Gnome: City and Town Structures

Cities of gnomish design are somewhat overwhelming at first sight. They consist of structures both great and small, forming a strange puzzle-like architecture. They do manage a certain harmony though, but it often leaves first-time visitors with a certain sense of vertigo. Yet, everything has a purpose in a gnomish mountain city.

Cities are known to gnomes as Yak-toh (Yak meaning: the place where you gather; and Toh meaning: people). They are divided by the different schools of invention. Each subsection has a college, residential housing, practice halls, and dining halls, which makes each subsection like a small village within a Yak-toh. The only large structure that is central to all gnomish cities is their festivity hall. This hall is decorated and holds not only grounds for celebrations but many commemorative statues and displays that honor past creations.

Defenses of a gnomish city are minimal. There's usually only light militia since they often depend on the aid of nearby dwarven clans. Occasionally, however, an enterprising gnome creates a particular device or machine that takes care of their entire security system. Many a story has been told of magnificent machines that have taken out entire monstrous armies that attacked gnomish settlements.