HARP: The World of Tarn

The Races of Tarn: Gnomes

Summary:

The following are accepted truths about gnomes:

• Gnomes are of any alignment.
• Gnomes are smart and curious, with great mechanical ability, master inventors.
• Gnomes are from Glacia; most never leave the confines of their city.
• Gnomes are very aware of their surroundings, eyes and ears always open.
• Gnomes' greatest fear and bane is the minotaur race.
• Read, understand and accept the following help file.

History: Gnomes are direct descendants of dwarves. Ages ago, the split off from their dwarven ancestors and left their underground home. Why they chose to do so is unclear, lost in time perhaps, although some speculate that the gnomes were searching for more out of their existences than simply being miners, stoneworkers and blacksmiths. The gnomes eventually settled in southern Glacia, the frozen lands for north of Elysia. For the most part, Glacia was entirely barren, save for a few odd beasts here and there. This allowed the gnomes to live in relative peace, and they trained their inherent mechanical abilities beyond any other race. The only other race that had settled in Glacia was the minotaurs, who developed a taste for gnome meat. These two races have been at each other since then, waging many wars. For the most part their wars have been fairly small scale, as neither race has ever really assaulted the other one's main city. Instead, both races use raiding parties to track and kill wayward enemies. The gnomes, being the less aggressive and more peaceful of the two races focused on defense, building strong, fortified walls around their city and creating complex, mechanical traps specifically designed for dealing with minotaurs. Since their move to Glacia, gnomes have gone off into the rest of the world, offering their services to the friendlier races of Tarn.

Description: Gnomes are smaller than most dwarves, and not as strong. They have retained a great deal of the dwarves' hardiness, and as such, they are not bothered by the cold. Most gnomes look quite similar to dwarves, although more child-like, with smoother skin, larger eyes and much less facial hair. Gnomes have no specific preference to wearing a beard or not, and their hair is worn in a variety of styles.

Sample images: Gnome Tinkerer | Gnome Male | Gnome Rogue

Personality: Gnomes are smart and curious creatures. Their years in relative isolation have given them a somewhat close-minded view of the rest of the Realms, and that doesn't seem to bother them one bit. Most are happy to live their lives in relative peace with the occasional minotaur raid. Gnomes are not particularly brave and hardly aggressive, although as has been shown with their continual struggles with the minotaurs in Glacia, they are fully prepared and willing to defend themselves. Since most gnomes have lived generations within the confines of their own communities they have a general sense of awe which sometimes leads to suspicion. Once comfortable with their surroundings however, gnomes can be very friendly and happy-go-lucky. What sets gnomes apart from most other races, is their interest in creating things, whether that be through craftsmanship, rudimentary mechanics, or other "sciences". Their intelligence, curiosity, and knack with tools and tinkering make them master inventors.

Gnomes' greatest fear is the minotaur race. For many hundreds of years, the minotaurs and gnomes have lived side-by-side in the icy lands of Glacia. Skirmishes and raids have occurred on both sides, but for the most part, gnomes are the more passive ones, and the ones that spend most of their time defending themselves. Gnomes are most effective in teams, especially when using some of their mechanical inventions and devices. If a gnome is caught alone with a minotaur, they will likely be quite fearful and prefer to flee than engage in a confrontation.

Gnomes are inquisitive, curious and tend to be quite aware of their surroundings. Living under the shadow of the minotaurs in Glacia for so many years has taught them to keep their eyes and ears open.