GOME CLANS
GOME CLANS FROM BLACKHOPE SCAR
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In Blackhope Scar, we are introduced to a few of the different types of gome that inhabit Scotland.
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Bog Murtles
I don’t know why I even started this list with Bog Murtles, because it is not entirely clear whether Bog Murtles are even gomes at all. They can be found near stagnant ponds and stinking peat bogs and may represent another kind of magical Scottish creature that is not based on a type of rock.
Finn’s memory is a bit vague since he was only about seven years old when he encountered a Bog Murtle at the foot of Great Uncle Hugh McDougall’s garden in Tobermory. Hugh was obviously familiar with this particular Bog Murtle. He referred to it as a “she” so maybe some (or all?) Bog Murtles are female. Hugh seemed to think that this one was more likely to show up at certain times of year but he has no idea what they do and where they go the rest of the time.
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Graywackies
We found out about this clan of gomes in a very dramatic way when they attacked Finn, Hadley, Hugh and Wullie on the slopes of Blackhope Scaur. They are formed from soft Graywacke rock, originally from the sea but now forming large clans that are scattered across the hillsides of Scotland. Here is how Finn first described them:
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Their broad flat bodies were daubed with colorful war paint depicting fierce animals or snarling devils. Their skinny arms carried spears and clubs. Some wore headdresses made from spiky thistle leaves, bramble branches, and feathers. They had narrow cracks for eyes, thin cruel mouths, and sharp teeth.
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Graywackies are timid and disorganized. They are also rather flat and brittle and can be smashed into dust and gravel by a solid hit from another rock… or by a very hard, sharp, titanium-tipped head!
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Lignites
This type of gome is formed from Lignite, a rock that is softer than coal but harder than peat. They live near peat bogs in areas where there are also deep coal seams nearby. They are fearsome and well organized. They are solid blocks about twelve inches in all directions. Their bodies are soft and moist and they can absorb blows from sharp objects of from rocky blows. They take great pride in their connection to the mountains of Scotland and fashion their weapons and head dresses from stag antlers and ram skulls.
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Pit-Bing-Gomes
When humans dig coal out from deep underground they bring a lot of other rock with them. This other rock cannot be burned and so has no value for humans. They called it “Slag” and once the coal has been removed from the slag it is piled up in “Bings” near the coal mine (which is sometimes called a coal pit). In their usual careless and unobservant way the human miners cannot distinguish between regular lifeless pieces of slag and gomes made from this type of rock. Pit-Bing-Gomes have great anger at being discarded so rudely by humans. Most Pit-Bing-Gomes are poorly educated since they spend most of their time underground in abandoned mines or lying about in huge piles of slag arguing with each other. They are not well organized but occasionally they will rally behind a very powerful leader like Bluebeard.
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Slagpiles
The Slagpiles are one of the clans of Pit-Bing-Gomes that inhabit the south of Scotland and the north of England where a lot of coal mining goes on.
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Waterworts
These were the first type of gomes that Finn was ever introduced to. After he met Stinky-The-Bog-Murtle in Tobermory when he was seven, Finn’s Great Uncle Hugh took Finn for walks on the beach where they would occasionally find a small flat “skipping stone” that would sing as it bounced off the surface of the water. Waterworts can come in all shapes and sizes. They prefer to stay underwater but close to the shore where they can occasionally come ashore to annoy humans. Larger Waterworts get covered in seaweed and barnacles because they spend so much time in the water. They are always hungry and bad-tempered and like to eat the shells of crabs, lobsters and shell-fish, throwing away all the meat and guts.
GOME CLANS FROM TWILIGHT CAVE
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Slate Gomes
Although much more fragile and brittle than many gomes this clan makes up for their physical weakness by being smart and tracking on a lot of details. Slate gomes are often employed as bureaucrats, and accountants. They record workers and visitors coming in and out of the city (like the sentries at the northern and southern arches to Level One). Some work as assistants to a Translator (as Nicomedes is to Catlaysmo—attending to the detailed inventory of Catalysmo’s spices and petraglifs). Notarius is another example of a slate gome and has been cataloging events on the Justice Wall for over a century.
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Dolomites
These are limestone gomes who are cunning and untrustworthy. Desperandum was once a Dolomite but now has transformed himself into “so much more.” Limestone gomes are very plentiful in caves. They are used for lots of menial jobs in Barcelunda like miners and algae workers.
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Migmatite
A northern Scandinavian clan of brave, solid gomes made mostly of striped Migmatite rock. They wear fur robes and domed metal hats with sharp teeth attached to show their connection to the fierce human Viking warriors of the past.
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Barcelundan Spies
These sinister creatures are made out of jet black rock like obsidian. They have great skill in being able to hide in very dark places, move quietly and track enemies.