Kaloora hurries to try to keep up with the others. He scratches his ear - find funny the obsession of Biggun with the gnome - but doesn't say anything. If she isn't annoyed, why would he care?
He keeps the hammer out, and silently observes as Ravboom tries to deal with the goblin dog.
A voice shouts out from behind a wall in the broken-down hut, "Goblin Dog be mine!!! You no be taking it... And you not be eating it or I'll be eatings you... Leave me be - you want to get fallen star then you be leaving me out of it!!! Just go aways"
You come out of there! - Kaloora yells - We don't eat the dog! But you come here and talk about the falling star, or we go there and get you!
Ears poke above the top of the wall before a goblin face follows, "Talk from here... You stay right there, no come near 'case you turn crazy... I seen it happen before... Goblins all normal then go bad in head - smashing and crushing things... How I know you not do that?"
"Palooo no, it's okay! She's got a point, it'd be harder for me to hide because I'm larger than Sparky, though I'd still like to try and learn and get better at it," Relas says, quickly stepping in. "Come on, no eating or punting anyone, okay? I think we've got bigger problems, if that little gobbie over there is talking sense." Turning his attention to the goblin in question, he calls out, "Um...you said that the other goblins went crazy? When?"
Sparky, (still being sneaky) takes his chance as the rest of the group comes out front and confronts the goblin to sneak around behind him if possible. From behind Sparky intends to creep up and take him by surprise.
"Big chief go to fetch star that fell from sky... First said it land near old Longshanks place on lake - he gone long time but then come back saying not find star and acting all funny... Even more nasty and head-smashing than before. Witch Doctor sent him away before he smash everything and then tribe start making plans to get star for ourselves. Then Brokebags start getting sick - some gobbies just sit and babble but other ones go bad crazy... Killing, stabbing, burning... Much nastiness. Tribe not really tribe no more - me leaving to find new tribe", a quivering wreck of a goblin strides out with dogslicer in hand, "So you not be eating my dog"
"Old Longshankses place be haunted by bad spirits - Chief said never go there cos of the bad magic but he change rule to go and get Star. You have to go through Brokebag village to get to path across swamp... Is half a day walks and easy findings... "
The goblin hops up on his dog, "Going to be getting gone now... If you want to be using my hut for sleepings then you can be... Maybe speak to shaman in village if you want to be knowing more"
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Solie, confident she wasn't going to die by this point, peeks out from behind Biggun.
"Before you go, have you a moment to discuss the word of Fire?" she shouts back to the goblin. She should make pamphlets. Not that goblins read. They could probably handle pictographs...
For a moment, the goblin upon his dog seems tempted to discuss ‘Fire’ with Solie (what self-respecting goblin wouldn’t?) but fear of having his dog eaten - and maybe of what has happened within the Brokebag village – tempers his curiosity. With a cursory nod at the newcomers to the village, he kicks his foot hard into the flanks of his mount – and with a yelp, it bolts towards the treeline. A voice calls back, as it departs at breakneck speed, ”Good luck – you are needing it”
The tumbledown hut, and the wreck of the human house that it is built against, stands empty with the goblin’s departure – and, whilst it is quite dilapidated, the roof does look sound enough to provide adequate shelter from the rain. Beyond this hut, the trail leads past several fetid-looking pools before arriving at a clearing notable for the single tree defiantly standing in the centre – the tree seems unusually tall for this part of the Mushfens and, dangling from its boughs, what appears to be a rope ladder leads upwards.
Relas watches the lone goblin ride away into the wilderness, then turns to regard his summoner. "You're right Palo, we can't just turn around and leave without trying to find out more about what's going on here! And even if you don't care about the goblins, well...if there's an illness or something, what if it starts spreading?"
Without waiting for a reply, he turns and pads after Solie as she inspects the hut and the ruined house. "He probably will! I think shamans usually like talking about Fire and Earth and the other elements...right?" he offers as he too surveys their immediate area.
