[Culture] Haeseni Gnomes / Dunnfolk

[Gnomemancy 983]

Hearth and Cap

 

 

An Ethnographic Study of the Dunnfolk of Haense

 

By Stephen Carolus

 

The eldermoot of the Dunnfolk, c. 1798

 

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I.) Introduction

 

Throughout my extensive travels, from the coast cities of Aeldin, through two continents we have traversed through as we flee our plight, no one group has ever intrigued me as much as the Weefolk of the north. Often called gnomes in common, they refer to themselves as the Dunnfolk. These minute fellows present a rather intricate window into the interracial and intercultural landscape of Anthos and its peoples.

 

I’ve had the pleasure of contacting these folks through my ministry as a Deacon. Shy and recluse, these communities seldom venture out of their deeply forested homes, choosing only to leave for business or spiritual affairs. It was with a request for baptisms that I first came to meet these intriguing groups who inhabit the very edges of human society.

 

During my time with the Dunnfolk I immersed myself in their culture and history as it is my duty, not only as a missionary but as a scholar and historian. I observed their customs, heard their legends and myths, aided their communities and now wish to record their culture for future preservation of this unique sect of Halflings.

 

Thus, after many years after my departure, and after a few more recent visits for their spiritual welfare, I finally put my observations to paper.

II.) Genesis & History

 

The history of the wee-folk is shrouded by layers of rhyme and poetry. Gnomish elders sing to the youths of their tribe’s past, of perils and adventure, of pleasure and woe, however within these mythical retellings are nuggets of truth. A lesser historian would simply dismiss their poems as fanciful legend, but a seasoned historian is able to separate the truth from fiction.

 

By all accounts the gnomish poems speak true when it comes to their genesis. In the late 15th century Adunian communities in Anthos inhabited regions nearby to Lenfarthing, the home of the halflings. It is from the interaction of these two groups, between the sons of Harren and the sons of Knox that the Dunnfolk claim heritage.

 

By Gnomish accounts in the early 15th century a man by the name of Abel or Abelwar, a gnomish rendering of Abelwyth, was born. Abelwar was of Adunian descent, and a man who suffered from dwarfism, a disease of the bones that causes them to grow stunted and minute. This deficiency made him a runt within his own community, however, according to gnomish sources, he would find his home in Lenfarthing as his smaller stature made the halflings more comfortable with housing the foreign-born harrenite. 

 

It appears that this acceptance of Abelwyth into the bosom of the halfling community bore fruit, for the elders claim that he and a halfling woman by the name of Adaltrude came into an union. Despite the close relations between Adunian and Wee-folk it appears that the couple could not marry due to cultural and social taboos. Nevertheless, the couple would sire their tenth child by the year 1431.

 

These ten children would form the base of the ten major gnomish families: Ambertoe, Shodfoot, Geldhair, Plumpgut, Beermellow, Hearthfellow, Treehome, Longheight, Shroomfoot and Redcap. Though not all gnomes bare these last names, all can trace their lineage back to someone who did. All the children of Abelwar and Adaltrude would marry members of both groups, be they Adunian or Halfling, and after some tensions between the proto-dunnfolk and their neighbouring Halflings the seed of Abelwyth became reclusive and moved into the wilderness.

 

The period between the exodus from Anthos to the arrival to Athera is a blank in gnomish history. No written records talk of the Dunnfolk, neither in the Fringe nor in Thales. The re-emergence of these wee-folk in Athera begins with their settlement and dispersal amongst the Raevir. Thinking of the gnomes as lucky, the superstitious folk allowed them to inhabit the great oaks and pines of their villages. Thus began the first gnomish warrens. Gnomish inhabitation of Raevir territories began the process of raevirization of the gnomes; gnomish men began growing beards, women incorporated highlander patterns into their dresses, gnomes began drinking instead of smoking, they began wearing shoes and even adopted and changed the Raevir Botch into their own creole language, Dunnic Botch.

