Grunschild
Originating from Solidar Proper, the Grunschild gnomes have expanded to every known corner of the Realm. Master artisans, diplomats, and merchants, Grunschild gnomes are the official economists and bankers of the Solidar Empire. Alongside the wizards of Petradom, they built the massive Nabatean Vaults and maintain its impressive security and vast financial network across multiple nations. The Gunschild may occupy small settlements in every nation, but each has a strong religious and political connection to their mother city, Geldborse, where their Matron Mother resides. In Solidar Minor, Grunschild are more common in Karfax County.
Freiheit
Also originating from Solidar Proper, the Freiheit are alchemists, artisans, jewelers, mechanics, miners, sailers, shipwrights, and spellcasters. They have a small island nation in the far far north, but have spread throughout the realms to pursue their various passions, and often form small communities at the fringes of human, elven, or dwarven towns. Generally they are a peace loving race that wishes to be left to their own designs, or work in tandem with their surrogate kingdoms to better the community as a whole. Unlike their Grunschild cousins, Freiheit gnomes are disorganized politically, have little fealty with one another as a race (identifying more so with their smaller enclaves and adopted cities), and universally distrust the Grunschild due to an ancient conflict (and the latter’s tendency to be embroiled in world politics). In Solidar Minor, Freiheit are more common in Kismet County.
Mist Gnomes
Legendary creatures from another realm that fled this world almost as quickly as they came; they pioneered the craft of forging True Socket Items, artifacts used to win the Crucible Wars. They are gone now, but their actions continue to have repercussions that echo on into the present.
Ligero
These are the oldest gnomes of the realm. They have a long standing treaty with elves & fey folk, and are intrinsically linked to the natural landscape of the areas in which they reside. Some believe that the Ligero were once fully fey, but forsook their connection to the Outer Planes when they decided to make this realm their home. Ligero features vary wildly, with hair and eye colors ranging the entire spectrum, and with skin tones matching the earth they stride upon. Ligero have an affinity for animals, especially those that burrow. Like many other gnomes, Ligero are also adept at illusions. The Ligero have relations with Cierto & Weh’Lan elves and Tarkus dwarves, and often settle near their respective citadels, contributing as they can to the community. There are also nomadic bands of Ligero that wander the wilderness as hunter gatherers. In Solidar Minor, Ligero are most common in Weh’Lan.
Quemado
Residing in the Fuming Peaks and Burning Sands, these capricious and schizophrenic gnomes have a natural affinity for fire magic and firearms. They build vast labyrinthine steampunk cities in worship of Messingkonig, their Efreeti-God patron. In this they are unified, but in all else they are a chaotic frenetic flurry. Quemado speech is a staccato stream of thought, punctuated by intense gestures. They have managed to violently push out dwarven and elven influence from their territories, and politically they have hostile relations with most neighbors, only forming occasional alliances to battle local giants, goblins, and orcs. Quemado tempers are legendary, and they hold no value for other peoples’ property, often causing mass destruction whenever they are confused, challenged, or simply in a bad mood. The only reason they have been allowed to continue their madness unperturbed is thanks to the vast expanses of desert wasteland that separates them from the more civilized noble races. Quemado have complex and incomprehensible codes of behavior when dealing with their own kind, with machines, or with religious affairs, but when it comes to other races, anything and everything can be put to the ash. Although rarely encountered outside their brass cities, vagabond Quemado can often be found in Sapphire County.
Abajo
Little is known of these deep earth gnomes. Their history is entwined with the Uksi dwarves, worshiping similar strange Old Gods. The few that have ventured to the surface tell tales of immense metropolis in the far reaches of the underworld, where surface races never tread and the sun is unknown. They even recount tales of battles against subterranean elves, but according to them, these dark elves have been around thousands of years before the Crucible Wars and the Estragos Banishment. Abajo cannot live for longer than a few days on the surface without magical aid, unaccustomed to the thin air, and so much of their culture remains a mystery. They are known to have a vast city deep within the Roric’s Wall Mountains, guarding a gateway to another much darker world.