- there is someone... or something... moving in the tall tree. Every now and again, one of the large branches moves as if that someone / something is climbing upwards.
Ravboom follows along, sling in hand, already loaded with a stone. Fortunately, unlike the bows, his sling isn't bothered overly much by the rain, being oil soaked.
"Hey! Hey you guys! There's definitely someone or something in that tree; I think they're trying to climb higher up!" Relas hisses to the others. "Maybe it's your shaman?" he adds, looking at Solie.
High up in the tree, maybe thirty feet or so, a bedraggled female goblin is climbing higher and higher. Hearing the voices below, she sits down on a strong-looking branch and shouts back down, "Not coming back down and you not be bringing me down!!! and then, "Hey!!! You not goblin!!!. The goblin is wearing a backpack and, haphazardly stuffed into it... fireworks!!!
"She no goblin! Crazy Gnome! But, then, all Gnome is Crazy, like saying Wet Fish or Hairy Bear!" Ravboom calls out from below. "Reles not Goblin either. He is... Well, not sure what Relas is. Palo human, also crazy."
"Not caring about star... star bring bad luck to Brokebags, make them go wrong in the head. This one is going to different stars... better stars - don't try and stop me!!! You all look crazy anyway!!!", and with that, she pulls a metallic cylinder from her belt - a bright orange flame sprouts from the flare in her hand...
"Different stars...?" Relas gives the goblin a puzzled look, but then his eyes widen as she pulls out a flare and lights it. "You don't mean...! Palo, Ravboom! She's gonna set herself on fire; do something!" he exclaims, his voice panicked.
Ravboom rages, and lets fly a stone at the flare, to knock it out of her hand.
Ravboom's stone whistles through the air and smacks into the goblin's hand causing her to drop the brightly burning flare - it bounces off various branches as it tumbles through the tree before landing safely in a small pond of rancid looking water... where it fizzes and dies.
"NO, NO, NO, NO...", unhitching the backpack and letting it tumble through the tree, the goblin starts to climb once more...
Down, down, down... Crashing against branches and boughs as it falls, the bag of fireworks starts to fizz and spark but when it lands, with a 'splat' in a shallow puddle of mud, the fizzing noise stops rather abruptly. Intrigued, Sparky ignores any protestations or warnings from Solie and scurries over to the bag with a look of glee upon his face...
...what happens next is overwhelmingly loud and impossibly bright - the bag of fireworks detonates in a kaleidoscope of colour and a pressure wave that shakes and bends the tree - pops, squeals and bangs accompany the impromptu pyrotechnic display - and when it is over, a final whizzing sound tailing off to silence, all that remains of Sparky is a scorched crater and several blackened daggers...
Moments later there is a scrabbling sound of someone falling, and desperately trying - and failing - to get a handhold upon the tree... The scream that accompanies the fall is abruptly ended with a sickening cracking noise as the goblin lands on her head... she twitches twice and then is dead...
From this clearing there is a path that, through the rain, you can see leads to a collection of buildings...
Ravboom blinks slowly. Then looks at Palo. "This why Ravboom tell Palo and Reles never mess with Boompowder."
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Biggun stared at the crater that was once his traveling companion. "Stupid little goblin," he said, shaking his head. "This why big goblins better than little goblins." With a snort, he walked over to check and see if the daggers would still be useable.
As he walked over there was a crashing sound before a wet thunk as the goblin in the tree fell to it's death. "Yup, big goblins better."
Hmmm he is cooked now! - Kaloora says, inspecting the body and the equipment with Biggun - And Kaloora is huuuungry, Biggun! Hungry!
"You tried, Palo," Relas rumbles sympathetically. "I don't think any of us could have done much more; she wouldn't listen and we couldn't have gotten under the tree fast enough to catch her when she fell."
