Ferrodyne

Description

The city itself is spawling and low – gnomes tend to live a lot like Tolkien's Hobbits, in semi-underground burrows. Partially this is their nature, partially this is done for the same reasons fireworks factories in our world do it – to contain explosions.

While most cities are laid out with different “Quarters” – i.e. Merchant Quarter, Temple Quarter, University Quarter – Ferrodyne is a complete hodge-podge. This has to do with the Gnomish mindset. For example, a workshop belonging to a clockwork expert might also contains a well-used but fascinating library, open to the public for a small fee. Pretty much the whole city is jumbled up together.

Gnomes have an innate need to build – so the city is constantly changing as stuff is torn down and built up new. Consequently, there are no accurate maps of Ferrodyne. Fortunately, the street signs are quite descriptive and informative – if you read Gnomish.