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Message: <blockquote data-quote="zoroaster100" data-source="post: 4311200" data-attributes="member: 8538">Trust Gnome OneAfter resting at the Inn, the group set out for the dragon burial site.  A few hours later, after traveling through the green hills and meadows southwest of Winterhaven, the heroes arrived at a large crater of bare rock dug into the wilderness.  A friendly, giggly voice greeted them from within the crater.  “You can’t fully appreciate what we’ve uncovered from up above.  Come down toward the dragon bones and see what the workers have discovered” said a small grey gnome standing at the bottom of the hole.  The gnome tried to persuade them to come down the crater to have a closer look.  But the heroes sensed something was amiss, and refused to go down to the gnome.  Finally, the “friendly” gnome’s patience ended.  “Oh, well.  Kill them all,” was how he finished their conversation.  The gnome’s four human workers, armed with clubs, started to rush at the heroes.  The gnome’s halfling lackey, armed with a sling, began to circle the crater to get into position to attack with his sling.  The gnome also unleashed his guardian drakes - strong, heavy lizard creatures eager to tear their claws and jaws into the gnome’s enemies.   Then the gnome, Agrid, used his gnomish stealth to hide himself with illusion, and his halfling lackey hid himself as well.   The guard drakes rushed up a slope out of the crater, rushing headlong at Tlaloc with slavering jaws.  Tlaloc soon found himself assaulted by the drakes.  The beasts ruthlessly tore into him with tooth and claw.  The human rabble swarmed out of the crater as well, swinging their clubs madly.  Meanwhile, the halfling slid around the crater in stealth and began to aim well placed sling shots at the heroes. But now it was the heroes’ turn to respond.  Lilith used her spells to blast at the drakes and the humans, and used her vampiric embrace to drain the life force from one drake in order to strengthen herself.  Hyksos charged up to fight alongside Tlaloc, stabbing and slicing at the drakes with his sword and blocking their bites with his shield.  Xandir summoned a huge flaming sphere right behind the drakes.  The sphere scorched the reptiles from behind, trapping them between Hyksos’ and Tlaloc’s steel blades and a roaring inferno of heat.  The drakes succumbed to the heat and to the repeated blows from the warriors.  Xandir then began to mentally move his conjured flaming sphere about the battlefield, scorching every foe that got too close.  The ranger’s bow, spellcasters’ incantations, and Tlaloc’s well aimed daggers soon were focused on the gnome.  But whenever the gnome was hit, he would cackle with scorn and vanish from sight, becoming invisible.  Finally, Rafanel, Tlaloc and Lilith decided to end that charade.  When the gnome next disappeared, Lilith blasted him and Tlaloc hurled a dagger at him, and Rafanel shot at the spot where the gnome had been standing.  As if from thin air, the heroes heard the cry of the gnome as the fey critter was pierced by Rafanel’s arrow where he stood invisible.  Agrid the gnome appeared out of his invisibility, clutching his bloody chest, pierced by an arrow, and keeled over dead.  The halfling slinger turned to run, but could not escape the careful aim of Xandir’s magic missiles and Rafanel’s arrows.The heroes quickly searched through their fallen foes.  The gnome was found wearing Douven’s golden amulet, which inside bore a tiny portrait of Lilith’s mother.  Some gold and silver coins were also discovered.  But best of all, under a blanket, the heroes found not only Douven, still alive, but also Lilith’s missing brother, Lozol, who apparently was captured by the evil gnome while looking for the family he has just recently learned about.  Lilith’s father, in gratitude for the rescue from the evil gnome, offers his amulet as a reward to the group of heroes.  But Douven also pleads with the group, especially with his daughter Lilith, to try to correct Douven’s own failure by recovering the scrolls the gnome stole from the burial site.  Douven tells the heroes that, on threat of torture, he helped the gnome find a secret tomb at this burial site, and discover a hidden set of buried scrolls.  The gnome already delivered the scrolls to some kobolds that visited the burial site a few days ago.   The kobolds came to collect the scrolls on behalf of their leader, Irontooth.  Douven fears that by helping the gnome and his kobold allies obtain the scrolls, Douven may have done great harm.Finally, Douvan tells the heroes there is also another relic in the tomb beside the scrolls which were already taken.  After the gnome got the scrolls, he had Douven use his knowledge and skills as a scholar and archaologist to help the gnome locate and discover this second item.  That second item has not yet been fully dug up, however, and remains in the tomb below.  It lies in a sarcophagus, in the tunnel down the mine shaft at the bottom of the burial site crater.   “Let’s go down there and open the sarcophagus”, says Douvan, “Agrid was so eager to find it and dig it up.  I can’t wait to see what’s inside!”</blockquote>

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