Gnomes, the Vagabond Nation

Physical Traits
Gnomes are the most diminutive of the civilized races, the tallest barely standing above 3'6 with the stoutest specimens weighing little more than fifty pounds. The most concise description of a gnome can be summarized in one word; narrow. Gnomes are narrow hipped with spindly shoulders, elongated faces and thin, sharply pointed ears. They possess an almost unearthly, effortless grace and a natural confidence that belies their stature. Gnomes can range from sickly olive to a rich cinnamon, with hair the color of a raven's wing.

Social
Gnomes are clannish, and who can blame them. Legend holds that the gnomes were cursed by their patron deity for some long forgotten blasphemy during the Age of Defiance. The gnomes are destined to wander the face of Elara until they find the source of their shame. Sadly, no living gnome is entirely sure what this legend even refers to. Regardless of its origin, the fact that the gnomes are a cursed race is irrefutable. All gnomes are compelled to seek out new sights, new experiences, and new thrills or face the Withering, a sharp decline into inactivity, illness, and eventually death. Even the most staid gnome will rarely stay in one place for longer than a year. Gnomes have the reputation for being daredevils, scoundrels, tomb robbers, and duelists of great renown; anything to feel the adrenaline pumping through their veins and stave off the lethargy that always heralds the onset of the Withering.

Gnomish Decorations
A gnomish caravan is a fantastic sight for those who are unaccustomed to the riot of colors, textures, sounds, and smells which inevitably accompany the Vagabonds. Though many ride gargantuan gnomish war mastiffs with all their belongings in bulging saddlebags, others pilot fantastically painted and accoutered wagons covered in fanciful murals or scrawled graffiti. An elite few soar high above the rabble on pair-bonded harbingers, intelligent ravens of enormous size. Regardless of their mode of transportation, gnomes descend upon communities with whirlwind speed and often depart just as quickly,much to the chagrin of the inhabitants who find trinkets, food, and liquor absent from seemingly secure locations.

Kumadra
An small, select group of gnomes still practice the ancient fighting style of their ancestors, the gitanos, who perceived the almost imperceptible currents of Aetherium and learned to harness it to enhance their fighting ability and destroy their foes. This fighting style is known as kumadra amongst those who study the mystic art, and a few outside the gnomish community that know of it's existence. Or, if they do know, it is for a few brief moments before meeting their final end.