Quote from Kerrec >>

Dorbo bristles at the question and replies, "Those of us that have come to recolonize Blingdenstone are for the most part NOT soldiers.  As a leader, I will not condemn our people to death fighting a foe they do not wish to battle for a dream they don't want to die for."

Beegred catches on to why Rodolfo and Skameros are annoyed by these gnome leaders.

"I hadn't thought about it that way. You are right about not fighting. We've tried to help out your group with small tasks, for small favors in return. If you are out of errands for us to do, we should be on our way to the surface. No need for us to continue risking our lives, when the only reward is your dream, that you seem ready to abandon anyways.

"Without a lot more aid and resources, I don't see what the five of us alone can do against a river of acid oozes."

Orubis holds up a hand. “I agree, it’s unfair to ask anyone to fight all of those monstrosities… but what if we could just go deal with the Pudding King? A significant blow for what I’m sure will be significant reward.”

Chipgrin, the wererat chief of Clan Goldwhisker stands in a corner of the chamber, mostly unnoticed or ignored.  At Orubis's words, he speaks up, "Indeed, even Clan Goldwhisker would not agree to a direct assault on that horde of oozes.  We fight them regularly in one's and two's and still we lose a clan member too deep in their transformation to control the blood lust.  Fighting them all at once would be folly.  Even for those of us in control.

Oozes naturally lack intelligence.  Something is giving them a voice and coordinating them.  We think that is The Pudding King.  Remove him and the oozes may revert and leave on their own... we'd just have to stay out of their way."

Rodolfo says, "Do we even know what it looks like? Has anyone been close to it? Does it even actually exist?"

Again, Chipgrin responds, "The Pudding King is a gnome.  One of the first to return to Blingdenstone, before the settlers arrived.  I know where he lives, where he sits on his throne.  I can bring you right to him, or point on that map where that is.  But I won't,  unless Clan Goldwhisker is allowed to remain in our homes and for those we gave our gift, they can return to their families.  Peace between us, or we take the wizard's advice and retreat from the threat of this Pudding King and the bigotry of the settlers."

The revelation by Chipgrin that The Pudding King is a gnome, and his demands to live among the other gnomes, causes the chamber to erupt in argument.  Senni and Dorbo lose control of the gathering.

Rodolfo casts spider climb on himself and walks up the wall to the ceiling to observe the whole situation. He won't say anything unless prompted.

The gnomes are so intent on their arguing that they don't notice Rodolfo hanging upside down above them.

[Perception: 11]

Skameros watches Rodolfo scamper up the wall and smiles

Orubis looks at the others still on the ground. “You in or out?” 

Rodolfo raises his voice from the ceiling. "Hello! From a different perspective it seems like you are arguing whether you want to first run and then die or just die, instead of working with your kin to have a chance of life. The drow will definitely not care which aspect made you weak before killing or enslaving everyone. If there ever is a time to work together against a common enemy then this is it."

As Rodolfo's words sink in to the assembled gnomes, Chipgrin chips in, "Aye!  Listen to what the albino mage has to say!"

Afterwards, Burrow Warden Jaeger begins to speak, "Divisiveness among the Svirfneblin leading to a half hearted show of force when helping our allies at Mitrhil Hall is what I think invited the Drow to assault Blingdenstone, killing so many of us.  Divisiveness here, now, will simply lead us all to repeat the same mistakes."

Senni looks up to the ceiling at Rodolfo, "You surfacers always this dramatic?"  The levity deflates the tension in the council room.

She continues, "Right then.  Let me make this clear!  Our expeditionary force does not have a right to claim Blingdenstone out from underneath Clan Goldwhisker.  They have been here the whole time we've been living on the surface.  It is not for us to decide to let them live here.  It is for them to decide to let us live here."  She turns to Chipgrin.

Chipgrin looks surprised.  Dorbo looks apoplexic. 

Chipgrin shrugs, his logic simple.  "Whoever wants to live here, has to fight for it.  If we do not fight, none of us will live here.  Even the tall ones can claim Blingdenstone as their home, if they take the fight to the Pudding King.  And it is obvious to me we have to eliminate the Pudding King first, then see what happens.  Even Clan Goldwhisker can't fight that horde of oozes.  Shall we figure out how to make that possible?"

Rodolfo walks back down to the floor and walks up to his smaller band of surface-seekers.

He says quietly, "Should we lend our aid once more? With hopefully a promise of showing us the way to the Mithril Hall should we be successful? We have been... somewhat lucky so far in our journey through Underdark, but I'm afraid we won't get far if we just strike out randomly again."

The council proceeds to decide how to save Blingdenstone.  At the end of several hours of planning and brainstorming, the following plan is conceived...

• Yellow area: Clan Goldwhisker territory
• Blue area: Inner Blingdenstone
• Green area: The Rockblight
• Red area: Horde of Oozes
• "PK": The Pudding King's throne room.

The Plan:

• An assault from the north of the red area by a combined force will distract and draw the horde of oozes away from the south and west.
• The cave-in blocking the north east from the Rockblight will be blasted open. "BOOM HERE" on map.
• A small strike force will follow the east-most section of old Blingdenstone to strike at The Pudding King in his throne room.  (Green path).

