Deep Gnome (Svirfneblin)

Deep gnomes, called svirfneblin (pronounced: /svɪrfˈnɛblɪn/ svirf-NEB-lin) in their own language, were a gnome subrace that lived in the Underdark. While their surface cousins were known for their boundless optimism and cheerful mischief, the svirfneblin were serious and suspicious creatures. They survived in the Underdark by maintaining wariness of others and working hard to keep their underground society secret.

Description

Deep gnomes were wiry and lean with a body as hard as a slab of rock ranging from 3​ to ​3.5 feet (0.91​ to ​1.1 meters) in height and weighing between 40​ to ​45 pounds (18​ to ​20 kilograms). Males were completely bald and beardless, while the females sported hair. Deep gnome complexions were sometimes described as "gnarled" and, like drow and duergar, were commonly dark in hue, with most deep gnomes demonstrating brown or gray skin with dark gray eyes. Females typically had gray hair.

Psychology

Deep gnomes were a surly and cynical people who fatalistically expected little more from life than what they had. While they treated their own kind with respect and even goodwill, trust was not easily given to anyone from outside their village, or even outside their family. They kept to themselves, were extremely cautious when contacting other races, and eyed all strangers with suspicion.

Sullen and hard-working, deep gnomes were wholly dedicated to any task to which they set themselves, typically mining for males and housekeeping for females. Although outsiders found deep gnomes' overly serious attitude made for sour company, those qualities made the svirfneblin tireless pursuers of excellence in their metalworking and weapon forging. These attitudes were also justified in part by the harsh environs the deep gnomes inhabited, which required a degree of stoicism and quiet suffering in order to serve the greater good. Any sounds or raised voices could attract danger to deep gnome homes and fire was used sparingly for cooking and warmth. Their seriousness and pessimism only faded when admiring the gems which fascinated them so much.

Although far more serious than most gnomes, deep gnomes nonetheless exhibited the same insatiable curiosity and craftiness when put in the right circumstances. It was this trait, more than any other, which led some deep gnomes to abandon their cautious upbringing and explore the world around them. Some of these wandering deep gnomes turned upwards and investigated the surface world from which their ancestors came, particularly deep gnome illusionists who hoped to find advanced instruction in the Art beyond what could be obtained in their isolated homes. Others become prospectors, searching the Underdark for new veins of gems and ore to mine.

Abilities

Deep gnome were better adapted for underground living than either rock gnomes or forest gnomes, with darkvision to help them see in total darkness and a dwarf-like affinity for stone, allowing them to innately understand it on a level few other races could appreciate. Conversely, deep gnomes lacked most gnomes' predilection for cantrip-like abilities, but could instead blind other beings, obscure their own presence, or shapeshift. Deep gnomes also had a great deal of resistance to magic of any kind, and could go undetected as if they were using the nondetection spell, alongside their natural affinity for avoiding danger or hiding.

Combat

The small size of deep gnomes could give them a combat advantage when battling larger opponents.

Society

The harsh conditions of life in the Underdark shaped gnome society in a number of unusual ways. Children were an extremely important part of deep gnome society, in part due to a low birthrate relative to the mortality rate. Deep gnome couples usually had fewer than four children and rarely more than six. Deep gnome mothers doted on their children obsessively, but not in such a way that inhibited their growth. When they reach adolescence, children were quickly apprenticed to masters in whatever trade they were expected to take on. Adulthood was less defined among deep gnomes than among their kin, with maturity commonly agreed upon to be the time at which a deep gnome started working full-time in a trade. Most males were miners or lapidaries, while females were the masters of the home, raising children, keeping the house tidy, gathering food, and preparing meals.

Deep gnomes considered male and female gender roles equally important. Males were masters outside of the home and females were masters within. This concept of equal labor for either sex carried all the way to the top of svirfneblin society, with each city governed by a king and queen who ruled as equals. The king was often the head of the community's mining operations and defenses, while the queen was tasked with ensuring that the community had enough food and water to survive, while also handling the day in and day out bureaucracy. Significantly, the king and queen were rarely married to each another, but instead came into their positions independently, elected for life upon the death of their predecessor. Regardless of gender, there was no true conception of retirement among deep gnomes, who worked until they could physically work no more.

