Gnomes

Although often confused with short, slender Dwarves, Terearth Gnomes are actually distant relations of Elves. The average Gnome is about 0.9 – 1.1m (3 feet) tall.

Gnomes love magic, nature and exploring. But most of all they love a good story. This is why many Gnomes become Wizards, Rogues or Rangers. Gnomes are not a physically strong race and rarely become Fighters (or at least not as their main class).

Gnomes are able to interact with "the Green Veil” that separates Terearth from the Fae realms. This allows them to move through natural surroundings in a supernatural manner and even (for a short time) to grant themselves invisibility. Their small size naturally gives Gnomes some advantages in stealth but also limits them to using “Small” equipment (one size category less than “Medium”).

Most Gnomes find “High Merebian” an easy language to learn but their native tongue, Gnomish, is actually a derivation of the Eladrin language "Sidhe".

Perceptions of Gnomes

Gnomes, unlike their other fae-cousins, get a relatively ok deal from humans. Most of the Empire considers Gnomes to be, basically, short slim humourous dwarves. The phrase "mostly harmless" is often used when talking about Gnomes. In fact, unless Gnomes make a point about the harsh treatment of Elves by the Empire, they can expected to be treated nearly as fairly as Dwarves. Humans though seem to have two basic stereotypes of Gnomes; mad tinkers or playful fool. Gnomes have one basic stereotype of humans; gullible.