Angstholm

History

In 4992, a compound of Wendwillow gnomes camping on an island at the confluence of three rivers in the lake country northwest of Ta'Nalfein was lost to a rushing deluge. The few survivors who made their way back upriver vowed never to place themselves at the mercy of more powerful forces again. With the help of some Winedotter engineers, they fortify their island with a wondrous array of traps, flood tunnels, and other mechanisms of defense . . . and then effectively disappear from history. Rarely does a visitor to the island of Angstholm return to tell a tale, and when they do they often report having found nothing whatever but thickly-forested land. It is rumored that Angstholm gnomes have built fortress compounds on other, similarly located islands.

Description

The Angstholm rarely leave their island fortress home, and when they do they are notoriously private and shy among strangers. They make acquaintance slowly, and even among their closest friends they say little about their homeland. The Angstholm gnomes remain dedicated to their founders' pledge to tame the elements through the study of elemental magic. They have long been disdainful of the Arkati, whom they hold responsible for the flood. Many have turned away from the Arkati altogether to worship the elements directly.

The bloodmark of the Angstholm consists of two concentric pentagons with a wavy line representing floodwater coursing over the top.

Reference

• Forest Gnomes: Thoughts from an Angstholm Raised Half-Elf (official documentation)
• Races: Forest Gnomes on play.net
• History of the Gnomes: Other Bloodlines on play.net