The Village of Laughing Glade
Sir Exsixten handily dispatches the door with a few swings of his war axe. And as Alnar strides through the besplintered portal, a voice emanates from nowhere, saying "Go away! There's no one here, and... oh, it's you."
A middle aged gnome reverse fades into sight. His head is covered in a messy and slightly greasy mop of grey curls, and his eyes are shielded by a pair of thick spectacles. He wears a rust-stained white(?) button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and he smells faintly of flammable chemicals. He looks straight at Cyr, and then at Sir Exsixten, both standing in the now-ruined doorway to the large house, "I see you've managed to recover my mechanical knight," he says, a mixture of pleasure and slight exasperation evident on his face, "seems a touch more overzealous though, might need a slight adjustment to the volition circuits, hmm..."
In the middle of considering potential repairs or improvements to Sir Exsixten though, the gnome notices the rest of the party, and his brow furrows, his face taking on a distinctly suspicious expression. "But, see here! Who are these people, why have you brought them, and how do I know I can trust them? This isn't the lost party from Daunton," Raising a hand and pointing at Ferris he continues, "That one's a shifter for crying out loud! Why would you want to bring him here, unless you're in league with..."
His incipient tirade is interrupted by the appearance of another gnome. He is older and much more respectable looking, with neatly manicured white hair and beard, and well-cared-for, elegant robes accented with a cleric's stole. "Peace, Fizzenden. It is my student Ferris, returned to me after his voyage off the Isle. Welcome back my son. Though, I must say, I didn't expect you back quite so soon," says the elderly gnome who Ferris recognizes as his teacher Hyrellon. Several more gnomes fade back into view behind the cleric after he makes his appearance. There is a family with several small children, a portly gnome wearing cover-alls and gardening gloves, and a young couple holding hands and looking at you fearfully.
"Ah, yes you're right," says Fizzenden, "Don't know why I didn't recognize the lad. Well, he's alright I suppose. A bit addled if I remember correctly, but not malicious like those fiends who follow Snarl. But, see here! We've had more than our fair share of visitors lately, and they've been anything but model guests. What are you people doing here, and what do you want from us, and why have you broken down my door sir knight? Don't you recognize my house?," the gnome leader asks querulously, peering at your party through his thick lenses.