The Gods of the Gnomes

Deity	Symbol	Portfolio
Garl Glittergold	Gold Nugget	Luck, Cunning, Prosperity
Lurit Goldhemmed	Wolverine	Wanderers, Outcasts, Primal Nature
Gadan the Joyous	Copper Coin	Risk, Success, Generosity
Onul of the Misty Aura	Twisted Loop	Illusions, Secrets, Mystery
Oth Whispernight	Lotus Flower	Thresholds, Prophecy, Fey
Rulush	Raindrop	Rain, Protection, Diplomacy
Atol Dreamsender	Radiant Eye	Art, Inspiration, Melancholy
Rilem the Fair	Willow Sapling	Curiosity, Youth, Students

Garl Glittergold

Though Moradin holds a place of honour amongst gnomes, it is Garl Glittergold who truly heads the gnomish pantheon. He is the god of luck and trickery, mortal enemy to the kobold god Kurtulmak - though the gnomes are far less genocidal in their tendencies than their dwarven cousins. Garl Glittergold presides over much - most of it to do with wealth and cunning - but chiefly of all, his portfolio is the luck and skill of his gnomish servants. When precious rubies are unearthed or gold is struck in the mines, it is to Garl Glittergold that the praise rings out. He is said to be the uncle of Sazir and Gadan, both of whom inherit his association with wealth and treasure.

Besides simply being a deity of wealth and fortune, Garl represents the qualities which have allowed gnomes to survive and thrave - the pursuit of fortune through cunning, and the defeat of enemies through trickery and skill rather than brute strength. The gnomish curiosity for all things unknown, their love of machines and engineering, and their skill with illusion and deception - all of these characteristics he embodies. His priests are most numerous and best-respected in gnomish settlements, and it is his name that is called when the battle is joined.

Lurit Goldhemmed

One of the stranger gods to come to Morus with the gnomes, Lurit Goldhemmed takes the form of a great female wolverine the size of a gnome, and is the foster daughter of Garl Glittergold. As she is not related by blood to Garl and takes the form of a lowly animal, Lurit is often mocked and belittled in gnomish folklore. She has a reputation as a moody, troubled deity that does not belong anywhere and never feels at ease amongst the other gods. She is often prayed to by estranged family and gnomes with wanderlust; many of her tales involve Lurit leaving the gnomish pantheon behind in a rage, and going off to find her way in the world - though she always finds her way back home in the end.

Even though she is often a figure of scorn amongst the other gnomish gods, Lurit has a potent portfolio of her own. She is the goddess of the deep mountains and mines, which is where her bestial nature shows through; the wolverine is a fierce creature, and her image is carried by those travelling on dangerous journeys into unexplored caverns in search of treasure and gold. Finally, as noted above, she is the patron of delvers, wanderers, traders in strange lands, and all who feel the call of wanderlust dragging them from hearth and home. When depicted, Lurit is depicted as a gnome-sized wolverine clad in black robes trimmed with gold cloth.

Gadan the Joyous

Gadan is the god of luck, success and fortuitous opportunity. He is a god of risks, gambling and new trade, which bring grief to the other gods as often as fortune. Though he could be called selfish, Gadan is known for his generosity and good nature: when his schemes bear fruit the entire pantheon is said to share in his fortune. As such, Gadan is often considered to be a god of family, friendship and heavy burdens carried with a light heart.

Gadan has a close friend in the oft-maligned Lurit Goldhemmed. Gadan understands Lurit in a way others do not, and in many ways sees her as his own responsibility. Gadan is the perfect counterpart to Lurit; where Lurit is moody, Gadan is indomitably cheerful. Where Lurit is brash and vengeful, Gadan is forgiving. Both gods share a love of adventure - though for different reasons. When Lurit imposes self-exile upon herself in anger at her treatment by the other gods, it is always Uncle Gadan who follows her and joins her on her adventures, and in the end it is Uncle Gadan who brings her home safe. Lurit keeps Gadan grounded, and Gadan keeps Lurit from being thwarted by the fog of her own melancholy. Many of the favourite tales of gnomish children are those of Lurit Goldhemmed and Uncle Gadan.

Onul of the Misty Aura

Onul of the Misty Aura is one of the gnomish brothers of mist, deities whose place is in the otherworldly origins of the gnomish race. To gnomes, mist represents the otherworld, death, and uncertainty. Onul conjures mists of the mind to confuse and beguile, and rules chiefly over falsehoods and half-truths. As might be imagined, he is very popular with illusionists, and in his darker aspects he is the god of treachery, chaos and madness. His name is a reference to this, for “to have a misty aura” amongst gnomes is to be inscrutable, easily changed and cunning of thought and schemes.

