Nimscodd
Nimscodd
Religion
Traditions
+5% Discipline
+20% Spy Network Construction
Foreign Auxiliaries for Gnomish LiberationIn the years immediately following the Dragonwake, our grand civilization- once the rival to ancient Dameria and Castanor- was pushed to the brink of extinction. Nimscodd managed to survive this dreadful kobold cataclysm, but so many of our fellows did not: and even for those who survived, few came to our shores. Combined with our species’ naturally low fecundity, the devastation of the gnomish population led to atrocious manpower shortages. If we only had Cliff Gnomes to fill our ranks, the reconquest of the Dragon Coast would be impossible.\n\nThankfully, we have allies across Cannor. Gnomes have made quite a name for themselves as artists, artisans, and artificers: this allows them to hold a place of honor among many courts and in many communities. These gnomes often spread word of the potential riches that could be gained from reconquering the Dragon Coast, acting as informal recruiters for our army. Humans, halflings, and even sometimes dwarves and elves then come to our shores, offering service for coin. With the profits we reap from Baycodds damestear, we can almost always afford their price. The Gnomish Liberation Army’s ranks are open to all friends of gnomes!
+25% Mercenary Manpower
City Planning in the SplintersThe Splinters-- the hundreds of tiny islands dotting the seas around the Dragon Coast-- were our only holdings (outside of the similarly-situated Storm Isles) for the time between the Dragonwake and our recent conquest of the Gnomish Pass. They are small, distant from the mainland, agriculturally unproductive, and feature high, uninviting cliffs. In brief, they are absolutely awful staging-grounds for a nation trying to rebuild an empire.\n\nDespite this geographic disadvantage, we have built Nimscodd into a city that rivals most of Cannor’s richest metropolises. We have managed to fit not only every basic of life, but also every luxury, into our far-flung islands. We do this through gnomish foresight: every street is planned years in advance, every building is maximized for capacity, and neighborhoods are forced to be as dense as possible. Then, we balance the long time-frames this bureaucracy necessitates by constantly, continuously building. In the Splinters, there are always roads being refurbished, homes being fabricated, and workshops under construction. Through a well-run administration, we build the power bases needed to reclaim the Dragon Coast.
-10% Construction Cost
The Island FleetWhen the world fell apart, the Island Fleet kept us safe. Originally a mercantile association used to ferry goods and gnomes between the many Splinters of the Coast, the Fleet took on increasing importance as the Dragonwake intensified. First, the Hierarchy supported the Fleet merely as a means to supply its armies with damestear. As the situation worsened, though, parts of the Fleet were diverted to help with blockades and the transport of troops. Then, when the navy was devastated by dragon’s breath, the remaining admiralty ships linked up with the Fleet and fully assimilated it into their own command. The Fleet was reorganized into a defensive machine, patrolling the many Splinter-coasts and keeping gnomish islands safe. Ever since the fall of the Hierarchy, it has protected us from dragons, rival powers, and even (as of the Age of Black Ice) Gerudian Reavers.\n\nWhen the Island Fleet became the last gnomish navy, it established its new headquarters in Nimscodd. All gnomish naval ingenuity-- our firepower, our gigantic ships, and our savvy with the sea-- has since been channeled into the Fleet, making it a behemoth of naval power and a symbol of Nimscodd’s might. We are the inheritors of the Island Fleet, and we make it stronger every year!
