Morgan:

Hooking his mace to his belt, Morgan says quietly to the others, "I suppose I should just knock, eh?  It sounds more like a dinner than a battle.  What do you think?"

Geralt will nod in agreement. "One thing I learned, is never go looking for a battle."

Morgan:

"Good enough for me," Morgan responds and walks up the the door, knocking loudly.

The sounds on the other side of the door quickly stop. The door quickly opens and staring up at you is a female gnome. In an (north pole) elfish tone. "Hello? How can I help you?"

Morgan:

”Ah, yes, that is exactly why we are here—we seek the help of the Gnomes of Gnomengarde on behalf of Phandalin and her Townmaster, Harbin Wester.  May we come in and discuss?” ventures Morgan, trying very hard not to ask if they have a Keebler clan who specializes in making cookies.

Persuasion if needed:  5

The gnome looks you up and down before responding. "We cannot help you. All we do is manage the kitchen, I would suggest talking to Fibblestib or Dabbledob over in the workshop. Do you need a guide getting there?"

Morgan:

”Yes, please.  It is our first time here.  Uh, we could help carrying things if you need...” answers Morgan a bit awkwardly.

 (OOC: Here is the current map update.)

The gnome waves you off. "Well that's mighty nice of you, but not needed." She turns towards the other gnomes.. "PANANA! Can you come here please?" Panana puts down her rolling pin and moves over to the gnome that called her over. "Yes?" she asks. The other gnome continues. "Can you please take these fine folk over to Fibble or Dabble? They need to speak with them." Panana continues. "Surely, will do!" Panana walks past all of you and gets to the back of the group. "It'll be this way please."

Gale's eyes get big as they walk through the room. This place continues to amaze him. The dwarves gnomes are not quite as he'd imagined and certainly seem friendly enough. He lets out an awkward "Hello. Hope the day finds you all well," as he passes through following Morgan and Panana.

OOC: Oops! Apologies to all gnomes out there!  :-)

Morgan:

Following along, Morgan thinks, "They seem friendly enough."  Still, he stays alert, fairy tales from the Brothers Grim running through his mind that often started out with caricatures of harmless creatures that turned deadly at the worst possible time...

(OOC: Gale, they are gnomes lol)

As Panana guides you through the halls, she begins to make small talk. "So what brings ya here to our humble home?"

Morgan:

"The townmaster of Phandalin is concerned about dangerous creatures roaming the land nearby the town, and we have heard of the wonders of the Gnomegarde inventors.  We are hoping your leaders might see fit to aid us with something marvelous," Morgan says, being friendly but vague, not wanting to panic the cook.

"Specifically," Leareth piped up to correct him, "to aid the town. Not for ourselves... Are you friendly with the people of Phandalin? They could really use your help." He was feeling a little foolish, asking for something which was probably pretty valuable, and having nothing to offer in return. "I'm sure they'd repay you the favor in time."

"Ahhh, I see, I see. Well as Tervaround told you, you're best bet is to talk to Fibblestib or Dabbledob. They'd be able to give you your best answer." Panana walks you through the halls, walking you back the way you came, then down a new hall. As you twist and turn through the halls, you end up at a room that has, what looks like 4 heavy crossbows, bolted to the floor on a rotating platform, in the middle of the room. 6ft above the contraption is another gnome, sitting in a chair. When the gnome sees you, she shouts out. "BROUGHT ME TEST SUBJECTS!" Panana attempts to stop this by shouting back. "Facktoré, stop now! They are not here to be shot!" Facktoré responds. "But...but..... FINE!" She crosses her arms and throws them down.

A surprised and questioned look comes over Gale's face when he hears Panana mention getting shot. He leans up toward Panana "Umm... We mentioned we were here on a friendly mission right?" He looks at the crossbow contraption. "What's that for?" he asks pointing toward the weapon.

Panana shrugs her shoulders. "Who knows anymore. She's a little crazy. We just let her go and whatever happens, happens."

Morgan:

”This is a wondrous and deadly machine,” says Morgan, moving forward and investigating the mechanism.  “Have you considered using a universal joint to allow elevation as well as lateral aiming?  Perhaps implement a rapid reload system with automatic ammunition feeding?” he asks, pulling from his knowledge of modern Earth machines in the hopes of getting on the gnome’s good side.

OOC:  He is a Knowlege Cleric, after all, even though he doesn’t know he can do magic yet.

(Morgan, point of inspiration for that xD)

The gnome's jaw drops. (The one operating the machine) "No, I did not think of that, that is a great idea!" She eyes you down for a minute or two before continuing. "Come see me after your done here handsome. I wanna give ya' something." Panana steps up and interrupts. "Alright, shall we get going? I'm sure you are very busy, we also can't afford to waste time if this threat you talk about is true."

Gale's jaw drops as Morgan whips out a list of information on how to improve what already seems fairly deadly. His eyes grow large and he looks from side to side wondering what might come next. He is pleasantly surprised when the mad gnome perks up in response to Morgan's information and seems to warm right up to the group. Gale lets out a small sigh of relief then leans over toward Leareth whispering, "Thank gods that didn't go sideways."  He pats Morgan on the shoulder. "Good job man! Who'd have thought?"  Gales posture relaxes a little as as they get ready to move out.