However, the plan has lots of room for improvements...

1. The earth elementals would be the perfect attack force to take on the oozes in the distraction assault.  However, if the way is blasted open, Ogremoch's Bane may escape the Rockblight and take over the elementals.  As long as Ogremoch's Bane is around, earth elementals can't be used.  Ogremoch's Bane needs to be dealth with.
2. Nomi Pathshutter, emboldened by the proof of her theory that the entity in the Rockblight is Ogremoch's Bane, now wishes to pursue another myth: Entremoch's Boon.  A location suffused by Entremoch where summoned elementals become even stronger.  She believes it is worth spending the time to find the location of that place.  (Assuming Ogremoch's Bane is dealth with and elementals can be used).
3. Kazook Pickshine has a recipe to make a concoction that will protect weapons and armor from the corrosiveness of the oozes and slimes.  However, this recipe requires a large quantity of hard to find mushrooms.  Kazook points out that your party has already been and knows where Neverlight Grove is... where legends say every kind of mushroom grows in profusion...
4. Dorbo and Senni would prefer the gnomes, and even Clan Goldwhisker,  not engage the horde of oozes in melee.  They would prefer to send a delegation with an escort to the Duergar city of Blades, to trade the recently mined salts for crossbows and as many bolts as possible.
5. A small force of trained warriors need to be selected to take the fight to the Pudding King.  These individuals need to be trained as fast as possible to fight the unexpected and win, at all costs.  Burrow Warden Jaeger offers to train anyone willing.

Quote from nschrock >>

Orubis looks at the others still on the ground. “You in or out?” 

Beegred (grumpily): "I'm already standing up. Stop making fun of my height."

Quote from Winenose >>

He says quietly, "Should we lend our aid once more? With hopefully a promise of showing us the way to the Mithril Hall should we be successful? We have been... somewhat lucky so far in our journey through Underdark, but I'm afraid we won't get far if we just strike out randomly again."

"Cheap-Grin has said some interesting stuff. If we fight and knock off the Prancing King, that would give the dirt gnomes the right (in the were-rat eyes) to live with around here, no matter what else they argue about.

"If we save them from a big threat and give them a boost in their talks, I expect more help from the gnomes. We keep hearing how they have little help to give, because they need it to fight. But now we hear that they don't even plan on fighting...

"At the least, I'd want them to give a big weapon that won't melt in Skameros's hands when fighting with the oozes. Either magic, or some acid-immune metal, or have one of those foraging-type clerics put a 24-hour blessing on his weapon so it survives the fight. Whacking from a distance would keep him safe from acid splashes, which makes it more likely we all survive.

"If we get more resources (in advance like maybe healing potions, or as a reward later) that matches the threat level, then I'd be willing to fight to make things better here. Orubis's idea of a precise strike at the snake's head would give us a chance, combined with the military intelligence from Cheap-Grin."

“I’d love to go see the Grove!” orubis says

Beegred (to whoever we are talking to): "No thanks on visiting the Durr-Garr. They don't seem all that friendly, and might make a bad deal with "outsiders" involved.

"You said Gnomey had an idea to make your rock servants stronger? Where is the old fart-bag revered lady now? Maybe we can find this Enter Much Baboon place for her. But we'd need a lot more info and guidance to find a mythical place that might not even exist."

Orubis nods along with Beegred emphatically 

Rodolfo nods as well. "lets do that." 

As the council discusses the different strategies and which to pursue, Rodolfo volunteers your party to search for Entremoch's Boon, to the delight of Nomi Pathshutter who is ecstatic have her theories taken seriously.

After the council ends and the gnomes set about their tasks, Nomi finds your party, carrying a large tome.  "This is the recorded knowledge of all the surviving gnomes, gathered for the Stoneheart Enclave before we set off on the expedition.  It contains stories recalled by elders, copies of manuscripts that the survivors thought were important enough to save during their exodus and every myth and superstition the scribes thought relevant to Blingdenstone.

This tome does contain oral myths about Entremoch's Boon, a cave where summoned elementals never turn against their masters and are stronger than usual.  However, there is a copy of a manuscript that was in poor condition, that detailed the summoning circle needed to summon Entremoch, Prince of Elemental Earth.  The depictions of the circle are not adequate to reproduce a summoning circle ourselves, but it does mention that getting it wrong can cause unknown entities to be summoned.  Given that there is no known circle in Blingdenstone, it would seem one of the precautions our ancestors took is to locate this summoning circle some distance away from the city proper.

I don't have much more information to provide.  The only other oddity is this symbol next to the drawing of the circle, a small triangle within a larger triangle.  I have asked Senni if I could have a priest speak with the dead.  Surely there are plenty of corpses we could speak to in the crypt.  One of them had to have been a priest that knows something.  But Senni never took my theories of Ogremoch's Bane or Entremoch's Boon seriously before today."

Orubis perks up. “Do you think someone messed up a circle? Could that be what’s causing the madness of ogremach’s bane?”