Blingdenstone

Blingdenstone, once called the City of Speaking Stones, is a deep gnome settlement founded more than two millennia ago. The deep gnomes, also called Svirfneblin, are  insular and secretive by nature, care little about histories and legacies, and thus most of the ruined city’s past is lost to time.
The city is located some 45 miles west of the drow city Menzoberranzan in the Upperdark under the Silver Marches near Mithral Hall. At the entrance to the city is a set of stairs and a large iron gate. Just past the gate, inside the city, is a large and winding maze aimed to slow down any would-be invaders. The city itself consists of many cavern chambers connected by winding tunnels. The city's appearance is organic, carved smoothly into the stone. Many buildings appear as simple piles of rocks but are in fact masterfully carved to appear so.

History

For centuries, Blingdenstone remained hidden and isolated from the rest of The Underdark, thanks to a combination of misdirection and magic. Perceiving the threat the Drow represented to all the peoples of the Underdark, the deep gnomes abandoned their isolation when they came to the defense of the dwarves of Mithril Hall, defeating an invading drow force from Menzoberranzan.
This alliance, however, would spell Blingdenstone’s doom. The vengeful drow bided their time, rebuilt their forces, and sent their armies out to strike back hard against the Svirfneblin, returning in great force to lay siege to Blingdenstone. The deep gnomes were no match for the drow army. Thousands of Svirfneblin were slaughtered, and those survivors who didn’t escape to Mithril Hall or the surface world were dragged back in chains to Menzoberranzan as slaves.
The city was destroyed and abandoned. However, beginning around 1440 DR the svirfneblin began to resettle the town with support from Mithral Hall and Silverymoon.

Type

City

Location under

The Underdark