Gnorri As in the waking world, the oceans of the Dreamlands and suspicion of the gnorri has given way to respect are places of beauty and mystery to those who dwell and support, and today the gnorri are valued as trade upon their shores or ply their waves Also as in the partners and scouts, plying their extensive knowledge waking world, the oceans can be as perilous as they of the sea and its hazards as guides This skill with are breathtaking Drowning, terrific storms, churning alchemy and surgery makes an alliance with the gnorri vortices, crushing pressures, dangerous animals, and very valuable to surface dwellers (see Culture for the threat of horrific sea monsters populate frightful more detail) tales told of the sea These last, perhaps above all else, inspire endless terror in the imagination of many It should come as no surprise to learn that many sailors and coastal dwellers view the gnorri with a mixture of fear, loathing, and hatred, for here are creatures that ape the vestige of humanity, yet are little like humanoids at all Their strange-colored skin, mutable number of arms, and tentacle-like lower bodies seem designed by a malevolence bent on evoking many of humanity’s deepest fears The gnorri lurk in the lightless depths of unplumbed ocean trenches and shadowed reefs, mysterious and alien to those who breathe air and abide upon the land Yet not all that dwells beneath the waves is malevolent While there are those among the gnorri who harbor sadism and cruelty in their hearts, this is no different than any sentient race; on the whole the gnorri are more interested in trading than warring with land dwellers Indeed, in certain ports, the initial fear 28 History The oceans of the Dreamlands have been the home of gnorri enclaves as long as humanoids have dreamed Since the first dreamers sought to sail those cerulean waters, they have spotted strange bearded faces peering up from below and wondered The gnorri themselves are unusual among many cultures in that they are not particularly interested in where they come from or, indeed, where they’re going To the gnorri race, it is enough to believe that they have always existed, and thus they are comforted in the knowledge that they will always exist Certainly, their coral cities and grottos often have the appearance of great age, indicating that their presence in the sea has lasted much longer than humanity’s presence on land Certain rare texts suggest that the first gnorri existed before humanity grew to understand the peculiarities of dream Indeed, the first tribes of coastal-dwelling societies understood and feared the ocean, and in their troubled dreams imagined ways of surviving in the depths Over the course of eons, these primitive humanoids learned to build boats and sail In so doing, they lost their waking fear of the sea, and their awed