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CONTENTS
Title Page.................chapter 1
Forward....................chapter 2
Mythological Roots.........chapter 3
All Saints War.............chapter 4
Gnomish Schism.............chapter 5
Racial Raiding.............chapter 6
The Topside Gnomes.........chapter 7
A Second Schism............chapter 8
The lost city of Gnilbin...chapter 9

Forward

What began initially as a text to introduce a generation with declining interests in genealogy into my field has turned into a justification of my research in the face of scholarly criticism. To those who expected otherwise I apologize. What follows is a journey through collected mythologies, historical accounts and archeological evidence which will lead into my own interests and quests. Some will dismiss what I've written for flavor text, something to be told to children at night and of little scholarly value. It is my hope that in those few minds which can look beyond the biases bred into them by gnomish society an exciting possibility will be realized. If I set only a few minds to this cause then my research as well as this text will have been worth it.

Mythological Roots

Though academically distasteful, the only record of gnomish beginnings we have today are those we find in myth and legend. If true, then our history does indeed share a beginning with dwarves at the hands of the 'Sibling Gods'.

Creation is said to have occurred at a time when the gods themselves walked the realms and crafted much of what we have today for their own pleasure, utility and convenience. In such a fashion the dwarves were smithed by Mahar, the Dwarffather. Setting about to create a tempered race so hardy they could assist him with his duties, the mighty Mahar took the hardest ore and mixing it with stone created an alloy suitable for the beings he wished to create. Over his forge he used his legendary hammer to fold his race one million times before the forms we know as a dwarves were formed. It was then that Yavanna, the Earthmother planted life into Mahar's dwarves and into the realms another race had awaken.

Bolstered by his brother's success, but differing vastly in ideals, Gnoss (commonly known as Thoth by the less educated races) took from the earth a ball of moist clay. It was important that his form would be able to learn and adapt to the many varied tasks he knew they would face. With his bare hands he molded the form we'd come to be. Into this new form he breathed intelligence worthy of his creation, as well as a profound grasp of logic and reason. Much like she had done for her other sibling the Earthmother gifted her brother's creation by planting life within it, allowing yet another race to awaken. In much the same way that dwarves assisted Mahar with his duties, the gnomes assisted Gnoss at his library in the first gnomish city of Gnilbin.

The Passing of Gnoss

Details of the All Saints War are vague at best, but two things about it are clear. The first common thread in most myths is that Gnoss, the god who held dominion over knowledge of past, present and future had grown bored with his existence. The second element of the war was the mounting jealousy of other gods, and the plots amongst them to forcibly strip Gnoss of his powers.

Of course having dominion over knowledge, Gnoss knew of the plans his divine kin were forming, and also that he would prevail though the ensuing battle would destroy much of what the gods had set about to create. In place of falling to them or battling them outright, the Divine lord of the Mind divided his powers amongst his three most devout followers so that the gnomes might continue to flourish in his absence. His final gift to the world was to release fate and knowledge of what was to come, so no mortal or god could ever rule it again.

The gnomes then found themselves ruled by three avatar like elders which, though only shadows of their former deity, were far beyond mortal comparison. The first of the three was Teraflora. She much resembled the gnomish mother, Yavanna and held quite an influence over earth and stone. It is she who maintains the desire within gnomes to mine, as well as their love of precious gems and metals. The shyest of the elders, she is also the prime reason gnomes prefer isolation from many of the other races.

The second elder was Gnydendatha. Infused by Gnoss with all knowledge of past and present he was driven slightly mad upon receiving his 'gift'. He represents the true knowledge that a gnome can hope to possess, and walks a very narrow line between insanity and genius. He is depicted in myth as a prankster, making the lesser races feel silly and foolish. It is said that many of the riddles and puzzles passed down from generation to generation had their origins in Gnydendatha's unique mind.

The last of three elders, Astomakath, seems to speak on behalf of his piers, lending to the belief he is the most powerful and influential amongst them. Possessing dominion over science, logic, engineering and philosophy he is regarded as the most scholarly of the three. He also represents the balance of nature and technology in all gnomes, and is frequently credited with bringing innovative dreams to his kind as they sleep.

The three were worshipped as parts of the whole, which remained Gnoss in the minds of all gnomes. In Gnilbin they founded a culture of science which remains unparalleled in the realms today. Within the great library records of every academic pursuit were kept. It is truly a loss to gnomes if not the world that Gnilbin would be lost as we might have found ourselves years beyond where science currently is. Unfortunately, as you will see, raiders care little for knowledge and scholasticism.