 

With gnomish and raev populations intertwined wherever the men of raev went so did the gnomes. After the fall of Aesterwald in the wake of the Schism War, and the establishment of the Duchy of Haense and the city of Siegrad under St. Karl, the highlander populations, once dispersed, began coalescing in the new realm of the north. Following their raevir neighbours the gnomes went up north, settling in the woods around the new city, digging great warrens and farming for sustenance. And so the sons of Abel and Ada finally found a permanent home and their most famous moniker of ‘Haeseni Gnomes’ was born.

 

It was around this time that the tradition of adventurous members of gnomekind leaving their isolated warrens in the hinterlands and venturing out to the cities began. With the application of Gamin Ambertoe to a Vladovic regiment in 1539 we get our first written record of a gnome.

 

With the integration of gnomes into haeseni rural society the dunnfolk lived in peace, growing their numbers slowly but surely, interacting with their biggun neighbours every so often. They became renowned for their turnips and strong vodka, but after the Courlandic invasions into the north in the continent of Axios the wee-folk became renowned for their fierce nature. 

 

In 1606 the Kingdom of Haense was no more, King Marius was forced to dissolve his nation under coercion of Courlandic hosts. Many of the Haeseni fled to the neighbouring Kingdom of the Westerlands and with them came many gnomes. Dispossessed of their food, their warren and their drink the dunnfolk looked for revenge against the rascal courlanders. In Westerland many began arming themselves with adapted ancient adunian weapon designs. Many aided the Vanders in their fight against the undead. The most notable group of warfaring gnomes were the Wargnomes of Carnatia, a group of gnomes who pledged their allegiance to the Dukes of Carnatia. These Wargnomes were known to throw themselves savagely into combat, daggers in hand. The northern wee-folk might’ve inherited their love for food and drink from their halfling ancestors, but they also inherited their savagery and skill in war from their adunian progenitors.

 

With Haense finally restored after the Greyspine Rebellion the gnomes once again fell into their peacetime activities, settling in the northern hinterlands. The dunnfolk began isolating themselves more and more as they pursued peace and quiet in their frigid homes. The only activity with the outside world of note was their interaction with a revered monk, Elder Vladimir, who lived in a small monastery outside Alban. This man is attributed with furthering the gnome’s ruskan traditions.

 

Until 1788 the gnomes remained mostly within the confines of their Warrens, deep in the forests of Haense, only coming into contact with their human neighbours when needed. This reclusion has been broken as of late, as an entrepreneurial gnome, by the name of Grumpit Ambertoe followed in the steps of his ancestor, Gamin, and set out towards a more cosmopolitan setting. Building a small business in Karosgrad, Grumpit finds his way through the world with gnomish industriousness and good-cheer. He is not alone and now more and more gnomes are seen in the streets of Karosgrad perhaps in the future we shall see these wee-folk walk around in our cities like we see our own people.

 

III.) Culture & Values

 

Housing & Habitat

 

The gnomes are known to inhabit the hinterlands of Haense’s territories, often far away from anything and everything. Even the more sociable groups of dunnfolk prefer to live outside of big cities, building their warrens in rural villages and towns. 

 

A gnomish warren is an engineering wonder. Taking the roots of trees as structural supports and shelter, gnomes hollow out great quantities of dirt, creating cosy yet spacious rooms within the ground. If a tree is big enough they might even hollow some of it out and live inside it, though such a site is rare. Unlike their halfling cousins gnomes rarely create burrows with the exception being for communal storage, residential warrens are always built under trees.

 

Unlike their halfling cousins many gnomes chose to lock their personal belongings in their warrens, however, in most gnomish communities community burrows exist where everyone deposits goods for the use of the wider community.

 

Family

 

For the Dunnfolk, alongside age, family is the most important thing. Gnomes live in multi-generational warrens, often living even with their extended family. This shapes the structure of the warrens, as they’re often divided into various areas for couples and their children and then common areas such as kitchens. 

 

Families form a support network for times of need, where gnomes may rely on their kin before asking for aid from other families and neighbours.

