Deep gnomes bear the unmistakable marks of a life spent beneath the world. Their skin ranges from ashen gray to deep earthen browns, often mottled or veined in ways that resemble natural stone. This coloration allows them to vanish against cavern walls and tunnel floors with unsettling ease.
They are compact and wiry, built more for endurance than strength. Their eyes are often dark, pale, or gemlike, reflecting even the faintest light. By long-held tradition, males are bald and beardless, while females wear thin, stringy hair in shades of gray or silver. Every aspect of their appearance speaks to adaptation rather than vanity.
The svirfneblin possess an uncanny affinity for stone, shadow, and subtle magic. Their movements are quiet, deliberate, and economical, honed by generations of avoiding predators far deadlier than themselves. They instinctively understand how to use terrain—rock, rubble, darkness, and narrow passages—to their advantage.
Magic among deep gnomes is treated as a tool rather than a gift. Illusion, concealment, and warding are favored, not for spectacle, but for survival. They are particularly adept at resisting hostile magic, a necessity in regions where arcane forces behave unpredictably or violently.
Deep gnomes are stoic, guarded, and slow to trust. Where surface gnomes indulge curiosity openly, svirfneblin temper theirs with caution and suspicion. Every stranger is a potential threat; every unknown variable must be measured and accounted for.
Despite this, they are deeply communal. Loyalty within an enclave is absolute, and individual worth is measured by contribution rather than charm or status. Hard work, craftsmanship, and quiet competence are the highest virtues.
Most venerate Callarduran Smoothhands, the Master of Stone, whom they believe taught their people how to survive alongside the living earth rather than against it. Gemstones—especially rubies—are revered not only for their beauty and value, but as symbols of mastery wrested from an unforgiving world.
Deep gnomes do not seek battle, but they are exceptionally dangerous when forced into it. They favor ambush, misdirection, and terrain control over open confrontation. A fight with svirfneblin often begins long before the enemy realizes they are being hunted—and ends before the enemy understands what went wrong.
They excel at disrupting spellcasters, avoiding direct magical assaults, and vanishing before retaliation can be mounted. Their weapons are practical, often doubling as tools, and their tactics reflect a mindset focused on survival rather than glory. To a deep gnome, the goal of combat is not victory—it is continuation.
No reliable record marks the arrival of deep gnomes in Aurelthrym. They simply were, discovered only after their tunnels, hidden enclaves, and mined-out caverns had already begun to reshape the land beneath the surface.
They are most often encountered near the Whispering Arcs, where magic behaves erratically and the veil between stability and chaos grows thin. Unlike many peoples, the svirfneblin do not fear wild magic. To them, it is merely another environmental hazard—no different from a cave-in, a predator, or a poisoned spring.
Speculation surrounds their presence. Some claim they came seeking power hidden within unstable ley currents. Others insist they were drawn by rare gemstones formed only where magic runs wild. No one knows the truth. No outsider has ever remained close enough to a deep gnome enclave long enough to ask—and receive an answer.