Petalspire Pavillion

As outside pressures build on the city of Gnottingham, and the gnomes who reside there begin to contemplate crossing The Tempest Tides for safer lands, many have adopted a philosophical bent toward their own future. When members from the Fellowship of the Blooming Mind meet to discuss the trials and travails of their people both present and future, they do so in Petalspire Pavillion.

All members of the society shall have the right to be heard on all issues that come before the Elder Council. With regard to the wellbeing of the community, every gnome has the right to be heard.

— - Gnottingham Charter, Section III, Subsection XVII

A Work in Progress

While introspective thinking is nothing new to gnomes, most prefer to have their arguments, debates, or discussions wherever they happen to be. Until recently, this method worked will: it kept overhead to a minimum while encouraging public discourse in homes, taverns, and the middle of the street. As the situation has become more precarious and the future more uncertain, members of the burgeoning Fellowship of the Blooming Mind decided that a new forum was needed - a place where they could safely discuss the issues of the day without risking an accident.

Regularly, the sounds of philosophical debate comingle with those of hammering and sawing. This is only a mild annoyance to the gnomes of the fellowship who believe nothing should come between a proper gnome and a cerebral epiphany. Since their decision to cloister in the Pavillion, accidents have shifted in a mostly lateral direction: fewer gnomes have been run over by carts in the streets, but more have been hit by falling construction equipment. Most heartily agree this is just the cost of pursuing knowledge.

Brilliance Demands Audience

Even as work nears completion on the initial pavilion, members of the Fellowship have begun to see a problem with the construction plans: more and more bystanders keep filtering in to hear the discussions, and often, to offer their own opinions. The answer, they say, is to provide a place for those bystanders as an audience. Clearly, more seating will provide for even better ideas. At this rate, the pavilion is on course to become the second largest building in all of Gnottingham, right behind The Elder Forum. As the building continues to expand, so too do ideas about the mass migration of the gnomish population versus possible attempts to integrate into Reacher culture, potentially by establishing an outpost on the mainland. All sides seem to have valid points to defend, and the slew of arguments have caused a paralysis of ideas amongst the gnomes. Fortunately, the elders who govern them tend to be somewhat more proactive than the general population.

Never Ending Respect for Nature

Even as the Petalspire Pavilion continues to swell in size, its builders retain their respect for the natural world and for Taelnius, whom most gnomes worship. Like other buildings, the pavilion is being built with great respect for the surrounding environment. Trees grow within and around the building, and where possible, the construction bends to give way before nature, rather than simply paving over it. Several of the larger trees near the center of the village have been incorporated into the construction, making the growing building appear to be a natural extension of the world around it. This architecture is typical among gnomish settlements of Karos, for despite being highly inquisitive and prone to accidental explosions, they have a deep connection to nature.