The wooden handle on the door is cool to the touch and smoother than glass. As you open the door, all those aromas that were dancing around outside suddenly waft over you as you are engulfed in some of the most delicious smells you have ever smelled. Inside the small hut is no small hut, but a large complex of stairs and tables, bookshelves and desks, stoves and cupboards. The place is huge! Sitting at a table close to the door is a gnome and he is working on some cookies. One in his mouth after another. A small cadre of clockwork dogs are playing across the room, chasing after a clockwork squirrel. The small male gnome smiles with a mouthful of cookies, gesturing you in. He tips back a mug as large as his head and burps quietly.

"So, you're the Marked ones, eh? "

"Well, I am at least." I walk into his house and look around in awe of his creations. "My name is Rylei and this is FaeDra" I nod towards her with my head. "We are hoping you can help us get rid of this Mark"

"This place is amazing!! What kind of magic is this?!" I say as I begin to explore the huge tiny hut. (should I roll? no?) "Oh!" I exclaim. "May I have a cookie?" 

"The Mark...yes, that can be troublesome. I may be able to help you, but first I would like you all to sit down and answer some questions. And of course, you may have a cookie, dark one." He says with a smile. He pushes the tray towards Dro and stares at all of you with a cheerful face. He pulls out a white stick and lights it, then he puts it to his mouth and inhales. 

"Mmm, Fis cookie is amafing" I say with a mouthful of food. After I finish inhaling the cookie I ask "How troublesome and  Is that stick a pipe?" then I sit down.

'What kind of questions are you looking to have us answer?'

"Well, it can lead forces here that we would rather stay hidden from. And I want to know if you mean to harm. We need to know how you found us. But more importantly, where did you get the marked dragon?" He says after hitting his cigarette again, pointing to FaeDra. 

FaeDra looks taken back and confused. "I'm not Marked! I think I would know...you...you...woodland imp!"

The gnome stands up and raises his voice, "No, you're not Marked like;" he points to Rylei, "but you are a marked dragon. And you know it, so quit playing games. Which one is it?" He asks FaeDra.

FaeDra raises a clawed hand and points at Argo. "He doesn't remember, he forgot the power and the fight." 

"They have a way of breaking it down, The Prophecy. Very well. You," he points at Rylei again, "Sit down, this won't take long."

"A marked dragon?" He turns an inquisitive eye towards FaeDra "What does he mean?" He asks her in draconic as he comes and sits down near the gnome.

"It means that I belong to someone else, all my powers are to be used by someone else. I am a dragon who is marked and a part of the Prophecy. I really can't explain it any more than that. Until my Master calls for me, that is." She says to you as you sit down. FaeDra jumps off your shoulder and curls up on the table. 

"This might hurt a little bit, and I am sorry for that." The gnome places his hands on your shoulders and starts saying a prayer out loud. 

Constitution Save, Rylei, also add a d4 to your roll. 

//Constitution Save: 24 Final Result!! //

"I'm ready when you are." Rylei says as he looks at the gnome. 

//I have more I want to say to FaeDra, but I'm gonna wait til the gnome finishes//

Rylei, you feel something welling inside of you as you throw up a black tar like substance all over the floor. A small cadre of clockwork miniatures come over and suck up the bile you just regurgitated all over the floor. 

"There, there..." the little gnome hands you a glass of water. "Now, what are you doing this far away from Greenlake? Those such as yourselves don't make it too long out in the wilds. The Dragconics see to that."

I cough a bit and take the cup of water and take a few sips to get rid of the taste in my mouth. 

"We are trying to find the Well of Dreams" I say to him and reach over to scratch the top of FaeDras head.

"Do you even know what you seek? The Well of Dreams is more than likely a myth, child." He takes another long drag of his cigarette. "I see a great struggle in you, all of you. The real fight isn't here, but out in the world of the real."

FaeDra purrs softly as you scratch her head. 

"So, do you run from the eyes of Firedeath? Do you seek refuge or do you seek to harm?"  He looks across to everyone else in the party. "What about you young fighter, what is your purpose? And you Argo, what is yours?" He smiles as he looks at Dro destroying his plate of cookies. "I think I know your purpose, a monster who eats all of someone's cookies." He laughs out loud to himself. 

I look at the gnome with my mouth full of cookies, "Oh" I say before I chuckle. I finish my chewing the cookies and say " my apologies I just have not had any cookie this magically delicious before. Even if the well of dreams is a myth we still must search for it. Can you tell us anything that would help us on our journey?  My intent Is to learn as much as I can to rid Firedeath of this land to save these people from his oppression. My face turns to disappointment and disgust. I wipe my face of the cookie crumbs, then turn to address the party and the gnomes "But, on a happier note we are very glad that we found you. We were sent by Fancir to seek Tomlir. I do apologize but I don't think that we have been introduced is Tomlir here?  Also, would it be okay if we remain here for an hour or so? There is something I need to take care of."

"Hmm," He hits his smoke again before continuing, "I believe you. Tomlir is a name of a ranger that scouts the Marshlands and fights the darkness that tries to get a grip on the land. Believe it or not, Firedeath isn't the only threat in this land."

