Me wants take their crunchy ears... errr, take vengeance, yees, yes, vengeance.
But Kitty right, Longshanks make problems, no Tienshanks, but Longashanks. They will ask things to do. Or aks to not do things.
"Me knows that hard to trust longshanks" Tochack nods, channeling all of his Fire Hair granted evangelizing skills.
"But no all Longshanks be bad news, like no all gobbos are strong or smart: and me not says that only because Fire Hair says so. We attack longshanks because they be trouble, come to us, stab us, take our stuff, and send demon horsies to us. But then longshanks attack us, because we kill them friends, burn with bad firey fire their homes, and take their stuff." he pauses, thinking back at the Sandy Points attack.
"When Chief Guttwald said we attack Sandy Points, me went around and tried to help Longshanks get away: they no believed me was helping them, at first. But after they managed to get away from Sandy Points, they thanked me and not tried to stab me.
Then Elfshanks, friend of Longshanks, started to kill gobbos, because she taught we be doing bad stuff to her Tianshanks (Bless her, giver of Glowy Hands) friend: but we tried to understand each other and worked together to save Tianshanks, so Elfshanks understood we not bad." the Sarenite gobbo continues, carefully omitting the part where the Elfshanks listened to them only because she was caught up in a bear trap.
"We tried to understand each other, and even if we no completely trust each other, it be better than fighting and killing each other. So, please, tell us if there a way that will make you trust Longshanks, Kittygobbo. If the Angryshanks was a gobbo, would you hate all gobbos because of her?"
finally he found his friends as Brother Tochack began to well... preach to the gob with the kitty. He said nothing merely watching the interplay between the two formulation devious plots and plans. After all plotting and planning was what he did second best... lighting things on fire with his magic was probably the 1st best thing he did.
Sticky stands in awe of Tochak's speech. If he wasn't already a believer he would have converted on the spot! So he converts again for good measure.
Kittygobbo frowned thoughtfully at Tochak's wise words. "So, you saying your longshank friends be good? That hard to believe, but me remembers angryshanks friends not all bad, either. She and priestshanks be trouble, but manshanks not do nothing. He not bothering nobody when me left. Hmmm... Maybe you right..." He mulls over things for another minute. "Okay, me give it another chance. If longshanks come to spiky forest and you with them, me and Tangletooth leave them alone. But we be following and watching. If they not cause trouble, it be okay, and me maybe come out later. If they be bad..." A flaming dogslicer appears out of nowhere as Kittygobbo makes the 'finger across the throat' sign.
Sticky's head bobs in agreement. That fair, that fair. You good listener.
He then heads back to the fort. [b]I think we should be tryin' make sure kittygobbo be on our side. Let's clear the basement and get rid of mean people before we bring Tienshanks (Bless her, giver of Glowy Hands) here.
So now longshanks are good? no, no, speechy gobo wrong. He must be. Well, they are good...in a pot, cooked.
While Brother's words left Puseater confused, the ones from Sticky makes better results on his head.
Yess, we get the angryshank and its howling demon horses.
Just after saying this, the little gobo shakes, as the words 'howling demon horses' comes to his mind.
Tochack's eyes lights up at the Kittygobbo, partially for his understanding and partially because he had a FLAMING SWORD. He could do that too!
"Do we clear basement ourselves, or we go find other gobbos in Sandy Points?" the grey goblin asks, once they're back at the fortress.
Heading downstairs, the first thing you find is a room full of chairs, a large table, and a slate board. The board is covered in writing , but before you avert your eyes, you see a crude map of Sandy Points drawn there as well. Doors to the east and west lead to the rest of the Thistletop basement.
Writing! writing that hadnt been destroyed yet!
Stand back guys I got this.
He said doing his best leadership and commanding voice before moving closer to the writing ...
The writing on the board is troubling to say the least. Apparently Goblin tribes from all over the region are being recruited for a raid on Sandy Points. It will include multiple sin-pawns. The preparations are almost complete, and the raid will launch "once the whispering beast is tamed."
As he read his eyes widened more and more this... this was very very bad. A goblin horde was the most derstructive thing in the whole wide world (at least in plays mind,)
Uh guys.... this
He began making motions to the board frantically.
This is bad, like bad bad, like the baddest of bad things...whoever the big bad is down there, they...they have somehow convinced all the tribes in the region... all of them to raid sandypoints... with lots and lots of sinpawns. They want to destroy everything, and it will happen soon soon!
