Eberron Character Options — page 23

whether that's a bard's eloquent persuasion, a wizard'swords of power, or a rogue's careful threat. They give an initial impression as friendly busybodies, always ready to lend a hand or share a story, while asking questions that tend toward the slightly-too-personal. Often, though, a cheerful and amia ble gnome is methodic ally adding to a mental storehouse of knowledge that might one day provide important leverage.

Gnomes Of Zil Argo

To say that every Zil gnome is a ruthless schemer would be a hurtful exaggeration. Intrigue is the favorite pastime of most Zil, though. Every gnome child of Zilargo is taught to manipula te and deceive, and by the time they reach adulthood most have been involved in dozens of schemes and feuds, some of which persist well into adulthood. Even a gnome with a good heart and noble goals-of which there are many-often still prefers to use trickery and cunning rather than the unreliable tools of honesty or brute force. Most Zil gnomes belong to the forest gnome subrace.

Their natural talent for illusion aids them in trickery and entertaining, and they often use small animals as messengers and guides. When you're making a Zil gnome character , consider what kinds of schemes you or your family might be involved in. The Zil Schemes table offers some suggestions, but you should feel free to elaborate on these schemes, even to absurd extremes.

Zil Schemes

dlO Scheme Your family is working on a new form of elemental binding, but they need a lot of Khyber dragonshar ds. 2 You have an anonymous contact who sends you missions via the sending spell. When you do as you 're asked, you receive hands ome rewards. 3 You've inh erited a plo t of land in Q'barra.

If you don' t visit within a year, you'll lose the claim. 4 Due to an un usual twist of Triumvirate law, you shar e the same name with a numb er of other Zil, and you 're all legally consi dered to be the same person. 5 You've acquir ed a spe/lshard (described in chapter 5) that cont ains a vast amount of text in a strange code. 6 You know the locat ion of a wanted war criminal, and you 've been trying to decide whether to turn them in or try to get something in exchange for your silenc e. 7 You've been se lling false treasur e maps, but now you've found one that mi ght be real. 8 You've acquir ed a contr olling stake in a dragonsh ard mine, which was abandone d long ago.

But why? Kobolds? Aberra tions? There's only one way to find out! 9 Your family is facing financial ru in, and they've taken out a life insur ance policy on you . It onl y pays out if you die un der un usual circums tances, and the y're encouraging you to seek out more dang erous adventures. 10 You'r e peddling a life-ext ens ion scheme where cl ients are petrified by a medusa and then restored later. Additionally, consider your relationship to Zilargo: why you have left, and what ties do you still have to it? Your scheme could provide a good reason for you to leave.

Or you could be a sage gathering information for the Library of Korranberg or an investigator sending stories of your adventures back to the Korranberg Chronicle. Family is important to the Zil, and you could be pursuing your family's interests. You could even be working for the mysterious Trust, the conspiracy behind the Triumvirate's throne that quietly maintains order in Zilargo. If you are working for the Trust, you could have a specific mission, but you could also be a sleeper agent-gath ering information and allies until you're activated and you are put to your intended use. Zil Names.

Zil society is divided into ma jor houses, each of which is composed of multiple families. Each gnome carries the name of a house and of a family in addition to a personal name. For example, Alina Lorridan Lyrris and Tallian Talius Lyrris are members of different families (Lorridan and Talius) within House Lyrris. Gnome names are long and lyrical; a Zil proverb claims "the sweetest song is the name of a friend." Personal and clan names are usually at least three syllables long, and there is a strong tradition of alliteration.

Gnomes Of The Fi Ve Nations

As they have for countless generations, insatiable curiosity and endless opportunity draw gnomes from Zilargo into the wider lands of Khorvaire. Most of these dispersed gnomes find new homes and integrate easily into local cultures. Gnomes can be found in any walk 23