 

Gastronomy

 

Gnomish gastronomy is renowned for its intricate and delicate flavours yet hardy and bold ingredients. Due to their geographical location dunnfolk cookery consists of heavy meals, made of parsnips, turnips, potatoes, cabbages and beats, with meats like smoked sausages and wild game. Meals I would personally recommend would be their borscht, kielbasas and stuffed northern geese.  

 

Their brews are also one of the strongest, possibly rivaling dwed breweries, though I would urge caution in trying homebrews as some brewers aren’t as careful and so their alcohol might prove poisonous. Nevertheless, their parsnip vodka with its slight pepperiness and nutty taste is delectable, their wild berry schnapps and mulled ale are also worth the sip. 

 

Religion & Folklore

 

Dunnic folklore and folk beliefs have been, largely, shaped by outsiders. To understand gnomish beliefs one must understand the three cultural basis of gnomish culture: adunian, halfling and raevir. From their harrenite and halfling ancestors they received their reverence for nature, their habitat fostering said respect and reverence even further.

 

For most gnomes their forest dwellings are sacred and they seek to find some sort of balance between their material needs and ecological health. You’ll often see these wee-folk leave out excess food in special days as offerings, many plant trees, not only for habitation and logging but also to simply preserve what they’ve been given, their agriculture is careful and sustainable, their pastures wooded and built in a way to cooperate with nature rather than oppose it. This is all done to honour the ‘Thuvok’, a personification of their forest homes, and the ‘Hova’ the spirits that reside in it. Thusly any offense against either the forest or her spirits must be rectified in any way possible. The forest pleasure, then, is understood in a very simple way: flowers. Flowers are seen as the prime indicator of their success when it comes to preserving the forest and so many gnomes take great lengths in cultivating them.

 

The more recent introduction into Dunnfolk religion is the worship of God as seen in the Canonist Church. Throughout gnomish society you’ll often see small shrines in groves and within their warrens. With raev influence birds play an important part in their religious rituals as they are seen as capable to directly deliver prayers to the Seventh Skie. Due to their isolation they have no priests and so most religious practices are overseen by the elder, who leads the community in prayer. They have some particularly favoured saints and folk saints like Vladimir, the monk referenced earlier and Ugo Shodfoot, a Matik that the gnomish claim miraculously defeated an orcish raider. Both these individuals are called Saints in dunnic society.

 

The rate of syncretism between their primitive forest cult and their worship of God is quite high. Often canonist feasts line up with their pagan days and it isn’t uncommon to see offerings of food and flowers left in canonist shrines. When asked how they can conciliate the worship of God with their reverence for the forest and her spirits they claim that they worship solely God however they must honour the place where they reside like ‘good neighbours’.

 

One of the Shroomfoot scions wished for me to add that they have a strong reverence from St. Godwein Stafyr which they refer to as ‘Goddy Shroomhead’.

 

Dunnic Cap & Style of Dress

 

The most distinctive apparel of the Haeseni Gnome is their pointed cap which the gnomish men wear. The story behind the use of said cap, which I shall henceforth refer to as the ‘Dunnic Cap’ is unknown, though some elders tell of a deal between Dommer Redcap and a fae sprite, where Dommer would allow the sprite to live in his hair as long as the sprite granted him long life and a full belly. From that day one gnomish men wear a pointed cap to invite similar sprites to do the same, or so the story goes. What is true is that it is considered taboo to not wear one especially if you are a man.

 

When it comes to clothing more generally they wear simple garb. The men tend to prefer simple thin vests, high waisted trousers and sturdy boots, while women tend to wear dresses bearing floral motifs. The fabric and design is simple and the colouring is natural, often green, brown, beige and red are used.

 

Warfare & Fighting

 

Unlike the usual halflings, the dunnfolk are far from pacifist. While it is hard to displease one enough for them to attack if you do manage such a feat do not expect to walk out unharmed. History has shown the dunnfolk to be fierce warriors, using their small stature to their advantage.

