Ok I went back to look...how exactly did Pella kill/betray/murder the gnomes? I saw where Cale flipped out, but didn't recall her doing anything malicious or heinous

She killed the Sentries that guarded the Tower (whatever it was, it was probably a defensive instilation). In retrospect I'm not sure why she didn't just let Richard do it seeing as she wasn't any less messy than he is and Cale probably wouldn't have flipped out on him.
While it was necessary the act itself was under-handed and Cale (despite knowing that sometimes such acts are necessary and having done a few such acts himself in the past) didn't approve of the fact that Pella did it behind his back.

oh WOW you mean here: http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/271 and then http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/272 ???

Damn I didn't even realize what had happened when I read it. I just figured the diggers broke through, and since Pella had cut off Richard's hands in the 271 comic, I thought she was actually stopping him from just killing the gnomes for fun, and saving their lives.



.... <---slow on the uptake.

She probably figured if Richard did it there'd be a lot more dead gnomes. "I know. You can't kill just one!"

I think it's possible she did it herself because allowing Richard to do the deed using his usual methods likely would have aroused suspicion among the gnomes. Richard certainly would have enjoyed the task; Pella obviously didn't. She knew it would be far less suspicious if the gnomes were killed with bladed weapons than fwoomed to death, since the black dwarves have plenty of sharp-edged cutlery and there's only one known supply of fwoom-fire.

I doubt Toyk would go along with Cale's plan to move them to Kethenecia if he knew Cale's group was behind the destruction of his beloved tower.

I think it's possible she did it herself because allowing Richard to do the deed using his usual methods likely would have aroused suspicion among the gnomes. Richard certainly would have enjoyed the task; Pella obviously didn't. However, she knew it would be far less suspicious if the gnomes were killed with bladed weapons than fwoomed to death, since the black dwarves have plenty of sharp-edged cutlery and there's only one known supply of fwoom-fire.

I doubt Toyk would go along with Cale's plan to move them to Kethenecia if he knew Cale's group was behind the destruction of his beloved tower.

In addition to the 'Richard's method of killing is far too obvious' - Pella may have done it to put the blame on the diggers instead - keep in mind that she is distantly related to them, and their methods of killing may be similar.