Pathfinder Chronicles - Gazetteer - Asamnet

Pathfinder Chronicles
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and kinship in a mad dash to explore their new world. Had
it not been for the retention of their peerless cleverness
and nonlinear genius, the gnomes would have been
destroyed in the era of their diaspora, for like the First
World, Golarion was filled with creatures more than
willing to devour a curious gnome. Unlike in their
shadowy homeland, the gnomes did not know the secrets
of manipulating the strange new space and shadows, and
thousands were lost to the depredations of mortal Golarion.
Most who survived did so by forming communities called
enclaves, where gnomes uncharacteristically banded
together for mutual protection. Others discovered that
the Second World had shadows of its own, and warped
their minds and bodies into dangerous forms capable
of defending themselves. The descendents of these
curmudgeonly misanthropes, called the Lonely Ones by the
gnomes themselves, are known to humanity as spriggans.
Today, gnomes can be found throughout Golarion,
particularly in the hills and forests of Avistan, where
they built the first enclaves and managed to find some
measure of peaceful coexistence with the natives. The
largest and most inf luential gnome settlements on the
continent include Brastlewark, the legendary capital
of the Gnome King, within the borders of Cheliax; the
elusive Shay Citadels of Irrere near Holgrim; and the
welcoming and boisterous community of Thom, in the
River Kingdoms.
In Garund, gnomes thrive in Katapesh and Nex, and
many appear to have had roles of significance in the
courts of the pharaohs of Ancient Osirion. The jungle
folk of the Mwangi Expanse view gnomes as evil spirits,
perhaps because the darkened jungle canopies appealed
to the vicious Lonely Ones from the very beginning
and appeal to them still. A few of the earlier editions of the
Pathfinder Chronicles contain tantalizing hints of a debased
spriggan society inhabiting a monolithic stone city at the
heart of the jungle, but subsequent expeditions
have been unable to uncover it.
Gnomes stand about three feet tall, with males slightly
larger than females. They are slighter and somewhat
taller than half lings. Their ears are rounded like those of
a human, but their hair tends toward vibrant hues unseen
in other races without the use of dyes. Their skin, too,
bears unusual coloration along natural themes, from the
alabaster white of fresh snow to the blush of a rose to the
dark brown of oak (and even sometimes hints of green!).
Of the common races of Golarion, gnomes look the most
alien and out of place.
Their unusual nature might be evidenced in their
skin and hair, but it is underscored in their inscrutable
nature and demeanor. The simple act of existing in the
mortal world remains a challenge for gnomes, whose
very essence is used to the mutable and unpredictable
nature of the First World. As a result, gnomes tend
toward eccentric pursuits they believe “anchor” them
to Golarion, particularly collecting stories and friends,
but also more eccentric quarries such as nicknames,
thimbles, outfits, scissors, or broken mechanical
objects. Few gnomes feel at ease when at rest, so most
carry around some sort of project to keep themselves
occupied during life’s slow moments.
With their oversized eyes and small faces, gnomes
appear outwardly friendly, but their highly mutable facial
muscles result in occasionally unsettling toothy smiles
and disturbing grins. They are prone to practical jokes
and the cackling laughter of a gnome is infectious, at
first, before it becomes annoying and (at times) terrifying.
With laughter and mockery—as with almost everything
else—gnomes don’t quite know when to quit.
HalflinGs
With their short statures and tendency to blend into the
background, half lings don’t receive much notice from
the other folk of Golarion. Their origins date back to the
beginning of humanity. From the very start, they seem
always to have walked alongside mankind, living in human
Azlanti
The first civilized humans of Golarion were the Azlanti, a proud race with skin ranging from
olive to pale white, and dark hair almost approaching black. No pureblooded Azlanti survive into
the modern era, but their cultural tradition is so rich that many members of descendant races,
notably Taldans and Chelaxians, often claim Azlanti heritage.
Curiously, several widespread legends suggest that when the sea claimed Lost Azlant, it took
a portion of her people as well. This race of cunning gilled humans makes frequent war
against the elves of the Mordant Spire, and is thought to have the ear of the ruling
council of Absalom. They are the Gillmen—the Low Azlanti—degenerate remnants
of a once-proud empire who have become something slightly less than human in
their mysterious life under the sea. They interact openly with proper humans only
in the vice city of Escadar on the Isle of Kortos, where they maintain an embassy
to the surface world.