.: R I F T L A N D S :.: G N O M E S

( a k a T i n k e r s , N o c k e r s , K a b o o t e r s... )

Among the Fading Folk, Gnomes are a minor race with a long but modest history. They are thought to be born of the primordial Earth like their cousins the Dwarves, but are more-strongly influenced by the wild energies of the Fae Realm. They are affiliated with the Seelie Court, but remain largely distant from its affairs, preferring grounded, ascetic lives of devotional labour, rather than a whimsical existence on the fringes of the Veil between worlds.

APPEARANCE

Gnomes appear much as tiny Dwarves (just over 2 feet tall) with round bodies and short spindly limbs. Their complexion ranges from earthy brown to ruddy, with prominent noses, large eyes, and large, often-pointy ears. Their hands and feet are lean and tapered, further distinguished by the presence of a sixth digit on each. Their hair is tufty and lustrous, with males almost invariably favouring beards. Where Dwarves almost immeditely take on a craggy, weathered, and wizened aspect, Gnomish faces tend to retain a bright-eyed, youthful glow through much of their lives.

Traditionally, all Gnomes wear distinct pointed caps in an assortment of colours, and shoes with upturned, pointy toes. Their mode of attire is often slightly flamboyant, even festive. A Gnome would would not limit itself to plain, practical articles of clothing when they could instead be embroidered, dyed, and beset with ribbons, dags, or bells.

GNOMISH SPEED

Gnomes are supernaturally nimble and fleet of foot. Their small bodies are imbued with magical forces that manifest as uncanny bursts of speed. A darting Gnome is sometimes no more than a blur of motion, and remarkable feats of agility and balance appear effortless to them. They are equally quick of hand and of mind, and complex devices can be assembled in mere moments by Gnomish fingers. Watching a Gnome at work is positively dizzying, as they flit from one task from another.

This extends to their personal manner as well; although good-natured and non-confrontational, Gnomes may also seem impatient, twitchy, and distracted. This is frequently because they are thinking about several ideas at once. They are prone to babbling - often to themselves. A Gnome's stream-of-consciousness is usually only intelligible to other Gnomes.

Gnomish senses are extremely acute. They are highly attentive to movement or changes in their immediate surroundings - the path of an insect through the air, faint reverberations in the ground under their feet, changes in humidity. They can hear ranges beyond human hearing, and can see in near-darkness. They are also very detail-oriented, and tend to observe and mentally catalogue small visual elements, sounds, or smells with a high degree of accuracy. Their eidetic memory is unusually persistent, allowing them to memorize long texts at a glance or make abstract calculations almost instantly.

Gnomes live their lives in bursts. Even their sleep patterns are compartmentalized into brief power naps spread over the day and night. Gnomes do not live as long as Elves or Dwarves, but their lifespan still extends for several hundred years.

CULTURE

Gnomes are at home underground, and are accomplished miners. They greatly value gold and gemstones as Dwarves do, but are motivated more by curiosity than greed. They are especially fascinated by finely-crafted tools, exquisitely-cut jewels, or intricate devices. They are renowned craftsmen, particularly as workers of metals. A Gnome is a consummate builder, and possesses an intuitive aptitude for engineering, problem-solving, and perceiving how things work.

Gnomish culture places a quasi-religious emphasis on the notion of productive labour, often for its own sake. They live to be busy, always suspended between conceiving, preparing, or maintaining various projects. The act of creation is a form of spiritual fulfillment for them, while idleness is a kind of iniquity. The notion of destruction or waste is abstract to Gnomes... even immoral.

Gnomes are not prone to violence or aggression, and have no culture of warfare. Among all their storied crafts, weapons are conspicuously under-represented. For Gnomes, a tool or device created for the purpose of destroying or harming others is a perversion of the creative spirit that guides them.

For this reason, Gnomes are often non-confrontational, furtive, and evasive. They are secretive about their homes, as the isolation of their communities is a facet of their survival. When forced to deal with outsiders, they will usually negotiate, placate, and mislead, though they tend to avoid outright lying, as Gnomes abhor untruth on principle.

The Seelie Court operates on obsure laws with ingrained transactional principles tied to obligation and personal honour. While some Fae manipulate such rules to suit their whims, Gnomes are honest and hardworking, with a strong sense of fair play. Their underlying benevolence and practicality means they rarely take undue advantage of such situations. Similarly, they rarely resort to thieving or trickery, even though their abilities would make it easy for them.

Instead, Gnomes prefer to trade crafts or services for those goods they cannot produce for themselves. Out in the human world, these transactions are often covert; sundry items may disappear overnight, with a handmade object left in their stead, or household chores may be performed in return for shelter and a warm hearth, even if the host remains unaware that they have a tenant.

Gnomes are well-disposed toward people they observe to be virtuous or well-intentioned, and in those cases, they may be inclined to do them favours or leave them gifts. Nonetheless, Gnomes take great pride in their handiwork, and can become huffy or persnickety if they feel their work has been slighted. Like all Fae, their single-minded nature sometimes makes them seem detached, volatile, or extreme in their ways of thinking.

COMMUNITIES

Despite their subterranean origins, Gnomes hold no disdain for the sun, and are comfortable living above ground, favouring secluded woodlands or mountains. Due to their preternatural dexterity, Gnomish living areas are typically built in a precarious fashion, and are difficult to access for non-Gnomes.

Their communities are often organized around a central industry or task, such as mining, smithing, woodworking, or even something seemingly purposeless, like maintaining elaborate gardens or carving a cavern full of tiny statues. The activity itself is the important thing. Gnomes bring a degree of panache to everything they do, and are always eager to share and observe each other's work.

Gnomes do not engage in large-scale farming, but often keep small vegetable gardens, which they supplement with wild fruit, poultry, and various insects (which they are fast enough to catch easily). They are also very fond of sweets. Gnomish dishes include specially prepared insects, often in a candied form.

GNOMES IN THE WORLD

Gnomes are one of the Fae types that may be found all over Duatha, although they are rarely seen, and disappear quickly if spotted, thanks to their startling speed. Gnome-kind are frequently called by different names based on their regional particularities and outlook.

Deep-delving Gnomes living in subterranean communities based around mining are known as Nockers. Those who live in proximity to rural communities are may be called Kabouters or Domovoi, and are usually treated as guardian spirits of the nearby farms. Woodland Gnomes are sometimes known as Brownies or Nissen, and are considered good luck by locals. Despite differences in lifestyle and culture, all varieties tend to be kind-spirited and industrious.

Goblins and Trolls are the two great enemies of the Gnomes. Goblins see Gnomes as easy marks - they are nimble and cunning enough to capture Gnomes and to ferret out their communes, which are ripe for plunder and rarely prepared to fight back. In regions where Gnome territories overlap with Trolls, the versatility, sharp senses, and all-consuming destructive hunger of Trolls makes them utterly implacable foes.

Gnomes tend to speak many languages, including a peculiar dialect of Dwarven-Chthonic which is so rapid and unrelenting that even Dwarves have a difficult time understanding them. Additionally, they speak the Faerie Common patois, and will usually know the dominant human language of the region, such as Ymiri, Brin, Kaelish, or even old Imperial.