- TRADERS' GROTTO
This cavern ~erves as Blingdenstone's central market.
All manner of fungi once grew in the moist grotto. but
a misca~t ~pellturned them to stone centuries ago.
Blingdcnstone's merchants gather here in makeshift
stalls amid the stone stalks ro hawk their wares and
barter with one another. Arriving caravans lower their
cargo to warehouses carved out beneath the grotto.
KAZOOK PICKSHlNE
If the characters accepted Werz Sahbaron's errand in
Gracklstugh (see chapter 4}. they can deliver Werz's
sack of gems to Kazook Pickshine, who has a stall in
the T raders' Grotto. Kazook is a deep gn ome. If the
characters approach him openly and present th e sack to
him, he muffles a gasp as he looks a round. then quick ly
ushers the c haracters into the stall, admonishing the m
to talk quietly and not be so open. He inspects the gems,
weighs them by hand w hi le looking at the characters
with suspicion, then pays them for the delivery with a
zircon worth 50 gp.GELATINOUS CuBE INCURSION
The first time the characters visit the Traders' Grotto
without an escort, a clanging bell sounds near the main
entrance. When this happens, read the following boxed
text to the players.The deep gnomes around you all draw weapons and
retreat as you see a guard stumble back, then rise up
in the atr. A strange shimmer around him reveals the
surface of the gelatinous cube that has engulfed him.Two ge latinou s cube s seep through a collapsed
runnel between the Traders' Grouo and area 24 of the
Gold whisker Warrens. Both cubes advance, attempting
to engulf and consume any other creatures in their
paths until they are destroyed.
T he trapped svirfncblin is named Mev Flin tknapper
use the ve teran statistics in the Monster Manual, but
also give Mev t he Stone Camouflage. Gnome Cunning.
and Innate Spellcasting features of a deep gnome). He
has a lready taken 10 acid damage and takes another
11 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the cube's
·urns until pulled free with a successful DC 12 Strength
·heck. The attempt requires an action. and any creature
making the attempt takes 10 (3d6) acid damage is it
~eachcs into the cube.
If Glabbagool is w ith the characters. it attempts
~o intimidate the other cubes by interposing itself
~tween them and the characters. At your discretion.
_llow Glabbagool to use the Help action to assist the
characters' attacks.
Treasure. Once destroyed, the hostile cubes spill
·heir contents on the ground: 12 gp and a +I shortsword
of drow manufacture (see the "Drowcraft Items'' sidebar
n appendix B).INNER BLINCDENSTONE! GENERAL F EATURES
Inner Blingdenstone covers the areas the svirfneblin have
recovered from supernatural squatters and other dangers,
now secured by mundane and magical means.
Chambers. Blingdenstone is not a single cavern, but a
network of interconnected caves and pockets the svirfneblin
have widened and worked for use as homes, workshops,
vending stalls, places of worship. storerooms, and the like.
Other than the private homes of svirfneblin families, all
chambers are tall enough for Medium creatures to walk
around wtthout difficulty, and common areas are even larger.
It is rare for cavern walls to be bare in Blingdenstone. The
walls oflarge caverns are studded with stairs and ramps
leading to balcontes and hollows serving as storage or
shops. The largest caverns are crisscrossed by walkways
allowing svirfneblin and visitors to reach connecting tunnels
high above the floor.
Light. The caverns of Inner Blingdenstone are brightly lit
with a mix of bioluminescent fungi, caged giant fire beetles,
and magic. The light from these chambers spills into short
connecting tunnels lacking their own illumination, creating
areas of dim light. Longer tunnels have their own light,
usually magically produced.
Connecting Tunnels. Svirfneblin and other Small races
can walk through tunnels with ease, but Medium or larger
creatures must duck and squeeze-a feature intended to
control invaders' movements. Most tunnels have smooth
floors, but those around the periphery of the reclaimed
areas are strewn with rubble and debris.
Some of the connectmg tunnels in Blingdenstone are
trapped. The most common traps are collapsing roofs and
spiked pits (see "Sample Traps" in chapter 5 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide). Many tunnels slope down before rising up
again, allowing the gnomes to flood them. All tunnel traps
are inactive in Inner Blingdenstone, but the svirfneblin can
quickly activate them tn case of emergency.DEVELOPMENT
After the gelatinous cube encounter, svirfneblin inform
the characters that incursions by oozes are becoming
more frequent. ln every case, it seems as though
the oozes are trying to make their way toward the
abandoned northwest section of the city (labeled "The
Pudding Court" on the map o f Blingdenstonc).XPAWA RDS
The characters gain a special award of 100 XP each for
delivering Werz's sack of gems to Kazook Pickshine.
If the characters managed to rescue Mev. or made a
sincere effort to do so, award each of them 50 XP. and
allow the characters to make a group Charisma check
to improve the deep gnomes' attitude (see "Changing
Svirfneblin Attitudes").8. THE RUBY IN THE ROUGH
The Stoneheart Enclave agreed to join the
Diggermattock effort to resettle Blingdenstone in
exchange for help reclaiming this temple known as
the Ruby in the Rough. The temple is dedicated to
Segojan Earthcaller, the svirfneblin god of deep earth
and natur e. The rituals and day-to-day duties of the
temple are overseen by a deep gnome named Glyphic
Shroomlight, a nervous young novice doing his best in a
situation requiring a much older and more experiencedCHAPTER 6 I BLINCDF.NSTO!'\E