The Bleaching is the physical decolorization and unnatural aging of a gnome, and is caused by a lack of exposure to new and exciting experiences. This leaching of color is accompanied by a psychological decline and loss of charisma, first into depression and apathy, and almost always eventually into madness and death.

Gnomish efforts to fend off the Bleaching serve only to fuel their innate curiosity and whimsy, giving it somewhat of a manic edge. Some claim that the Bleaching is a result of the gnomes' leaving the world outside the Sanctum's Mantle thousands of years ago.

The Bleaching begins to manifest in early adulthood, and is characterized by a blanching of skin, hair, and eye color. The complexion of the gnomish body is tied to the experiences she alights upon. The more shocking and vivid a gnome's life, the more vivid in color she herself becomes. In contrast, a lack of excitement causes a fading of color and is accompanied by depression and the dulling of curiosity, heralding the beginning of a vicious spiral that leads to insanity and death. This rapid ageing causes some to believe that gnomes are immune to normal aging, which is untrue.

Gnomes age like other humanoid ancestries, but are quite long-lived, almost as long-lived as elves. They simply must contend with the effects of the Bleaching in addition to their normal aging. As gnomes age naturally, they require increasing amounts of excitement and new experiences to stave off the Bleaching, a condition that runs counter to the greater familial and social responsibility expected of older gnomes. This pressure can cause aging gnomes to commit very foolish acts that lead to their death.