The Forentz ~ The Gnomes of Aihrde

They are called the Anatul Koatz, the wooden faced people, by the dwarves. The elves call them the Sheil, men call them gnomes, for they are like to dwarves, but are smaller and more elusive. But they call themselves the Forentz, those who walk first.

Few know their tale, and fewer still their origins. They were the first of the peoples of the All Father to leave God's Forge and venture into the world. They are accounted brave and strong, but lost, for they wandered the wilds even as the giants in the long ago Days before Days. But their minds were not set nor did they hear what the All Father spoke upon the mountain and thus the knowledge of things was never given to them. But in the wilds, as with so many other creatures, they found Mordius and she saw that they were a stout people, but without a purpose or home, and she took them in for a time and set them upon a road few others enjoyed.

The forentz were made upon God's Forge and as such are of the Faul Erde, the children Erde. The All Father set them aside for they seemed too small, and their faces did not hold the lust for life that is necessary in all things. When the Breath of Life washed over them, they awoke and stood silent for a great while. But the All Father did not hold any interest for them and they turned their backs on the forge and wandering into the wilderness.

~ Players Guide to Aihrde