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Game Background
The great kingdoms of the West ebb and flow, but none seems to ever rise to dominate the land. Until now: the discovery of the New World may give any one of those kingdoms an insurmountable edge in wealth and influence. Needless to say, they are all over the opportunity.
There's only one little problem: the New World is already occupied.
Well, at least it would be a problem if the Orcs, Goblinoids, Kobolds, and miscellaneous other inhabitants could manage to band together and fight off the invaders. Instead of, say, fighting each other as much as anybody else, burying their heads in the sand, or each backing out of any alliance in which they are not universally acknowledged as the Supreme Masters.
Yet against the onrushing tide of humans, elves, dwarves, and friends, eventually it becomes obvious to the even the most hardened Orc or Bugbear that something has to be done. When grand alliances are out of the question, the only remaining possibility is to start small.
Each race has agreed to provide one hero, one open-minded hero of his or her kind, who can acknowledge the strengths of the others, put aside old grudges (at least for a time), and work toward the common goal of driving these undeserving invaders back across the ocean. Or perhaps better, into a shallow grave.
But the grand kings and champions would never acknowledge the equality of a lowly goblin or slithering snake-man. The up-and-comers know the better money is on pleasing the elders, not going against the grain. Which pretty much leaves the outcasts, the infirm, and the young and stupid to take up the flag of unity.
Which brings us to you.
Final Character Backstory
[sblock="Drutha Keldret"]As Drutha leaves the camp, a small, hunched-over hobgoblin steps out of the shadows. His age is immediately striking -- far older than any Hobgoblin she's ever seen. Older, and perhaps more frail, than she would have thought possible for her race. She may have the urge to strike him down out of hand, but the power and control in his voice stays any such instinct.
The he steps back into the shadows, and is gone.[/sblock]
[sblock="Karok the Crow"]As Karok makes his preparations to leave, a Priestess of Luthic slips into the cave he briefly called his own. Judging by the full bearskin cloak and massive claws, she is highly placed indeed. She shares only a few brief words with Karok before slipping back to the whelping pens.
[sblock="Moon Moon"]Following his last words to the Candle King, Moon Moon turns and departs. A small rat follows along. When Moon Moon looks inquiringly at his companion, the rat speaks.
Then it scurries away.[/sblock]
[sblock="Nert Muckshredder"]The Boss actually has a bit of trouble getting someone to unlock the cage. Because anybody approaching the lock would be in danger of, at least for the moment, standing closer to the assignment than Nert was. In the few moments while the Boss petulantly demands that someone step forward to release the prisoner, Nert feels the touch of what can only be Booyahg on his mind.
Nert looks quickly around, but every goblin in sight seems preoccupied with his own footwear. And then, Nert is free. Exiled, yes, but free.[/sblock]
[sblock="Ripnek Ratkiller"]As Ripnek leaves the camp, alone and shamed once again, his frustration comes to a head and he kicks one of the spikes marking the edge of the territory. The territory that one day, he hopes, will be his.
Imagine his surprise when the head mounted on the spike looks straight at him and speaks!
Before Ripnek can overcome his shock, the head falls limp again.[/sblock]
[sblock=Saashala]Standing in front of the Tribunal, Saashala didn't see much hope for the future. Already discredited once, she was summoned again to answer for her overly sympathetic treatment of the latest slaves she had been assigned. She felt the disgust of Kalik, her patron, for her failure to turn circumstances to their advantage.
All that was erased in a moment when the First Judge described the assignment to cooperate with the meat races. Hardly believing her luck, Saashala could only stammer her acceptance. At that instant, she heard Kalik's "Yesss!" and he rewarded her with the major boon of the Awakened Mind. The minds of the judges, previously inscrutable, now glowed to her sight. One of the minds, belonging to a Malison with a tail snaking twice around his podium, even reached out to her. His body never gave her a second glance, but the mental message was unmistakeable.
And That Brings Us To Tonight...
Each of you was given a scrawled map and hasty directions. For the most part, nobody in your clan, tribe, or gang actually wanted to speak to you, but it would be even worse if you actually returned because you were unable to make the meeting. Karok and Saashala are the only ones to have any trouble finding it, the former perhaps because the navigation he's used to is not overland, and the latter perhaps convinced that one of the upper caste simply wanted to inject some misery into her journey.
Nevertheless, you each eventually reach the designated clearing in the forest. The smell of fire leads you there; in the dark of night, a raging bonfire burns.
Threads
PCs
- Drutha Keldret (KahlessNestor): Hobgoblin Fighter
- Karok the Crow (tglassy): Orc Storm Sorcerer
- Moon Moon (Creamsteak): Kobold Druid
- Nert Muckshredder (TallIan): Goblin Ranger
- Ripnek Ratkiller (JustinCase): Bugbear Rogue
- Saashala (Shayuri): Yuan-ti Warlock
Game Background
The great kingdoms of the West ebb and flow, but none seems to ever rise to dominate the land. Until now: the discovery of the New World may give any one of those kingdoms an insurmountable edge in wealth and influence. Needless to say, they are all over the opportunity.