 

Dunnic weaponry is simple and hasn’t changed much since the inception of this tribe of people. Their weapon designs are vaguely similar to ancient adunian designs. The most deadly weapon they possess are their ‘Gramankas’ 10 inch long daggers, used in pairs, crafted primarily to stab. The design seems to be a version of the Adunian ‘Angrámë’ knives. Besides their knives, which in their small hands are more skin to swords, the gnomes are known for their slingers, as the wee-folk always preferred guerrilla combat over field battles.

 

A more unique aspect of gnomish warfare is their use of ponies. During the Greyspine Rebellion the Wargnomes of Carnatia were known to send pairs of gnomes on ponies to harass their enemies. One gnome would be positioned at the front of the stead, to steer it and another gnome would ride at the back, either with a sling or, if they were to charge a lance.

 

Hierarchy & Social Structure:

 

Like their Halfling cousins the Dunnfolk are of a more egalitarian bent, any gnome, man or woman, may ascend in the social hierarchy of the remote woodland warrens of the gnomish people, with the determining factor of political power being age. The older you are the more respected and powerful you become. This veneration for age is so great that there are sources that say that when gnomes encountered an elven merchant of 300 years they forced the fellow to attend their Eldermoot.

 

Indeed, it is the Eldermoot, the highest court of power in the gnomish world, that decides the course of all gnomish warrens in a given area. These moots are rather rare however, with only a few being summoned since the inception of the dunnic peoples. These moots are made of the governing elder of individual warrens, who deliberate and come to binding decisions on all of gnomekind.

 

Elder
Popik & Mamik

 

Becoming an Elder is rather easy; you simply have to be the oldest living gnome in a warren. Although, in practice, many of the very oldest gnomes refuse to serve as Elders, as age takes its toll on the body, meaning that very often the position falls upon the 3rd or even 4th oldest gnome of the warren. In practice the Elder has the final say on all matters in the Warren, though such use of power is often seen as an abuse, so most tend to deliberate and act as a meditative force within the warren. In Dunnic Botch the word ‘Elder’ is rendered as ‘Popik’ for men and ‘Mamik’ for women.

 

Sheriff
Matik & Matika

 

The next position in terms of authority (though not necessarily respect depending on the warren) is that of Sheriff. The Sheriff is any man or woman who is at least 50 years old and must beat any opponent or the current Sheriff in an arm wrestling competition. The Sheriff is responsible for maintaining order and punishing wronguns as well as mustering a military force in times of need. In Dunnic Botch the word for Sheriff is ‘Matik’ for men and ‘Matika’ for women.

 

Brewer
Pivovar & Pivana

 

In the middle of the social totem-pole is the Brewer. Something inherited by them from their raev neighbours was the love of drink. While the halflings have pipeweed, gnomes have their alcohol. In practice, however, the brewer is not just the local maker of beer and vodka, rather, as time went on the role widened and brewers became a sort of ‘hedge alchemist’. Figuring their way through concoctions as they attempt to perfect their homebrews they sometimes stumble upon a powerful poison or helpful healing salve. To become the warren’s brewer the gnome must be at least 40 and able to make a drink strong enough to intoxicate the Elder with only one cup. In Dunnic Botch the word for brewer is ‘Pivovar’ for men and ‘Pivana’ for women.

 

Gardener
Grodnik & Groda

 

Below the elders and sheriffs and brewers are what would be called the ‘gardeners’. Unlike the word might imply these wee-folk are not just instructed with caring for plantlife. Instead this title is broader. Those titled as ‘gardners’ are the captains of industry, often not only gardeners but also craftsmen and industrialists. The importance of flowers, warrentrees and berries makes the gardeners quite important, even if they’re the lowest on the totem-pole. To become a ‘gardener’ a gnome must be picked by the Elder and be a renowned craftsman. In Dunnic Botch Gardener is ‘Grodnik’ for men and ‘Groda’ for women.

