Gnomes

With their bulbous noses and broad pointed ears, the gnomes of Urth hold within them olde connections to the Otherworld of the Fae. Once a more populous people, the gnomes of Urth suffered tremendously during the Wake, a massive spiritual upheaval that ravaged the world thousands of years ago. As such, gnomish communities are few and far between, remaining around centers of learning and knowledge.   The phrase ‘the nose knows’ is attributed to an ancient gnome who was describing how they knew something that had never been tried would work. Gnomish minds can extrapolate the myriad variables to make inventions that would not function for anyone else. This gift of invention is often charitably called ‘cobbling’ or ‘rigging’, and many believe that it is a manifestation of the understanding that dwarves possess and the timeless skill that elves possess. But just because the invention works, does not mean that it doesn’t come with a price. First, inventions are fragile by nature and rarely last long. Secondly, gnomish inventions always have a cost or a flaw in them. This flaw never seems to deter gnomes from inventing increasingly daring gadgets. Gnomes generally enjoy sharing tales and designs of their Ilanga inventions with each other and anyone who will listen.   Gnomes are a very artistic lot by nature, drawing, describing, modelling, or otherwise expressing their strange theories, designs, and experiments. As such, gnomes are rarely without an omnibus of their musings. For other gnomes to take one seriously, this omnibus must be presented as proof of genius, lest the gnome be unable to collaborate on future inventions. Additionally, the collected works of one’s family are treasured and used as inspiration for grand projects. Gnomes have been credited for the invention of the Black Ships of Koth, the mobile ballista and many tools that made the massive bridges of Kaadul’s Web in the Sea of Strife, the Waestone roads and the grand waterwae through the Sea of Light.   Though the Bladeban of Koth does not extend to those of gnomish ancestry, some choose to avoid controversy and potential issues by observing it while others choose to use swords.