There's only one little problem: the New World is already occupied.
Well, at least it would be a problem if the Orcs, Goblinoids, Kobolds, and miscellaneous other inhabitants could manage to band together and fight off the invaders. Instead of, say, fighting each other as much as anybody else, burying their heads in the sand, or each backing out of any alliance in which they are not universally acknowledged as the Supreme Masters.
Yet against the onrushing tide of humans, elves, dwarves, and friends, eventually it becomes obvious to the even the most hardened Orc or Bugbear that something has to be done. When grand alliances are out of the question, the only remaining possibility is to start small.
Each race has agreed to provide one hero, one open-minded hero of his or her kind, who can acknowledge the strengths of the others, put aside old grudges (at least for a time), and work toward the common goal of driving these undeserving invaders back across the ocean. Or perhaps better, into a shallow grave.
But the grand kings and champions would never acknowledge the equality of a lowly goblin or slithering snake-man. The up-and-comers know the better money is on pleasing the elders, not going against the grain. Which pretty much leaves the outcasts, the infirm, and the young and stupid to take up the flag of unity.
Which brings us to you.
Final Character Backstory
[sblock="Drutha Keldret"]As Drutha leaves the camp, a small, hunched-over hobgoblin steps out of the shadows. His age is immediately striking -- far older than any Hobgoblin she's ever seen. Older, and perhaps more frail, than she would have thought possible for her race. She may have the urge to strike him down out of hand, but the power and control in his voice stays any such instinct.
"Now you know. We are half of what we could be -- what we need to be. Nomog-Geaya calls, and we have half an answer. It will take two great leaders to unite our halves. Who will they be?"
The he steps back into the shadows, and is gone.[/sblock]
[sblock="Karok the Crow"]As Karok makes his preparations to leave, a Priestess of Luthic slips into the cave he briefly called his own. Judging by the full bearskin cloak and massive claws, she is highly placed indeed. She shares only a few brief words with Karok before slipping back to the whelping pens.
"Gruumsh does not mean for us to dig deeper into the dirt. We pretend we can hear his call, but we cannot. As you go into the world, ask yourself this: How can I bring the Voice of Gruumsh back to his tribe?"
[/sblock][sblock="Moon Moon"]Following his last words to the Candle King, Moon Moon turns and departs. A small rat follows along. When Moon Moon looks inquiringly at his companion, the rat speaks.
"He's wrong, you know. We're not losing the wax. It was stolen."
Then it scurries away.[/sblock]
[sblock="Nert Muckshredder"]The Boss actually has a bit of trouble getting someone to unlock the cage. Because anybody approaching the lock would be in danger of, at least for the moment, standing closer to the assignment than Nert was. In the few moments while the Boss petulantly demands that someone step forward to release the prisoner, Nert feels the touch of what can only be Booyahg on his mind.
"Don't worry, soon he'll be dead too. But every Boss who dies takes a piece of us with him. While you're away, you must find out: who is killing us?"
Nert looks quickly around, but every goblin in sight seems preoccupied with his own footwear. And then, Nert is free. Exiled, yes, but free.[/sblock]
[sblock="Ripnek Ratkiller"]As Ripnek leaves the camp, alone and shamed once again, his frustration comes to a head and he kicks one of the spikes marking the edge of the territory. The territory that one day, he hopes, will be his.
Imagine his surprise when the head mounted on the spike looks straight at him and speaks!
"Young one. Perhaps you've heard the story that Grankhul stole your vigor. Trust me when I say, I did not. If you would lead a gang one day, find out who did."
Before Ripnek can overcome his shock, the head falls limp again.[/sblock]
[sblock=Saashala]Standing in front of the Tribunal, Saashala didn't see much hope for the future. Already discredited once, she was summoned again to answer for her overly sympathetic treatment of the latest slaves she had been assigned. She felt the disgust of Kalik, her patron, for her failure to turn circumstances to their advantage.
All that was erased in a moment when the First Judge described the assignment to cooperate with the meat races. Hardly believing her luck, Saashala could only stammer her acceptance. At that instant, she heard Kalik's "Yesss!" and he rewarded her with the major boon of the Awakened Mind. The minds of the judges, previously inscrutable, now glowed to her sight. One of the minds, belonging to a Malison with a tail snaking twice around his podium, even reached out to her. His body never gave her a second glance, but the mental message was unmistakeable.
"You have been granted a ssmall resspite. Let us asssume for a moment that your previouss theory is correct. How do we turn thiss to our advantage? Find out." The mental voice turned harsh. "Or elsse."
[/sblock]And That Brings Us To Tonight...
Each of you was given a scrawled map and hasty directions. For the most part, nobody in your clan, tribe, or gang actually wanted to speak to you, but it would be even worse if you actually returned because you were unable to make the meeting. Karok and Saashala are the only ones to have any trouble finding it, the former perhaps because the navigation he's used to is not overland, and the latter perhaps convinced that one of the upper caste simply wanted to inject some misery into her journey.
Nevertheless, you each eventually reach the designated clearing in the forest. The smell of fire leads you there; in the dark of night, a raging bonfire burns.
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