Culture

Deep gnome culture was largely defined by the environment in which they lived. Deep gnome settlements were usually centered in a single large cavern, surrounded by an interlocking set of tunnels and other caverns into which the city spread. These settlements were often large villages or small towns, with a population of around a thousand gnomes. Typically cut off from all outside contact, even from other deep gnome settlements, many inhabitants never ventured out of their havens, instead crowding together for protection. Population density was extremely high as most families shared a single, small room for their living space, with children living with their parents until they themselves married and had children.

Deep gnomes rarely wandered far beyond their hidden cities, but when they did, it was usually as bold prospectors, youthful illusionists, or exploring warriors. These bold souls shared a deep curiosity that allowed them to overcome their hard-bred caution and shyness, although other motives such as economic drive or a desire to seek aid to fight a threat the deep gnomes could not conquer on their own might also play into their departure.

Deep gnomes who became adventurers most frequently were fighters, rangers, rogues, or wizards (particularly illusionists). Although well-suited to the arcane arts like other gnomes, they were also fit to becoming rangers or rogues, adapted as they were to hiding and navigating the labyrinthine caverns of the Underdark. Deep gnomes of the martial persuasion who survived their adventures and came back with knowledge and experience sometimes became breachgnomes, elite warriors trained to defend a position against superior numbers.

Art & Leisure

As a whole, deep gnomes were a hard-working and joyless people, but even the crustiest deep gnome required time to relax and let off steam. Deep gnomes' intense dedication and ability to survive under harsh conditions often showed up in such activities. Deep gnome architecture, for instance, was shaped largely by the conditions they lived in, with the oldest homes often carved directly out of the surrounding rock. The highest-ranking members of any one clan usually inhabited large stalagmites while the lower-class lodged in the surrounding cavern floors or walls.

Deep gnome cuisine was also a reflection of their livelihood, with the common staples made up of a variety of exotic fungi found only in the Underdark. Other common foods included blind fish and occasionally a roast made of rothé, goat, or mutton. Because fire produced unwanted light and smoke, deep gnomes generally preferred to salt their food instead of cook it, which made most svirfneblin food practically inedible to outsiders. For drink, most deep gnomes drank a salty spirit, fermented fish, which, like svirfneblin food, was an acquired taste. On occasion, deep gnomes might drink a more potent beverage called Gogondy, said to contained powdered ruby and grant powerful visions to those who drank it.

Artistically, deep gnomes preferred to use lots of gemstones, which were relatively common in svirfneblin communities, mined out of the veins along which their cities were built. Deep gnomes were some of the best jewelers in the Underdark. Deep gnomes also turned their cultivation of mushrooms for food into a wider industry, developing fungi not only for food but for textiles and wood as well. For their defense, deep gnomes most often designed weapons that could be used as non-violent tools as well, largely favoring the use of light picks, darts, or crossbows. Deep gnomes also used specialized weapons, such as acid darts, caltrops made from crystals, and flash grenades.

Magic

Like other gnomes, deep gnomes preferred the use of illusion to other schools of magic. However, while this was simply a cultural preference among rock gnomes, it was a method of survival for deep gnomes. In addition to knowing the relatively simple invisibility spell, most gnome illusionists were familiar with a great wealth of ancient and forgotten lore recovered from the ruins scattered about the Underdark. Deep gnomes rarely understood this knowledge fully, but that hardly mattered, and they were willing to use it in any way they could. Deep gnome wizards who were not illusionists were frequently diviners, using their spells to locate and find materials essential to survival. Most magic items forged by deep gnomes were disguised as jewelry, which was relatively common among the svirfneblin.

Religion

Like their surface cousins, deep gnomes worshiped the gnome pantheon. Although deep gnomes were not particularly devout, clerics and other religious figures served an important role in svirfneblin society as guardians of the public morale, keeping spirits up in spite of hardships. Unlike other gnomes, deep gnomes did not feel a particularly strong bond to Garl Glittergold, who some felt had abandoned them for the less serious rock gnomes and forest gnomes.

Deep gnomes felt far closer to Segojan Earthcaller compared to their pantheon leader, particularly those who kept pets, were rangers, or who otherwise worked with domesticated animals. Meanwhile, deep gnomes feared Urdlen, whom they believed attacked particularly greedy svirfneblin, luring them with precious jewels. These fears may have reflected, as much any divine intervention, the very real unknown dangers that lurked in the Underdark. Despite their fear, they respected him for reminding them to stay alert.

