| Category | Races |
| Type | Gnome sub-race |
| Creation | 9 Bliss 8750 DE |
| Language | Abyssal |
| Native | Bal-Kriav |
Late in the Dawn Era, Callarduran brought the Gnome race into existence. Their civilization originated on the Bal-Kriav continent of Hezmort, with their initial prominent settlement being Kraarion.
In the Demon Spawn War ( 89 GE - 269 GE ) , Hezmort was invaded by the demon lord Jurusalax. The gnomes were so hard-pressed by the demons that Callarduran fought in the battles to stem the tide. This "attachment" to his creations was a source of some concern, as Callarduran was treating his creations as his own children. This viewpoint diverged from the mainstream Creationist thinking, which regarded such matters in a more pragmatic manner. Bruh Kreniik, the father of creation on the Covenant side, had instructed his disciples to populate the seemingly infinite expanse of space with innumerable worlds, filled with new and old lifeforms. He advised them to create these beings and then leave them to fend for themselves. If a species failed to thrive, they were to try a different model.
At the time of the demon invasion of Hezmort, there were Rifts scattered across Bal-Kriav. Fiends of the Abyss flooded out of them, assaulting, slaughtering, and seizing territory as their own. Owing to the multitude of battle fronts, commanders like Ares, Athena, and Naraz-Nâru conceded that they could not safeguard every region of the realm, with Ares observing incisively, "We must forsake some areas to triumph in the war, not merely a skirmish."
One hundred fiends against each and every Covenant soldier. While we cannot preserve every location, certain areas must be forfeited to achieve final triumph.
Ares, an excerpt from the Thuaxor Keozhal - "Strategem 11"
Ares dispatched his esteemed commander Asmodeus to Hezmort with orders for all angelic forces to withdraw. Callarduran, the illustrious first leader of the Gnomes, refused to abandon his creations, battling the demons pouring through the Núlananya Rift. There were two factions under Callarduran: around 5,000 gnomes who remained and fought, hoping for victory, and those who adhered to Covenant orders to retreat. The first group that stayed behind, destined to become known as the Gimrune, ultimately fell under the lash of their new demonic overlords. Those who retreated split up, with one group of approximately 4,000 fleeing into the Krephus Sink. They would henceforth be recognized as the Svirfneblin. The last group, terrified of eking out an existence underground, were evacuated by Covenant dirigible airships and became known as the Forstneblin.
Many of Callarduran's people who failed to escape Hezmort were captured or killed by the demon forces under Jurusalax. The captives were enslaved, forced to construct weapons and supplies for the demon armies. Their industriousness and aptitude so impressed Jurusalax that he decreed death for any who slew one of his "Gimrune" - an Abyssal term for these tinkers. After a century, these workers had transitioned from beholden slaves to something akin to indentured servants. The demons indoctrinated them, teaching the Abyssal tongue and forbidding the use of the Gnome language, resulting in the Gimrune of today speaking Abyssal as their native tongue.
At their 120th year of servitude to the demons, some Gimrune were serving as advisors to the demon lord Jurusalax. A few had risen to lead successful businesses with demons working under them. The most lucrative of these enterprises focused on the production of weapons, armor, and various devices. Jurusalax, a trained engineer, took great interest in the innovations of the Gimrune and even educated those he particularly admired in more advanced subjects of mathematics and engineering. After Silvanus vanquished Jurusalax at Logor, the Gimrune were interrogated to determine the extent of their demonic influence. Those deemed too deeply corrupted disappeared, while the remainder were permitted to reside in sector Honmin.
During the Feeding of Kezgihr, the Gimrune civilization nearly faced annihilation from vampires. The Shi'gah, who had sought refuge in the Primus Hexaconta, turned the tide against the vampires. These half-clockwork Gimrune liberated their kinsmen and then deployed packs of constructs to eliminate the vampire threat. By 1798 HE, the Feeding of Kezgihr had concluded. However, the liberated Gimrune and the Shi'gah did not coexist harmoniously, as the former viewed their kin's machine grafts as abominations, while the latter considered them inferior and lacking the enhancements to accomplish twice the work with half the effort.
In the First Epoch, a cohort of displaced individuals arrived safely upon the island of Angvild. In the Year 66, they established the settlement known as Mechantus. This location marks the inaugural Gimrune settlement within the realm of Midrêth.
The Gimrune have often spread to other areas of the realm inadvertently. The best example is those who founded As'lumix. Early in the Third Epoch, several hundred Gimrune traveled to Azrik, joining the Torgilm Confederacy ( 1475 - 1719 ) .
The Gimrune civilization is highly advanced. In a sense, they were fortunate to serve the demons. Their knowledge of engineering and mathematics surpassed other civilizations by centuries after the Demon Spawn War, largely due to Jurusalax and his policies towards them. The intellectual foundation of the Angvild's gnome was further bolstered when they discovered advanced weaponry and scientific relics. These items were found scattered across the Hive region in the Auhtai ruins. These explorations and discoveries altered the course of history for the people. For the most part, the Gimrune explorers did not act out of greed or self-interest; instead, they brought their findings back to Angvild and shared them with the various science and engineering institutes. At the time, these schools, labs, and guilds were small, but they grew rapidly as more relics and rune stones were recovered from the Hive's ruins.
The Gimrune are a friendly, competitive, perceptive people who are not overly pragmatic, yet embrace a spirit of risk and curiosity. They boast a storied history of trade and exploration to the south and across Morwuld Briin.
The largest population of Gimrune resides within the empire of Engineen. This nation represents the inaugural domain the Gimrune established following their departure from Hezmort.
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Height | 3 to 3 1/2 feet |
| Weight | 40 - 50lbs |
| Lifespan | 350 - 500 |
| Racial | as rock gnome |