Gnome

Gnomes are a semi-common race of short humanoids who usually live in Midgard. They live for about 100 years before they die of old age. Despite their short life span they tend to be extremely optimistic and have a neck of specializing themselves and posses moderate ambition. They have a little inter racial feeling of honour and respect but because they are so carefree and joyful their view on "deep things" is rather shallow.

Physical appearance

Gnomes are short humanoids. Their skin a very lightly greenish when compared to human for various regions and their hair is usually a bright hue. They have a slightly scaly skin but the scales are sometimes not even visible. The shape of the head is slightly sharper and the hair is generally spikier than humans, the hair tends to go upwards. Compare to halfings the gnomes might just overeat a little, sometimes.

Culture

Gnome culture is more practical when compared to Asgard or Utgard, Asgard because they sometimes tend to choose beauty of comfort and Utgard because they don't have the crafting skills or need for comfort. But if compared to human culture, Gnomes concentrate on complexity where the humans concentrate on simplicity of use. Gnome culture is driven by effectiveness rather than efficiency, however they tend to choose for quantity over quality. Gnomes want to know how everything works, EVERYTHING. They would take apart the divines themselves just to see how they work. (Ganinisum, god of the gnomes actually did just that to himself, wanting to know exactly how Talor designed him.) Luckily for most gnomes they know how to put things together again to.... most of the time. This gives them great knowledge about the nature of things, but sometimes destroys the chance to actually use them.

Gnome cultural booklet

Most gnomes carry with them a personal booklet in which they make notes about their lives or copy interesting texts. This booklet is highly private and it's an honour if you are allowed to copy a part of it into your own booklet. The booklet is also a collection of their most treasured memories and experiences. If it is lost after the gnomes death it is often believed that the gnome's life has been for naught because all it's memories (the only thing you every really truly gain) are lost forever. If it is lost before the gnome it's death no harm is done, since the gnome can still recall the memories that are truly important and write them down again in it's next booklet. Old gnomes usually carry several of these booklets with them or at least keep them at home stored in some prominent place, usually one for each decade or so. Many gnomes start a new booklet after certain life changing events or professions, for example as they start wandering the world or gain a new group. (This is a perfect excuse to start the game with an empty booklet, although it's cool to at least put some paragraphs in it before you start.)

History

Full history of gnomes?.

The gnome race evolved from a hunter community, using tools and traps to catch small animals to a community of nomads, travelling around with large herds of animals they keep in great fenced of fields the build with portable fences and even later (when the lands we now call Midgard) where cultivated, they settled into permanent settlements.

Diet

Gnomes are Omnivorous , like most of the intelligent races of Heimr, they tend to lean more to the carnivorous side of the diet scale when compared to humans though. Gnomes usually don't eat their meals raw.

Language

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Art, music and literature

Art music and literature (fiction) within gnome culture, is nearly non-existing. Fiction is seen as a waste of time. If they want excitement, gnomes just go inside and play and temper with whatever strange magical device their family brought home this week.

Magic

Magic within gnome culture is seen as an tool to explore the wonders of the elements, the building blocks of reality. The gnomes share the human view that magic spells are usually not worth the wait compared to their lifespan, however for gnomes this is not a problem as the spells are not the real spoils of the knowledge hoarding. The knowledge about magic itself is far more valuable as it learns the gnome the wonders of, how, stuff, works. Many a gnome stops their magical research just before they finally start practicing the actual casting of spells, as at that point they already got what they came for. This has frustrated many a would be teacher of the arcane as they saw hard work, talent and dedication thrown away. This also results in a higher ritualist to spell caster ratio among gnomes. Because gnomes live more to the north of the center of Midgard, closer to Asgard, they tend to have a higher change of talent for magic on birth. The ratio is close to 3 on 4 babies. Of course only about one in ten actually pursue this talent to the point where they can cast actual spells.

Religion

Worship of Ganinisum is the first and most practiced form of religion among gnomes as it is their standard worship method. Gnomes practice this form of religion in their daily lives. Gnomes however turn to Talor as a form of higher worship in times of study and knowledge seeking. Especially in their younger years, at school, this form of religion is widespread.