Gnomes love to talk about olden days. To hear us tell our story, the eras of antiquity were the best times to live anywhere, anytime, in any of the universes. Every gnome was heroic and clever, and always driven by the purest of motives. Every gnome endeavor ended successfully and became a moral guidepost for future gnomes to follow.
If I am honest, I am proud to say that the written scrolls show our history was indeed proud and dramatic and consequential, and it did set us on the correct path for our future. However, no story is unblemished. I found multiple instances of gnome rogues and villains in our ancient past. The tale below is taken from one of the earliest gnomic scrolls at the akashic records. This scandalous story throws light on why our society developed as it has.
Details of this unsavory early episode were recorded by one of the gnomes involved in it, who became known as Ginsor the Gold Hoarder.
Instead of choosing a typical gnome occupation filled with gardening, horticulture and generally making planets better, Ginsor and some other young gnomes decided to take up gold mining. They found a solar system containing planets that were heavy with gold, and the group spread out among these worlds. The gnomes moved into existing underground caverns or dug deep within the mantle of their chosen planet.
At that time, gold mining was not an activity that was objectionable or frowned upon by gnome society. Not at all. However, this offshoot group of gold miners became very fixated on piling up wealth. Each gnome greedily hoarded gold, jewels and rare metals in their cave complexes.
Instead of creating a community with common interests, each gnome became focused on what they had individually obtained. The only shared interest the gnomes had in common was that they enjoyed calling themselves “gold hoarders.” It did describe them very well. They essentially became warlords with huge underground fortresses.
All the priceless inventory required each hoarder to hire gangs of vicious and terrifying goblins as guards. These goblins were constantly fighting amongst themselves and even with the gnomes who hired them. As the gnomes would have known if they had checked at all, goblins cannot work together for very long without trouble flaring. The goblins became increasingly bitter and argumentative about small grievances, escalating their complaints from words to actions. The goblin guards turned into roving bands of thieves and murderers. Even the gnomes became frightened of the goblin gangs.
Daily goblin violence soon caused these greedy gnomes to live in fear of everybody, including other gold hoarder gnomes. There was no friendship or affection and no sense of community, all of which normal gnomes value greatly. There was only a “what can I steal from you” mentality.
Battles were fought, gnomes were murdered, and fortunes were stolen. Medieval-style fiefdoms quickly became warring nation-states, with goblins provoking the conflicts into larger battles.
Now gnomes thrive in sunlight and tranquility, so these gnomes had set up a very unhealthy atmosphere for themselves. Their dishonesty and hatred only resulted in war and destruction. The larger gnome society was worried about gold hoarding conflicts spilling into their communities. Various clans were afraid that huge regional wars would ignite on or between gnome worlds. Gnome society was in crisis.
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Fortunately, while our gnomic supreme council was debating what to do, the gold hoarding miners found that they had become very depressed from living in dank underground burrows. Disagreements and daily skirmishes were wearing on their patience. Their very souls rebelled against the endless darkness, quarreling and greed.
The miners were filled with despair. They yearned to return to their simple lives. They craved sunlight, clear blue skies, and idyllic landscapes filled with thriving plants and healthy animals. Most of all, they craved peace.
After much worry about how they would be received by gnome society, the surviving gold miners elected a leader to figure out how to get out of the tunnels and back to their families. That leader was Ginsor.
Ginsor came up with a desperate plan. He led the group in approaching the supreme council. On their knees, with downcast faces and hats in hand, the miners begged for clemency. The former warlords pledged their entire gold hoards toward reversing the damage they had caused. They asked to rejoin gnome society.
The council knew a good opportunity when they saw one, and mediators were quickly called in. Feuds were resolved and goblins were driven out. Peace treaties were agreed upon and signed. Mined-out and war-ruined planets were restored to their former beauty.
The murder of gnomes by other gnomes is considered to be especially heinous, but even so, gnome societies have a hard time severely punishing members who truly repent what they have done. They would rather rehabilitate where possible.
The supreme council decided on a seldom-used punishment for the surviving gnomes: incarceration on a prison planet for 500 years. Upon release, they were banned from gnome worlds for the remainder of their current lives. Instead, they were permitted to live on whichever approved planets would have them. They would also spend their next hundred reincarnations on parole, with constant checks to make sure they were treading the straight and narrow.
Most importantly, extended discussions took place about what went wrong and at what point the gnomes had gone astray from basic morals. Societal values were discussed and future pathways were evaluated.
When gnomes take on a task, they handle it thoroughly and in detail. The olden gnome council was determined to develop societal improvements correctly. They set up an advisory board, and all home worlds were requested to send representatives to discuss the issues.
A huge multitude of completed documents resulted from their work. Titles included Standards for Gnome Ethics, Outlines for Community Growth, Guarantees of Personal Freedoms, Guidelines of Individual Responsibilities, Planet Reclamation Guiding Principles, How to Adhere to Gnomic Values in Alien Solar Systems, and so forth, in great detail.
Gnomes don’t generally get caught up in a lot of rules, but when we are envisioning our future, we do tend to get caught up in trying to anticipate every possible scenario. The councils and groups finally had to rein in their worried imaginings, sign the documents, and apply their ideals as best they could.
Things have gone well since that dark time. The formal documents have become a strong foundation for decisions about moving into an uncharted future. Ginsor’s tale of gold hoarders is much studied by young gnomes. It’s a vivid reminder of why it’s necessary to clarify morals and values, then live by them.
Ultimately, gnomes have learned much from this tragic episode. Our society has sworn to seek no rewards for our work beyond achieving healthy planets, vibrant wild spaces and contented animals. After all, what else could we need? Gnomes are much fulfilled by our social bonds and the honest work we have chosen. We are fortunate to be known and valued for our contributions to planets throughout many universes. These are the riches we celebrate.