GNOMES
CHAPTER 2
When she finishes eating, Elly wipes out her bowl and tucks her napkin into her pocket. She then returns to Maester Wizmarket’s studio and sits down at her workbench, where her papers, quills, and ink remain from the day before. Settling down to work, she quickly whittles a sharp end onto her quill, twitching her nose as she reads over the music she had begun composing days earlier. A flute, a finger organ, and a small stringed lute lie nearby; occasionally, Elly reaches over to touch the instruments, sometimes putting her fi ngers in different positions on them or blowing a soft note or two. Another few hours pass as she completes her composition, playing small snippets of it on each of the three instruments. Eventually, the light from the shafts grows dim, and the soft glow from the rose lanterns casts a warm hue across Elly’s papers. Finally, a chime rings out from the main hall, indicating that work time is over. Elly gathers up her papers and heads out to the tunnels, each one lit with a different color lantern to indicate where it leads. A few twists and turns through purple, blue, and yellow lantern-lit tunnels lead her to the green glow that indicates the main hall, where other gnomes stroll leisurely toward the engraved oak and gold doors spread wide for the journeyman recital. Inside, the main hall is lit with lanterns of all colors, as well as dancing lights and other magical effects, scattered across the high ceiling like stars in the night sky. A feast of roasted and fresh vegetables, cheese, flatbreads, and tender spiced mutton lies spread on tables around all sides of the room, provided by the artisan cooks (the group to which Elly’s mother belongs). Gnomes of all ages and from many different families sit around the large room on the stairstep seats of the great central amphitheater. In the sunken center of the performance area, the musicians wait for their cues to begin. Elly races over to the musicians, handing them copies of her composition to review before the performance. She then retreats to fill her plate and wait for the recital to begin. When the musicians begin performing, Elly is surprised to find that her composition is the first to be played. She holds her breath and listens as the harmonies intertwine, pleasantly surprised to see the rest of the audience sitting silently as well, except for a few children, who dance and cavort. When her song ends, the audience erupts into applause. Maester Wizmarket stands up and calls out for Elly to come forward. There, he pins the moonstone badge of a senior journeyman on her shoulder and gives her a new name: Songspinner. The audience applauds, and Elly beams as she kisses her maester on the cheek. That night when Elly arrives home, she discovers that her mother has made a sweet cake to celebrate, with strawberry cream fi lling and a honey glaze. The entire family dines like merchant lords that night, until with sticky fingers and happy hearts, they all retire to bed. Elly places her brooch where the morning sun will hit it first and goes to sleep, dreaming of her triumph at the recital.
DESCRIPTION Gnomes are a short people, slightly built with thin, wiry frames. They typically stand from 3 to 3-1/2 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Gnome females and clean-shaven males are often mistaken for human children when they enter human lands. They are sturdy creatures, though not nearly as strong as dwarves due to their slight builds. Gnomes have dark skin, ranging from light tan to a deep, warm brown. They typically have blond, light brown, white, or silver hair. Their eye color is generally blue, although the shade and depth varies greatly. Also, many gnomes use illusion spells to change their coloration entirely.
CLOTHING Unlike dwarves, who spend as much time as possible deep under the mountains, gnomes enjoy the surface world and spend a good amount of time there, so their clothing styles usually account for temperature variance and weather. Gnomes have a healthy respect and affection for the natural world, both aboveground and belowground. They view it as the cornerstone of life—the basis for all existence. That view is reflected in their clothing choices, though the “naturalness” of the clothing depends greatly on social class and wealth. Traditional gnome clothing makes extensive use of leather and natural tones, using a palette of browns, whites, yellows, greens, blues, and grays. Exotic colors such as red, purple, and orange are rare, and typically worn only by those who wish to make an artistic statement with their clothing choices, members of the aristocracy looking to make an impression, or attention-loving adventurers who spend most of their time on the surface among other cultures. A typical outfit for male gnomes begins with opaque tights or close-fitting breeches, often decorated with patterns or stripes, either dyed or sewed together from contrasting colors of fabric. Shirts are made of light, breathable materials, tailored for a close fit. They are normally unornamented, though the sleeves can range from blousy to formfitting (though never tight enough to restrict movement). Over this, a vest or doublet is worn (either with or without sleeves, depending on the season). A doublet is the most expensive and important piece of clothing a gnome wears. Doublets are usually constructed from tooled leather and typically left a natural brown, although they might be dyed other colors. Gnomes favor a side fastening for doublets, with high asymmetrical collars. Doublets for formal occasions are made from expensive and rare materials, such as silk, velvet, or gold cloth, and are rarely seen outside middle-class weddings and aristocratic functions. Slashed sleeves are uncommon, usually reserved for fancy dress or entertainers. Boots are typically knee-high, generally designed to match the doublet. Boots have either square or pointed toes, depending on the use for which they are intended. The practical square-toed variety is typically reserved for work, while fancier, pointed-toe boots are more often worn on occasions when fancy dress is warranted, or by entertainers.
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