Engineers

Justifying Gnilbin

By Carindol, the Gnomish Historian

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      CONTENTS

      Title......................page 1

      Forward....................page 2

      Mythological Roots.........page 3

      The Passing of Gnoss.......page 4

      The Great Schism...........page 5

      The Gnomish Caverns........page 6

      Pertaining to Gnilbin......page 7

      Results to Date............page 8

Page 1

Justifying Gnilbin

By Carindol, the Gnomish Historian

Page 2

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.

Page 3

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.

Page 4

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 peers, 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.

Page 5

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.  

        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.

Page 6

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.

Page 7

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.

Page 8

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.