Species Name: Gnomes
Physiological Description: Short (between 4' and 3'), relatively hairy humanoids, spindly of frame and with long, dexterous arms and hands. A gnomes size and wiry figure belies its surprisingly sturdy frame, despite their physical weakness compared to other creatures. A Gnomes head is slightly out of proportion with its body and possesses large eyes and very expressive features.
The Svirfneblin subrace is much rarer and said to have many physical differences when examined closely, often with strange powers attributed to them. No confirmed evidence supports this as of yet.
Native Culture: A carefully maintained republic of technological advancement, prosperous trade and commerce, exploratory travel and peace through superior firepower. Threats to the Gnome Homeland were dispatched with a heavy heart and heavier weapons when they were deemed to powerful and too unreasonable to coexist with the emerging republic.
Other sentient races and Gnome factions were absorbed peacefully into the infrastructure of the gnomes and traded with for the purpose of the gnomes own advancement, that the threat of a gnomic armed response would manifest within hours of any transgression against them or their allies helped diplomatic relations somewhat.
The Gnomes social mechanics are oddly anti-hierarchical outside of skilled organisations, military units and technological guilds alone tended towards a talent based structure, with the republic council mostly made of the most respected members of the autonomous guilds. Guild master simply referring to the member accepted as the most skilled in matters pertaining to the current situation, with other members accepting his limited authority out of respect.
Factions: The Techpriests and Enginseers maintain and improve the Gnomic technology, most specifically their weapons of warfare and destruction, giving their allegiance equally to the Gnomish god of Heavy Artillery; Deus Ex Machinegun and the god of creation; Deus Ex Da Vinci.
The fleets of the Gnomic War Council are separate from the Gnomic Exploratory Fleet, the former maintains the war fleet of the Republic and its combined armed forces while the Exploratory fleet is a guild headed by the Guild leader known as the Fleet Master and doubles as the trading fleet of the Republics merchant guild.
The Svirfneblin are a shadow council to the Republics Guild Council, managing the underside of the Gnomes stellar realm and affecting GWC policy on potentially hostile entities encountered on the voyages of the GEF. They have an unusually high level of oversight over other Councils and within their own ranks.