The 7th Plane

It has been said that the Gnomish kind were once humans, unrecognizably twisted by creatures from another plane of existence, and spared from a fate worse than death by the Earth deities they so fervently worship. There are even tales that the Earth deities have sworn to revive any Gnome who falls in combat while defending his or her home. Stories of this kind are probably nothing more than children's fairy tales though. All I know for sure is that the Gnomes will forever be my friends. In my younger years, they were a society of joyous people, welcoming of all outsiders. Lately, they have become much more guarded and militaristic. They have begun to specialize their troops, taking cues from the military organizations of Human society. The male Fighters, loyal and obedient until the very end, train diligently in martial combat and group tactics, always striving to be promoted to group Commander. The elite of the Gnomish community, the females, those blessed especially by the Earth deities, become Conjurers and have the power to teleport at will and control the great Earth Golems. While my recent visits to Gnome Village have not been as pleasant as those in the past, I can not blame them, with the threat they now face from the Spidres below. The Gnomes are Aladria's front line defense against an invasion from the darker, more evil creatures that few wish to know. Therefore, I can not condone any attacks upon the Gnomes, even if many have grown irrational in recent years. There are even rumors of one very irrational Gnome, a powerful Sorcerer, corrupted by the darkness from below, who has been outcast from the village. It would be best to avoid these bad apples though, and remember, if you ever wish to make friends with a Gnome, you need do nothing more than join in their crusade to slay those of the Spidre kind. In the end, all Gnomes who still have good in their hearts will recognize those of equal virtue.