Grimnir, sensing no immediate danger, you trek down into the center of the room, into the flat circular area in the middle. Slight emanations and the symbols along the edges indicate this as some sort of summoning circle, but for what, you're not sure. It's probably worth reporting back to to the gnomes in Blingdenstone that you've found the place, and cleared out the monsters within. Maybe they can figure out how to use it.

Oorr, you do a little more thorough search of the stones and petrified creatures in the area. Near the back of the cavern, in a nest of pebbles, you find 3 slate-gray, spherical eggs. They are 6 inches in diameter, and weigh about 20 pounds each. You would have mistaken them for plain rocks if not for the uniform shape, and the fact that you saw two of them wobble slightly, indicating there may be something inside.



What do you all do?

Oorr touches all three eggs. If they are even a bit warmer than the surrounding stone, then they contain hatchlings. Oorr has done this a lot of times back in the beautiful days of the Star Mounts, but those were Giant Eagle eggs.

"If there are hatchlings here... I feel very bad for killing the parents. We are now responsible for the life of these. We could take them to the gnomes, they have the predisposition to take care of them."

Quote from filcat >>

Oorr touches all three eggs. If they are even a bit warmer than the surrounding stone, then they contain hatchlings. Oorr has done this a lot of times back in the beautiful days of the Star Mounts, but those were Giant Eagle eggs.

"If there are hatchlings here... I feel very bad for killing the parents. We are now responsible for the life of these. We could take them to the gnomes, they have the disposition to take care of them."

 You do detect a warmth, though it is slight. These eggs seem to have much thicker, stonier shells than you would be accustomed to.

Grimnir is excited. "nice, is that basilisk eggs ? Can I keep one ? Do you think I could use it as a mount ?"
So many idea start to take form in Grimnir minds

"Well, you can keep one, if you promise me you'll treat it well."

Oorr will then give an egg to Grimnir, the other in his backpack. It is time to get back to Blingdenstone, where he'll show the priest the way to Entemoch's Boon leave the egg to him. And, hopefully, they all will get some rest.

Brox follows the discoveries and the conversations, then states simply: "Yes, a little rest sounds lovely."

Grimnir takes the egg. A warm feeling radiates from it.
With caution, he rolls a blanket around and place it in his bag pack.

"Very well, I'm good to go. And yes, I think getting some rest somewhere would be nice"

You collect the eggs and return to Blingdenstone, first stopping off at the temple to inform Gurnik of the location of Entemoch’s Boon. He seems ecstatic and immediately sends crews of gnomes to follow the exact directions Oorr can provide. He also takes the two eggs proffered, mentioning they have a place there can raise and train them to work for the deep gnomes.

You spend the night back at the Foaming Mug, and rest for the morning. 

Is there anything you would like to do either that evening In town or at the inn?  Do you tell them about the third basilisk egg or keep that a secret? 

Grimnir look at his friends. " I am sure I can turn this one friendly, I believe it's all about how we tame it... Let's keep between ourselves for now if it's ok with you."

Does Grimnir know how much time before the egg opens ? Survival: 18 + guidance3

Before the long rest, Oorr will spend the last magical energy to attune to the Underdark and check on the types of creatures that are still nearby.

Quote from RonanKP >>

Grimnir look at his friends. " I am sure I can turn this one friendly, I believe it's all about how we tame it... Let's keep between ourselves for now if it's ok with you."

Does Grimnir know how much time before the egg opens ? Survival: 17 + guidance3

You're not familiar enough with basilisks to know exactly when this one will hatch, but based on what you can derive from the egg itself, and similar creatures, it's not ready to hatch any time soon, and will likely be a few months.

Quote from filcat >>

Before the long rest, Oorr will spend the last magical energy to attune to the Underdark and check on the types of creatures that are still nearby.

 You sense the presence of elementals, similar to before, which is expected. Fiends as well, which has been a constant presence in your travels due to the demonic activity. 

You get a meal and a long rest that night the Foaming Mug. In the morning, after your breakfast, Tappy Foamstrap approaches your table.

