Post-Celebratory Plot Movement

Later that night, Petra and the other Gnome Elders ask you to come with them. You walk with them down small, cramped, yet surprisingly cozy passages, until you come to a central chamber far below the main burrow. The room is empty apart from a an anvil on a small raised stone dais. The base of the dais is covered with an intricate pattern of interlocking metal wheels. Petra leads you to the Anvil and lifts a small scroll case from its top. Turning to you, she begins to speak:

My dear friends, although you have bested Calvera and his tribe of raiders, dark times are upon us all. The Goblins and Elves are at war, and no matter who wins, we know one thing is certain: The little people caught in between will suffer. While our village is safe, the other farming communities in these lands may not be so lucky. One group of adventurers cannot protect everybody from the depredations of war. We know that we have asked much of you, but we beg you to listen to our proposal.

While you look at us now and see simple farmers, thousands of years ago our ancestors travelled across a vast sea and delved into Snaefang Mountain and created a wondrous city, even more wonderful than those of the Dwarven Kingdoms. This city was ruled by a Council known as the DoGS. Under their rule, we gnomes lived and built for centuries.

But a horrible cataclysm befell the city and our ancestors had to flee down to the plains. Many things were over the centuries, but a tale has been passed down from Elder to Elder over generations. That tale concerns a book, known only as the Gondian Primer of The Most Protective and Secure Devices Encompassing Most Mundane and Commonly Available as well as Arcane Dependent Building Materials for The Purpose of Creating a Secure Gnomish Homeland. The knowledge found in this tome may be enough to teach us gnomes how to defend ourselves against the goblins and even the orcs.

We sent our youngest and bravest, Chico Orc-slayer, to Mount Snaefang, but he found to his horror that our ancestral enemies, kobolds, were dwelling on the snowy slopes, and had to turn back.

But we can see that you are great heroes, and not afraid of a few kobolds. We beg you to go to our ancient home in Snaefang Mountain and find the Primer. The Primer is in the great DoGS library, above the fabled treasure trove of the gnomes. We cannot pay you much, but we will relinquish our claim on any gnomish treasure you find. If the stories are anything to go by, Snaefang was fabled for its wealth.

Petra opens the scroll case. “You are the first outside our race to ever see this, our most prized possession, the ancient DoGS map that will show you the secret route into Snaefang mountain. Behold, the map of the Ancients! ” She takes an old tattered piece of parchment and opens it up, holding it towards you, her face beaming with pride.

Having listened to her proposal, you start discussing amongst yourself. While you are starting to feel a tad tired of helping out the hapless gnomes, and braving Mount Snaefang in winter is not the most pleasant of undertakings, the fabled riches do sound good....