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

 OOC - How do you guys plan to proceed with finding this shapeshifter ...

OOC:  Could we investigate the rooms for now to see if there is anything interesting or people we may speak with to get more details?  Starting with G12.

OOC: I'd like to have Lathalas get more information from the King about the attack.

OOC - When the party goes to G12 ...

The floor of this cave is strewn with the remnants of old campfires. Four side caves serve as sleeping areas, with five small wooden cots crammed into each one. Meep introduces the eight gnomes in the cave by writing their names in the campfire ashes. There are four females -- Caramip, Jabby, Nyx, and Quippy -- and four males -- Anverth, Delebean, Pallabar, and Zook.

OOC - Who's going back with Lathalas? Are we splitting the party?

Rastaris will be accompanying Lathalas. 

OOC: Waiting for Pao. Looks like the king only speaks to him.

On the way to the king, Lathalas stops to see Dibbledob and Fibblestib.

"I did not mean to badger you with my questions; my inquisitive nature got the better of me. I cry your pardon."

Lathalas did not think the gnomes would care what he did but it was an important point for him to apologize for his actions.

OOC: To the kings then. Is G14 the room where the kings are holed up?

Lathalas will go up to the double doors of G14. He'll keep an eye out for Korboz's bat familiar and try to get its attention. If no bat, he will knock on the double doors. (Or find another way of announcing himself.)

The rest of the party will stand by at the foot of the stairs of G11 leading to the corridor to the throne room. Out of sight of the elf but within range of the Message cantrip.

The gnomes are somewhat mollified by the apology ...

OOC - You can make regular Charisma skill checks to ask them about or for stuff again.

They give Lathalas the repaired suit of plate mail to bring back to Farnakees.

OOC - They used Mending cantrips so that the armor will only fit Farnakees. You'll need to bring the suit to an armorer to have it refitted for another character.

''You are back,'' the bat familiar says, ''but I do not see the body of the shapeshifter.

''Have you failed King Korboz, noble elf? Why have you returned in failure?''

OOC - What's happening with the rest of the party?

The elf asks, "By what name should I address you, friend?"

''I shall not tell you the name of my familiar. Why do you seek to know the name of my familiar? Are you the same noble elf who came to see me earlier? Perhaps you are not the same. Perhaps you are a spy. The name of my familiar is a state secret of Gnomengarde. It is not for outsiders to know. There are outsiders among us. That is what the shapeshifter is. An outsider, an invader. I must issue a royal decree banning outsiders from Gnomengarde. That will rid me of the shapeshifter ...''

The voice from the bat degenerates into a meaningless series of mumbles ...

OOC - You came to the king because you wanted to know the name of the bat?

OOC: Wanted to know the name of the bat because it is the proper and polite thing to do.

Lathalas Tal'Shiar of the Or-tel-quessir family and clan Audark, Seventh Marchwarden of Semberholme, Dutiful Hand of Llanthorn, bows his head towards the bat.

"Your majesty, I am ready to hunt that which hunts your beloved and your people. If I may ask his majesty, where did you encounter this terror and what other than its terrible teeth did you notice of it? The more information you can provide, the sooner Gnomengarde shall be rid of its problem."

''I saw it in the workshop, eating one of the gnomes. It left nothing but bones. Then I saw it in the treasury next. And in the pantry ... there too it ate a gnome. The shapeshifter moves around Gnomengarde. Unless there's more than one ... oh, no, what I shall I do, what shall I do if there is more than one ...''

The words from the bat turn into a meaningless sing-song. No matter what you try, the king refuses to answer any more questions.

Lathalas takes his leave of the king.

The party meets outside the treasury (G13).

Marching order: Mithrokk and Lathalas up front with Xelote flying above. Farnakees in the second row. Alianna and Rastaris bring up the rear.

The door is locked when the party arrives at the treasury. However, when Meep sees that you want to get in, he runs off, then returns with Fibblestib and Dabbledob in tow. Fibblestib and Dabbledob use their keys to open up the treasury.

When the doors swing wide, the party beholds the treasures of Gnomengarde -- the room contains a variety of gnomish gizmos, loose gears, twisted bits of metal, and other scrap. The pride felt by the gnomish couple in displaying the wealth of Gnomengarde to outsiders is clear on their faces.

OOC - So you guys never asked questions of the gnomes in the sleeping quarters?

Lathalas takes in the sight then says, "I have never borne witness to such treasure. Gnomengarde is blessed beyond measure."

"How do you secure such a room?"

OOC: Am looking to find out if anyone has been in or out of this room after a gnome was killed in it.

''We lock the doors,'' Dabbledob says. ''We're in charge of the keys.''

"With your permission, may we examine the room? We shall not take anything from it."

If we receive permission, Lathalas will enter and search the room for clues.

''We don't know of any gnome that disappeared here,'' the gnomish couple tell Lathalas.

''Look,'' Dabbledob tells Lathalas warily, ''it's pretty obvious that our king is a nutter. He's the one who's been claiming that there's a shapeshifter in Gnomengarde.

''All we know is that gnomes keep disappearing. You notice that you haven't seen Orryn and Warryn for a day or two -- those are two gnomes who used to work in our workshop who disappeared. So you ask around if anyone has seen them, but no one has. The same thing happened with the others.

''Maybe Captain Klie was right. Maybe there's something outside Gnomengarde that's responsible for the missing gnomes. The problem is Captain Klie and the Long Patrol never came back, so whatever it was might have got them too.''

Flashing back:  Farnakees asked the Gnomes in the sleeping quarters:

- What did they think about the disappearances?  How are they handling the pain of seeing their friends and family disappear?

- What do they think is really happening, and what clues have they found....