History

Ancient History
The original origin of the Gnomes is unknown and there is no knowledge of other settlements of Gnomes. The first record of settlement in Zioragn was 1,000 years ago. The first design was one settlement, where the City is now, with 4 different neighborhoods. As the Gnome population grew, so did the neighborhoods and the separation between the specialties. Although the specialities mostly kept to themselves, there was communication and harmony amongst them. This allowed for advancement of magic combining 2 or more of the specialties and made life more efficient. During this time, the basic methods used for agriculture and transportation were created. However, the Plant, Animal, and Water Gnomes had to modify some of the designs after the Lights were banished.

The Light Betrayal
Until 100 years ago, all four specialties lived in the same town. Then, on a bright spring morning, the Plant, Animal, and Water neighborhoods caught fire. Not a natural fire, but a magical fire that spread in the blink of an eye. The Waters tried to extinguish the flames, they were too widespread. Many Gnomes, especially children who did not have magic to protect themselves, were killed. Following this, the Lights directly involved were sentenced to death and most of the remaining Lights were banished. Lights thought innocent, particularly young or low skilled Gnomes, were allowed to continue living in the City under careful watch and not permitted to have children. Since the last innocent Light Gnome died, there has been no record of Lights in Zioragn.

Present Day
The narrative takes place in 2022, coinciding with the primary world. The current organization of Zioragn is a triangle with the Villages at the corners, the City in the center, and roads connecting everything together. The specialties mostly keep to themselves, even in the City where all Gnomes have a similar, distinct culture from the Villages. There is seldom marriage between different specialties of Gnomes. Village Plants tend to live on farms but there is a wide assortment from the farms that feed most of the population to vast fields of wild flowers. Village Animals tend to live a simple lifestyle, living in teepees and primarily wearing animal skins or furs. Village Waters incorporate water into their lifestyle as much as possible, from water beds to building a complex river system to use boats as their primary mode of transportation. Luckily, Zioragn has a climate naturally suitable for agriculture and losing the Lights only had minimal effect on the quality of life for the Gnomes.