Welcome young uns, please dot underneath
Strong Jaw takes the Marker of Dotting, sniffs the moist end, smiles a big-teethed grin, and begins chewing on it!
> <
There was a dot in between those, but Mogmurch used his ninja skills to purloin it.
Gorkle, ever obedient, creates a giant dot of smoke. Pity about that house he burned down to make it.
Kavak leave Dot as distraction..
BORK SMASH DOT
You are goblins of the Licktoad Tribe. Or at least you will be someday. For now, though, you’re whelps—ravenous, amoral, grumpy goblin children who learned to stop eating rocks only a few months ago. But with every day that passes, your whelping cage seems smaller and smaller. The outside world increasingly beckons to your goblin curiosity (and appetite), but the hateful cage bars holds you at bay.
A few other whelps flourish in the cage, even as the smaller and weaker ones are thinned out. Kettlehead stands literally head and shoulders above the competition, being a goblin of impeccable flatulence and having already fashioned himself an impressive hat from a teapot left lying too close to the cages. Even adult goblins—legendary Chief Rendwattle Gutwad among them—have taken note of Kettlehead and his advanced skills of poking the rest of you with sticks and delivering bruise-inducing noogies. But today is special. Today, instead of a bucket of fish heads, whelp-wrangler Loptop brought a key and unlocked the door to your cage, spilling you sorry lot into the world for the first time. Other Licktoads gather around, eyeballing you and chewing on the fish heads that should have been yours.
You all are too big for cages,” Loptop snorts. “But you’re not Licktoads yet. Licktoads gotta be useful. Licktoads gotta be tough! Licktoads gotta earn their places in the tribe. And that’s what you’re gonna do now! Show us where you belong, even if that ends being the boneyard!
Ever since the bonk he took to his noggin, Mogmurch went a bit strange.
Yes, even for a psychotic goblin child.
He started talking about the "secret art of the ninja" and the "special training" he was receiving.
If nothing else, he got a *lot* sneakier.
Rotfoot used to give Mogmurch hungry looks and tried to sneak up on him!
Rotfoot was tasty. A lot better than fish-heads. And his name fitted right after Mogmurch's.
Mogmurch was eyeing up Kettlehead, sick of his poking and his lack of respect for Mogmurch's "ninja skills". But he hadn't quite worked out the right angle to strike the goon from. After all, it's hard to find proper "high ground" inside a cage.
And then, Loptop let the survivors out.
Mogmurch blinks and tries to steal back a choice fishhead. With choice manoeuvres.
Bork is angry. Kettlehead doesn't deserve his kettle. Bork did. Bork wants that kettle. Bork was gonna get that kettle. Somehow.
And the sticks! Bork was sure that he could be a far better stick poker than Kettlehead. If only he could get his grubby little hands on a stick, he could prove he was stickier than Kettlehead. Bork suspected stickier was a word.
But the cage was open! Today was different from all those other days he had been beaten. This was his chance! The whelps were squirming around him. Throwing his head around to spot the telltale sign of kettle, Bork charges straight at the goblin that has plagued his youth, his oversized teeth bared.
There are no fishheads to eat today Mogmurch. When you reach into the bucket you find nothing.
Bork attempts to eat his old rival but only bites the back of the shirt. The ferocity of the attack surprises everybody the adults move to seperate you but not before Kettlehead tries to smack him with his stick and lands a hard hit against his fellow whelpling. Kettlehead is pulled away as the other goblins congratulate him on showing you your place.
Purg and his collection of pointy sticks roll out, careful not to puncture himself. He's less careful about whether or not anyone else gets punctured.
He lets Bork get all worked up about their captivity, it was simply the goblin way. No reason to be mad, more importantly they were free now! Able to make their way in the world, maybe even to prove themselves and become mighty chieftans! Or maybe wind up dead. Not Purg though. Purg had pointy sticks, and he knew how to use them. And run. He also knew how to run. And climb. And flee. "Purg useful! Purg find things to prove he useful."
Does Purg mean the pointy sticks?
as the cages are being unlocked Kavak is already picking his with an smooth chewed down bone. He pops the lock and walks out calmer than the others with a knowing grin. Kavak very useful,
Loptop looks at Purg and Kavak. We'll see about that.