 

IV.) Physiognomy

 

The dunnfolk are physically quite different from their halfling cousins due to their adunian admixture. Therefore the study of gnomish physio-GNOME-y (ah!) is an important field of study when it comes to understanding the wee-folk of Haense.

 

On the surface the Haeseni Gnomes look very similar to your average halfling. They’re small, big nosed, wide chested and plump. However, as one takes a closer look at them it is possible to see some very significant differences. Like halflings they’re short, however even for halflings they’re very short, averaging at around 2’ feet tall with 2’5” being considered ‘tall’ for gnomes. This means that if a halfling were to visit a gnomish warren even they’d find it a tight squeeze. 

 

Besides their squat nature another genetic quirk of the dunnfolk is the tendency to turn white-haired rather quickly. Often gnomish individuals will begin greying at 40 and often their hair turns fully white by the age of 50 their hair will be almost fully white. Seeing as most gnomes live till the age of 150 gnomes will spend most of their life with pale-hair. 

 

Besides these two more superficial differences I have not been able to detect any other, though I am no natural scientist nor a physician therefore I am no authority on the inner workings of gnomes.

V.) Dunnic Botch

 

As I’ve mentioned before the Haeseni Gnomes have their own dialect which I would classify as a creole or a pidgin, however as I am primarily an historian I cannot classify with certainty the peculiarity of the gnomish tongue. What I can say about it, however, is the presence of vocabulary from several different languages, primarily Raev, New Marian and Thuaidian. Grammatically the pidgin tends to follow the rules of Raevir Botch, mixing common with Raevir grammar, while using certain words borrowed from the languages mentioned above. It is this combination of Raev grammar rules and common mixed with vocabulary from the languages mentioned above that I name ‘Dunnic Botch’.

 

It would be proper to add that the ‘weight’ of a gnome’s accent depends on the amount of contact the individual has with the outside community, some have very light accents other have such heavy accents one would need a translator.

 

Here I shall document some words of the Dunnic speech:

 

I - Ae
You - Tyh/Vyh
He/She/It- Am
We/Us - Mey
They/Them/Their - Mak
Me - Aem
Him/Her/It - Ams
My/Mine - Roh
Yours - Tak/Vak

Yes - Ay
No - Nur

Thanks (informal) - Spasi
Thanks (formal) - Spasida
Sorry - Preza

Hey - Eya
Hello - Priva
Good Day - Bor Hag
Good Afternoon - Bor Emey
Good Night - Bor Not
Bye - Sveya
Goodbye - Bosveya 

Red - Rur
Orange - Naraan
Yellow - Geld
Green - Vrey
Blue - Blau
Brown - Dun

Elf - Malir
Human  - Sehrnik
Dwarf - Bortmaen
Halfling - Vrefolk 

Biggun - Hochen
Rascal - Maltan

Male - Sehrin
Female - Ohrnka
Mother - Mamik
Father - Popik
Brother - Bida
Sister - Sestra
Sibling(s) - Byeda
Cousin(s) - Koda
Uncle - Onah
Aunt - Anah
Nephew - Voda
Niece - Voyta
Husband - Muza
Wife - Zhenka

Warren - Roda
Flower - Tsvetok
Tree - Thuvok
Food - Jeda
Drink - Napo 
Water - Vava
Vodka - Vadva
Bread - Leb

Spirit (Evil) - Nok
Spirit (Good) - Hova
Ghost - Sehova
God - Godani
Saint/Holy - Sveta
Church - Tserva
Priest - Papek

Knight - Mataka
Soldier - Fitak
Sword - Dael
Bow - Emea
Armor - Kuszka
Castle/fortification - Kassik 

Comrade/friend - Hrad
Meeting/Moot - Hrada
Eldermoot - Senrada

[Areon 770]

Spoiler

I want. I want so very much. Oh dear god please tell me you're making a community of Warmongering Haense halfling/gnomes.

 

[yopplwasupxxx 5665]

((This is absolutely fantastic @PuritanPope+1))