THE
GOLTHERLON
GNOMES
(GOLGNOMES) |
The Golgnomes are a fairly independent tribe of gnomes more concerned with the realms of science rather than foreign affairs with other tribes. These gnomes seem to have a knack for chemistry and alchemy, and most all gnomes take part in experiments and research. The height of these gnomes is a bit shorter than most others of their race, coming in at around one ped, and they tend to have black hair and small, curious black eyes. The Golgnomes, as their name suggests, are found within the Goltherlon Woods, getting the first part of their tribe name (Gol) from the forest's name.
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Appearance.
The Golgnomes tend to be a bit shorter than most
gnomes, ranging between a little less than
a ped to a ped in size. Gnomes exceeding
this size are usually viewed as strange or abnormal and are felt to have no
real place among society. Sometimes they are thrown out, but more often they
live as outcasts.
Golgnomes features are similar to most gnomes.
They have a nose that appears bigger than most and have curious, shiny black
eyes that make many feel that they’re extremely untrustworthy. Their eyes are
always black. Their hair color may vary from a black to a brown to a reddish
color, though black tends to be the most popular. Hair loss at middle age or
even before middle age is common, though rarely will
gnomes lose the hair on their beards.
Female gnomes do not grow beards, but may
lose their hair. Hair loss in female gnomes
is not uncommon, but is neither thought to detract from beauty, at least among
their own tribe. Female Golgnomes don’t have much interest in putting their
hair back in intricate designs, seeing very little use in it. In fact, most
will cut it short to keep it out of their faces and work.
Gnomes usually are rather thin in their
adolescence, but tend to grow a bit of fat on them later on.
Coat of Arms/Sign.
The Coat of Arms of the Golgnomes is one that is surprisingly simplistic given
their love for complex things. The coat of arms features a circle within which
two triangles exist, one pointed downward and the other pointed upward. In the
center, a circle within a circle is featured. The overall symbol is believed to
represent alchemy, chemistry, or some other such science. All the shapes are
outlined in black. The circle itself it black, the triangles are gray, the
outside circle is green, and the inner circle is yellow.
Territory.
The Golgnomes live within the boundaries of the Goltherlon Forest. Very rarely
will they leave as they really have no use or interest in exploration. The area
in which they live, being near both Mount Hèckra to the north and the High
Fores to the west, provides them with many resources for their alchemy.
People.
The Golgnomes excel in alchemy and factions of chemistry. Most love to
experiment and many different fertilizers and dye have been found by these
gnomes, though very few actually know
about them as the Golgnomes don’t seem to get many visitors. Their wonderful
fertilizers have allowed them to make healthy plants within the confines of
their borders. They have successfully grown plants in the forest that usually
require a more sunny area.
Gnomes have little use for dye except to
fashion the dresses of the females of the tribe. The
gnomes really haven’t many skills in
hunting. Actually, only few gnomes hunt,
but rather trap their food using traps of their own unique design, continuing
to experiment and test their designs to see which can catch the most
tareps. However, trapping is more
commonly thought of to be a scientific endeavor rather than a thing done to get
food.
The gnomes of the Goltherlon are also able
to create some kinds of explosive weaponry using certain types of minerals and
chemicals found in and around the forest itself. Though the
gnomes possess powerful kinds of
explosives, they are a very peaceful race, and even if provoked, will rarely
fight. Most neighboring tribes have little interest in this tribe of
gnomes for any other purpose than for
trade. The feeling is reciprocal among Golgnomes, though many young
gnomes will sometimes have an interest in
outsiders.
Housing.
The Golgnomes have houses that tend to be built up in trees, high in the sturdy
branches. Many make stairways leading up to their houses that wind about the
trunk of a tree, and sometimes passageways are made from house to house. These
houses, made of wood, are surprisingly stable and strong. In fact, it is more
common for a house to be burned or exploded by a
gnome's experiments than it is for the
house to break or fall apart.
Some gnomes have also taken over the
elegant, twisted tree homes of the now extinct
Goltherrhim, though most of these
gnomes, in order to preserve the beauty of
their homes, rarely do experiments that may set aflame their unique houses.
