Though considered one of the most decent races of the Underdark, the svirfneblin are isolationist and xenophobic in nature, due in large part to the depredations of drow, duergar, and other denizens of the deep realms. The community of Blingdenstone is the only settlement known to outsiders, located in the Upperdark near the infamous drow city of Menzoberranzan. The deep gnomes have just begun to reclaim Blingdenstone after being driven out by drow over a century ago.   For an outsider to be taught the secret of spell gems, that person would need to demonstrate such extraordinary commitment to a deep gnome community as to be considered a deep gnome themselves.     Death and Gold Beneath the Sword Coast is the published diary of a pre-Spellplague adventurer that has become a fairly popular read among non-adventuring folk in Waterdeep. Within its pages lies an account where a comrade of the author disappeared into sunken ruins after having plundered a cache of spell gems from the svirfneblin. The ruins are said to be located near the mouth of the Winding Water at the feet of the Troll Hills.   Thought to be millennia-old remnants of shrines raised by the thralls of an aboleth, the ruins are now home to a tribe or tribes of lizardfolk. During the Time of the Troubles some 150 years past, a demon impersonating the god Sess'innek began accumulating divine power by stealing the worship of the lizardfolk. The demon was unaware that Helm, god of protection, had been commanded by the overgod Lord Ao to prevent any godly avatar or mortal creature from entering the divine realms. Helm struck down the demon in a fierce battle, damaging the Weave and creating an area of dead magic around the ruins. The demon's influence left a legacy of demon-touched leaders in the tribe.   In his recently published memoirs, the elven bladesinger Arislan Kinwarden claims that he and his friends befriended the tribe's shaman Ommot and, while thwarting a Cult of the Dragon plot in the area, put an end to the demonic influence on the tribe. When the adventurers left, the lizardfolk's traditional primal and naturalistic practices were on the rise thanks to Ommot. Arislan is said to be a resident of Waterdeep, as are several of his allies.