Gnome

Gnomes are a small, pointy-eared species closely related to elves and dwarves. Possessed of an insatiable curiosity, gnomes are well known for their inventiveness, inquisitiveness, and jovialness.

Physiology

Gnomes are short, measuring between 3’ to 3’7” tall, and weighing between 35 to 45 lbs. All gnomes had hair, skin, and eye colours typical to that of humans, but also had other shades depending on their ancestry. Gachikki gnomes could have features of a similar colour to elves. Skagondi gnomes could have features of a similar colour to dwarves, but also could have some more zany shades of colour in their hair and eyes, like pink or blue. Svirfneblin gnomes had complexions typical to that of other Underdark humanoids, like Drow or Duergar. Gnome hair growth was fast, similar to that of dwarves, and could grow in wild ways, creating spiky hair or sharply pointed beards. They have pointy ears, and proportions that would be more exaggerated when compared to other humanoids.
Gnomes matured at the same rate as humans, reaching physical maturity around their late teens. However, gnomes were not often considered adults until they were 40 years of age. Gnomes began to appear elderly around their second centennial, gaining wrinkles and grey hairs. Gnome lifespans had a massive range between individuals when compared to other humanoids, with the minimum age of natural death happening around 350 years old, and the apparent maximum being around 500 years old.

Culture

Gnomes separated themselves into three ethnicities, which they call ancestries. Forest gnomes, also called Gachikki gnomes, relate closer to their elvish ancestors, while rock gnomes, also called Skagondi gnomes, associate more with their dwarvish ancestors. Deep gnomes, called Svirfneblin, did not associate that much with either, instead preferring to recognize themselves as their own independent species.
Gachikki gnomes were reclusive, even when compared to other gnomish ancestries. They often lived within the hearts of dense forests, either living in small, hidden villages, or travelling in nomadic groups. Gachikki had a cultural fascination with wizardry, especially the school of illusion. They also had a great love of nature, using their innate ability to communicate with wildlife to domesticate many of the small creatures surrounding their dens, and writing plenty of bestiaries and natural histories based on their observations. Gachikki could also be found often living with elves, especially Myr’Alfar.
While many had villages and cities of their own, Skagondi were the gnomes most often seen in urban environments with other humanoids. The gnomish cultural value in intelligence and creativity manifested in the Skagondi as proficiency in handicraft. Many Skagondi parents taught their children how to use tinker’s tools from a young age, as it was believed to be the perfect stepping stone into learning other artisan trades. Many Skagondi also lived with their dwarvish kin, the most common non-dwarves seen within their great citadels.
Svirfneblin were unique when compared to their gnomish kin. Living in enclaves in the Underdark, Svirfneblin were often more concerned with survival than education. Creativity was still greatly valued however, as more often than not, it was an essential skill for living below the surface. Proficiency in a trade still appeared within Svirfneblin culture, as stonemasons and jewelers were common.
Gnomish culture valued two aspects above all: intelligence and creativity. Parents often gave their children a rich education in their youth, and gnome communities always had at least one trained tutor called a kenrehrin, which literally meant “teacher” in Gnomish. While it usually manifested in different ways across ancestries, gnomish cultures valued training in specific trades - arcane magic for Gachikki gnomes, crafting for Skagondi gnomes, and stonework and jewelry for Svirfneblin gnomes. Gnomes always sought progress in their fields, and never looked to failure as a bad thing; rather, they looked at it as a learning experience and a way to improve their work.
The traditional religions of the gnomes depended on their ancestry. Gachikki followed the Seldarine, and most joined paths related to the god Garl, their patron deity. Skagondi practiced Morndism, specifically the Dorkasan sect, and valued their patron deity, Skadi. Svirfneblin worship the goddess Viri, a once-mortal Svirfneblin who ascended to godhood during the Arcane Age.
Gnomes spoke the Gnomish language, also called Gnim. It was descended from a creole of Elvish and Dwarvish. Each ancestry had their own dialect. Many gnomes wrote their texts in their own language; as such, many scholars learned the tongue in order to read the bestiaries, natural histories, and textbooks that the gnomes had written.

History

According to myth, when Corellon sent the elf spirits back to Crith after the Shattering, a few spirits could not find humans to base their appearance on, and they began to die again. In desperation, Corellon turned to Moradin, who gave Corellon the power to allow those elvish souls to base their appearance on dwarves they met instead. However, the elvish souls did not become elves, nor did they become dwarves. They became a new race entirely, one slim and pointy-eared like an elf, but short and skilled like a dwarf. Soon after, the two had an argument over who would be the patron deity of this new race. Lugha and Bascka, the Horned Twins, children of the two deities, suggested that they craft what they pictured a perfect specimen of what an individual of that race would be. Corellon and Moradin agreed. In his forge, Moradin shaped a form out of rock and metal, studded it with many gems, then breathed life into it. This creation became Skadi. In their forest, Corellon shaped a form out of plants and animals, then charged magic into it. This creation became Garl. Upon seeing the forms each had created, each was enamoured and intrigued by each others’ creation, unable to determine who won the competition. In the end, they agreed that their two creations would become the deities of the gnomes, with each one watching over a different gnomish ancestry, Garl watching over the Gachikki and Skadi watching over the Skagondi. Svirfneblin are left out of this creation myth, but common belief states they were elvish souls that found Duergar.
Like their elvish kin, gnomes had knowledge of spellcasting during the early Arcane Age, and, like elves, were often the targets of slavers. Again, this practice died out as spellcasting became more widespread, and no longer the monopoly of a few races.
During the Arcane Age, a female Svirfneblin known as Viri found methods and magics that allowed her people to stay safe and hidden. Using them, she founded the gnomish city of Ventilock in the Underdark. It is said that when she passed, Garl and Skadi sponsored her apotheosis, and she became a goddess. Ventilock still stands today as one of the few bastions of gnome civilization.
While nearly no gnome-majority nations exist in the modern day, a few came to prominence throughout history. The island nation of Kineburg was a haven for gnomish civilization during the Arcane Age, but it was unfortunately ravaged during the Dawn War, and then utterly destroyed by Dorin’s Cataclysm. Its remains now lay at the bottom of the Dorin Sea. After the Dawn War, a gnomish nation known as Mirkel rose in northwestern Qamenkas, but it was conquered and razed to the ground by the emergent Tyfilion.
In the modern day, gnome populations are small, yet still widespread throughout Diaghal. Regions with considerable gnome populations include Hjolthrum, Tylwythir, Makutu, and the Asvalan Peninsula. Gnomes also make up one of the largest non-dragonborn humanoid populations in Lengzhu, and Svirfneblin are one of the most common humanoid species found in the Underdark.

Origin/Ancestry

Fey

Lifespan

350 - 500 years

Average Height

3’ - 3’7”

Average Weight

35 - 45 lbs