The Watcher is a hooded figure appearing throughout Gnomish history. It stands about 2 meters tall, and and wears a long robe and hood, which entirely obscures it's identity. The Watcher appears several times a year, and silently walks the Gnomish lands. It never enters buildings, but will stand before open doorways or windows momentarily, before moving on. It is known to stop and watch Gnomish craftsmen or artists for hours at a time, but never speaks to them. This is usually seen as an auspicious sign for those who have been watched.
The Watcher's appearances are unpredictable, and it never seems to arrive from or leave in the same direction twice. A strong Gnomish taboo prohibits anyone from approaching the Watcher, or from interfering with it or following it. Although it has been spotted throughout Gnomish lands, the Watcher has never been spotted in the Borderlands or the Great Central Plain, which are also forbidden to the Gnomes.
The Watcher has never been known to sit, or to eat or drink; nor has it ever attempted to communicate, other than by stopping to watch someone in action.
I love this idea--so much so that I am a little upset that I didn't think of it myself. I may have to steal it for my own use.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is the color of the Watcher's Robe? Is it always the same? If it changes, is there some known pattern or meaning to it?
Originally, the Watcher's robe was a coarse-woven brownish burlap. Over the centuries, however, Gnomish weavers and seamstresses have created more elaborate robes with various decorations of one sort or another, and left them outside as offerings to the Watcher. In some rare instances, the robes have disappeared overnight, only to be seen on the Watcher afterward. In cases where no new robes have been left out, when the old robes become frayed, the Watcher next appears in rough-spun burlap once again.
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