Story: Gnome History

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Race Section: Gnomes

The Gnomish race began on the Isle of Tikol in the mountainous regions, and there it remained for generations. They spent their days mining the nearly endless resources of the mountains and exploring the caves it had to offer. Although mining and the various forms of metalworking and smiting came naturally to the stout race, in those days the Gnomes were still dwelling in caves.

"Aye, those Elf Folk are alright with me. Just ponder, if we never did go and try that Elvish Wine, there'd none to be inspiring the creation of Gnomish Ale. And that sir, would be a crime against all we hold dear." 
-- Ippit Teo, obnoxious gnome drunk

In time, Gnome hunters would come to know the High-Elf druids who settled Lorell Wood and planted the great tree there. The Elves taught them the value of life on the surface, and so they ascended and formed a small village community, developing a close bond with the Elves. In time the Gnomes came to respect the ancient elves and their wisdom, as well as their alcohol.

When the High-Elves all went away, the Gnomes were inspired to move beyond their small valley and explore the rest of Tikol, and from shore to shore they did. Although the Gnomes were friendly to all they met, they found themselves unwelcome in the presence of the Haikjadeam, and at first they made it a point to avoid the snake-skinned race. In time however the two races came to realize that sharing the same island meant getting along was in their best interests. It took a few decades, but finally Gnomes were allowed in the Haikjadeam city of Hassis.

Although the Selkie on the other hand welcomed the Gnomes right off the bat, the earth-dewelling Gnomes weren’t fond of the Selkie's aquatic nature. Due to the fact that most of the Selkie 'land' is underwater, it is very rare to find a gnome there. So the two races remained fairly distant.

It was in these most distant times that the exploring Gnomes had just crossed the Tikolian Desert that they encountered their Dwarven cousins; the Dwarves were a tiny bit taller and much sturdier but otherwise identical to the Gnomes. Creatures of the earth as well, the Dwarves and Gnomes found that they had much in common and formed a close bond. Gnomes were welcomed into the Dwarven home-away-from-home on Tikol; a great mining city. It was at that time that the Gnomes gained their vast appreciation for gadgets and gizmos; this was something that was taught to them by the Dwarves.

The two races lived happily, tunneling the earth, building new, better armor, weapons, and gadgets beyond most people’s reckoning. However, due to unknown causes things went horribly wrong and the great mining city was destroyed; with it all the advanced technology created within. The surviving Dwarves decided to return to their many homes on the Lensmoor Mainland, some of the surviving Gnomes went with them, but most returned to their ancestral village, which had by then grown up into a large town.

Although a majority of the knowledge from the great city was lost, the Gnomish generations that continued never lost that urge to tinker, and became even better smiths than they were in generations past. The Gnomes that returned to the mainland were assimilated there and from that day, it was not uncommon to see Gnomes in the greater Lensmoor community.

When the High-Elf descendants, the Wood Elves returned to Lorell Wood to look after the land their ancestors had built, they were welcomed by the Gnomes, although by then the Elves no longer had the temperament of their ancestors and turned for the most part, inward.

Having become chief architects over the generations, it was only natural that after the destruction of Old Lensmoor, when the gods decreed that the other races would come join with the humans to create a New Lensmoor, the Gnomes were one of the first races to do so. With their prowess for construction, the work went far more smoothly than it ever would have without them.

Over half the Gnomes returned home rich from their dealings with the humans; and with that wealth the great Gnomish city of Dronlek was born from the small town the Gnomes once started out at.

Those who did not return joined with the generations of Gnomes that had grown up on the mainland and formed their own families there.

In time, a new generation Gnomish adventurers arose from both the descends of the mainland and Dronlek. Almost all of these stout and sturdy adventures remember the tales told by their forefathers about how Elves helped the Gnomes rise up from the underground. It is for that reason that most gnomes find favor in Wood Elves and the Sidhe who so closely resemble them.