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Ever the since the first days of the elven rebellion, it had
been decided by the emperor of Felwithe that the gnomes would be a free race
allied with the elven empire and able to live on elven lands, much unlike the
almost slave-like persecution the little tinkers suffered under the rule of the
dark elves. The gnomes had been granted lands surrounding the fertile Elizerain
Lake and there existed for a century or more in peace with their elven
neighbors. However, being on elven lands also meant the gnomes would have to
follow elvish customs, and increasingly the gnomes began to feel out of place.
The gnomes were builders, not artists, and they could not sing or dance or play
musical instruments. Elves prided themselves on their use of the bow and their
long, graceful blades but gnomish arms couldn't support the lengthy elven
weaponry. And while the elven language was meant to be spoken in long,
descriptive, and fluid verse, the gnomes were always prone to speak in jittery
and incredibly fast sentences. Slowly, a general consensus began to form among
the gnomes that someday a separate gnomish kingdom would have to be formed. The
gnome most responsible to bring about this change was named Biddyn.
Biddyn was born the fourth son to a poor farmer on the east
of the Elizerain Lake, the gnomish territories closest to the heart of the
empire. Almost immediately he recognized how much he, and even his brothers and
father, hated farm work. The most joyous times in his life, as he later wrote,
were the monthly festivals the gnomes held where they would gather and build all
manner of fascinating machines. This, he thought, is what gnomes should be doing
and he bestowed upon himself the responsibility to make sure this came to pass.
Studying elven mannerisms and rhetoric on his market voyages to Felwithe with
his father, Biddyn soon became a speaker the likes of which no gnome has ever
equaled. His very charisma charmed everyone around him into the idea of a
separate gnomish kingdom, and he soon was ready to bring his demands before the
emperor. The emperor at this time was none other then Carandril, past lord of
Kelethin, who had appointed the warrior Edril as his first soldier long ago and
also as the head of the imperial army. Edril had served loyally and skillfully
as Carandril's guard for more then a hundred years, the warrior elf being only a
little more then middle-aged for his race.
Charmed by his determination and skillful speaking, Edril
supported Biddyn for a separate gnomish kingdom. Even the emperor was attracted
to the proposition, as a new allied kingdom would open new opportunities for
trade while the gnomish loss would not be a big drain on the imperial economy.
After only six days of deliberation, Carandril granted Biddyn's request and
plans were immediately formed for the creation of a new gnomish homeland. The
emperor severed the southern part of his empire, mostly unused and barren fields
beyond the Steamfont mountains, and gave it to the gnomes. The land was renamed
"Akanon" which is elven for "Gift" and ten gnomish settlers as well as five
elven guards were prepared to make a journey into Akanon and chart the lands.
The fifteen settlers rode out surrounded by the cheers of
elves and gnomes alike, but were not heard from for many months. Finally after
the fifth month of their disappearance, only one elven soldier, his clothes torn
to pieces and his weapons shattered, rode solemnly through the gates of the
empire. He was the last of the settlers who remained alive, and recounted his
tale before an astonished imperial council. A plague dragon, with scales of an
oozing black, had attacked the party soon after they had crossed into the
southern lands and had claimed that the lands of Akanon were his own. For months
the plague dragon chased them and hunted the gnomes and elves down. The soldier
had watched each man die a slow and horrible death, and believed the dragon only
let him go to give this message to the elves.
The gnomes were instantly furious that Carandril had given
them cursed lands to settle, and the emperor immediately ordered the death of
the dragon. Frightened by the terrible story of the soldier, most of his
warriors were reluctant to volunteer, as Carandril would not force anyone to
fight such a terrible beast. Edril, however, immediately offered his services as
a personal favor to the gnomes. When Biddyn himself volunteered five more gnomes
joined the hunt, and together with his gnomish friends, Edril rode to the
Steamfont mountains to meet the terrible beast. What happened next is best
summed up by Biddyn's own "The History of the Gnomes":
I admit as much, that even my legs were shaking when we
approached the mouth of the demon's great cave. From our previous encounters,
and from the memories of our lost friend Dolyn, we were all terrified of the
beast. All of us, that is, except for Edril, but I don't think Innoruuk himself
could scare that elf. He thrives from fear as much as I do the tobacco in my
pipe, it is to him as some sweet nectar that clears his thoughts and hones his
blade. So while we trembled before the plague dragon's domain, Edril simply
lifted his sword to his shoulder, looked back at me, and said "wait here." With
a proud determination he marched toward the black cave entrance, a portal to the
lower planes if ever there was one. He marched to his death, or so we thought.
But when we saw him next in two days time he pulled behind him the head of the
evil beast, which left thick trails of a green poison behind it. He breathed
heavily, and painful scars covered his body. I laughed, thinking that while
Edril was obviously hurt, the dragon must have felt much worse before his death.
Anything that inflicts that much pain to the elf must be prepared to receive the
same thrashing tenfold.
The skull of the dragon sits still on the entrance to the
gnome's own Fortress Mechanus. Edril and his band of gnomes would be written
into gnomish lore forever as for the next weeks they rode tirelessly through the
lands of Akanon, fighting back fierce creatures and charting the perfect
hillside location for the first ever kingdom of gnomes. Edril spent much more
time in Akanon then originally expected, personally overseeing the kingdom's
construction. When the first houses were made and the first gnomish settlers
came pouring in, Biddyn was selected as the first king of the gnomes and he in
turn erected a statue in honor of Edril. The statue depicts Edril's battle with
the great plague dragon, and gnomish craftsmanship made it enormous and actually
useful: it sits in the heart of Akanon even today, acting as the central part to
Akanon's extensive irrigation system. When Edril returned home to Felwithe he
was greeted by hundreds of proud soldiers and again proclaimed a hero.
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