Gnomes of the Mountains, and Gnomes of Brohd Zellor

Both Mythical and Material, Zelloran or Other Mountainous Areas

GNOMES of BROHD ZELLOR and MOUNTAINS IN GENERAL

There is an extensive family of Gnomes that inhabit the mountains of Brohd Zellor. They were invited as guests of the Dwarven Deities, and their welcome was adequate (and the environment very pleasing), so they just stayed. They have been there for a very long time… and they will be a part of this story in the end. Their own alignment here ranges from neutral good to chaotic good; they are not a lawful people. As such they have not been harmed yet by the influence of the Kiddzai, or maybe even discovered at all. They are in a position to help.
On Brohd Zellor the gnomes are thought of as “guests,” and as such their respect and help is not only appreciated but fully expected. The gnomes have a sense of gratitude to the Dwarven people for letting them come and live in such a beautiful realm, and so they mostly fulfill their role as supporters of the Dwarven cause. Of course there are always some that go rogue, and they draw the ire of the Dwarven gods.
The gnomes are by nature tricksters and jokesters, and the Dwarves tolerate this when they must--the latter having very little of such nature. Many Dwarves look upon the gnomes of their realm as suspect, or even sinister, but the gnomes usually don’t mind all that much, and they continue to support the Dwarven race in ways that are possible. With the Kiddzai invasion, their loyalty will be put to the test for sure. What kind of force might they mount to keep the realm from being overtaken and destroyed?

GNOMISH MOUNTAIN BURROWS

Gnomes live on lower slopes of the mountainsides, especially in places where they can dig soil. As these places are very rare, the gnomes have found efficient ways to tunnel through granite, using machines they have built for the purpose. (The machines bore into the rock with spinning and drilling apparati, making perfect tunnels, gnome-sized.) With them they have made great series of tunnel-systems, sometimes encompassing the area beneath an entire mountain. They have other machines that can bore ceilings into the rock, and some of their burrows have enormous, vaulted ceilings--majestic and beautiful to behold. Their sense of decoration is enhanced by their love of illusion and moving lights.
The burrows in Brohd Zellor are not really so different from the rest of Little Dream, except that they are almost always burrowed into rock, especially granite (the aesthetic of which pleases them). In Little Dream, the gnomish people have more soil to work with, so their homes resemble those of the burrowing animals they so love. Brohd Zellor gnomes tend to be more orderly and precise (more like Dwarves) in their underground architecture, instead of loose and a wee bit sloppy as Little Dream gnomes might sometimes be.
In their individual family homes, which consist of a common room and three or four off-burrows, Brohd Zellor gnomes often furnish with stone furniture carved into the bedrock itself, covered with sewn cushions of spun Snikker-cloth filled with its fluff. Tables and chairs are finely crafted, as are hearths (that burn with illusory flame and heat), and sometimes bas reliefs carved into the walls as decoration (in pattern or representation, and often enhanced with illusory lighting). Gnomes have kitchens, and they eat meat much more often than the gnomes of Little Dream (who are fond of salad and vegetables primarily). Most commonly, gnomes of Brohd Zellor eat mid-sized hoofed animals (such as pygmy deer) that their experts hunt constantly.
On the other hand, gnomes of Little Dream generally have furniture of wood, carved and varnished to a lovely shine. These gnomes have experts among them that work well with wood, and there is no other way to furnish the soil-burrows in any case, save for a nikky-nakky made of (just about anything). One similar item in a Little Dream burrow is a hearth, often constructed in stacked stone, used similarly to that of the Brohd Zellor gnomes (for light and heat, despite the illusory nature of the flames).
Of course in Little Dream there is soil for above ground gardens, but both Brohd Zellor and Little Dream gnomes are expert cultivators of mushrooms of great variety. They have found perfect systems of moisture and sub-environment to get results. No other creature in the material plane can coax fungus from the floors of deep caverns like the gnomes--Brohd Zellor or otherwise.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Gnomes have a good relationship with Dwarves, the latter grudgingly acknowledging the brilliance of their creations. Where Dwarven work is sturdy, heavy, and tough, Gnomish work takes flights of fancy and is often built a bit less solidly. The Dwarves are often impressed however, at the usefulness of many Gnomish machines. They have little use for those that use illusion or anything fancy. They have been known to buy a fleet of excavating machines to make the work easier. One will often find Gnomes in among the crowds of Dwarves in Dwarven cities, and almost no one looks twice.
Dwarves are considered allies, but even more than that are the burrowing animals of Brohd Zellor. Gnomes have especially befriended the badgers of the world, from the small traditional variety to the enormous Dire Badgers. These latter animals are not always willing to be friendly, but usually Gnomes can put on the charm, speak to them, and make friends regardless. The same is true of marmot and pikas--dwellers of burrows beneath the rock and well--although these two creatures usually live at higher elevations. There are gophers in the hills that take a liking to any gnome they meet. The gnomes often seek these creatures’ advice in the ways of botany, or have them as lookouts, or simply befriend them.
Evil races, especially Giants, look on Gnomes as silly and even funny, and also tasty. Many a Gnomish travelling party has met its end in the gullet of a hungry or nasty Hill Giant. Gnomes are a rare treat--a delicacy--to Giants and Trolls, and they are even hunted down as prey if the big folk know they’re around (the big folk can smell them easily). Gnomes have developed some technology around these relationships, and some innate physical responses, and they can often escape. The big folk meet them so rarely; most of them know of gnomes only by reference, by simple stories of how good they are to eat.
Orcs likewise will taste Gnome if the opportunity comes up, but these creatures tend to have other agendas and will more often kill for sport (as they do other creatures) than for something specific.
Gnomes have tricks up their sleeves, when they’re prepared for the above encounters. There are Troll-Zappers and Giant-Flubbs and Bigheadknockers, among other things, and they also have abilities that have become innate over the millenia, including higher battle prowess and an impressive ability to dance beyond the big folks’ blows.

