Gnomes

Description
Gnomes are a ruddy-faced, hardy, humanoid race that stands between three and four feet tall. Depending on their heritage, their skin tones can range from pale, near-ivory white, to a dark, almost-onyx black. Their hair defies the boring palettes of other humanoid races and runs the full spectrum of neons and pastels. Even when their hair color should conform to normal shades, it just doesn't: a blonde gnome, for example, would have impossibly bright, electric yellow hair, whereas a brunette's would be shades of melting chocolate.

Gnomes suffering from trauma, illness, or enslavement lose their vibrancy with a shocking rapidity. In these cases, all color drains from the gnome's skin and hair, until they appear almost to be a black and white image superimposed upon the world. This terrible condition, known by some as the Withering, can be reversed, but stains of the condition often remain, like scars upon the spectrum of the gnome's life.

Gnomes have incredibly large eyes with irises that leave very little room for white at the corners. All gnomes have a distinct purple ring that wraps around their iris, and many have significant clusters of silver or gold freckles on their iris. Unlike other races, however, this does not appear to indicate an increased risk of eye problems.

Gnomes reach maturity in their late 30s, and can live more than 500 years.

History
Gnomes arrived in the world during the Age of Wonders, seemingly from nowhere. To the rest of the world, it appeared that one day, a strange race of energetic, prismatic, short troublemakers simply popped into existence by the hundreds. This caused no end of distress for halflings, who for some time were constantly lumped in with gnomes due to height. While times have changed, the two races have shared a strained straight man/wiseguy relationship ever since. When asked about where they come from, gnomes offhandedly say they're descended from the Fey Wilds, and that the original gnomes arrives on a lark and fell in love with the world.

This is, of course, mostly a lie. Gnomes play down their arrival during the Age of Wonders for a good reason: they're afraid. The Age of Wonders brought about unparalleled creations in the form of techno-magical machinery. These Magitek devices were self sufficient, intelligent, and completely subservient to their masters wills. The creation of such devices was lost in the Age of Regret, but scholars posit that they were able to function independently because of powerful binding magics.

In truth, each Magitek device, from soaring airships to suits of living armor, were animated by fey spirits bound into rune-forged iron and steel. The artificers of the age had discovered a way to power their technology through the enslavement of the ageless spirits of the Fey Wild, and so they did for centuries.

There is no known written record of when it occurred, but one day a group of Magitek Soldiers was left without orders following the death of their artificer. As they stood around the body, awaiting orders, a small boy approached. The child, barefoot and wrapped only in a flowing cloak sized for a man twice his size, approached the body and claimed the essence of their master before turning to them. The child held out a pomegranate seed, which swelled and ripened into a bountiful fruit, before it softened and rotted to mold and dust before them.

The boy spoke to them in a voice beyond softness, that somehow reached to every bound spirit in the world, and offered them a gift:

"Remain as you are, and live forever, or accept the gift of flesh and form, and live free all the days of your life."

Those that accepted were freed of their bonds, clad in mortal flesh as the first gnomes. The rest remain, perhaps still trapped in forgotten bodies and machinery lost in the fall.

Gnomes, for their own safety, rarely reveal this story to an outsider, for if it is true, it means that the guilt for the cataclysm that brought the Age of Wonders to an end is theirs, not the rampaging orcish tribes. Worse yet, should greedy magi learn the truth, they may perhaps discover a way to undo the Orphan's gift and return them to their eternal slavery.

Religion
The fact that gnomes primarily worship the Orphan, the god of death, surprises many given their seemingly joyous nature. Gnomes, however, are simple in their reply: "Life is beautiful because it changes and ends." To gnomes, the changing nature of life and its near-infinite possibilities are only given value and purpose by the presence of death, so they choose to embrace the Lonely God and his role.

It's hard to stereotype a gnome, however, and devout followers of every major and minor god can be found, though the most popular gods are, in no particular order: Caz, Basir, and Sof.

Society
Given their dedication to freedom above all else, gnomes rarely have ordered structures of deferred authority. The idea of a gnomish king or queen is laughable outside of gnome society, and heretical within it. Most gnomes organize themselves according to the collective wishes of an area, often following situational, random, or rotating nominations. It is considered a simultaneous honor and a curse to be appointed to a position in gnomish society, and it is customary for one to fulfill their duty as quickly and beneficently as possible so that they may pass it to another person, like a game of 'hot potato.'

Though they value liberty above all else, gnomes have very little trouble traveling and obeying the laws of even the most restrictive realms as long as their choice to follow the local customs remains that: a choice. The surest way for a naive ruler to make trouble for themselves is to incite a traveling gnome to rebellion; it's far better just to wait them out while they pass by.

Types of Gnome
There are three distinct types of gnome gnome in the world:

Rock Gnomes are what most people think of when they hear the word gnome. Curious, friendly, and boundlessly creative, these creatures form communities of mutual assistance with anyone that seems genuine.

Forest Gnomes dislike being around other humanoids, and prefer to spend their time in woodland areas, surrounded by animals. Forest gnomes have an extreme aversion to technology, and are known to target encroaching settlements, particularly if they build contraptions like waterwheels or windmills, or if they build heavy industry.

Deep Gnomes are the least well known of all the families, as they have all but withdrawn from the world in pursuit of magical lore. Unlike the rock gnomes, who enjoy building and tinkering, deep gnomes seek to embrace their fey heritage and control the arcane magics that enslaved their race.