Onul has few priests, and much of his order is composed of illusionists; those who are masters of the beguiling mist. Few have the wisdom to see into the truth of his doctrine: the mists that beguile and confuse mortals are, at the same time, a veil that hides the deep, secret truths of the universe. The Mist-Touched perceive many things that others cannot, and Onul demands that they unearth secrets and inter them in the secret chambers of their order - while at the same time, weaving a web of deceit and secrecy that cannot be pierced by any other. To aid and abet this, the servants of Onul record all their secret writings in the language of the Xorn; every Mist-Touched carries a Book of Shadows, which contains every secret they have learned since the last time they returned to their order.

The quest of the Mist-Touched is not a quest for knowledge, such as for the priests of Azuth, but a quest for insight - a strange vocation that they call the pursuit of “Mystery”. By striving and struggling to attain the secrets of Onul, they come closer to their god. To share these secrets or reveal them openly would deprive those who come next of the opportunity to gain insight into the nature of Mystery by struggling themselves. This is the only sacrilege possible for the Mist-Touched, and even to do it unintentionally is a great dishonour.

Oth Whispernight

Brother to Onul, Oth Whispernight is patron and guardian of the mists, and the keeper of the secrets that lie within. As noted above, mist has great significance in gnomish folklore - it borders the otherworld and is the portal to the fae lands, and it is through the mist that the gods visit the mortal realm. The gnomish priests hold Oth in high regard, and it is said that visions and prophecy all come from the mists that he sends.

Oth is an aloof god, and one that desires little in the way of homage; but nonetheless, most gnomes take care not to anger him, for it is said that those who invoke his wrath will fall victim to the vampiric mists that work his vengeance. As well as being the keeper of the mists themselves, Oth Whispernight also holds great sway over the beings that dwell within; it is said he is furthest from the gnomes than any of the other gods, and that his true subjects are the capricious denizens of the otherworld.

Depictions of Oth reflect this; though he is depicted as a gnome, he is shown with garish flowing robes that clash with the gnomish style. His face, too is always rendered as impish and capricious, with tall pointed ears that are unheard of amongst gnomekind.

Rulush

Cousin to Onul and Oth, Rulush is the mediator and diplomat of the gnomish pantheon. Though her power is a subtle one, she is the only one who can match the rare anger of Oth Whispernight when his wrath is invoked. The rain is her domain, as is the weather in a more general sense. Though Oth is the marshal of the mist and the fell beings that dwell within, Rulush alone may oppose him and lay the mists of the otherworld to rest. As such, she is known as the Calmer of the Heavens, as well as the Abjurer, and gnomes pray to her for protection - and more specifically, to cleanse evil spirits, the undead and foul otherworldly presences. As noted above, though her domain includes the entirety of the weather, Rulush is most strongly associated with the rain. Gnomish superstition states that evil spirits cannot abide the rain, and that the falling of rain after the death of a gnome means that their spirit has gone peacefully into the afterlife.

Atol Dreamsender

Atol is the husband of Rulush, and the patron of art and inspiration. However, art and inspiration have very different connotations to gnomes than they might to a human or an elf, though dwarves may understand. Craftsmanship is the mouthpiece of the gods, and inspiration comes from the same otherwordly source as the divine potency of the gods themselves. In gnomish mythology, inspiration is closely tied with fate and doom, and there are many tragic tales of great craftsmen who were driven by their inspiration to madness. The great work they have been inspired to undertake is always completed when the tale concludes, but in the course of its creation much is lost. Atol sends not only inspiration but also fate, and he is closely linked with Oth Whispernight in the pronouncement of prophecy. It is said that of all the gnomish pantheon, Atol alone knows the doom of the gods.

Rilem the Fair

Young and impetuous, Rilem the Fair is the daughter of Atol and Rulush. The ever-popular tales of Gadan and Lurit’s journeys occasionally include her, but Rilem just as often ventures out alone. Much of what a gnome child learns of the human lands - brutal, ugly and dangerous - comes from the tales of Rilem, for she greatly enjoys walking amongst men when clothed in flesh. Rilem represents everything that a young gnome should be - brash, fearless, and suicidally curious. Rilem’s portfolio is not very broad, and she is almost more of a folk hero than a true god.

Rilem is a patron of adventurers and travellers much as Lurit is, but where Lurit is the protector of those who do not belong and call no place home, Rilem’s patronage is far more pleasant. She is the patron of those who travel for joy, those who seek knowledge and wisdom in doing rather than learning, and those who wish to experience all that the wild world has to offer. Rilem is also popularly depicted as the assistant of Garl Glittergold, and as such she is prayed to by apprentices, acolytes and students - those who place themselves in a position of subordination to master their craft.