Dragon of Icespire Peak ***CLOSED***

Ando will coil up the rope and bring it with him to return to Connak. Then he'll hurry down the passage to join the group. Upon arriving, he'll turn to the Firbolg and hold out a gauntleted hand. "Well met friend. Ando Fain, paladin of Miliekki. I take it you know this band?"

After that, he'll turn and try to get a read on this gnome.

 Connak nods in thanks when Ando returns the rope.  He drops his pack and straps it on, then dons his pack again.

The Firbolg extends his hands and shakes Ando’s hand with both of his.  “Ah, I know the Lady of the Forest well.  My name is Vadernul, I spent some time with this group quite a while back.  I am happy to be back with them.”  Vadernul then smiles and waits pleasantly for the gnome’s reaction.

It takes a while but eventually the entire group is gathered in the gnomish dining room, exchanging pleasantries with Ando and welcoming Brutus, (who now is referring to himself as Vadermul,) back from his emergency exit. The entire time, the gnome at the north end of the hall simply observed their interactions with calm detachment, even though on a few occasions, both Barric and Connak addressed him directly.

After the small talk among the group dies down, all heads and eyes seem to turn towards the curiously quiet gnome at the end of the hall.No longer able to avoid the social interaction, the gnome finally speaks: “By whose invitation have you come to our little known, hard-to-reach, and even harder-to-access community?”

His tone of voice is neither accusatory nor benign. Clearly he can tell the party has a purpose for their visit...no one just “pops in” to Gnomengarde, unless they are the unfortunate recipient of an interplanar travel mishap.

Barric gives a nod to 'Vadermul' as he rejoins the group. Looking back to the gnome, he races his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Phandalin is being threatened by a dragon. Harbin Wester put up a notice asking any enterprising individuals to come to your fair city to see if you had any weapons or ideas that could be useful against a dragon. So here we are. We mean no harm and will stay no longer than necessary if you do not wish us here."

The gnome puzzles over a response for a moment. “Fibblestib and Dabbledob would be the ones to talk to. They work in the development lab. We just work here in the kitchen and it is quite a chore to prepare enough mushroom bread and wine for everyone, so I am afraid we can’t afford to take the time to escort you there. Their workshop can be found in the center of the western tunnel system, on the other side of the pool. There’s a footbridge connecting the eastern tunnels with those at the west, but the choppy-choppy thingy can be kind of dangerous to get past. And the shooty-shooty gadget is still under development, so don’t be surprised if it gets tested out on you.”

He gives Barric a curt nod and disappears back around the corner.

Connak looks quizzically as the gnome leaves then turns to the others, "So, the new guy goes first?"

Vaxis looks puzzled.

"The what and the WHAT? I am afraid I am not having understanding. Could we...not...be tested?"

He looks at the paladin.

"And yes, perhaps your nature religion shall be having useful up front in this cavern."

While the group plans to see who goes first, Vadernul steps up.  “Don’t worry, I got this, friends.”  As he begins to walk towards the tunnel.  He walks calmly, keeping an eye out for any indicator of these tests.

Connak will follow Vader and keep an eye out for dangers, hoping to warn the brave firbolg before something actually hurts him.

Perception: 15

Vaxis brings up the third position, ready with a cure spell in the pocket.

"Come, Ando-friend. Protect our rearing-flank, yes?"

Ando shoulders his gear with one last look after the gnome. "Choppy and shooty do not sound promising. What is this place?" 

He'll keep his eyes open for anything coming up behind the group.

Perception: 20

Taking in her surroundings with her usual calm yet somewhat aloof demeanor, Tabesha'l follows suit, not without having previously invoked her arcane force field, as can be attested by the slight bluish shimmer pulsating around her...

** casts Mage Armor on herself. **

Connak tugs on Vader's sleeve, informing him the bridge is to the south... the other way.

“Oh, you guys meant that South?”  As Vadernul quickly changes route and leads the way.

Connak nods, replying, "Yes, your other South."

Taking the lead, Vadernul presses further into the tunnel complex. (OOC: hallways are dim light and chambers are bright light.) As he walks down the hallway toward the southernmost route, he begins to hear the sound of mechanical clanking over the echo of the waterfall spilling into the pool outside. He rounds a corner and sees a rather strange scene in the room ahead:

Bolted to the floor of this room is a rotating platform equipped with four heavy crossbows. Mounted above the crossbows at a height of 6 feet is a chair equipped with numerous pedals and levers. Sitting in the chair, is a disheveled-looking female rock gnome who seems to be struggling to control the towering contraption. Steam escapes from several haphazardly-placed relief valves as the base swivels first one direction and then another in response to the gnome’s shouting, level pulls and pedal actuations.

Looking up, the gnome spots Vadernul standing in the hall. “Ha! There! Shooty-shooty test target! Pointy-pointy...locky-lock! Aaaaaaaand, BOI-OI-OI-OING!!” The spluttering, clanking machine swings wildly back and forth a few times before settling into a dangerous posture. Whirling gizmos and blinking lights come to an abrupt halt. After a brief pause, steam blasts out from all of the valves at once as a massive bolt is launched in Vadernul’s direction:

Attack: 18 vs. AC 16, dealing 8 piercing damage on a hit.

Watching the scene occur he looks back and forth from the group and the gnome.  A smirk that almost turns to a full chuckle breaks out.  “Look at that!”  As the bolt rushes towards the Giant, he quickly brings the shield up to his face and blocks the bolt. Looking at the group “Oh, you guys might want to stand behind me.”  Vadernul continues his trek forward.  “No thank you!  Please cease your shooty shooty.”

Barric instinctively ducks as he hears the release of the crossbow mechanism. He breaths a sigh of relief as Vadernul catches it on his shield. He shouts down the tunnel.

"Are you insane?! You could kill somebody with that thing! Small wonder nobody comes to visit if this is how you welcome them."

Edit: Spelling

The machine begins winding back the expended crossbow as a new bolt makes its way from a box through a complex reloading system. The female gnome regards the party with bemused detachment, speaking clinical notes into what appears to be a stenographer device shaped to look like a miniature clockwork rock gnome. “Test subjects hostile...suspect wild magic poisoning...recommend termination of test group and consolidation/re-animation as flesh golem. Minus the brain...”

The clockwork stenographer speaks the gnome’s message into a proportionally-smaller replica of itself, from which the message is recorded onto a metal ticker-tape.