Svirnoi

Deep Gnomes of Southeastern Rhyduania

The Svirnoi are a subterranean race of gnomes who live beneath the surface of Noctabia. They've always remained politically aloof and separate from the Nomoi and Thanamoi, while still maintaining friendly relations with both. During the civil war, some factions and settlements of the Svirnoi have taken to to helping evacuate refugees from both sides using their underground roads and transport tunnels to move them into the territory of their long-time allies, the Val'res elves.
Their skin is the greyish color of the stone from which they make their homes, and the males are all bald. Women have grey, wispy hair, usually worn short.
The Svirnoi are a mistrusting people who will deal with outsiders, but earning their trust can take years. Even mildly irritating a Svirnoi gnome leaves a person with a good chance of getting hammered with a chain of spell-like abilities (like blindness) and quickened illusion spells (like color spray and hypnotic pattern), only to find the Svirnoi totally disappeared after their senses clear.
All gnomes seem to be more talented at illusion magic than other races, but the Svirnoi are even more gifted, and it's rare for an adult Svirnoi of any walk of life to not have at least minor talents as an illusionist wizard, trickster cleric or shadow sorcerer.