Of all the Lords of the Golden Hills however, deep gnomes felt the strongest ties to Callarduran Smoothhands, the Master of Stone, who they generally saw as their protector and divine benefactor. According to svirfneblin myths it was Callarduran who taught the deep gnomes to summon and befriend earth elementals, and the deep gnomes honored him by using the six-pointed star from his holy symbol into their art. However, it was taboo to use Callarduran's golden ring around the star, as that was the purview of the god himself.

Only two holidays were commonly celebrated among the deep gnomes, the rest were created on a whim by local priests. The Festival of the Ruby celebrated the legendary time when Callarduran hid the rubies and other gems of the world in the earth for the deep gnomes to find, and was considered a day where searches were likely to be fruitful. The Festival of the Star honored the Master of Stone as an unwavering protector of the deep gnomes. As part of the festival rites, deep gnomes gathered along the shores of subterranean lakes or pools to watch small, phosphorescent fungi (that they specially bred for this purpose) light up across the cavern ceilings in a panorama similar to that of a night sky reflecting in the water. As much as this was in honor of Callarduran (whose symbol included a star), it was also a reminder of their origins on the surface world and that they were not alone in the dark.

Relationships

A rare example of a deep gnome adventurer (left) and her rock gnome companion (right) fighting a band of kobolds.

Deep gnome relations with other races were colored by the impression of most surface-dwelling races that deep gnomes, like the duergar or drow, were a cruel and vindictive relative of their surface cousins. This was untrue, and while often suspicious and sullen, deep gnomes were a largely agreeable people. Those that made the effort to befriend a deep gnome typically found they had a wry outlook on their own nature and were both pragmatic and loyal.

Deep gnomes were not particularly eager to correct outsiders of their error and for the most part preferred to be left alone. As a rule, deep gnomes were deeply distrustful of all other races, though they held a special enmity for the drow and the duergar whose violent ways often interfered with the svirfneblin desire for isolation. Deep gnomes were most accepting of gloamings and slyths, since these folks rarely threatened them. They dealt very cautiously with grimlocks and orogs since they were known to plunder weaker races like the deep gnomes.

If forced to deal with surface-dwellers, a deep gnome was most likely to find common ground with forest gnomes who were also reclusive and withdrawn. If compelled to seek out companions who were not gnomes, deep gnomes were open if not friendly towards gold dwarves, shield dwarves, and some of the Tel-quessir. Beyond that, deep gnomes had few opinions other than a general distrust. Those that made a living by selling the gems, weapons, and metalwork to outsiders typically met in a neutral cavern with many escape routes in case of treachery.

Pets

Deep gnomes did not generally keep pets, though a few kept small blind fish in a bowl. However, deep gnomes had no particular aversion to animals and often cultivated herds of rothé, goats, or sheep on the outskirts of their towns, doing their best to keep the herds quiet and uninteresting to potential attackers. Deep gnomes were known to grow fond of small animals such as moles, shrews, bats, dire rats, or cavvekans, although these could be more accurately called animal acquaintances than actual pets.

Lifespan

Deep gnomes did not live quite as long as their kin, with a life expectancy just under two centuries. Due to this and a number of cultural affectations, deep gnome children were considered adults at roughly twenty years of age.

Homelands

Svirfneblin lived in harmony with the rocks they carved and their natural environment. They were skillful artisans who created functional homes without destroying the natural beauty of their habitat. Their skill in mining, gem-cutting, and artificing made their handiwork well sought after by neutral merchants throughout the whole Underdark. They were also excellent guides, scouts and foragers because they knew of underground portals, tunnels, and passages long forgotten by the other races. Having to rely on stealth and cunning, they had truly mastered traveling through their environment, resulting in some of the finest subterranean deep gnome rangers.

One of the largest deep gnome cities in Faerûn was the city of Blingdenstone, until the drow of Menzoberranzan summoned bebeliths inside the city in Year of the Tankard, 1370 DR. A group of almost five hundred survivors fled to the surface and settled within the lands of the North, particularly in Luruar.

There were at least a dozen deep gnome towns to the east of the Great Rift in south Faerûn, circa 1370 DR. They were peaceable neighbors to the dwarves of the Deep Realm.

Svirfneblin also aided in the mining of bloodstones out of Bloodstone Mine in Damara as they knew where all of the most valuable deposits were to be found. More recently, the svirfneblin of this region opened a college of illusion magic.

Most other svirfneblin lived isolated in small communities in the Underdark, hidden away from the drow and other Underdark races who terrorized and subjugated them.

This article uses material from the “Deep Gnome” article on the Forgotten Realms wiki at Fandom and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.