Because these houses cannot be made any longer, given that the
Goltherrhim are no longer around, only
very rich, and aesthetical oriented Golgnomes, make these lovely trees their
own and may hire certain agriculturalists to make sure the tree is stable and
provide certain fertilizers to make the tree more healthy.
Clothing.
The Golgnomes are not real particular about clothing, usually. Clothes are made
from wool from the sheep the gnomes keep.
The men tend to wear plain shirts sporting a solid color, though some may also
have small designs on them, sometimes with a leather vest on top. Many gnomes
wear vests adorned with several pockets, both inside and out. Male Gnomes tend
to wear loose pants in darker colors such as green or black, but may also wear
overalls. These, too, have many pockets. Most adults wear shoes of sturdy black
leather, but many adolescents will go tramping around the forest in bare feet.
Female gnomes will, at times, wear the
same styles as men, but are more commonly found in dresses or nice shirts and
skirts, also in a plain, solid color, though some are taken to designs of plaid
or striped. Many adolescent females will wear a dress of cloth or leather.
Usually as a female gnome grows however,
she will adopt a cloth shirt, usually long-sleeved, and a vest on top, similar
to the males, with many pockets. She will also wear a skirt, usually of
leather, and black leather boots. Female
gnomes will only put their hair up if there is enough for it, but since
most gnomes will keep their hair short,
need is rare.
Diet.
Because of their unique and effective fertilizers, Golgnomes have been able to
grow a plethora of crops within the forest. They tend to eat
lythbéls,
caroots,
onions,
meldarapples,
vinterberries, and other such
crops, which are grown in gardens in the Goltherlon Forest. Golgnomes also
commonly raise sheep and
cows, though
sheep are far more commonly.
Taenish are commonly kept as well. The
meat is usually cooked in hardened clay ovens and tends to be more flavored
than at most human cookings due to the
spices growing as crops in gnomish
gardens.
Many Golgnomes eat with “eating rods,” or two pairs of long rods made of wood
or metal that are used for eating. Though using them is more difficult than
other utensils or using the hands, gnomes
believe that it improves one’s ability to do math and perception problems.
Because of this, many students and most scientists who commonly work with math
problems in their occupations will eat using eating rods.
Weapons.
Golgnomes, being great chemists, have
weapons that can explode or combust, and usually appear as small pack of
minerals and chemicals that, when set on fire, may explode. The intensity of
the explosion depends on the amount of content within this sag. Variations of
this weapon have been made, but are
rarely used because of the gnomes’
neutrality in disputes among races, tribes, or countries.
Though the Gnomes live near the Thrumgolz
Dwarves, they really don’t have much in the way of
swords and armor. It is the
philosophy of the Golgnomes that they shouldn’t need
weapons such as
swords or maces or even the elegant
elven
bows. Many feel that their own intelligence should be able to create
weaponry that is powerful and
doesn’t necessarily depend on the physical strength of the user.
Common gnomish
weapons of the Golgnomes are as
follows:
The
Sparkfire
One of the most well-known gnomish
weapons, the Sparkfire is usually a small pouch, typically made of
deer,
sheep, or cow hide, that contains
certain minerals that when set aflame, will create a bright spark, like a small
explosion, which can set things on fire.
Often this pouch is connected to a piece of string or twine on which a flame
can run. What minerals are in the Sparkfire are known only to
gnomish alchemists.
The
Fragsent
A clever expansion of the Sparkfire idea, the Fragsent is almost exactly the
same, only instead of a pouch of leather or hide, the minerals are contained
within a hollow ball of clay that will shatter with the explosion caused by the
minerals and fire. These shattered fragments can be sharp and extremely
dangerous. Depending on the amount of explosive material contained within the
Fragsent, these sharp clay pieces can fly nearly a dash and travel at speeds
close to 5 peds per second.
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Occupations. Most all gnomes work with alchemy and/or chemistry to some degree, if not as a profession, then as a hobby. However, most have such occupations, though, or occupations that require such knowledge, such as physicians, agriculturalists, biologists, geologists, etc. Women and men may share similar occupations, but usually men have a higher income because of the wife’s duties as a housewife and a mother.
