Chapter One: The Road to Gnometon

[Keehnelf]

Striborg stops himself just short of spitting on the ground. "What's in my head and my heart is between me and the gods, if such as them exist."

[Zhym]

"I thought so," says Fjirn. "Well, we certainly can't let the gnomes divine our intent. As I see it, we have two choices. One, we start our quest elsewhere. Or two, I confer with the King of the Hill alone or with a small group of us while the rest wait here. What are your thoughts?"

[Keehnelf]

Striborg continues, "I'd be happy to split up and meet with the rest of you in the gnome-city. I should be fine to sneak in past such as these."

[hedgeknight]

"I ain't got nothing to hide," Dell says, looking down at his feet, digging a hole in the ground with the toe of his boot. "But it might be intimidating if all of us approach. Take a few of us, Fjirn, and go parlay with 'em."

[Zorroroaster]

He holds his head high, ignoring how ridiculous he feels. Why should you not feel pride, to represent your people? Do not be afraid, he thinks to himself.

"I would go with you, Fjirn. Perhaps there is something these gnomes can tell us of the Black Druid. I would hear it from them directly."

He turns to Striborg, a searching look in his eyes. "You are at a crossroads. Choose to set down your burden of hate and distrust. It feels so difficult to do, but once you've let it go it will seem easier than breathing. We are each often at this crossroads, but at this moment in time there are others here with you. Will you finally turn the other direction and see what wonders lie beyond the verdant hills? You have travelled the wasteland too long."

[KingOfCowards]

Gideon would be satisfied to split the group, and stay back if others are going to do so as well. "We won't be finding the Black Druid in there anyway, so we don't need to send an entire army inside. Just a few, to find out what the gnomes know."

He feels like he has nothing to hide, but also seems anxious to be probed by magic. Just the thought fills him with insecurities; What if the gnomes find something in his mind that he did not know was there? What if they make something up and falsely accuse him? What if the process of being probed is enough to affect his brain somehow? Has the magic been tested and proven to be safe? How good of a magic-user is this fellow, anyway? Has he ever probed a dwarf's brain? Much harder to probe a dwarf's brain than a gnome's brain, surely.

[Keehnelf]

Stirborg seems to want to appear probing in turn, but his squinty-eyed look just ends up suspicious and agitated. "Verdant hills? I don't know where you're standing, dwarf, but it's not in the real world for sure." He casts a hand around quickly, signaling the scrub-grass and rocky alkali hills all around them. "I'm in the wasteland because it's a wasteland and for no other reason. I'll gladly leave but for right now there's this business of killing the Druid that's getting in the way. I'll be glad to hang back, or make a detour with part of the group and meet somewhere south of gnomeville after business is done."

So far it seems like Striborg and Gideon are not going to engage further with the gnomes. Anyone else want to pick a path?

[ybn1197]

Grim rubs his chin before speaking up. "I have to agree with Stirborg. Who are they to decide what our intent is. No gnome has the right to judge me. I think we should send a few to negotiate while the remainder of us move further along. Friend or foe, I don't trust the current air of these gnomes to sit here and potentially be spied upon."

[hedgeknight]

"I will go, Fjirn, if ya don't mind," Dell says, ignoring the "deep" conversation surrounding Stirborg. "I have nothing to hide from a bunch a gnomes."

[Sol]

Unther will consent to the probe for a chance to meet the Gnome King.

[Zhym]

"I wonder if they would allow us to divine their intent?" says Fjirn. "Did you notice how nervous the gnome got when Unther mentioned the Black Druid?"

[Keehnelf]

Voranz seems torn, unwilling to shy away from the inspection of the gnomes but apparently also nervous to be unable to keep an eye on Striborg. He edges somewhat uneasily toward the side of the road where Striborg stands, grinning impishly.

Crabanth, for his part, seems contemptuous of the assassin's anxiety and steps boldly forward. "It seems that the gnomes with but a few words have already plumbed our depths, and found some of us wanting."