"Hey fellas," she says, then turning her head to Brox, "and lady. I got a message for you. The Diggermattocks want to see you at their hall. Seems something happened last night and they're having a council meeting or something. Seems important, so I packed you a meal to go. On the house! Gotta stay fed for the coming fight!" She hands each of you a small pack of non-perishable mushrooms and salted meat. 

You gather supplies, thank her for the food, and head to the Diggermattock Palace. (Area 14)

When you arrive, you are ushered into a large conference room, where several deep gnomes are surrounding a table with maps, papers, and books scattered across a table. Dorbo and Senni Diggermattock acknowledge your entry and offer you seats at the table. You recognized a few of the other faces at the table. Gurnik Tapfinger is here, and he introduces a fellow priest of the Stoneheart Enclave, Nomi Pathshutter, an elemental specialist. Kazook Pickshine represents the miner's guild. To your surprise and delight, the ghostly Burrow Warden Jadger, is here on behalf of the Burrow Wardens, who have now made themselves known to the Diggermattocks. Once you are all assembled, Senni starts the meeting.

She begins, "Thank you all for coming. I want to formally welcome Burrow Warden Jadger to the council. Seems he has a crew of ghosts and young svirfneblin dedicated to the cause of Blingdenstone. I also want to thank our new friends from the upper world. You've done a lot to help us in your short time here. We'd almost certainly be doomed without your help. Now we're only probably doomed. Dorbo, tell them what happened"

Dorbo stands up, and using a short, thin, rod, points to a location on a large map in the center of the table. "Late last night, a battle erupted in the Western section of town where the wererats were holed up. We sent some guards to investigate, and it seems that hundreds of oozes of all shapes and sizes attacked the wererat warren. The wererats fought back at first, but were quickly overwhelmed and eventually fled. That entire cavern is now filled with oozes. Our own guards just barely escaped after investigating, and only because they had help. Now, I'm going to warn some of you, this may come a shock, but don't be alarmed. So far it has shown know aggression." Dorbo makes a hand motion to a deep gnome at the back of the room who then opens a large door. A large cubic creature glides into the room. It is hard to see at first, being translucent, but it gives off a faint purple glow. Grimnir, Belwar, and Oorr recognize Glabbagool immediately. 

"Hello... it is.... good to see you all again," says the gelatinous cube telepathically. 

Dorbo inclines his head to the cube and then to you, "Glabbagool has some information for us, and says that the four of you can vouch for it. Go ahead, tell them what you told us."

"Yes... you see... while exploring the outskirts of the town... I heard a calling... something ordinary oozes...would be drawn to. I followed... curious... and found a large gathering of... my kind. They answered.... the call of... one who calls himself.... The Pudding King...though... he is not an ooze... himself. He is.... like these others..." the voice of Glabbagool indicates the deep gnomes in the room. "He holds sway over... hundreds of oozes... and he attacked the rat gnome... creatures. I believe... he will attack again... soon."

The council members start muttering in both worry and in slight amazement on the talking cubic ooze. Several of them look to you, seeing if you will indeed vouch for Glabbagool. The talk then turns to plans. What can be done? The city cannot withstand the onslaught of hundreds of oozes. Who is the Pudding King, and what does he want? 

Gurnik Tapfinger mentions that with the Temple of Steadfast Stone cleansed, and Enetmoch's Boon found, they could summon elementals to assist. Nomi reminds him that as long as Ogremach's Bane still exists, there is a risk the elementals might turn on them. They turn to you to ask what is needed to get rid of the Bane.

Burrow Warden Jadger offers his ghosts and burrow wardens to help defend the city, thanks in large part to your care with returning the remains of several dead deep gnomes. 

Kazook Pickshine says he and the miner's guild can help clear away the debris that leads to the Northwest areas where the Pudding King resides. Just tell them where to dig. The Diggermattocks agree to provide supplies necessary for the clearing.

Lastly, Senni speaks, "It is our belief, based on the intel from Glabbagool that we may not have to fight off all the oozes. If we can just get a team in to take out the Pudding King, it's likely his hold on the creatures will stop, and they will leave of their own accord. We were kind of hoping we could ask you to do that." With that, she looks to the four of you, and offers a pleading look.

Oorr listen to the council. The situation is dire and all of us must act quickly but with wisdom. A misstep could signify the fall of Blingdenstone, or worse...