The
Agriculturalist
Golgnomes have turned farming in itself into a scientific endeavor. Many
gnomes considered to be “agriculturalists”
are really simply farmers who on the side do experiments to find the perfect
minerals to create the fastest-growing and best-tasting crop. They will
sometimes hold competitions between each other to see who can create the most
delicious fruit or vegetable in the least amount of time.
Gnomes of this profession will also
observe the growing process of plants and sometimes dissect them to learn how
they work.
The
Biologist
Gnomes who make a profession out of keeping
cows, sheep,
taenish, or any other sort of
livestock is commonly thought to be a biologist. Though the field of biology
contains both the study of plants and animals, most
gnomes take more of an interest in animals
instead of plants. They will dissect certain animals, observe bones and try to
discover hidden secrets to the way animal bodies work. Studies do not halt
simply at domesticated animals, but include the local wildlife, including fish
in the Ancythrian Sea and the elegant herín.
The
Geologist
Those who study both landscape and the minerals found in the nearby hills and
within the Goltherlon Forest itself are considered Geologists. Some of them
help formulate how certain land-features, such as the High Fores locates to the
west, were formed. Some gnomes claim that
they were formed by rock being pushed up from under the ground while others
think it is a result of the continent moving its position. Geologists also
study rocks and minerals of a certain region, doing tests to figure out the
composition of samples found around the area where these
gnomes live.
The
Meteorologists
Primarily weather-forecasters, gnomes
of this profession study all aspects of weather, tracking the movement of
clouds and doing experiments to try to figure out how clouds are formed and the
effects of the sun over the weather.
They also note temperature change in different seasons and try to determine
reasons for these changes outside of possible philosophical and religious
causes. Meteorologists have discovered that certain types of minerals, when
mixed together, will change color depending on the amount of moisture in the
air, and thus are able to tell when rain might be approaching.
The
Physician
Gnomes are the first race to actually
observe the bone structure and different organisms within a person by opening
up already dead persons. These scientists do research pertaining to the
function of certain organs and what they help to do. They will also experiment
in finding cures for certain diseases and quick-working remedies for wounds.
Physicians have a respected role in Golgnome society for their achievements and
are usually fairly rich.
The
Psychologist
Rather a less-well paid position, psychologists study the behavior of
gnomes and animals alike, trying to figure
out thought-process. Many Physicians will sometimes take up this occupation on
the side if the material interests them. Psychologists will observe the actual
brain of an organism and try to identify what each piece does. A breakthrough
in psychological research came about when a gnome with a talking disability
died and his brain was analyzed. It was found that part of his brain was
damaged and thus psychologists discovered what area of the brain was used for
speech. However, besides this one occurrence, psychology is mainly made up of
theories.
Government.
The Golgnomes have a counsel called the High Counsel of Chemists made up of a
small, elite group of known gnomes
acknowledged for their achievements in factions of chemistry. However, the
counsel does have a few drawbacks. For example, women are not allowed to join
the counsel and also no gnome under the
age of 75, though if a gnome should
accomplish some great achievement before this age, they can join the Counsel
upon their 75th birthday.
The High Counsel of Chemists acts as the one branch of Government. This High
Counsel discusses matters of the tribe and passes judgment over the convicted
and decides the sentence of the guilty. They are all rather fair and are
respected. Usually one or two will act as a representative of the Golthergnome
Tribe in matters concerning more than just the tribe.
Production/Trade.
The Golgnomes can be very picky as to what they trade with other tribes. They
will happily trade chemicals that can increase the growth of crops, but are
sure to never give out their secrets to other tribes. They also trade dyes to
the Caltharians, the
gnome’s close
human neighbors, who will sometimes pay a
high price for the brilliant and beautiful dyes and fabrics that the Golgnomes
can produce. The gnomes, however, will not
trade their weaponry, as most
gnomes consider outsiders too reckless and
dangerous to handle an explosive weapon.
Natural Resources.