He gives Biggun and Kaloora a perplexed look as they swarm over what little is left of Sparky and then turns back to the others. "Um...sorry for your loss?" he offers to Solie. "Ravboom, is this always how gobl-gobbies act when they lose one of their own? Most other races seem sad..."
Ravboom shakes his head sadly. "Gobbies insane. From birth. Can be rescued, but it takes lot of effort, and many bandages, Goblins born with teeth, all 3 rows." He grins, showing off his own very sharp, very dagger like white teeth (the only goblin in the group with nice white pearly teeth and no obvious rot or what have you). "No worry Palo, gobbies dead be thing that happen in gobbie life. Gobbies no be able be sad, would never get anything done. Longshank kill gobbies for ear trophies, orcs kill gobbies for food, animals kill gobbies for food, vermin kill gobbies for food, gobbies die of disease sometimes too, gobbies starve to death or eat other gobbies. Gobbies no have good homes, gobbies no have people can trust to protect them. Gobbies no have hope. Can't blame gobbies for not being sane." The goblin says, sounding sad and shaking his head. "Best can do is help where can, hope for best. Only reason gobbies no vanish is gobbies breed like rabbits, when rabbits not eaten by gobbies."
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"... Well, that's not the brightest thing Sparky ever done. Not stupidest either," Solie said as she came up from whatever it was she had ended up diving behind. "And-- oof. GREAT! Now who I talk to about Fire around here?! Stupid gobbie fall out of the tree! Goblins don't even belong in trees! No wings!"
Ravboom shrugs, and heads into the village, walking along, looking carefully.
Relas sighs quietly, but doesn't offer any argument as Ravboom and the others begin to head further into the village.
One step forward and two back...just have to be patient with her...
"Yeah, let's have a look around and see what we can find," he murmurs as he pads along quietly behind Ravboom, keeping his eyes open for signs of trouble. "Though we should come back and bury her, if we can."
Unfortunately, the rain makes for poor visibly and the wet ground is not kind to the feline, his paws making rather obvious squelching sounds in the mud as he walks.
The path leading from the scene of Sparky’s unfortunate demise runs past another ramshackle hut and a couple of burnt out sheds before arriving at a large clearing that, with a circular path around it, appears to be the centre of the Brokebag village. An enormous oak stands in the centre of the village clearing and there are at least twenty buildings positioned around this area – many seem to be relatively standard goblin dwellings however, even through the driving rain, several buildings of interest can be seen.
The first of the buildings, on the path that leads into the clearing, has a crudely drawn sign outside declaring it to be the “Big Sheriff’s office”. There are no signs of life from the building and both of its windows have been boarded up.
Out towards the east of the central area, a large two-storey building (surely originally a longshanks dwelling) also has a sign – this one depicting a bat-winged woman - and appears to be a communal drinking and eating place. It also has its ground-floor windows boarded up although the upper level does appear to have several open windows…
The most imposing building around the clearing, positioned nearby to the drinking place, is a large stone built lodge covered in stick-figure drawings daubed across its walls and is certainly a temple of some kind. Similarly to other buildings, is heavily boarded and furthermore the large entry door has been reinforced with a metal gate.
Towards the south of the clearing, a building that was clearly a store, boasts a large sign that simply says “Shop”. A large display window dominates the front of the building but now lies smashed in with shards of broken glass, glinting in the pale sunlight, strewn around. The most damaged of the buildings is around from the “Shop” on the western edge of the clearing – the burnt out ruin of a longshanks temple; high pillars standing proud amongst the rubble with no roof to support any longer and, scattered in the rubble, ruined statues.
There is no sign of life anywhere and, now through the rain, several figures can be seen hanging from the branches of the oak tree in the middle of the clearing - swaying gently with their feet mere inches from the ground...
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Biggun looked around the village, noting the various ramshackle buildings and the damage already done. "Stupid goblins break their own town," he said in contempt. When he spotted the 'Shop', he gave a bit, toothy grin and added, "But stupid little goblins leave store open just for us. Maybe find good things in there?"