Gnomish Pantheon

Consisting of the Gnomish gods that reside on the plane of the Golden Hills and Urdlen, the Gnomish pantheon is referred to collectively as The Lords of the Golden Hills. This pantheon is led by Garl Glittergold, god of Luck and Trickery. Very uniquely among the more civilized races, Gnomish religious practice is very secular, with Gnomes not even having a creation myth. Gnomes view their deities less as all-powerful beings far removed from the world and see them more as friends and mentors.   Also interesting about the Gnomish deities is the fact that they are all male, mirroring their Dwarven counterparts in more ways than one. The Gnomish pantheon as a whole is concerned with the earth, gemcrafting, smithing, and guardianship, much like the Dwarvish one. However unlike the Dwarves, Gnomes also have gods of healing, nature, the world of plants and animals, trickery, jesting, and fun, similar to those of the Elves. Very few of the Lords of the Golden Hills ever concern themselves with violence and strife, arcane knowledge, law, or chaos, a fact that is expressed in the carefree nature of their Gnome followers.  

Greater Powers

Garl Glittergold

Garl Glittergold is the patriarch of the hierarchy and probably the most approachable of all the Greater Gods. He often travels the worlds looking for mischief to get into. He appears as a gold-skinned gnome with gemstone eyes that shift from sapphire to emerald to ruby.   A master of pranks, Garl is a good-humored jokester who is nevertheless proud and protective of his diminutive followers. His chief concerns are twofold: to see that gnomes every where cooperate and work together and to remind them that while life may sometimes be hard, it's important to always keep a sense of humor.   Garl carries his intelligent two-headed axe, Arumdina, every where he goes; she is more a companion than a possession. Although he is a capable fighter, he prefers to use trickery and illusions to accomplish his goals, and encourages his followers to do the same.  

Intermediate Powers

Baervan Wildwanderer

Baervan Wildwanderer is the most popular member of the pantheon after his friend Garl, for he is the protecter of the forests and glades that are so important to gnomish well-being. Even the Svirfneblin honor him as the "Father of Fish and Fungus." Baervan is also the patron of gnomish thieves and a mischief-maker to rival Garl himself. He is pictured as a spry old gnome with nut-brown skin and a jaunty beard. His friend and constant companion in his escapades is a giant raccoon named Chiktikka Fastpaws.  

Flandal Steelskin

Flandal Steelskin, with his skin of mithril steel, eyes like flaming coals, and beard of silver-blue, is the patron of gnomish smiths--not just blacksmiths but also goldsmiths, silversmiths, and all other workers in metal. He is physically the strongest of the gnomish gods, and his uncanny ability to sniff of the veins of metal that thread through the earth makes him a patron of miners.  

Segojan Earthcaller

Segojan Earthcaller is a nature deity whose province is the creatures who burrow through the earth; he taught the gnomes how to befriend moles, badgers, and other subterranean animals. He appears as a grey-skinned gnome clad in armor made from grass and roots, accompanied by an intelligent stone golem.  

Urdlen

Urdlen's form is that of a white mole, hairless, sexless, and blind but with wicked claws of steel. A mindless force of malicious evil and destruction, Urdlen serves as a warning to every gnome to beware the taint of greed that lies within the gnomish delight in gems and jewelry. In keeping with the importance of a balance of forces, Urdlen's place in the pantheon is unquestioned, though the god is greatly feared and secretly reviled. Its few worshippers destroy gems and works of art to propitiate the god and thus are regarded as immoral villains by the bulk of gnomish society.  

Lesser Powers

   

Demi-Powers