin the Ursa Forest, a small forest just east of the Deepwash Mountains in NW Bair: Orbbin, Gnomish Village in the Ursa Forest

Types of Gnome

Hill, Forest, or Rock Gnomes: are generally the gnomes one meets on Summer's Tale (see at left), if one meets gnomes.  While a gnome might favor a Forest or a Rocky environment, the setting in which they form their settlements is generally rolling, pastoral, hilly land. Mountain gnomes--akin to Rock Gnomes--have found ways to tunnel their burrows into stony places and faces of rock, and hill gnomes do much the same, although they are closer to "earth" and often have gardens, either of eccentric vegetables outside or fungi in their tunneling. While these are the places where gnomes live in community--and are usually raised--they can be found wandering the lands far and wide. They especially like to spend time among halflings, but their jovial friendship is accepted nearly everywhere in civilized lands.  (Note: In D and D 3.5, Forest and Rock Gnomes have identical Attributes, whereas they are slightly different in D and D 3.5

Svirfneblin, "Deep Gnomes" of the Underdark: The Svirfneblin are known as gnomes, although they have become hardened, stoicized, and stripped of their humor by their long time in the Underdark. Svirfneblin are great miners; they live in rocky caverns and mines, unlike the earth-tunnels of their gnomish (distant) cousins.
Demonic Gnomes: Spree Demons are awful abominations, mockeries of the Gnome, dwellers in the Deeps of the Underedark, but can emerge in Gnomish lands and spread terror.

Gnomish Player Character Attributes

Gnomes are a Common ethnicity for adventuring in Summer's Tale, and they face no necessary disadvantages among the general societies and settlements. There are always exception, but a gnome can generally expect a basic acceptance among others.
So you might want to play a gnome? See here for statistical and game-play attributes: Gnomish Player Character Attributes

GNOMISH MISCELLANY

Gnomes have their own unique religious life: Gnomish Religion

Gnomes reach adulthood at 40-50; They can live to 400 or well beyond, with support.  Deep gnomes, the "Svirfneblin" live much shorter lives, never exceeding 200 years at death. Deep Gnomes are rumored to live for many centuries, but no one has proven this.

Sayings and Creative Expression Among the Gnomes “Travelling to Gnoilly’s Pines”--making a pilgrimage of some kind, literal or figurative a “Nuggy-Buggy”--a wanderer of some kind, a lone traveller on the road, a hobo

[b]Gnomish bards[/b] are revered greatly. The "Burrow-Lute" is a favorite among these musician-heroes, and the most famous of instruments among them. Some of the greatest legends and mythology of the Gnomes hold an honored place for the heroes of the Burrow-Lute.

• Gnomish Fashion: Some Gnomish dress outlandishly, playing up the dandy, and some dress as Jokers or colorful mendicants. Bright flashy colors are common, as are fancy outfits like billowing blouses, pegged pantaloons and splendid leather boots, colorful hair, feathered hats, tattoos and piercings, etc. Gnomish Wizards and Performers are particularly drawn to such accoutrements.
  

Food and Drink

• Gnomes in hilly areas grow a kind of low tree called the Groggin, which produces cherries. They are processed like coffee and result in a very strong stimulating beverage called Groggincubby. (Those consuming a mug gain 2 temporary hp for an hour afterwards.)
  

• On high mountainsides, the mountain gnomes know of a mushroom that grows in the damp crevices of rocks in the summer months. It is much like cacao, and it can be made into a fine confection called tifflegiggers. The truffles from this mushroom bring a high price at the markets.