GNOME SETTLEMENTS (Patreon)

Let's take a quick break from the constant churn of Career Paths (We have 17 Paths up already with about 100 Careers in place - phew! Scroll through the older blog posts to see them all). Time to pop together something that's going to be needed later when I post our house rules for Character Generation: Gnome settlements.

Yea, Gnome stuff. I'm going there.

Why?

Well, all the other species have their cultural background details already firmly embedded in the published lore, but Gnomes do not. All they have is the Glimdwarrow material I wrote for Rough Nights & Hard Days, which included some hints that there was more to discuss. So, this post aims to delve into that 'more to discuss' a little by adding some extra goodies for those of you looking for them.

So, for your delectation, here's some extra Gnommi places of birth for your Gnome PCs and NPCs. Rules come later. I've even attached a pdf of the material for you all to use however you fancy.

Right, let's dive in!

PRIMARY GNOME SETTLEMENTS IN THE EMPIRE

GLIMDWARROW
The Mirrorvale
Merawidda Frayne, the Ashen Queen
Glimdwarrow may be the largest Gnome settlement in the Empire, but most of its crumbling halls lie empty. The city extends deep beneath the Mirror Moors to the south of Middenland where it is protected by the Dwarrow Guard, an elite unit of Gnome warrior-wizards. Unfortunately, there are too few of them to patrol every tunnel, making it a challenge to both protect the city and maintain the powerful illusions that hide it. Glimdwarrow once boasted a population of many thousands, but a century ago greenskins led by a Goblin warlord called Grom the Paunch swept through the region. The survivors of that brutal war are now ruled by troubled Merawidda Frayne, the Ashen Queen. The leaders of her remaining clans openly hate each other, each blaming the other for the horrors Grom unleashed.

Population. 1,500
Clans. Annearil, Frayne, Hawken, Landweth, Peddlar, Scantleburn, Thorne, Trethaway

(For more on Glimdwarrow, check 'Gnomes' in Rough Nights & Hard Days.)

LOWASHOWE
The Foxenhill
Marghad Trethaway, the Priest-King
Lowashowe, a highland realm of meadowed glades and soaring trees, is hidden deep on the Kölsa Hills of Talabecland. Its devoutly religious inhabitants tend the ‘Gardens of Stone’, a massive megalithic circle with 666 menhirs spread between wild, sacred groves. Once, Lowashowe was a centre of Gnome worship, but pilgrims are now an exceedingly rare sight. Unlike most Gnome settlements, Lowashowe is above ground. Clerics perform rituals, sermons, and services in its many exposed plazas as whispering wizards reverently hide the divine workings with mighty illusions.

Population. 2,500
Clans. Anrudh, Cuffthan, Hawken, Keveren, Landweth, Peddlar, Thorne, Trethaway, Vigaslow, Woon

MENGLETHRUDHA
The Redquarry
Gwalather Carveth, the Blood King
Blood-soaked Menglethrudha is an embattled burrow beset by the greenskins and Skaven of the Middle Mountains. To defend against their frequent subterranean attacks, the Gnomes of Menglethrudha have constructed a labyrinth of underground traps, illusions, and fortifications. Many foolish warlords seeking to prove their might have met their doom in the maze-like tunnels surrounding the settlement, their armies lost forever in the eternally twisting burrows of carmine stone. This constant conflict has shaped the local population, which now includes some of the most bloodthirsty and warlike of all Gnomes in the Empire.

Menglethrudha’s ancient king, white-bearded Gwalather V of Clan Carveth, is renowned for his stubborn rage and astonishing ruthlessness. It has been many decades since he last wielded Rudhanax, the ruby war-axe that stands as a symbol of his rule, but his passion for warfare is undiminished. Although no longer able to effectively fight, he still personally commands the armies of Menglethrudha, albeit it far from the front lines. After each conflict ends, it is said King Gwalather takes immense satisfaction personally decorating the tunnels into his burrows with the rotting corpses of his many enemies. A gruesome and effective reminder of what happens to intruders that is usually enough to persuade most would-be attackers to find easier prey.

Population. 3,500
Clans. Anrudh, Carveth, Cuffthan, Landweth, Keveren Peddlar, Vigaslow, Woon

NOMMENDINAS
The Crownkeep
Elowyn Frayne, the High Queen
Grey-stoned Nommendinas was already an ancient city when Sigmar first walked the Reik Basin. For over three thousand years it stood as a temporal and cultural centre for all Gnomes, and its dialect and fashions echoed through the Old World burrows. However, multiple disasters and repeated isolations across the Gnommi kingdoms have almost entirely eroded this. Today, the aging queen, Elowyn of Clan Frayne, has little influence beyond the decaying walls of her ghostly burrows. Technically she is still sovereign to all Gnomes, but that power hasn’t been tested for centuries. Glimdwarrow was long Nommendinas’s greatest rival, eventually eclipsing the old Gnome capital in size and power some five centuries ago. However, that came crashing to an end when Grom the Paunch’s hordes tore through the Mirror Moors a hundred years ago, ending Glimdwarrow’s ascendancy abruptly and probably permanently.

Sited in the craggy Old Styreland Hills not far from Sylvania, Nommendinas has been repeatedly besieged by Undead down through the centuries. Its venerable libraries hold many secrets concerning ancient, dark magics, and rumours of this have drawn Vampire Counts and Necromancers alike to its hidden halls. However, Nommendinas is not without its own Dark Wizards, and they are quite used to dealing with those who are foolish enough to believe themselves the sole masters of the Dark Arts.

Population. 10,000
Clans. Annearil, Anrudh, Frayne, Hawken, Landweth, Peddlar, Thorne, Trethaway

ROSKARREK
Moorsrock
Bljanifrey Twyller, the Grey Imposter
Not all Gnomes hide behind powerful illusions. Where some may wander the Old World, perhaps overtaken by an insatiable wanderlust born from the Grey Wind of Magic with which they are associated, others might trade directly with their neighbours, maybe pretending to be Dwarfs or Halflings to ensure any transactions progress smoothly. However, none are so brazen and so outward looking as the sly Gnomes of Roskarrek. Not only do they mix with others, they consider it a divine imperative to do so, and they almost never play nice.

Located high in the Grey Mountains to the west of Wissenland, Roskarrek has a population dedicated to Twyll and Rhynn, the twin Gnome gods of betrayal and deception. The city’s citizens are unrepentant mischief makers, as happy to infiltrate the Wood Elf realms of Athel Loren disguised as Dwarfs as they are to steal from an Empire trade caravan dressed as Wissenlander Halflings. Unrepentant meddlers, the Gnomes of Roskarek have been responsible for many conflicts in the region, and they are proud of the fact.

The current orchestrator of this mayhem is Regent Bljanifer Twyller. He is a High Cleric of Twyll and Rhynn, deposer of the previous queen, and self-proclaimed Gnome with a ‘grand plan to be rid of all our damned neighbours!' Because, for all Roskarrek’s deception and trickery, the name ‘Moorsrock’ is widely known by locals in the area, but as a legend. It is said the largest deposit of gold in the Empire lies beneath the Moorsrock, a claim the gold-wearing Gnomes of Roskarrek vehemently deny.

Population. 6,500
Clans. Annearil, Frayne, Hawken, Landweth, Peddlar, Scantleburn, Thorne, Trethaway

And here's what that looks like with a bit of formatting.

Again, if you have any opinions, suggestions, questions, or have just spotted an error, ping me over on the LAWhammer Discord and let's talk it out.

Chat later!

Andy Law
(last updated: 23/09/22)