Gnome

At a glance

Feature	Details
Appearance	Small humanoids, usually two to three feet tall, with pointed ears and pronounced features.
Origins and communities	Gorshire in the Valley of Lodi; some now venture abroad.
Culture	Farming, animal husbandry, mining, and magical study with a university known for enchantments.
Racial abilities	Small Size; Willful; Arcanist

History and change

Unlike the tumultuous history of their sister races – the Kobolds, Imps, and Pixies – the Gnomes have typically adopted an isolationist culture, becoming very rooted in their home. Content to ignore and be ignored by the perils and vagaries of the wider world, a Gnome taking up permanent residence outside Gorshire has ever been a newsworthy, often scandalous event.

After grudgingly relying on adventurers to safely launch the Gorshire Mining Syndicate (a venture prompted by increasingly depleted reserves in their ancestral home), the Gnomes have begun to set aside their traditionally insular ways.

Under pressure from the people, Mayor Gorbert has agreed to allow young Gnomes the chance at a life beyond the sheltered valley as adventurers in their own right.

Appearance

Trait	Details
Eyes	brown, blue, hazel, rarely green
Ears	knife-like, pointed
Size	2 – 3 feet / 0.6 – 0.9 metres
Facial hair (males)	Males tend to easily grow profuse facial hair post-puberty, eyebrows as well as full beards or moustaches
Hair colour (females)	Females enjoy a wider variety of natural hair colours than males
Limbs and extremities	Limbs and extremities are more exaggeratedly proportioned compared to taller humanoids
Hands	Hands are typically almost web-like, with thick fingers that separate further along the knuckle
Head shape	Head structure tends towards more of a squarish shape than round
Gait	Gait is awkward and inelegant in spite of size, granting natural dexterity in other areas

Culture and magical study

As a people, Gnomes have an inherent love of food, farming, and animal husbandry (particularly geese and sheep), deriving from their heritage as part of the Zao Sazi, who opted to settle the inner plains of the continent and work the land. This reliance on the bounty of the earth extends to modest skill in harvesting other natural resources, particularly metal ores through various mining operations.

In addition to their fondness for field labour, some Gnomes also enjoy an innate affinity for magic, with their natural intelligence lending itself well to creating ingenious enchantments. So reputed is the Gnomish magic-tech that the Enchanter’s Society of Mournhold boasts two Gnomes – Rosiyaris and Ercryn – as founding members and permanent residents therein.

The study of Spirit and its related magics is most common among Gnomish scholars. Though some daring academics have delved into the domain of Shadow to varying degrees of success, the inherent risk and danger render this an uncommon field for a people whose interests have historically lain almost wholly with a traditionalist, home-focused culture. A common cautionary tale among the students and alumni of the Gorshire University is that of Enchanter Filwin, who, in an almost trite tale of reckless overconfidence, attempted to devise new enchantments by channelling directly from Shadow. It was, of course, a disaster; he succumbed to the Shadowbound plague in the mid-fifth century and was summarily, if unfortunately, executed.

Centuries of seclusion have elicited numerous predictable consequences for the Gnomes. Stubbornness and resistance to change are natural side effects of a culture exposed almost exclusively to its own views and experiences, lacking the diversity of perspective enjoyed by more cosmopolitan societies. Scepticism and secular mindsets are common; the Valley of Lodi has neither chapels nor churches and mistrust of the Gods is widely considered healthy. Tradition and routine form the backbone of everyday life, whilst breaking from these is considered the height of frivolity.

Settlements

The vast majority of the Gnomish population lives in the Valley of Lodi, near the Putoran Hills. Nestled in Lodi’s grip, the Village of Gorshire exists as the primary civilisation of the Gnomish people. Lacking elaborate governance or other civic structure, the town is ‘ruled’ for lack of a better term by an elected mayor (though elections seem few and far between, likely a result of the aforementioned slow speed of change and contentment with maintaining a status quo) and secured by the efforts of its constabulary.

Most frequented by the very young and inexperienced, the Gnomes’ simple lifestyle has proven compatible with those still unsure of their place in the world. Lodi’s tranquil atmosphere, pleasant landscape, and abundant arable farmland, leaving it a relatively safe location away from the threats imperilling much of the main continent, making it an ideal home for a quaint, carefree existence.

Conversely, the rich bounty of metal ores beneath the Putoran Hills has now been largely consumed and depleted and the once-fruitful mines have run dry. This is but one of several factors that have prompted the Gnomish people to look beyond the borders of their home for the first time in centuries and, in so doing, seek resources elsewhere.

Gorshire University

Of particular note is the Gorshire University. Recognised realmwide for its talent in magical enchantments, the university stands as a prestigious centre of education for all Gnomes with a penchant for mystical study.

Racial abilities

Level 1: Small Size

This ability is passive.

Your smaller frame lets you ride mounts that would otherwise be crushed by those of normal or larger size.

This will also leave you slightly more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, however, increasing its effects upon your smaller body.

Additionally, your hiccups will be occasionally different when attempting to speak after a few drinks.

Level 31: Willful

This ability is passive.

The will of your race is legendary among the common folk. As such, your maximum willpower increases by 5%.

Level 61: Arcanist

This ability is passive.

You have a natural affinity for magic, increasing any arcane-sourced damage you deal by 1%.

Class ideas for roleplay

These are potential starting points for a character’s story and are offered as suggestions only. You can make almost any class or race combination work in Aetolia as your race gives no special advantage with these classes; availability follows the usual class and guild rules.

Ascendril

A graduate of Gorshire’s university could pursue a more exact understanding of elemental magic among Enorian’s Ascendril. Their experiments with spirit, water, fire, and air would serve a city determined to resist the advances of the Shadow plane, giving scholarship a public purpose.

Alchemist

A Gnomish researcher might leave Gorshire’s farms for Spinesreach’s laboratories and the Archivists’ scientific traditions. Their work with blighted plants and living experiments could test how much harm they will accept in the name of discovery.

Archivist

A Gnome fascinated by enchantments could study the fundamental underpinnings of reality behind shapes and magical effects. Spinesreach’s pursuit of progress and ascension offers an ambitious home for that research, while Numerology’s history of disastrous experiments gives them reason to measure carefully.

See also: The Races of Aetolia · The World of Aetolia · Character Classes