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Race· The Underfoot — Brell's makers

Gnome

Brell's second creation, after the dwarves; wiry, clever, knee-high tinkerers with an innate skill for gadgets and machinery. Their city Ak'Anon is ruled by a mechanical king. Neutral; centered on Tinkering.

Gnome
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Overview

Drawn from On the Town of: Ak’Anon - 12/05/07 official article.EQ1Primary · official

Overview of Ak'Anon

Ak'Anon, home of the gnomes, is a maze of tunnels beneath the Steamfont Mountains on the continent of Faydwer. The entrance is dug into the face of one of the mountains and is guarded by warriors of both clockwork and mortal build. Dark and grand with carvings and jewels, the city is filled with the strange machinery of gnomes, and powered by cold water.

Reclusive by nature, the gnomes wished to remain apart from the raging conflicts of Norrath's surface dwelling races and were one of Faydwer's secrets for centuries. The years of seclusion allowed the gnomes to continue their projects and research in relative peace. When the time came for their presence to be discovered, it was a discovery of magnitude and wonder unfathomable by even the most eccentric of the era's bards.

Now a well known part of Faydwer, the gnomes of Ak'Anon continue to remain as far from the affairs of the continent's other races as possible. However, their discovery led to their mechanical inventions being unleashed upon the world. Clockwork mechanisms of all sorts made their way across the globe, entrancing and bewildering all of Norrath's citizens. Some of these mechanisms would eventually escape their crafters into nearby countryside of Steamfont where even today the rogue clockworks can be seen roaming aimlessly.

King Ak'Anon

The city of Ak'Anon is ruled by King Ak'Anon, considered the greatest invention of all gnomish kind. An immortal ruler who represents all that the gnomes have prided themselves upon since their creation – immense creativity and ingenious craftsmanship – King Ak'Anon is a mechanical construction like no other. Although the King is of clockwork construction every bolt, nut, and turning cog of his form has been infused with the original entity of though, emotion, and intelligence.

During the first year of King Ak'Anon's reign, it is said that he brought great prosperity and peace to his people, delivering them from the depths of an ancient and mysterious conflict where his predecessors had previously failed.

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Overview

Drawn from The History of Gnomes (House Item) in-game book.EQ2Primary · mirrored · best available source

Through my own experiences, I have gained knowledge and insight into the gnomes. Each part of this history tome can only be completed in its own time.

Story 1

As we like to joke with our stouter dwarf cousins, Brell finally got things right when he made us! You have to pick who you say this to, though, as apparently not all dwarves have a sense of humor. You have to watch out for those who enjoy the joke, too, because a dwarven back-slap can be potent.

We gnomes are not very interested in history for its own sake. We do like to think about it from time to time because you can learn so much from someone else's mistakes, but we don't dwell on it. The elves kind of take that a bit far, you know, living through past glory.

What we do miss about the old days are the inventions of the ancestors in Ak'Anon. But that's getting ahead of history, isn't it? Since you've just started reading this, you can hardly already know that we no longer live on Faydwer, can you? Except that I just told you!

Our ancestral home is Ak'Anon, as mentioned, and it was devoted to tinkering and building, and discussions of building and tinkering. There is nothing a gnome enjoys more than building something if it's not thinking about it or telling someone else how it works.

Gnomes have a great reputation for tinkering and talking about it. Way back when, the Academy of Arcane Science called upon some of our best minds to devise standards of measurement that are still used today as the Norrathian Code of Trade Standards.

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Overview

No RPG source leads this topic — its RPG accounts are listed below.

Official Lore

22

Collected official lore pieces, from in-game and out.

EQ1Primary · mirroredPrincipal account

The Founding of Ak'Anon

In-game bookVerant

Of the gnomes and the empire of Felwithe 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 tinkerers suffered under the rule of the dark elves.

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EQ1Primary · mirroredPrincipal account

Zapho’s Celestial Guide to the Stars

In-game bookfan-archive

by Zapho the Ancient of Ak’Anon A guide to quaintly named random clusters of stars seen in the night sky. Of course they’re in the night sky; you couldn’t see them during the day! — Zapho the Ancient Sprocketsnik’s Tinkering is the name for a grouping of several stars that represent the Tinkerer before an anvil.

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EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

EverQuest: You're In Our World Now

Official articleVerant

Ognit Eznertob Ognit is most happy in a warm, well-furnished study with tomes and papers and tools surrounding him. He is actually known to smile when a formula he has been working with is finally completed. Other than that, he is a grump. His hobby is tinkering with devices and contraptions.

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EQ1Primary · official4 volumes

From the notes of Gimblestan

In-game book — a 4-part series · Verant/SOE

From the notes of Gimblestan, First Assistant to King Ak-'Anon the XVII, Master of the Tinkering Arts. Volume XI As previously mentioned, the fishing expedition had been planned for second-week, with a prize going to he clan that could pull the most fish from the waters of our beloved Lake Tildunk.

EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

DoNCultBook1Gnome

In-game bookVerant/SOE

Gnomes are well known for their creativity and willingness to make the impossible happen. They have always walked their own path, almost oblivious to the opinions and often disparagement of others. Their world is full of idiosyncrasies, ritual, habit and relentless effort.

