Gnome
Tinkerers, explorers, wanderers - the curious small folk never seem to stay in one place, at least not while they are young. The reason for that is both their natural urge to learn and their equally natural fear of death - for it is well-known that gnomes that lose their spark of inquisitiveness and passion for life begin to suffer from the Bleaching. It manifests as discolorations in the skin and the hair, spreading over the entire body like a plague as the gnome continues to lose their interests. The end result is death - inevitable and terrifying. Thus, to avoid it and prolong their lives as much as possible, the gnomes travel and learn and explore - anything to keep themselves excited and alive. It’s well-theorized that the gnomes originally came from the Feywild, where they enjoyed an eternal life, but it is unknown what drove them from their home into the mortal plane, or caused them to suffer the Bleaching. Gnomes most commonly hail from the southern nation of Valiant, but rarely stay there for long past childhood.
Deep Gnomes.
‘The Unfortunate’, ‘the Forsaken’, looked at with pity by the gnomes that live on the surface. The deep gnomes, also called svirfneblin, are rarely seen above ground, as they live deep in the Underdark. They live shorter lives in no small part to the prevalence of the Bleaching among them - their lives are hard, and joy is difficult to come by. Yet still they persist, finding what little they can to make their lives exciting. They claim that they have a purpose in exploring the passages and caverns of the Underdark - something sings to them down there, something calls. They often die long before the Bleaching takes them due to the various dangers of the Underdark, the undead and their Taint high on that list.Forest Gnome.
The rare few that maintain a closer connection to the Feywild than their peers, thus suffering the Bleaching to a lesser degree. For this, many of their rock gnome fellows harbor secret resentment towards the forest gnomes, driving them out of their communities and refusing to share their journeys with them. As a result, forest gnomes tend to live in small, hidden communities deep in forests and other places where the veil between the mortal world and the Feywild is thinner. They are keepers of many secrets, friends to the free elves and the ever-private centaurs. They’re known for their animal companions - their eyes and ears in the forests.Rock Gnomes.
Most of the world’s gnomes are rock gnomes, well-known for their inventiveness. They have the highest proclivity for creation and tinkering among their fellow gnomes, and are the reason why much of the world believed gnomes to be natural tinkerers.Basic Information
Anatomy
Gnomes are generally short and rotund, with large heads and round noses. Their rounder, plumper features are what separates them from halflings, who they are at times mistaken for due to similarities in height. Gnomes are shorter than regular humans, standing at around 3 to 4 feet in height, though offspring of gnomes and other species can be as tall as 5 feet.
Gnomes share similarities in anatomy with elves, specifically pointed ears (typically the same length as a half-elf) and high, pronounced cheekbones. Unlike elves, however, gnomes grow hair easily, with males often sporting impressive beards. Their hair tends to be wild and difficult to manage, and grows out quickly when cut. This prompts many gnomes to get creative with its styling, though some just leave it as it is naturally. Gnomes naturally have vibrantly colored hair and eyes, with some shades bordering on mystical. It is believed that the closer the gnome's connection to the Feywild, the more vibrant and outlandish their colorations become.
Growth Rate & Stages
Gnomes develop slower than humans, reaching adulthood at around 40 years of age. They are considered capable of travelling alone at 25, and some families allow their young to leave even earlier than that (though such instances are rare). Gnomes tend to grow rapidly in the first 15 years of their life, reaching full height by their late teens. They are not considered fully intellectually developed until at least 37. If a gnome does not travel and experience excitement, Bleaching can set in as early as age 50. Though their life expectancy can extend up to 500 years old, few survive past their 350s due to the Bleaching, and those that do are forever changed. Deep gnomes live shorter lives than the rest of their peers due to the dangers of the Underdark and the acceleration of the Bleaching within them, with an average lifespan of 150 years.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Like many races that dwell in poorly-lit areas of the forest, gnomes possess darkvision that allows them to see in shades of grey when no light sources are available. Deep gnomes have more acute darkvision capabilities, having lived for generations in the Underdark with no light at all. Their other senses are average compared to other ancestries.
Civilization and Culture
Relationship Ideals
Gnomes are friendly and open people, but they rarely involve themselves with other ancestries romantically, preferring to seek out other gnomes for courtship if possible. It is rare even for two gnomes of different types to be in a relationship, as they tend to be rather picky with their romantic partners. Because they live for several hundred years, a typical courtship lasts for anywhere between 50 and 150 years. Gnomes are monogamous, but they raise their children as a collective, with everyone in the settlement pitching in and serving as extended family. Two gnomes can have as many as four children in a single pregnancy, but that number is greatly reduced when the gnomes are not of the same sub-category.
Though rare, gnomes have been recorded to have offspring with humans, dwarves, halflings, and satyr. These children have a higher chance of being born a gnome, though when the other parent is a human, the odds even out to about a 50/50 split. It appears possible for elves and gnomes to have offspring as well, though the chances of this are extremely low due to fertility issues. Such children always end up being half-elves.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Lincetur, or Gnomish as it is commonly known, is the language spoken by most gnomes in their homes and among themselves. All gnomes speak their mother tongue to at least some degree, though most pick up other languages along the way. Keilesh (Halfling) is common among those gnomes wishing to pass themselves off as the other race, and Alltongue (Common) is found among all gnomes who frequently deal with other races, especially those who live in human settlements. Deep gnomes speak a more guttural dialect of Gnomish, as well as frequently speaking Niflsvern (Undercommon). Some gnomes also make it a point to learn Feyspeak (Sylvan), though being a rare and difficult tongue, it is mostly used for educational purposes rather than idle conversation.
History
It is believed that the gnomes, like elves, came from the Feywild. Their legends speak of gnomish forefathers living eternal lives there, never aging and only dying to the dangers found there. Unknown forces drove those ancient gnomes from their homes in the Feywild, forcing them to seek shelter in the mortal world, where they have stayed ever since. During this transition, they became mortal, but never lost their innate connection to their home world, manifesting itself in their innate magical capabilities and general disposition. They are seen as eccentric and strange by the other ancestries because of it.
It is theorized that gnomes, due to their origin and fey ancestry, have a hard time adjusting to the cosmic rules of the mortal plane. The Feywild is a place of wild magic and questionable stability, where life sprouts forth spontaneously and freely. The mortal realm has very little magic in comparison, and so the gnomes are forced to constantly seek innovation, excitement, and new experiences. Those that fail to do so grow tired and bored, slowly succumbing to a condition unique to gnomes alone. This is called the Bleaching, in reference to the discoloration that occurs as part of it. An afflicted gnome slowly loses all color in their skin and hair, as well as losing all enthusiasm and desire for life. Most succumb to dementia and eventually die. The few that survive the Bleaching are forever unable to experience joy or laughter, and are called bleachlings. These individuals typically seek isolation in remote reaches and are avoided like the plague by other gnomes.
The date of the gnomes' arrival in Aradia is unknown. Since then, many have incorporated into various civilizations, though nowhere are gnomes as numerous as the nation of Valiant to the south. Many gnomes were believed to live in Eos prior to it being turned into the Great Desert, and they were noted as greatly contribution to the nation's technological advances. During the rise of the undead, some gnomes sought to hide underground, where they later stayed and eventually evolved into deep gnomes. Some gnomes, shunning civilization, chose to stay in areas where the wall between the mortal plane and the Feywild is thinnest, such as remote forests. These gnomes would eventually become forest gnomes.
Origin/Ancestry
Fey-Touched
Lifespan
400
Average Height
3 to 4 feet tall.
