Svirfneblin Deep Gnome

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Late in the Dawn Era, Callarduran, a Creationist, forged the gnome race. Luckily for his creations, they sat out the Creation War. Their civilization began on the continent Hezmort. They had two centuries of relative peace until the next big war came, and this one visited their shores with terrible consequences.

In the Demon Spawn War (8972 GE - 9493 GE), Hezmort was invaded by the demon lord Jurusalax. The gnomes were so hard-pressed that Callarduran fought in the battles to stem the tide. At the time, rifts were opening all across the world, demon hordes invading on multiple fronts. As a result, Covenant commanders like Ares, Athena, and Naraz-Nâru agreed that they could not save every area of the realm, some must be given up to win the war.

The number of demons coming against is almost a 100:1 - we cannot save every area, some must be sacrificed for ultimate victory.

- Ares, quote from the Thuaxor Keozhal - "Strategem 11"

Ares sent his brilliant commander Asmodeus to Hezmort with orders for all angelic forces to pull out. Callarduran, first great leader of the Gnomes, refused to abandon his creations, battling to demons pouring through the Núlananya Rift. There were two camps under Callarduran, around 5,000 gnomes staying and fighting, hoping to win, and those that adhered to Covenant orders of pulling out. The first group that stayed behind, those that would become known as the Gimrune, ended up under the lash of their new demon masters. Those that retreated split up, one group of 4,000 or so fled into the Krephus Sink. They would become known as the Svirfneblin, a Gnim word for Deep Gnome. The last group, terrified of eking out an existence underground, were taken away by Covernant dirigible airships; they became known as the Forstneblin.

The gnomes that fled into Krephus Sink were led by Callarduran's top general Segojan. Once underground they followed the Krephus Passage to the barges lining a branch of the Earth Seam. Along the banks of this river of elemental earth, they boarded barges with their earth elemental pilots, for distant lands. They followed the Earth Seam north to Baruk-Agan. After entering this Seam Portal, they were transported thousands of miles north to Vogelak. Like the Gimrune and the Forstneblin, the Deep Gnomes adapted to their environment, their skin color darkened and their vision enhanced to see well in darkness.