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EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

DoNCultBook2Gnome

In-game bookVerant/SOE

Gnomes are well known for their creativity and willingness to make the impossible happen. They have always walked their own path, almost oblivious to the opinions and often disparagement of others. Their world is full of idiosyncrasies, ritual, habit and relentless effort.

Read the full source
EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

DoNRaceBookGnome

In-game bookVerant/SOE

This book outlines some of the most famous battles involving Gnomes throughout history. Many of the stories told here are ones told in other books, books that mostly ignore or minimize the contribution of Gnomes in the battle. This book focuses less on the entirety of those battles and focuses in on the individual stories.

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EQ1Primary · mirroredPrincipal account

The Big Bang Theory

In-game bookfan-archive

A loose transcription of one engineer’s report on the Dredvever crash. A very loose transcription, indeed. Though most gnomes have a natural inclination towards gadgets and gizmos, some of them are less inclined than others. When they were seeking volunteers for the Drednever Expedition, I was really excited. My name is Neeve Flimcatcher and i am an engineer.

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Motor Commotion all for Emotion

In-game bookfan-archive

There once was a man. An old tinkering gnome who had no child, nor wife of his own. Mathematics and functions they did fill his mind. Experiments and gizmos took all of his time. Lonely he was, so he thought to himself, “I will make me a man, a gnome or an elf! He will be out of metal, sprockets and gears. He will be my companion and helper for years.”

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EQ2Primary · mirroredPrincipal account

The History of Gnomes (House Item)

In-game bookSOE-EQ2

Through my own experiences, I have gained knowledge and insight into the gnomes. Each part of this history tome can only be completed in its own time. Story 1 As we like to joke with our stouter dwarf cousins, Brell finally got things right when he made us! You have to pick who you say this to, though, as apparently not all dwarves have a sense of humor.

Read the full source
EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

Firepot1

In-game bookVerant/SOE

Firepot's Disertation of Utility I Greetings! As I find myself growing a bit in years, I decided the time has come to sit down for a bit and organize some of my best findings in this world. There are wizards that seek power, and others who travel to the ends of the world, and I am neither of these types.

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EQ1Primary · mirroredPrincipal account

My Time with the Harpies

In-game bookfan-archive

By Frego Bintwhizz A gnome tells a tale of the time he was abducted by harpies. I suppose I was asking for it, poking around like I always do. This is, usually I’m careful. When I salvage items, I always keep myself alter. I don’t – or, at least, I am usually very careful not to – become engrossed in whatever interesting things I come across.

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EQ1Primary · officialPrincipal account

Gnome Kabobs

In-game bookVerant/SOE

Gnome Kabobs Need: gnome meat spices jug of sauces skewers Start fire. Grab gnome. Dip in sauces. Grab skewer. Push pointy end through gnome. Hold over fire and spin. Add spices, spin more. Bite. If crunchy, eat. Nose is good place to grab. Lots of sauces in mouth so Taste better inside and Cooking not so loud. Spin slow or spices fall off Smoked Wood Elf

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A Romp Through Withered Lands

In-game bookfan-archive

Day 1 Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a nice slab of centaur meat… Grilled to perfection! Errr, wait… I should be writing notes not thoughts… So, there I was! Sitting near the back of the room next to a broken table writing down all my genius ideas for the torso housing of my wonderful contraption, when one of the plants came alive and started spitting vile nast…

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EQ1Primary · officialMajor source

EverQuest: You're In Our World Now

Official articleVerant

New Continent Discovered! Day 1 have received recent reports from Ak`Anon that a new continent has been discoveredNew marine technology recently developed by the gnomes enabled the Ak`Anon Marines to break through the Frigid Barrier to the south of Odus and in doing so, they discovered lands previously unknown.

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EQ1Primary · officialMajor source

Underfoot: Unfolding the Lore – Brell’s Rest

Official articleSOE/Daybreak · 2009

Underfoot: Unfolding the Lore Brell's Rest Brell's Rest is the place where the worthy of Brell's worshippers go when their time on Norrath ends. Some worshippers are given places amongst those of the Underfoot, to work on the world, but few find such a thing to their liking. Many spend their afterlife in an "ideal" setting for their race.

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EQ1Primary · officialMajor source

Journal Excerpt Ten

In-game bookVerant/SOE

Journal Excerpt Ten My company and I have arrived and been welcomed to the Gnomish city of Ak'Anon, and I must say, of all the things I have seen on this journey the city of the gnomes is the most perplexing. The gnomes seem to be equally adept at creating material marvels as well as magical ones.

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EQ1Primary · officialMajor source

CiceroTornNotebook

In-game bookVerant/SOE

If found, please return to my clockwork assistant Model XG CVIII. Thanks! Cicero Quikwire Esquire After drilling downwards at a five-degree angle for the better part of two-and-a-half years we've finally located a cavern large enough to warrant exploration. Alas, our burrownizer dug into the cavern's ceiling and now lies smashed across the cavern floor.

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Further sources

67

Lore that mentions this in passing.

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Community articles

66

Fan-written encyclopedia entries — useful overviews, lower authority than the primary sources above.

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