Population Locations: Naelgar City, Phylegas Village
What had once been a skilled builder race is now mutated by the infestation of the planet Sakit. The Malignomes renamed themselves after the spores took hold of their planet and their own bodies. They aren't able to build and invent anymore, but they can still give their knowledge to anyone who proves to be an ally. Their city and villages act as safe havens from the infestation that tries to overtake any living thing.
Gray Gnomes had been the Depths variant of the Gnomes back before the infestation of Sakit. They only ever dwelled within the Sakit Labs conducting experiments and researching a massive variety of things. Unfortunately, the surface Gnomes never communicated with the Gray Gnomes, so Malignomes of today don't even know which individuals nowadays are standard Gnomes or Gray Gnomes.
Ancestors to the Malignomes technically speaking, but some Malignomes today were originally Gnomes before being infected by the infestation that now plagues Sakit. They were the original inventors that worked alongside the Technopaths in their building and inventing projects. A Gnome was the one who found the first infestation spores and worked with Arcanewalkers and Technopaths to see what the spores could do. Experiments led to an outbreak of spores and Sakit became infested afterwards, becoming what it is today.