Smeloplar

Your days in Sunport aren't spent incredibly well. It is the first major town that you get the chance to visit. Besides your visit with the Sunport Riflemen that your father has set up, you haven't really thought too hard about what you would do in the city. There is only so much money in your pouch, and you spent way too much of it on clothing that you discovered you didn't really need.
One day you decide to take a stroll in the Star District, the place where the slightly less wealthy citizens live. Being a noble's son, you stick out like a sore thumb. The various tepilar and weddelar that live there follow you with their eyes, which makes you also realize that your wealth makes you a target for pickpockets and ruffians.
Thankfully, your trip to the Star District isn't a complete waste of anxiety, as you eventually find a small group of smeloplar children. There were a few older gnomes that lived in your village growing up, but you had never seen their children before. Their large heads wobble about as they attempt to climb you like a tree. It is all good fun, but then you hear a high female voice bark out something and the children hop to the ground and run away.
You remember that the smeloplar are responsible for the world's great inventions, like electricity, trains and other such marvels. You get a sense that that's because they're always curious. Most children you encounter see you and want to run away, but the gnomes do the exact opposite. They always seem to search out those new experiences and new areas of knowledge. You can relate to that a lot more than you think.

Appearance

The smeloplar, by the standards of other races, have bodies that don't follow a lot of other race's proportions. Their noses, for example, are much larger, taking up a large portion of their faces. Their legs are much smaller, preventing them from running quickly. Their heads are much larger, not unlike the large heads of small children. They often have short hair, as their hair tends to fall out once it reaches a certain length.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Wünderlock Trading Company is a recent up-and-coming merchant clan in the Thousand Stars, and the Lighters' Union in Pilash consists mostly of smeloplar.

Beauty Ideals

A beautiful gnome according to the smeloplar has a symmetrical nose, a good sense of fashion (although other races would heavily debate what the smeloplar consider "fashion"), and a relatively lean body. These standards are considerably more lax for men than for women.

Gender Ideals

The smeloplar hold onto their patriarchy very firmly. The father is often considered the head of the family, and the mother is the caregiver and often receives few rights. Other races have difficulty understanding the way that women are treated in smeloplar society, although they obviously loathe to interfere as well.

Common Dress Code

Smeloplar who don't do manual labour enjoy wearing elaborate clothing when they can afford it. It's a sign of great status, but those who do hard work are permitted to wear less restricting clothing. Also in style among the smeloplar: earrings and nose rings. Anyone without them is treated with a bit of confusion.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Invention and knowledge-making are key traits praised by the smeloplar. A gnome that doesn't have a obsessive love of a particular branch of knowledge is considered aimless by many, and this drive has allowed the smeloplar to be some of the most trusted academics in the world.

History

The smeloplar are not really well documented before the creation of the Union of Fable Cities early in the Second Era. Some say that Beri'ways made them during the First War and hid them away to protect them from that conflict, while others claim their love of invention and their propensity to magic on Pa'ilver. Either way, there are very few records from that time that haven't become fictional stories.
The great cities of EEsablee and Boraslan are the archetypical fable cities. They were both constructed in the forested wilds near the Ashkeep Mountains, and both used the strong magical wards to keep themselves shielded from the ashy clouds from the Grey Devastation. They grew very powerful under their Rune Kings, who wielded an assortment of powerful rune stones known as Runayka Ashila to keep their lands safe.
However, the growing might of the Union brought them into conflict with the immense power of the Star Empire to the north. The two fought a long and drawn out war, leading to the destruction of Boraslan, but evenutally a truce was struck. This truce involved large numbers of smeloplar settling the southern part of the Lorian Plain near Sunport and the destruction of the Runayka Ashila (although many maintain that they were simply hidden).
Following this, the cities of the Union found themselves wedded to the crown of the Star Emperor and later the kings of Loria.

Historical Figures

The Rune Kings (or Runayka Mevodila in Smelopian) are considered important heroes in the smeloplar tradition, as well as the various folk heroes that lived at the same time as them.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The smeloplar are heavily prized in other Sedestan societies for their technological knowledge. Having invented the concept of steam power, Factories, industrial activity in general, and gunpowder, their advise is heavily sought for in regards to these topics.

Also known as

Gnomes

Lifespan

175-200 years

Average Height

0.9-1.1 metres tall.

Average Weight

15-20 kg.

Naming Traditions

Male Names: Amel, Aturak, Chiftee, Dogru, Emal, Istar, Kiltee, Kras, Memeth, Piral, Rashdar, Soru, Tarukh, Velir, Zaym.
Female Names: Ashye, Bembel, Charta, Dodek, Eshra, HIrkis, Jina, Keero, Nista, Orujek, Queesa, Selcha, Teera, Ulisa, Ziranusa.

Major Languages

The language that the smeloplar speak is Smelopian, and this is the language that is used on all of their blueprints and in all of their guides. Many have left their traditional villages to help set up Factories throughout the world, and so they have learned at least Common if not the local language.

Geographic Distribution

The traditional homelands of the gnomes lie at the foot of the Ashkeep Mountains and throughout the southern portion of the Lorian Plain. However, the recent demand for smeloplar inventions and technological expertise has brought many families to other parts of Sedesta and beyond.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)