Under the Tavern, Over the Mountain, and Around the Tree

The rat leads the party past the spinning blades, north through a passageway, and into a large room (G11) which apparently serves as a workshop of sorts. Hal-completed inventions and sets of tinker's tools litter the different worktables. A 10-foot-high ledge overlooks the room, set with a wooden pedestal on which sits a leather-bound book.

In the room are two gnomes Rastaris recognizes as the ones who blasted away poor Xelote. 

"I am Dabbledob," the female gnome says. "Fibblestib here is my mate, and Meep over there is my familiar. 

"I kow it's not easy to tell them apart," she says, in an obvious attempt at gnome humor.

The joke flies over her husband's head, however.

"You say you have documents for us," Fibblestib says. "Show 'em."

With a glance at her companions, Alianna hands Fibblestib the scroll the wizards tasked her to bring.  

"I thought Rastaris had the seal..."  Farnakees says, puzzled.  "Are those two, you know... Sharing seals now?" he asks Lathalas.

Rastaris hands the scroll in his possession over as well.

Rastaris muses what sort of business did they wish to do with the gnomes that they needed to make sure the scroll made it safely.

Dabbledob examines the seals on the scrolls.

''These are meant for our kings,'' she says. ''Good luck trying to get in to see them.''

''It's been a difficult month for Gnomengarde,'' says Fibblestib.

''First a few of our gnomes start disappearing. Captain Klie suspected they had gone prospecting for minerals in the Sword Mountains, so he and the Long Patrol went out to find them. But Captain Klie and the Long Patrol never returned, and gnomes continued to disappear.

''Then, about a week ago, King Korboz announced to everyone that a shapeshifter was responsible for the missing gnomes. He announced that Gnomengarde would no longer welcome visitors, and locked himself and King Gnerkli in the throne room. We'll take you to the doors of the throne room, if you'd like. You can plead your case to Kings Korboz and Gnerkli there.''

''It won't do you any good, though,'' says Dabbledob. ''Korboz has gone mad. I'll fix him, though ...''

The adventurers see her closely examining two diagrams, clearly inventions she is working on. One of the diagrams describes something called the Sanity Ray. The other one is called the Straitjacket.

OOC - If you want to ask these gnomes anything, ask now; otherwise, they'll lead you to the locked doors leading to G14, the throne room.

"What about King Gnerkli?  Is he also mad or just paranoid?"

"How does one identify a shapeshifter?"

''I think Korboz has locked up Gnerkli for his own protection,'' Dabbledob say. ''He doesn't want anything bad to happen to his beloved.''

''Same question I've got,'' says Fibblestib. ''Korboz didn't say anything about it except 'Teeth, lots of teeth'. As if that helps. All we've been able to do is turn away visitors and isolate from each other. We've been communicating with each other using familiars and cantrips.''

Rastaris furrows his brow.

"Shapeshifters? What sort?" 

Rastaris' was curious as to what sort of monster would terrorize these gnomes so.

"We understand now why everyone seems so uneasy."

"Mistress Dabbledob, Master Fibblestib, we are also here to get a package for Townmaster Harbin Wester. Would that be a matter we should be discussing with the kings." 

"Alianna, I do not like the idea of a shapeshifter in our midst. We must prepare some precautions."

OOC: Can I suggest we come up with code words for the the party. So if we doubt the identity of one , we can verify by saying a code word and getting a set response.

OOC:  Good idea on the code word....

OOC:  Great idea!  The name of the Red Wizard in the cellar could be one.

''Aye, the townmaster commissioned a magical geegaw from the kings a few months back. You'll have to ask them for that too. The kings are our most powerful spellcasters. Now, Gnomengarde has neither warriors nor mighty magicians to protect it.''

"What happened to your warriors and magicians?  Were almost all the gnomes who disappeared warriors or magicians?  Did regular folk disappear as well?"

"The only warriors we had were Captain Klie and the Long Patrol. They went to scout the Sword Mountains to make certain no enemies were in our territory. They never returned," says Dibbledob.

"As for mages, almost of us have magic of some kind. But only out kings could cast the powerful spells, or craft the more valuable magic items."

"Most of the gnomes who have vanished were just regular folk," she says.

Rastaris is intrigued. Gnomes are the best in fusing both the arcane and mechanical into the most wondrous of items.

"Since it would seem we are all in danger, let us deliver these scrolls to your kings."

OOC - I'll give a chance to others in case they want to shakedown the gnomes for information or stuff. Afterwards, you're off to see the Kings, hopefully while listening to this music ...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z57DecvToDw

Lathalas asks Dibblestib, "

• Do you believe that a shapeshifter is responsible for the disappearance of your folk?
• What leads you to believe or disbelieve that?
• If you believe there is a shapeshifter who has inflitrated Gnomengarde, how do you make sure that you (the gnomes) are who you say you are? Do you have a system that can test one's identity?"
• How many have disappeared?
• Who are they? Did they have any connections to each other?
• When? Did they all disappear at once or was it a few at a time? Is it continuing?
• Where did they disappear from? Within Gnomengarde or outside of it?
• Are your folk still disappearing or is everyone still accounted for?
• Who might Captain Klie have confided in or spoken to about his thoughts? Might we speak with them?

"

OOC - Make an Intimidation or Persuasion check Chief Inspector Lathalas if you want answers to your barrage of questions.

Farnakees is astounded as Lathalas asks his questions at the pace and cadence of gnome-speech, all in the time it would take to move 30 feet and swing a sword....