Gnome

Long ago, early gnome ancestors emigrated from the First World, realm of the fey. While it’s unclear why the first gnomes wandered to Golarion, this lineage manifests in modern gnomes as bizarre reasoning, eccentricity, obsessive tendencies, and what some see as naivete. These qualities are further reflected in their physical characteristics, such as spindly limbs, brightly colored hair, and childlike and extremely expressive facial features that further reflect their otherworldly origins.

Always hungry for new experiences, gnomes constantly wander both mentally and physically, attempting to stave off a terrible ailment that threatens all of their people. This affliction—the Bleaching—strikes gnomes who fail to dream, innovate, and take in new experiences, in the gnomes’ absence of crucial magical essence from the First World. Gnomes latch onto a source of localized magic where they live, typically primal magic, as befits their fey lineage, but this isn’t enough to avoid the Bleaching unless they supplement this magic with new experiences. The Bleaching slowly drains the color—literally—from gnomes, and it plunges those affected into states of deep depression that eventually claim their lives. Very few gnomes survive this scourge, becoming deeply morose and wise survivors known as bleachlings.

In the Stolen Lands

The boundaries between Golarion and the First World are not constant; in some places, like in the Sellen River basin, these barriers are unusually thin. The barriers thin yet further, rumors hold, in the Stolen Lands—and certainly fey are a powerful force in the region. Many believe that the influence of the First World over the Stolen Lands is the primary reason none have managed to tame the wilderness. Regions like these have long drawn gnomes to their proximity, and tales of gnome expeditions to explore the Stolen Lands are quite common—as are tales of expeditions that become lost and are never heard from again. Optimistic gnomes cling to these vanishings as proof that the Stolen Lands hide pathways into the First World.

Gnomes have a strong presence in the River Kingdoms and have established communities there, such as Thom and Artume. Enclaves of less civilized gnomes exist in Echo Wood near the Numerian border, Embeth Forest, and Brevoy’s Gronzi Forest, though these shamanistic sects tend to keep mostly to themselves. Full of interesting sights and new experiences, the region presents a perfect spectacle for gnomes who enjoy the variety of people and places that can be found there.

Physical Description

Most gnomes stand just over 3 feet in height and weigh little more than a human child. They exhibit a wide range of natural skin, hair, and eye colors. For gnomes that haven’t begun the Bleaching, nearly any hair and eye color other than white is possible, with vibrant colors most frequent, while skin tones span a slightly narrower spectrum and tend toward earthy tones and pinkish hues, though occasionally green, black, or pale blue. Gnomes’ large eyes and dense facial muscles allow them to be particularly expressive in their emotions. Gnomes typically reach physical maturity at the age of 18, though many gnomes maintain a childlike curiosity about the world even into adulthood. A gnome can theoretically live to any age if she can stave off the Bleaching indefinitely, but in practice gnomes rarely live longer than around 400 years.

Society

While most gnomes adopt some of the cultural practices of the region in which they live, they tend to pick and choose, adjusting their communities to fit their own fey logic. This often leads to majority gnome communities eventually consisting almost entirely of gnomes, as other people, bewildered by gnomish political decisions, choose to move elsewhere. Gnomes have little culture that they would consider entirely their own. No gnome kingdoms or nations exist on the surface of Golarion, and gnomes wouldn’t know what to do with such a state if they had one.

By necessity, few gnomes marry for life, instead allowing relationships to run their course before amicably moving on, the better to stave off the Bleaching with new experiences. Though gnome families tend to be small, many gnome communities raise children communally, with fluid family boundaries. As adults depart the settlement, unrelated adolescents sometimes tag along, creating adopted families to journey together.