GNOMISH POPULATION

The population of gnomes on Brohd Zellor is much sparser than on their other populated worlds. Gnomes burrows generally go straight into hard rock, and they can be separated by hundreds of miles or more. It is a lifetime experience for any of them to encounter a gnome from another village, unless the villages happen to be close, which is very rare.
This is a major difference between Brohd Zellor gnomes and those of other worlds. Those on the Dwarven world are more loners, tend more often to be wanderers, although they do not lack the others’ sense of fun and humor. There is a wanderlust among a people that live so isolated from others of their kind. Often they do not know why exactly, but many Brohd Zellor gnomes simply take to wandering the world in search of “interesting things,” or Nuggies in their language. A Nuggy-Buggy is one who has left the burrow to wander (perhaps permanently) the mountains and hills of the Dwarven plane.
Importantly we must note here that most creatures in Brohd Zellor have not seen--nor will they ever see--a Gnome. Gnomes are too rare, and despite the fact that many of them take to wandering, they remain only in stories of others who have met them, or heard of them. There is actually a bit of a mystique around them, which they may or may not live up to when encountered.

A few Gnomish Verbal Expressions:

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

CREATIVITY and PASTIMES

Gnomes are immanently creative, constantly scheming up new ideas for things to make. A good portion of their economy is fueled by gnomes who create useful (or not useful) inventions. They love collecting the creations of others almost as much as making their own. Steam powered machines, magic-powered machines, clever magical objects for use or fun, potions and alchemical products of amazing variety… All of these can be found lining the shop-district of the gnomish stone burrows.
The Gnomish people enjoy playing whenever they can. Even from childhood they are taught the tricks of illusion magic, and there are a never ending variety of games to play, stories to be told, or art to be made. Gnomes love to see a good performance of illusions, and some storytellers can actually illustrate their work with pictures while they tell. There are also joke contests, silly-trivia contests, and recitals of Gnomish music which inspires much confidence and positive energy. They bring these interests and joys to their work, so that they are never very far away from fun.
There is a good deal of variety between the gnomes of Brohd Zellor and others, where alchemy is concerned. The former have worked for thousands of years with the plants unique to these mountains and valleys and hills, and out of almost every one they were able to coax some kind of herbal effect. With magic, these effects have been advanced or changed even further.

GNOMISH “RELIGION”

The Gnomish religion holds beliefs (and some practices) no different from that of Summer’s Tale. Some things must be universal. Revered primarily is the trickster-God Gnoilly Wonderhill, Giver of Luck and Good Fortune. He is a neutral good deity, and nearly all of his children are the same alignment. Temples to Gnoilly are rare; when they exist they are found at mid-latitudes, among stands of armored pine and green fir trees. The Gnomes must climb from their burrows, along often treacherous trails, to reach these places. To “travel to Gnoilly’s pines” (as the saying goes) is to take a pilgrimage--out of the way--to somewhere sacred.