The Golgnomes live close to both Hèckra, a volcano which has since brought
minerals kept deep below the land up toward the surface, and the High Fores,
known to be rich in metals wich the
Thrumgolz Dwarves use to make into
weaponry and armor. The minerals provided by these two sources make the
Goltherlon Forest a heaven for any alchemist. The area is rich in minerals and
metals that may be used in experimentation and the trees of the forest provide
the fuel to heat fires under which these experiments can be done.
Small amounts of mithril can be found around the volcano Hèckra, though not
enough of this metal can be mined to produce armor and
weapons. Coal and iron are some of
the most common and the most demanded minerals by the Golgnomes, who use such
materials in their experiments. It is believed that coal is somehow used in
their explosive weapons, but none are quite certain. Iron is often used to
forge the cups and holders used to contain other minerals and help in heating
chemicals.
Holidays,
Festivals and Observances.
Golgnomes celebrate the following festivals:
The Week
of the Recognition of Innovative Achievements
Occurring in the first week of the Month of the Awakening Earth (avénni'modía),
the Week of the Recognition of Innovative Achievements is a week set aside to
celebrate the great inventions of the past. There is much celebration in this
week. During the week, many Golgnomes don’t work and schools let kids off to
enjoy the week. During this time, there are festivals and fairs. Many times
small competitions will be held to see who can make the most effective
invention out of scraps. Kids eat sweets and all sorts of interesting, handy
gadgets are sold.
The
Spring Celebration
Celebrated on the first day of spring (considered by most
gnomes to be the first of the Month of the
Singing Bird (alé'veván), gnomes will
often gather with family and friends to celebrate the coming of spring.
Sometimes flowers are picked to decorate the homes. Certain biologists and
agriculturists see it as a special time when they can begin planting certain
special flowers and plants.
The
Celebration of Achievement
The Celebration of Achievement takes place near the end of fall, in the Month
of the Dead Tree (coór'pherán). It is a time in which family and friends will
meet and tell each other of what they have accomplished in the last year,
sometimes sharing ideas about the future and even making bets or competitions.
Usually these gatherings are simply to show what the
gnomes have achieved, but not give any
explanations how, as most don’t want their secrets to get out. The exact date
of this celebration cannot be defined, as different
gnomes celebrate it on different days
throughout this month.
Education. Golgnomes value education in the way of chemistry and alchemy and thus have set up an public education program that is required for all gnomes starting from age 10 and lasting until the gnomes graduate at age 60. From there many gnomes will continue their education privately by reading and experimenting. The schools are separated by age.
Junior
Gnomeling School
Ages 10 to 30 attend Junior Gnomeling School, which teaches general math and
science as well as history, reading and writing.
Middle
Gnomeling School
Ages 31 to 40 attend Middle Gnomeling School, where science becomes more
focused. Tharian classes focus more teaching scientific jargon as well as the
reading of short scientific essays, and Math classes teach only the formulas
needed for scientific understanding.
High
Gnomeling School
Ages 41 to 50 attend High Gnomeling School, where more difficult sciences are
introduced such as chemistry and alchemy, while Tharian classes continue to
teach scientific jargon and read long essays by renowned
gnomish researchers and sages.
High
Gnome Academy
Ages 51 to 60 attend High Gnome Academy. All Academies are different and focus
in different fields of science, though all Academies require students to read
long works by famous gnomish scientists.
Often they will part-time as an apprentice for a scientists in the field they
wish to go in to.
Important Achievements. The
Golgnomes excel in sciences, especially chemistry and alchemy as well as other
branches of science. The important achievements of this tribe lie mainly in the
area of science. Though not claiming to have created original explosives, the
Golgnomes have since created creative new designs for
this weapon, using materials such as
clay or metal, and found more destructive ways to use it.
Golgnomes are also known for being able to predict if
rain will come by the color that certain chemicals take from moisture in the
air, and are also known for developing logical theories on the function of
different parts of the human
(or other races') brain. The physicians in this
gnomish tribe are also known for
fast-working cures and remedies. Medicines made from certain types of leaves
and chemicals can quicken the healing process of cuts, bruises, scrapes, and
other flesh wounds. Some of the most impressive operations have been made my
gnomish doctors.
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Information provided by
Rayne Avalotus
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