Rustai Gnomes

The nomadic folk who call themselves the Rus travel Ghelspad in their brightly colored wagons, having no homeland of their own. Legend has it that they once had a magnificent kingdom, but tales conflict as to the location of this homeland, and scholars of other races have found no trace of such a place in their histories. Still the Rus insist that this place is no less real for their disbelief, and have many tales of heroes of their people. Still they wander, rarely settling down at any time, and never in large numbers, making their living as tinkers and entertainers, nomadic herdsmen and caravaneers. Single Rus are often traveling Bards or couriers of information, or sell their services, either in the arcane arts or in more larcenous venues, as they wander the lands. As a result of their travels, as well as their bent for both the mistrusted shadow magic, and for having only a passing interest in the notion of other peoples personal property, the Rus are often welcomed with a wary eye, invited to share their tales of distant lands, peddle their wares, and then depart at first light. Of late, barges are as common as wagons, and nomadic bands of Rustai can be found traveling the Broadreach river, between Shelzar and Hollowfaust, using cunning combinations of barges and wagons (barges with wheels or seaworthy wagons, depending on the viewer) to handle difficult stretches of river, or to cross areas of land. Similar bands can be found living around Lake Repose, or traveling the Hornswythe River, from Bridged City to Mullis Town, it is said, while others travel Darakeene or, it is said, the waterways and land routes of far Termana.

The Rus have a strong oral tradition, and usually can recite many generations of their lineage, as well as many other interesting details, and it is known that the written tongue (they use the Ledean script for their written language) is a relatively recent development. Indeed it is said that before the Divine War, they were more prone to the arts of Sorcery than traditional Wizardry, but that with the death of Mesos, their personal patron, their blood lost its power and the generations born since then have been forced to learn their magics by rote. Sorcerers still arise among them, but they are not nearly so common, and the craft of Shadow and Illusion magic is far more common now than any other form of spellcasting. Rustai artisans are prone to exaggerated uses of color, limiting their popularity among the other races, but none can deny their cleverness in both form and function. A Rus craftsman is not satisfied that an item he crafts works well, it must also be carved or embossed or embroidered with lively patterns and colored brightly, or, in some cases, garishly, as the Rus tastes in coloring do not agree well with the tastes of Elven or Dwarven craftsmen. By coincidence, one assumes, their artwork is quite similar to that preferred by the representatives of the Jack of Tears. Apart from the relatively recent ‘wheeled barges’ now in common use by the nomadic Rustai, the Repeating Crossbow and the Thunderstone are said to be other common inventions of the ‘clever folk.’

The few Rus who choose to settle in Human, Elven or Dwarven communities generally do so alone, or with only a few close relatives. They do not generally associate with other Rustai, and in fact are prone to avoid visiting nomadic Rustai. It is believed that the nomadic Rus do not approve of their sedentary brethren, but it is more accurate to say that they simply do not understand them, considering them in some way mad, to want to stay in one area for any length of time and give up their traditional way of life. Such ‘tamed’ Rus are generally craftsmen, of the sort who require a large stationary workshop or steady clientele to function, and as such often become far more welcome in the communities they adopt than their itinerate and ‘disreputable’ kinfolk.

In addition to tales of their lost homeland, Rustai often speak of their ‘Invisible College,’ at which many of them study the arcane secrets of the Illusionist. This school is said to be mobile, and some tales depict it as a grand wagon that pulls itself along magically with a particular entourage of Rustai, but invisible to the sight of those who have not been indoctrinated into the secrets of the Rus. The Wizards who enter the wagon are said to peruse the salvaged lore of the lost Rustai kingdom, preserved in ancient texts under the protection of powerful illusions. Whether or not this tale is other than an illusion, like most Rustai ‘facts,’ is unknown, but it is known that a large number of Rus manage to learn the arts of Illusioncraft, without any other obvious place of training.

+2 Dexterity, -2 Strength

Small size

Gnome base speed is 20 feet

Low-light Vision: Gnomes can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions

+2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusions

+4 dodge bonus against giants

+2 racial bonus on Listen checks

+2 racial bonus on Craft checks

Automatic Languages: Common and Gnomish

Bonus Languages: Any local Human, Dwarven, Elven or Titanspawn languages

Spirit Weaving: Gnomes with Intelligence scores of 10 or higher may cast the 0-level spells (cantrips) Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound and Prestidigitation each once per day. These are arcane spells. Treat the gnome as a 1^st level caster for all spell effects dependent on level (range for all three spells and duration for Ghost Sound).

Favored Class: Rogue or Illusionist