gnomes in Avalon

I've gone about creating a tabletop setting based on both history and myth. Joan of Arc survives her burning by the church and escapes into the woods of Avalon, a mystical land that should not exist. As the church sends nobles and schemers after her, they also find Avalon, and that's pretty much what kicks off this mystical battle for the land that was once called the Garden of Eden. 

A magical land needs magical species, and the one I'm furthest along in creating would be the gnomes of Avalon. They're explorers by nature. Just going down to the river for water would be an arduous task for a gnome. They are small enough to be unseen by others, taking cover in the foliage of trees and shrubs or using magic to become imperceptible to outsiders. They often use air vehicles to travel, like a hot air balloon, but for someone the size of a Barbie/GI Joe. I think they'll also use magical mounts, but can only use baby griffins and so on. Maybe there's a special ceremony when the creature becomes too large to be ridden by a gnome, and they often come back and stay with the gnomes because those families are the ones who raised them. 

I'm thinking about creating a small species that doesn't become too large, maybe a barn owl, but with the body of a squirrel or a cat or raccoon. And I think they'll mostly talk in Scottish accents but that changes based on the family and village. I want to inject more of the world into a story ostensibly fought between the French and English over Avalon. Maybe they even use big beetle shells as shields or house pets the way we keep dogs? 

I like the idea of small and mighty heroes. Unlike most other species in Avalon, the gnomes have seen the world of man. They've travelled and know of the horrors of greed and hatred that plague the kingdoms beyond Avalon's edge. But they don't lose hope and they still believe that a challenge doesn't mean you should give up on your dreams. It's something gnomes had to culturally accept in order to keep up woth larger species in Avalon and beyond. 

Oh, and they love naps. Every adventure seems 3x as long and hard to them so their airships often have rotations since gnomes prefer to take 3 naps every day instead of sleeping for a full night. They have shorter days and nights and are always on the move. So their calendar would be very different to those who rise and sleep to the cycle of the sun.