He takes a few steps in the direction of the assembled gnomes, indicating his interest in decisive action.

Myrna Stonebeard also grins, a bit mischievously and tolerantly at her older brother, before stepping up alongside him. "Well, I guess I should take care of Gideon in case any real threats show up while you all are hobnobbing with the gnome king."

Lorik puff out his chest a bit and stands alongside the Nameless One, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Ingrith, who hasn't spoken yet on the journey, continues to hold her peace as she awaits action from Fjirn.

[Sol]

Unther grunts at the reticence of others in the group, then steps forward, ready for the magical probe. Gnomes are sometimes a strange lot, but a routine check like this does not concern him.

[KingOfCowards]

Gideon glowers at his sister, pointing out the promise she made to stay in line and remember her place.

[Zhym]

Fjirn adjusts his breastplate. "Okay. Those who are submitting to the gnomes' divinations, come with me."

He will approach the gnomes' spokesman. "Some of my party value their privacy too much to agree to have their intentions probed. They will wait here. Those of us you see before you will proceed to meet with your king."

[Keehnelf]

When all is said and done, only five (Fjirn, Unther, Dell, Ingrith and Nai Tnam) step forward to continue to parlay with the gnomes, which seems to make the captain uneasy. "Ahem," he begins, his voice high-pitched enough that his throat-clearing almost sounds like a sudden wheeze. "It is quite suspicious to me that more than half of your group will not consent to be inspected before the remainder of you make their way into Gnometon. I have reconsidered my previous offer. I will send a runner back to Gnometon for another patrol, and one patrol will keep watch over those who remain here to guarantee no malfeasance while the others return to our city with those of you who have made yourselves available. Is this agreeable, or shall we break off our discussions now and you can return whence you came?"

[Zhym]

"The hospitality of the gnomes has somewhat diminished of late," says Fjirn. "These are dire times, and dire times lead to suspicion, even among friends. Friends are needed even more in times such as these. The dwarves and gnomes have counted themselves as friends for centuries. But now we come to the borders of Gnometon and are greeted with suspicion, and then even further suspicion when some of our members refuse to have their minds probed. Your demand is highly intrusive, sir, and only thick dwarven skin prevented us from being offended by the idea that you would even ask such a thing. The refusal by some of my party to submit to your probes should not be cause to suspect anything other than the high regard we dwarves have for the sanctity of our own minds."

"We had hoped to find assistance here among our friends the gnomes. Now I wonder. I will confer with my companions and return with an answer shortly. In the meantime consider this: our mission affects both dwarves and gnomes. If you turn us away, the consequences may be ill for both our peoples. Your King may not be so happy that you prevented us from speaking with him."

With that, Fjirn turns and walks away to confer once again with the others.

"They want to leave a patrol here to keep the rest of you on guard. What do you say to this? I find this level of suspicion from the gnomes quite suspicious, and I wonder if we should not begin our quest elsewhere. But I have only one head. I would hear the thoughts of others."

[ybn1197]

Grim looks around at the others before saying "The King has judged me fit to embark upon this mission. I will have no gnome say otherwise be he an officer in their army or the King of the gnomes himself. I say we start elsewhere.

[KingOfCowards]

Gideon rolls his eyes, he starts to count on his fingers as he exasperatedly lays out the gnome's arguments. "So first, we cannot enter your city without having our minds probed for vile intentions. Now we cannot stand outside your city unless we're under guard, for whatever vile intentions you think we must be withholding. Next you'll want a guard to watch the guard you sent to watch us, for fear that we somehow corrupted them as well. There was a time when someone's word was enough to speak towards their character. You gnomes just over-complicate things."

Know Alignment, the D&D equivalent to stop and frisk.

[Keehnelf]

It's always struck me that the actual impact of a lot of the magical powers laid out in the D&D books is inadequately addressed in both the rules and in many of the various settings.

For all of Eberron's limitations (and it has many), at least it's an honest attempt to deal with what a world full of this kind of magic would really look like.