He said to the others his voice rising slowly with each passing word.
Hey, hey, but now Sandypoint is a gobo town, it is our town.
And Sinpawns are a lot of trouble. Trouble!
Ugh... you said here... and down? So we can get them before they can get them?
Asks the little goblin with his eyes shinning. Of fear.
Tochack pales at Plays' words. Babbling inconsistently for a moment, the grey goblin swallows and manages to say something.
"Yes, yes, we must warn them! But...who do that? Who can make gobbos all work together, and have army of Bentshanks?" Tochack genuinely asks, hoping that the smart gobbo knew what was going on.
We have to warn Longshanks, too...If army of gobbos walks around destroying everything, all Longshanks will hate gobbos forever, and no can we work together anymore! Gobbos and Longshanks will always be at war then...
Sticky is in awe of Plays ability to see what the badbad board said without going mad. He agrees with brother. We barely convince Kittygobbo to be nice! Who can convince while tribes!
As you contemplate what to do, a brown-skinned longshanks woman walks in through the southeast door. She has a white cat with her. She looks surprised to see you.
Actually longshanks, we are not losers, in fact we are the winners,
Who are you and why are you in my Thistletop?
He began imperiously crossing his arms and doing his best to look magnificent.
Tochack gives panicked glance to Plays, fearing that the longshanks could react badly to what he said: hurriedly, he tries to explain in common...
The grey goblin eyes grow wide as he realizes the situation.
He offers his hands, tentatively complimenting the priestshanks.
The longshanks burst out laughing as Plays and Tochack stumble over their words.
His eyes widened at well her crudeness.... By habit and rote he quickly covered Tochack's ears.. he had a feeling the other gobbo didnt do so well with foul language.
Why you all talky-talky longshanks in longshanks tongue?
I know her ears will make a nice snack, and the little purrer tastes very good, like rabbit, but better. I even know a very good recipe, you put skinned purrer on a plate covered with chopped garlic and parsley, then...
The little gobbo continues, drooling, with the recipe description, while begging to the others to get the menacing longshanks.
Eventually Sticky slaps Pus to shut him up. Longshanks could be servant of Tienshanks!
Ack!
Pus shuts up, with a tear about to drop from one of his eyes.
But that what me said. Longshanks served, in plates.
The woman continues to chuckle.
At first, Tochack is left completely speechless by the rudeshanks' words. All goblins look the same! How could she be so specieist?
After a moment, however, the cogs in the gobbo's brain starts to turn, and he devises a plan...
"Me got idea, play along." he says in goblin to his flock, before responding to the rudeshanks.
The grey goblin says, feeling shameful to have to play along with the brown longshanks racial stereotypes.
The moment she mentioned books, his ears perked up as did he.
He said clearly excited, maybe foulmouthshanks wasnt so bad, even if he wasnt overly fond of those rowling furry things. I mean cats? Ugh! That wizard in the tower had an annoying tailchasing milk licking fur shedding annoying little monster. It was a shame the elf took it with her when he accidently burnt down the tower...
Sticky gets distracted as the others talk in Longshanks tongue and accidentally provides a perfect example of just how bored they are by picking his ears and eating whatever came out.
The brownshanks' face turns hard and angry as she wags a warning finger at Plays.
After making sure that he's sufficiently cowed by her threat, she turns to leave.
Tochack nods to the meanshanks, and motions the others to follow him around.
"See, now we know who angryshanks is." Tochack starts to say to the others after he opens the closer door. "Me says we explore around here a little, then go back to Sandy Points. If we capture meanshanks some way, we could ask her what the deal is with what be happening..."
I has my trap. Maybe that catches the angryshanks? Sticky offers.
Puseater moves after Brother, but not sure about the meaning of his words.
Last longshank we trapped with Sticky trap is now friend, that I remember it. Maybe is how they do.
D11
Two large stone doors sit in the western wall here, their faces carved with images of horrific, deformed monsters clawing their way out of pregnant women of all races.
D13
The lower four feet of the walls in this empty room are covered with crude drawings in mud, blood, and paint. Most of the drawings show goblins engaged in some sort of violence against humans, horses, and dogs. One picture on the north wall is at least three times the size and complexity of the others. This image shows Thistletop from the side, the stockade perched atop it like a crown. A cave has been drawn into the center of the image, and looming inside is what appears to be an immense, muscular goblin with snakelike eyes and a dogslicer in each taloned hand. If the scale compared to the rest of the drawings is to be believed, this goblin must be at least 30ft tall.
