Chapter 20: Garoth's Fear
The Rock Gnawer Tribe had a strict hierarchy where every gnome knew their place, their superiors, and their subordinates.
Above all the gnomes stood two figures.
Broken-Tusk Grolk, the gnome chieftain who could control the Giant-Arm Miner, and Pustule Grozz, the shaman of the Rock Gnawer Tribe who was also an alchemist wielding what other gnomes saw as miraculous alchemical magic.
At this moment.
Broken-Tusk Grolk was brutally impaling a gnome who had challenged his authority in the tribe's open clearing, hanging the body on a wooden frame, lighting a bonfire to roast it directly, and making other gnomes share the meal.
This gnome chieftain was already quite old.
Nearly 30 years.
Gnomes typically lived about fifty years, but 30 was considered elderly.
Survival in the wilderness was harsh, and the Rock Gnawer Tribe had limited resources. Very few gnomes lived past 30, most dying in their teens.