The Great Schism

All races, including gnomes soon found that with fate free they too were free to roam, learn and pursue their own interests. Some gnomes gradually developed interests in the surface world and it's lush diversity. These gnomes that traveled to the surface however, attracted the attention of yet another type of free people far less interested in exploration or intellectual expansion. They attracted the attention of raiders.

It took less than a hundred years for the first raid to hit Gnilbin, and nearly everything save the Library of Gnoss was lost. The many raids that followed returned to the surface with stories of the gems, magic and mechanical marvels of which Gnilbin was filled. Upon the gnomes these raids had a polarizing effect on them. One segment wanted to abandon Gnilbin and flee into the deep forests as the elves above had done, while others simply wanted to close their gates and isolate themselves under many hundreds of feet of mountain.

The debates raged on, and the differences between gnomes was leading toward violence. Eventually one branch, of which we are direct descendants, left Gnilbin for the surface, finding homes in forests along side elves and halflings. The other branch remained for some time, but eventually gave in to the pressures of raids and buried the entrance to Gnilbin under thousands of tons of dark grey rubble, sealing it with their considerable magic. Gnilbin became lost to the world, and is left only as a myth in our history.

It is said that the three elders fought amongst one another when the schism occurred and that fight resulted in them leaving our world, vowing not to return until all gnomes were once again united. Their pupils, more optimistic than the elders, followed the surface gnomes topside hoping in time to persuade their brethren to return to Gnilbin and restore unity to the race.

The Gnomish Caverns

Life on the surface was far from easy for the gnomes, as they found themselves hunted by other races. Initially it was for passage to Gnilbin but it eventually became an array of excuses ranging from their friendship with the elves, to the belief they were able to turn simple stones and pebbles into platinum and valuable gems. For centuries this would continue, until the construction of a new city offered the possibility that gnomes would once again be united and safe.

When Rhone was built, a series of mineral rich caverns were discovered below it. Many of the races bid heavily on the caverns, including the wealthy dwarves of Mithris. It was finally the descendants of the elder's students that pooled together their funds to buy the caverns, with hopes it would unite the race once again. It is unknown if the gnomes who purchased the caverns in anyway actually were of such lineage, but it is known that they claimed it as this was about the time myth melted to history and dated records were carefully being kept. Only a few hundred years from this time is when my life enters into this story.

Pertaining to Gniblin

I've been long criticized for my belief in the existence of the fabled city, and perhaps rightly so. However, in my searches I can only assure you I've come across too much archaeological evidence for it to be only a myth. The most convincing of the artifacts collected to date are the elder prayer tablets I found practically under the gateway of Mithras.

It is a collection of six tablets carved of an unidentifiable dense grey stone, each etched with very ancient runes which only slightly resembled our own gnomish writing. Initially intelligible were three words: Teraflora, Gnydendatha and Astomakath. Most gnomish scholars would immediately classify such tablets as a collection of myths and legends at best, utter rubbish at worst, but two things led me to take these tablets far more seriously.

The first was having found them on the petrified remains of a skeleton of roughly gnomish proportions. I estimate that the skeleton was most likely of a male based on the its shape. I was also able to measure it's length and width precise enough to conclude it was approximately one half foot shorter than the average gnome measures today. It is said that people of the ancient days were shorter, and though this fits into that model it by no means proves it as one half foot of fluctuation is by no means uncommon in our time. Far more convincing was the geological strata in which we found the remains.

I knew we had dug deep to find these remains, but it wasn't until I brought a petrified sample of the bones to one of my fellow scryers that I was truly impressed with how old this discovery was. After several chemical analyses my friends in the innovation assured me the bone was between twelve hundred and two thousand years of age. Assuming only the mean of that time span, it is more than old enough to place it at the time Gnilbin was still rumored to remain open to the world. I was hooked.

Further translations of the tablets took several months, as despite the similarities of our lettering, the grammatical constructs had changed greatly over time. But finally it was revealed to me that these were indeed prayer tablet to the three elder gnomes and their encompassing phylosophy of Gnoss. Apparently we had stumbled upon the petrified remains of some ancient gnomish missionary. From that point on I adopted it as my quest to locate the lost city of Gnilbin.

Results to Date

As of the production of this text, I've faced many set backs and have shattered many false hopes. I've scoured the Mountains about Mithris, I've searched the dead volcanoes northwest of Hylar and never once found anything even resembling a lost city. Despite my efforts to remain calm in the eye of immense promise I must say that my most recent expedition looks quite promising. Not due to any artifacts we've found but for the rock we're digging through. For the first time we've come across a dull grey rock that is every bit as dense and unique as that which the prayer tablets are composed of. It is my hopes that I will have something to publish shortly.