Mogmurch looks around, trying to find edibles.
Preferably ones that won't fight back.
Wait. The door is...open? Gorkle has been waiting for this day for so very, very long. Not even the emptiness in his belly can win out over the one thing he’s longed to do. The scuffle? Barely registers, even though normally it would be the sort of thing he’d be eager to watch and cheer (or jeer) on. He scampers about, gathering up loose straw and twigs, as well as a stray bit of flint he’d seen dropped days ago. He’d seen the miracle workers bang larger pieces of flint against stone or metal, and now it was finally HIS turn. Hunkering protectively over hi pile of twigs and outright quivering with excitement, he begins scraping away. Clack...clack...CLACK!
Gorkle begins to giggle as the first sparks are created. Whether it’ll be enough to catch the straw and twigs alight remains to be seen, but it certainly won’t be for lack of effort or enthusiasm if he fails.
Strong Jaw stops chewing on the bars of the cage, warily watching Loptop open the cage. The little big teethed goblin then watches as all the other whelps rush out of the cage. Still sitting in the now empty cage (teeth still grasping the bars), Strong Jaw smiles.
The little goblin begins chanting,
Outside! Outside! Zarongel says Outside be goods chewing!
Strong Jaw watches the short fight (still biting the bars). He then continues to watch what the other whelp actions.
Jumping up and walking out of the cage, he casually walks up to the empty bucket of fishheads, squats over it, and....
Once finished, he promptly picked up the bucket. He then begins to wonder around, placing anything worth chewing on into the bucket.
Loptop leads all of you but Kettlehead to a clear section before placing a scarlet spider on the ground.
We see what kinda gobbos you be. Try and catcha the spida and tie this around it. She says holding up a string. Any who wish to attempt this challenge roll a combat maneuver check and a dex check.
Strong Jaw grins. The little big teeth goblin grabs some mud from the ground (chewing on it and frowning) and the Zarongel disciple chants a prayer to the Dog Voice.
Yous Dog Voice gives mees Guidance!
He then jumps on the spider...
...and promptly falls face first in some more mud. He comes up chewing mud, before jumping up and yelling,
Mees gots it!
You take 1 point of damage as it bites you. Roll a fort save.
Kavak walks over with the others, He observes strong jaw's attempt and looks to Bork and Purg Bork or Purg could do
Gorkle completely ignores the other goblins until his fire is burning brightly. While it may start out as nothing more than twigs and straw, he manages to find a fallen branch and gets it alight, waving around his makeshift torch and laughing with glee. "GORKLE MAKE FIRE!!!" Now that the first of the young Goblin's dreams have been achieved, he's much more willing to go along with less important things, like, oh, everything else.
"Fire better than string!" Gorkle tells Loptop (not that that stops him from _taking_ the string, mind you.) He swings his torch at the spider, leaving himself wide open if it were the sort of creature that charged into flames. Unlike Goblins, though, it seems to have something of a sense of self-preservation, and moves away from the flame, which gives Gorkle the opportunity to pounce.
Strong Jaw begins vomiting on Gorkle and the spider!
Gorkle proves himself in the challenge as Strongjaw starts to feel weaker. Strongjaw takes 1 point of strength damage. Does he wish to try again?
Bork stumbles backwards from Kettlehead after he is struck, reeling from the blow. Mostly, his pride hurts. He hisses, and snaps at any nearby whelps, crouching in the mud and waiting for his chance. "Bork crush", he mutters ominously while grinding his teeth. " Bork smash".
Bork observes the spider challenge with wide eyes, and lunges into the clearing, screaming his battle cry after Gorkle's success. "BORK"! He grabs Strong Jaw from behind, and throttles the puking goblin, trying to toss him aside. "Bork catch spider best!" Squiriming around Strong Jaw, he grabs at the puke covered spider in Gorkle's hand. Biting and scratching, Bork struggles to force Gorkle to release the spider, and thus grant Bork his turn.
Bork fails to catch the spider and it lunges at him.
The spider only bites your shirt before scuttling away.
Strong Jaw stops chewing on puke covered mud; spitting and sputtering another prayer.
Mees wantsa smokes!