D15
A large wooden worktable sits in the middle of this room, its surface cluttered with books, scrolls, stone tablets covered in dense spiky runes, and fragments of carvings that appear to have been chipped off statues or bas-reliefs. To the north, a floor-to-ceiling set of wooden shelves sags with picks, shovels, brushes, lanterns, and other equipment one might expect to see at an archaeological site. The brownshanks is in here, studying the things on the table. She looks up as you enter the room and wags a warning finger at you if you get too close.
When they enter the Room of Highest Art (D13) Sticky stands amazed. Did thistletop gobs to this? Should have enslaved them for their arts... He slowly makes his way around the room, taking it all in.
What be this? He asks of the huge goblin picture. That be gobbo hero? Maybe son of gobbo who mate with giant?
Plays was quiet, which wasnt totally unusual especially when he was thinking. He would deal with foulmouthshanks later, he didnt like the fact she thought she was well supieror to all gobs.
Plays, unfortunately, doesn't recognize the giant goblin. It's definitely not one of the goblin Heroes of Legend, though.
Contrary to Sticky, Tochack is mostly left completely speechless by the gruesome drawings around the site. The door, in particular, leaves him staring at it for a few moments, before the goblin manages to say a few words. "What in Hells this be?."
The doors depict a Lamashtan religious rite.
One second guys, maybe that know it all foulmouthed shanks knows what these mean, after all it looks like she was studying this stuff. give me a second.
He began really feeling the need to show his supierority. He went to the room she was in and began.
He spat out a quick hodgepodge of so many different tongues, the first was easy probably for even the others to catch. It certainly sounded like the words of the longshanks they had dealt with, but then there was a more gutteral one, followed by something flighty and fancy, lastly by something that held an almost noble growling sort of manner. He stood there impatiently tapping his foot glaring at the foulmouthshanks to respond hopefully with the answer.
The rudeshanks looks up from her research in surprise at Plays' multilingual outburst. You see equal amounts of confusion and understanding in her eyes, before she gives the goblin a feral grin and launches into a lecture of her own.
He rolled his sleeves up and snorted almost as if he was amused by her challenge...but then he tilted his head to the side and spoke in the commmon tongue once more.
He began getting a little closer hoping that the understanding that he was no mere silly goblin like most his brethren would give them a little connection that he could perhaps use.
My next goal, besides learning how to make glass... is to well learn dwarven, oh... and spells, you're not a wizard are you? My spell book is a bit... lacking, but its a work in progress.
Lyrie Akenja is meanshanks' name, then?
Tochack, still a little on edge, stays silent and waits for the meanshanks' to respond: he really wasn't sure what to make of her, but the fact that she was working with the Angryshanks to amass a gobbo horde to attack Sandy Points surely wasn't something a nice person would do...Fire Hair would have agreed, probably.
Puseater wanders around aimlessly, as the pictures does not impress him nor the great intelect battle is going on between Plays and the rudeshanks.
Hmmm, it must be something edible somewhere.
The little goblin continues wandering, when finally one thing call his attention, an impresive carved stone doors.
Woooow... scary beauty. Says Pus staring at them.
Lyrie brushed aside Plays' questions in favor of a more interesting topic.
He giggled... it sounded horribly dischordant and altogether wrong.
He said with a grin from his sharp toothy maw.
"I do has some transmutation spells now mind you, So uh.. your here studying things, what is you going to do when uh, they take Sandypoints?
He asked probing for information
Tochack sighs with relief, now sure that the Meanshanks probably wasn't going to burninate Plays. While the smart gobbo was talking to her, Tochack moves to the closer door and keeps exploring...
She pauses as a thought strikes her.
As he pushes the door, Tochack overhears what the Meanshanks is saying, and his inner goblin rises up and makes him smile a vicious full smile.
So Meanshanks is interest in sticky magicky pool? If Plays says we can show it to her, me sure we can ask Tianshanks and Elfshanks to help capture her...then we no kill her, Plays happy, but she tells us how to avoid Sandypoints to get destroyed. We tell her she can have special magicky books she wants if works with us instead of Angryshanks!