-10% Ship Costs
+0.5 Yearly Navy Tradition
Nimscodd Engineering AcademyArtificery was not invented in Oddansbay, nor Baycodds, nor Portnamm, nor any other metropolis from the old Hierarchy: it was invented here, in Nimscodd’s one and only Academy of Artificery and Engineering (formerly just the Nimscodd Engineering Academy). On a small, provincial island that the gnomes of the Hierarchy looked down upon, we - Nimscodd - created the science which now defines gnomish power across Halann. Our Academy is the one that now receives thousands of engineers every year from nations across Cannor. Our Academy is the one which is envied for our expertise in architecture, artillery, and artificed inventions. Our Academy is the one which continually builds and rebuilds the city of Nimscodd, and which crafts the weapons needed to reclaim the Dragon Coast!\n\nWhen the Gommo claims mastery of artificery, or Portnamm calls us backwards, or the gnomish diaspora says that we are nothing more than bucolic cliff-dwellers, let them remember that we are the reason they artifice at all. It is our Academy that invented artificing, and our Academy that remains its greatest innovator.
-10% Idea Cost
The Eyes of Dr. T.J. EcklebozzThere are four reasons why Nimscodd survived when the Hierarchy did not: the Island Fleet, our martial resilience, our natural geography, and eyes. Lots and lots of eyes.\n\nIn the waning days of the Hierarchy, the eccentric artificer Dr. Torwick Jarnolt Ecklebozz created spyglass-sentries which could be accessed remotely. While brutally expensive to manufacture in an era before modern artificing, each series of sentries had an identical (but unique) magical spyglass: and if a gnome examined just one of these unique eyeglasses, they could see through every member of the series at once. This gave us a huge advantage in intelligence, as we could not be surprised by our enemies. Admirals could see through the telescope of every ship under their command, spy-catchers could watch for malcontents in every government meeting, and generals could know ahead of time if their advance forces had been ambushed. The production of these Eyes became so important in Nimscodd that an entire glass- and lens-industry was created on the island, and that industry remains the island’s largest sector through to the present day. The Eyes not only gave us safety, but helped jumpstart our economy, too!
+10% Foreign Spy Detection
-1 National Unrest
Cliff Gnome ResilienceThe Cliff Gnomes were a marginalized group in the Old Hierarchy, being the closest of its citizens to the nomadic hill gnomes of yore. For centuries longer than the gnomes of the mainland, we rowed from island to island, held close to our familial bonds, and fought fiercely for our own autonomy. We were late adopters of sedentary civilization, and for this we were constantly scorned by the rest of the gnomes. Even once we settled down in Nimscodd, we were far too focused on survival for the rest of the Hierarchy: we cared about battle-plans and engineering more than philosophy and art. We sharpened our weapons while the others sharpened their minds.\n\nThe rest of the Hierarchy looked down on the Cliff Gnomes for their warrior spirit, but where is the rest of the Hierarchy now? They are dead, with their descendants either extinct or only returning to the Dragon Coast because of our army. It was the resilience of the Cliff Gnomes that withstood the Dragonwake, and it is now the resilience of the Cliff Gnomes that conquers on behalf of all gnomes. They should be thankful that our armies give them the freedom to think.
+8% Fort Defence
-15% Land Attrition
Artificer Combat Exoskeleton Mk. IGnomes are short in stature and weak of body, but this has never stopped us. We have always overcompensated for our physical frailty through genius: we craft the best guns, train with the best methods, and hire the best auxiliaries with our riches. But now, finally, we no longer have to fight twice as hard to achieve the same results as other species. Now, we can still have incredible firepower, innovation, and prosperity... and we can have the physical strength of a giant, too!\n\nOur artificers have invented the first working model of an Artificer Combat Exoskeleton. These exoskeletons may look like nothing more than plate armor with an oddly-red hue, but they are imbued with damestear and coated with crimson lacquer. This lacquer, when activated by magical energy, enchants the wearer with physical strength and protects them with adjurative shields. The armor’s imbued damestear provides the required magic, allowing a gnome to fight with the power of a troll and the defenses of a castle. The Artificer Combat Exoskeleton Mk. I may exhaust its damestear stores quickly, but it is only the first of many. Soon, we will craft exoskeletons that are efficient enough to supply our entire armies with permanent strength: and when we do, the world will fear the soldiers of Nimscodd!
+10% Infantry Combat Ability
Ambition
+20% Merchants
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD