Great Tree Village

A small gnomish village deep in the Whimsical Woods.

Buildings

 * Mushroom Mill: A hollowed out mound containing the rotting logs used for mushroom production. The side of the mound connects to Rigby's Stream which is used for washing the cultivated mushrooms.
 * Mergrims Medicine: Mergrim doesn't advertise his "Shop" because it is just the village "Hospital". It is a medium sized oak tree with 3 stories.

Landmarks

 * Driftwood Dock: A small dock attached to the bank of Rigbys Stream. It holds small wooden canoes the gnomes use for travel to Emeraldbrim lake.
 * Spirits Bed: A small cluster of flowers that are said to hold the spirits of deceased gnomes. A sort of graveyard for gnomes.

Natural

 * The Great Tree: The heart of the town and its people. It is a massive great oak which stands at the centre of the town next to Rigby's stream.
 * Rigby's Stream: The river/stream the passes through the village and supplies a way of travel, and clean drinking water.

History
The village was created around 300+ years ago back when gnomes first entered the forest. Rigby Glittergold, the first gnome chief and descendant of Garl Glittergold founded the village, and was the first to commune with the Great Tree. No battles have been waged since the creation of the town, only a few odd occurrences have even been recorded. The village has been a safe place for the gnomes to live, and the Great Tree provides protection from the Whimsical Woods themselves.

Government
The Great Tree Village is run in a democratic system with one person at the head, the Chief. Most things that would seem illegal are illegal.

Protection
The village is protected by a magic roots, dense trees, and vines that create a natural defense from entering the village. The vines tend to snare people when trying to get near the village and then the natural wildlife takes care of it from there.

People
The village is known to be 100% forest gnomes with a population of around 500.

Resources

 * Wood is collected from the surrounding forest.
 * Metal is rare due to minimal trading from Kirkwall
 * Water is collected in Rigbys Stream
 * Food is foraged from fruit trees, produced in the Mushroom Mill, and scavenged from the woods

Housing
The gnomes live within hollowed out (living) trees. The trees can range from small birch trees to massive oaks. Small rope bridges link different trees together, almost like different rooms to a house. Fire is not widely used within the trees so one must capture fireflies or use fluorescent moss for lighting.

Relations
The village has no relations to any other village or town besides Kirkwall. Trading with Kirkwall is difficult and rare due to the fact that villagers must first disguise themselves before heading into town.

Culture
The gnomes in the village tend to think of each other as family and treat each other as such. Most food is shared and anyone who tends to keep to themselves are uncommon.

Rituals
The village has only a couple of mandatory rituals, which most agree are necessary for the well-being of the town and its people
 * The Great Sustenance: Gnomes from the village offer prayers and food for The Great Tree in order to keep it healthy and sustain it for the following year. [Mid Spring]
 * Chiefs Ceremony: The gnomes elect their next chief when the previous one retires or dies in a democratic meeting within The Great Tree. [Late Summer]
 * The Death Ritual: When a member of the village dies the village performs a ritual in the hopes of imbuing the spirit of the deceased into one of the many flowers in the forest. If the ritual is successful the flower glows faintly at night. [Varies]

Practices
The village is almost entirely sustained on the mushrooms produced within the mill, making the villagers experts on mushroom identification, collection, and growing. Since metal is scarce within the village, the gnomes have adapted to make sturdy wooden weapons which are then imbued with strength by the Great Tree. The gnomes are friendly and take great care to make each other gnome happy.

The Great Tree
The Great Tree is the home of the Chief, and serves as the main place of worship, rituals, and festivals within the town. The tree is said to only be able to talk to the Chief of the village and its words are always taken seriously. It is well over 5 stories and has small homes build into its strong bark. Most houses near the tree are connected to it by rope bridges and all are welcome inside.

Noteworthy Points

 * Gnomes from this village only eat meat for celebratory purposes
 * No recorded gnome deaths from falling off of the rope bridges
 * Picking a glowing flower is punishable by banishment from the village
 * The mushrooms at the mill grow at an incredible rate
 * Swimming is safe within Rigby's Stream
 * Gnomes from this village dislike the underground