"Dear all. Firstly, let me thank you for inviting us to this council. That means a great deal to me. Be sure that we will do whatever is in our power to stop this Pudding King."

"Secondly, the Bane. We have come to know that the Ontemoch's Bane can be killed... but it could be banished from this Plane. We do not know such a spell, but we gladly accompany any of you that does where the Bane is lurking and dispose of it once and for all."

"Thirdly, knowing your... our enemy is important. Oozes corrode metal and wood. I would like to suggest, with Burrow Warden Jadger's blessing, that the ancient spirits of Blindgenstone take the lead of the diversion. They can't be corroded. The militia can join with ranged weapons and get in melee when needed."

"Fourthly,  if the diversion is to happen in the former Goldwhisherks caverns, Kazook Pickshine's guild could dig a passage from the Trader's Grotto to the Pudding King's cavern."

"Lastly, but not least, I thank you Glabbagool. You earned our respect. You are not quick, but your senses and telepathy could prove vital ahead of the first line of defence, just outside Inner Blindgenstone. This way the gnomes will not be surprised."

Nomi Pathshutters' eyes go wide at the mention of banishing Ogermach's Bane. "Yes.. a banishment spell could do the trick, and now that the Steadfast Heart is cleansed, and the Medusa defeated, we can get in close enough to cast it, but we do not currently have any spellcasters powerful enough to cast the spell. The enclave leader, Yantha Coaxrock could do it, but she is away in Mantol-Derith, aiding our temples there. I may be able to procure a spell scroll from her study. Would you be able to use it to banish Orgremach's bane? We have members in the Rockblight now keeping an eye on it."

“Humm, I don’t think this magic is part of my druidic knowledge. Belwar, you are probably the only one who is clever enough to read this scroll.”

Then, after studying the maps, Grimnir reply to Oorr. Showing the area where the medusa was located, he says “If we go back there, we could find and banish this Ogermach's Bane and eventually granting us some elemental firepower. Then with the help of  Kazook Pickshine, we could make our way through this passage (OOC , area 22). With the diversion at the entrance of Blingdenstone that should drew most of the oozes, we should be able to reach behind enemy’s line.”

Quote from RonanKP >>

“Humm, I don’t think this magic is part of my druidic knowledge. Belwar, you are probably the only one who is clever enough to read this scroll.”

Then, after studying the maps, Grimnir reply to Oorr. Showing the area where the medusa was located, he says “If we go back there, we could find and banish this Ogermach's Bane and eventually granting us some elemental firepower. Then with the help of  Kazook Pickshine, we could make our way through this passage (OOC , area 22). With the diversion at the entrance of Blingdenstone that should drew most of the oozes, we should be able to reach behind enemy’s line.”

 You see the Diggermattocks and Barrow Warden Jadger nodding. Jadger speaks up, "Yes, that area of the Steadfast Stone is very defensible, and given that you cleared it of the influence of the Bane, a safe staging ground for an incursion into the Pudding King's court." Murmurs of agreement can be heard around the table. Senni and Kazook start looking at the areas that may need to be cleared of rubble. Nomi whispers something to Gurnik, then tells the table she is off to search for a Spell Scroll of Banishment. The rest remain to continue making plans. 

Dorbo turns to your group and asks, "Have any of you dealt with a being like this before? He seems too powerful for just a Deep Gnome. How could he be calling these oozes?"

"Demonic influence is all over the Underdark. I hope I am wrong, but that is what we have seen through our travels."

"Indeed, we saw a large demon with tentacles and monkey's heads, we felt the corruption in Gracklstugh and our fungi friends from Neverlight Grove were indoctrinated by the Demon Zuggtmoy. So yes, unfortunately, it seems the all underdark is going havoc ! One more reason to clear out quickly the problem here and reach the surface."

"I might be able to read that scroll, but I'm not quite strong enough to guarantee it yet, and even if I manage it, the Bane might be able to resist it.  I, for one, don't want to risk alerting the Bane with a failed banishing attempt unless there's at least an even chance that it'll be a successful banishing attempt.  So, new plan: I'll sneak through that passage and take out this Pudding King while you lot keep the oozes off my back.  If he turns out to be too strong for me, I'll retreat and report that."