garbled nonsense coming from a glass vase

The Nome Kingdom is home to various biomes scattered about that stretch beyond the mountain's domain. Because of the vast variety of elements, many kinds of gems are found here, with some even taking on sentient forms- there are the nomes.

Nomes come in a variety of sizes, colors, and even physical components, but they all share one particular characteristic: every nome is made up almost entirely of rock.

Many nomes are composed of gemstones such as Emeralds, Sodalites, Agates– the list goes on. Anything under the soil could potentially be a nome. 

All of them share a few visual characteristics; hair peaks are almost always seen on any resident of the kingdom. It would be considered pretty weird to see a nome without one! Nomes also typically have  tails of varying length with a tuft of hair on the end and pointed, elfish ears.

Much like armadillos or beetles, a majority of a nome’s body is covered in solid rock, which is commonly referred to as scales or shells. Whichever gemstone one is made of heavily dictates what their particular shell looks like. While most are solid rock,some have much thinner layers or lack one entirely, or, conversely,  their skin itself is the shell.  They’re made as durable as the Mountain decides so. 

Nomes aren’t birthed in any conventional human sense; they are formed inside the Mountain's earth and, when ready, are ‘popped’ out, usually left to be found by another nome. This means that they’re sexless, and pronouns such as he/him and she/her are personal, conscious choices.

Due to this system of reproduction, nomes lack familial dynamics such as parents or siblings. An older nome taking care of a baby nome (affectionately called pebbles) will become a ‘mentor’ figure. These mentor figures are usually the ones who bestow names to these pebbles, typically inspired by the names of their actual rock. However, it’s important to note that nomes do not usually go by their mineral name. They’re only referred to as such by doctors or when it's legally required to do so. In fact, it’s seen as disrespectful to casually refer to a nome by their mineral name, unless they explicitly request to be. 

There’s also the case of nomes who are made out of… less than favorable minerals. Hazards are usually kept away and isolated if they aren’t useful to the king. Unfortunately, a lot of them are remembered only as folklore tales. The elder nomes speak of a nome that existed years ago who was supposedly made of uranium.

The area where they’re formed also affects their appearance- if a nome is formed near the surface or upper layers, they tend to have thicker shells and have much more hair. This is essential for farmers who work on the surface. 

Their nutritional needs are very unlike humans’. Instead of meats or grains, nomes rely on … if you would believe it– rocks! No one really questions ‘cannibalism’ nor should you. Don’t worry they eat regular food items like moss and mushrooms, but coal is universally enjoyed and what you’ll mostly see in a nomes pantry.

(When it comes to inspiration for OCs, please keep in mind a specific rock or gem inspiration isn’t  required! There are nomes based on animals like olms, moles, and other burrowing animals! There's a lot of potential which I encourage people to explore.)

Most of the Nome Kingdom’s resources come from deep fissures in the deepest layers of their civilization. Minerals are mined out of the earth and serve a variety of purposes for  the nomes, being used as material for tools, buildings, and even food. Joys. :3

The lowest layer is the most populated and unfortunately the most overworked. Nomes in this area work primarily in mining and harvesting minerals like coal and inanimate gems. There are also engineers here that perform maintenance on the equipment used in mining.

Traveling slightly upward to the lower levels; they are mainly populated by factory workers who process the minerals mined from the bottom layer and remove impurities from them. They also smelt iron down into ingots so that they may be used as material for tools, machines etc.

While it could first seem like there's more factories and warehouses than actual living spaces, the lower levels are the most densely populated. Large areas  of the lower layers are extremely  dangerous; certain mine shafts have to be left unoccupied when unused because they emit toxic fumes.

The Furnace is here as well, but we try not to think about it too much. 

Nomes travel between layers via rickety elevators and railroads. Here, the upper layers grow more and more quiet the further up you travel. There’s not nearly as many nomes up here, but the work hours remain the same. Instead of factories, there are only warehouses populated by engineers and smiths who provide support to the lowest layers.

Transitioning to the "mid levels," tool makers and hospitals make up the majority of this area. This is where you might see seamstresses, a few artisans and tinkerers, and overall regular occupations you'd see in any human town. This level is a kind of common place where many nomes from different layers come to sleep, relax, etc. 

In addition, it’s probably the safest layer for any nome of any condition to live in. So younger nomes reside here most commonly before they’re sent to work in a lower level. Although it isn’t uncommon for younger nomes to receive education ‘on the field’---  They receive the most grace here by the seamstresses and what would be the closest thing to teachers in the Nome kingdom. 

Between and across the layers are telephone & morse code operators who carry messages to and from the king & his officials. 

The higher levels are far more isolated than those below.  Some artisans and tinkerers stay here, but instead of providing for the kingdom as a whole, they produce most of the finery you see in King Roquat's castle. It’s a luxury to be this far up into the layers and there's hardly a reason to complain.

Their housing here, populated only by high-ranking officials, is fancier and far better kept by actual housekeepers and ‘gardeners.’ 

Somewhere hidden within this layer’s crevices, is the Metal Forest. This area is where most of the artisans' attention is focused: a  completely artificial forest populated by fake plants made of golden wire and precious gems scattered around a lake; all made at Roquat's command.

The tunnels to the Metal Forest are hidden from everyone but the royal artisans and the king himself. The only direct paths to the area are located within the castle.

Speaking of which, the Nome King’s Castle itself is barren and quiet without the occasional presence of “intruders,” and regular nomes are forbidden to even approach the castle without direct permission from an official. Only housekeepers and royal servants dwell in the castle, but most residents keep to themselves, as any wrong move could lead to their demise. 

Much like the Metal Forest, the surface is barely known nor regarded since Roquat not only forbids it, but enforces the belief that the surface is barren and has nothing for the nomes. He isn’t completely wrong- as a great portion of the Nome kingdoms mountain is surrounded by the Deadly Desert. Though he completely omits the possibility of safe land– Despite him directly overseeing the creation of farms on the surface. Unbeknownst to him and literally any other nome- there is a single nome who decides to live on the Deadly Desert's sand anyway.

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...And that's as much as I can think of on top of my soft skull! Thank you for making it so far :)!!!! Credits to @jack-pumpkinhead-my-beloved for proofreading and editing this post. tysm kris :''''3

Here's a few examples of nomes that my friends have lovingly made :D

(Geopel -> @strawbunshortcakegooboo, Soda -> @joypawz, Vil -> @cipherrepeat, Sorin -> @hot-soup-the-game, Clorb -> @clowninin, and Esme -> @reaper4thekill)

Frequent Questions

• Can I make my own nome oc/sona? Of course! but currently at your own discretion. as in the time of posting this, i do not have any publicly available guide sheet for making ocs. If you do, please tag me or use the tag #oz nomes or #nome kingdom of oz!

• Is there a discord server for nomes? Currently, no. Nor do i see myself making one in the future. Hosting a public space is very stressful for me & i would much rather leave public discussions to this tumblr blog.

• Can I use your nome canon in my own works? As long as you credit me, i'm cool with it! but PLEASE consider dming me beforehand. i'm very particular about how the nomes are handled and i would like to make sure we're on the same page with the lore.