Gnome

Gnomes are a race of diminutive humanoids native to the continent of Crestfall. The gnomes have a reputation to be clever and cunning, and are often regarded by the other races as mischievous and unpredictable.

Appearance

Gnomes are short in stature and slight of build; an adult gnome typically stands between 3-4 feet tall and rarely weighs more than 40 pounds. Much like humans, gnomes display a wide variety of hair, eye and skin tones, with certain characteristics favored by gnomish populations from different regions within the continent. Gnomes have pointed ears and frequently possess large eyes and soft features, giving them a perpetually youthful appearance.

Traits and Abilities

Gnomes are characterized by a natural cunning and inborn curiosity for the world around them, giving many gnomes a natural inclination towards scholarly pursuits, such as magic or engineering.
In addition, it is believed that the gnomes are naturally imbued with some minor magical prowess; gnomes have demonstrated an increased tolerance for mind-affecting magic than most other races, and some even display the ability to perform minor feats of illusory magic.

Civilization and Culture

History

The gnomes, alongside humans, halflings and dwarves, were among the first races to occupy the continent that would later be known as Crestfall. The gnomes first emerged in the central region of Lubec, forming an agrarian society within close proximity to the fringes of the cast forest known as the Lavender Wilds.
Given its reputation as a boundary between the Material Plane and the Feywild, many believe that the Lavender Wilds had an influential effect on the gnomes as a species, citing the proximity to the forest as the catalyst for the gnomes' natural affinity for magic.
As their population expanded, the gnomish people began to press out into other regions, with some gnomes expanding into the mountainous lands of Kovia while others spread out beneath the surface of Crestfall, becoming denizens of the Underdark.

Society and Culture

While Lubec remains the origin point of the gnomish race, the gnomes have spread to multiple regions of Crestfall over their many generations, each developing into their own distinct cultures:

• Lubecian gnomes are those that remained native to Lubec. They are occasionally referred to as "forest gnomes" due to their reverence of nature, particularly in their worship of the spirits which they believe dwell within the Lavender Wilds. Lubecian gnomes have fair or tan skin, blue, green or hazel eyes, and hair that is typically either blonde, red or chestnut-brown.

• Kovian gnomes, also known as rock gnomes, are the descendants of the gnomish wanderers that eventually settled in Kovia. Inspired by the inventive craftsmanship of Kovia's other prominent race, the dwarves, Kovian gnomes are natural tinkerers themselves, able to imbue their creations with a small measure of their own magical essence. Kovian gnomes tend towards darker skin tones, and almost universally have brown or black hair and gray or hazel eyes.

• Deep gnomes are residents of Crestfall's Underdark, often congregating in urban areas such as the Drow city of Deepscar. More individualistic than their surface-bound relatives, deep gnomes rarely stay in homogenous groups and instead tend to intermingle themselves with the other races that call the Underdark home. Deep gnomes have pale skin, sometimes with grey or almost bluish tones, violet or yellow eyes, and gray or white hair, if they have hair at all.

Lifespan

350-500 years

Average Height

3-4 feet

Average Weight

40 lbs

Geographic Distribution

• Crestfall

Related Ethnicities

• Deep Gnomes
• Kovian Gnomes
• Lubecian Gnomes