Gnomes

Gnomes are woodland sprites that can be found throughout the World if one knows where to look.  Few do.  Though they have much in common with the various fairies and elves that lair in the dark places of the world, Gnomes are much less hostile to humankind.  In fact, it would seem that Gnomes have much more to fear from Humans than Humans do from Gnomes.

Gnomes live in small (both in population and size) villages in fey haunted forests.  They often make their homes inside of various natural features such as trees, rocks, hillocks, or extremely large mushrooms.  Here they busy themselves with their strange industries.

No one has ever seen evidence of a Gnome farm though some have witnessed them gathering various mushrooms, berries, and nuts.  Instead they spend their days making items no one ever seems to use.  They make shoes too large for Gnomeish feet and in too plentiful numbers for their village.  Some make toys, though there are no Gnomeish children. They make bizarre effigies of themselves out of stone.  They often leave these near areas inhabited by humans in order to frighten them.  This rarely works.

Few have any ideas on how Gnomes reproduce, but some scholars are keen to guess.  A popular theory is that they spring out of the rocks and mushrooms and hillocks that make their houses.  The empty area left by their birth is then where they make their homes.

Though the practice is rare, some Humans find that Gnome flesh is quite delicious.  Individuals who have tasted it yearn for it always, and wander the forest in vain for these creatures.  Sorcerers also have reasons to look for Gnomes, as their various body parts are often ingredients in arcane rituals.

Gnomes can occasionally be found in human settlements.  Some are merchants who are too brave or too stupid to pay attention to their neighbor's warnings about humankind.  Others are captives forced to make shoes, toys, and what have you by various cruel overlords.  The life of a Gnome is ugly and short, much like they are.

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Gnomes in the Nightwick Campaign are a replacement for Halflings.  They are statistically identical, and some humans may even call Gnomes Halflings, though the Gnomes rarely appreciate this.