He gets up from his seat and walks over to a lever on the wall and pulls it. "Welcome to Grangle Grove, home of the Lost Clans." He smiles as the whole hut starts shaking, you feel it rise in the air as if it were flying. "You will be safe here in Grangle Grove. We are a peaceful conclave, inventive and loving. Do no harm or ill will to our people and you will always be welcome here. But you will find if you break this law we will not be forgiven."

Inside this magical little hut, you rise into the trees, where the hut(/elevator) stops about 150 feet up. The door opens and before you is mounds and houses, bridges and banks. This magical village has made an earthen home in the sky. The village of Grangle Grove is a friendly place that hides away with ancient magics and forces unknown, all to keep the peering eye of Firedeath away from them. Inside this village, you will find two taverns, The Great Grangle (which also houses an inn) and The Smallest Star. You will also find a smithy, an alchemist shop, multiple "Bark Fountains" (fountains made out of branches and large swaths of bark, forming beautiful patterns and sculptures), the bridges and paths in this village are big enough for medium sized creatures to walk single file, smaller creatures side by side. There are gnome guards sporadically placed inside (and outside) the village, and any can be summoned within 3 rounds. There is multiple Tinkerer shops and bakeries, with smiling faces and friendly conversations. This village has a population of 926 gnomes, 12 humans, 4 dragonborn, 2 kenku and one very unhappy dwarf. 

What would you like to do?

(OOG You guys now have some downtime and room for some RP'ing. You can stay here as long as you need and want. There are many other features in this hidden village, so have fun and explore. But don't forget, you do have a mission that you undertook. Have fun!)

"Guys, I want to go talk to that alchemist I will find you in a while," I say as I head off to the alchemist shop. "Maybe this alchemist will be able to tell me more of the properties of these gems and that could lend me more insight to how creatures are made of these. With that knowledge maybe it could give us more of an advantage in future battles against them." As I walk towards the alchemist shop I stare at all of the marvelous sights amazed at the community created up here occasionally stopping to stare in awe. "hopefully I walk past one of those bakeries on the way so I can pick up a few more of those delicious cookies!!!"  

'I uh, have some important matters I must attend to. I will be back shortly.' I back out from the group. I start looking for a village center, where I could find a bunch of kids playing. If I can find some, I would like to join in, and try to make a bunch of Gnomes smile in whatever way I can.

Argo did not know what to make of all of this, which left him deeply troubled. "FaeDra," he asked, "what was all that about? What have I forgotten and how do you know about it? And what is The Prophecy?"

(OOG Okay, y'all... I've been kind of slacking on Firedeath, everything is fine, just been busy and been playing on other threads. Tomorrow I will throw a whole bunch of RP stuff down. Answer some of your questions and see how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go. If and when y'all make your way to The Well of Dreams it's going to be a pretty decent sized adventure/dungeon. So that will take us some time to get through. I have it built already and think I have some neat stuff lined up for all of you. This RP is very specifically tailored to your characters, so while in town, back on the road and at The Well, open up your characters some more. Because after it, everything will be flipped upside down. The things you now do, here at the village and onward will define where this story goes and what makes your story so important to the "world" at large. I understand our posting schedules are hit and miss, so in the future, once we get to the Well, I wouldn't mind if we could all pick a night to where we all can be on and push through it. The thing I love about storytelling in gaming is that you can literally take someone else's idea and build on it, create another version of that story and share the experience. That's what we're doing now, and one day it will become apparent what this story is and the connection it has to the overall story I have concocted. Everyone has been doing really awesome and I hope you've been finding what we have done so far enjoyable. But if you like what we've done so far, you haven't seen anything yet. Now on to the last few posts...)

Dro, you leave the hut and make your way through the tree village. You pass gnome warriors keeping the village safe and other villagers, they look at you with wide-eyed wonder. A drow is something of an oddity in normal society, but a secret gnome village is taken back by the dark skinned creature walking in their midst. After working your way through the village looking for the Alchemist's shop when you see a small bakery, with delicious cakes and pies in an open-air store. There's female gnome with purple and blue hair busily rolling some dough on a large table and you smell a sweet delicious drink brewing. You've made it to Doors of Perception Cafe.

Brachos, leaving the hut you quickly make your way to the village "green". You do see a few gnome children playing, passing around a small sack, laughing and teasing each other. 

Argo, FaeDra leaves Rylei's side and flies to your shoulder. "Because I am what you have forgotten." She whispers in your ear. "I can't say much else, it will break you. But you'll get there, we'll all get there." She points out towards the village, "We have some time to relax and gather our thoughts, let's enjoy the time we have now."

"Hello ma'am, I was looking for the alchemist shop when I caught the scent of some delicious bakery. I was wondering if I could purchase some from you. Do you have any cookies?" I say with a huge smile on my face. "I certainly hope it's the same cookies as downstairs Mmmmm" at thought of it I begin to salivate slightly. Then I ask "by the way it appears I might've gotten a little lost could you also point me to the alchemist shop? I'm bad with directions." I chuckle softly.