Suddenly, appearing in a 20' radius to the little big grin goblin is an Obscuring Mist!
Gorkle is interrupted in his victory dance -- which, one might note, involves a good deal of flailing around with his homemade torch -- by suddenly being puked on by Strongjaw.
Naturally, his response has nothing whatsoever to do with recoiling. No, he reaches down and scrapes as large a handful of the puke off his chest then draws back to throw it. While he made no effort to keep hold of the spider after his task was complete, thanks to the mist, there's a good chance that Bork would have no way of knowing that, and Gorkle doesn't see Bork coming at all.
The torch-bearing Goblin goes down in a heap, shouting a surprised curse, though he does get one small measure of revenge as he's pummeled -- Bork will get a faceful of the puke that Gorkle had originally intended to fling at Strongjaw as Gorkle tries (mostly ineffectually) to push the stronger goblin off of him.
Despite his attempt to be sneaky when the mist clears the grownups know Strong Jaw has truly failed this test. They pelt him with mud and garbage. Strong Jaw takes 1 damage.
Mogmurch watches the antics of the others from the shadows (behind a rock half his height and not covering him).
And then uses his ninja skills to edge closer, snatching the string, and creeping towards the spider from behind, string held like a garotte.
Strong Jaw happily begins chewing on the proffered tribute!
A mouth full of puke mud, Bork squirms and spits it all over Gorkle. With one greasy little hand, he pushes Gorkle's face into the mud, and then lunges for the spider. Missing, he screams an inarticulate noise of rage, and then resumes beating Gorkle, the spider forgotten. "BORK" As he tries to steal Gorkle's torch, he starts gnawing Gorkle's ear.
Kavak shakes his head and moves to try grappling the spider while the others are distracted
Mogmurch and Kavak take their turns while Bork tries to gain revenge on Gorkle. Loptop hits him in the head. Bad!
Mogmurch catches the spider but doesn't get the string tied around it. and takes one damage. Fort save.
It rears back on Kavak and delivers a devestating bite in a very sensitive place. He takes 2 points of damage. Fort save.
Gorkle looks smug as Bork gets his scolding. Had Loptop not intervened before his torch was stolen, Bork would have earned an enemy for life. As it is, while he might not have liked getting pummeled and having his ear chewed on, that's just part of daily life. Any lingering irritation that he may have felt evaporates as he sees what happens to Kavak, though. Someone (else) getting bitten _there_? Comedy gold.
Feeling the sting, Mogmurch rolls away, seeking a box or rock to hide behind. Preparing for another sneaking run on the spider. The ninja will not be defeated so easily!
Mogmurch on his second try successfully completes his trial. Kavak takes one point of strength damage.
Mogmurch decides that the best way to show his dominance over the spider is the classic:
Eat it!
He holds the spider above his head, opens his maw, and shoves the spider in, crunching down on it.
Strong Jaw frowns eith jealousy.
Stupidest spider looksing chewy!
Purg looks around. "We all do this? Why? Not everyone good at same thing." He shakes his sizeable head. "Give Purg challenge better suited for Purg, we see who best."
Bork yelps as the adult strikes him, and staggers backwards, rolling in the mud. Now soaked and somehow even filthier than the average filthy whelp perhaps due to the vomit, he growls and hisses at the crowd. Then he glares at Purg. "What challenge for Purg? Fight Bork? Fight Bork!" Bork beats his chest aggressively.
Kavak pulls away as he's bitten Stupid little thing..
Purg and his namesake pointy sticks look at Bork. "Purg no think that good idea. Bork good fighter, might kill Bork, then less good fighters."
Gorkle looks between Purg and Bork. "Gorkle make big fire, see who jumps through it best!" comes the suggestion from him. After all, that means he gets to build another fire, and if one of them doesn't do a good enough job and burns, well...seeing someone set on fire doesn't sound so bad, either. Win win!
"Bork kill Purg, Bork win!" Bork bares his teeth, and begins gnashing the air wildly, chomping at ghosts. Then he glances at Gorkle. Gorkle was better at spider catching that Bork. Bork needed revenge. And Gorkle had an interesting idea. "Gorkle make big fire! We jump!" he pauses for a moment, before unleashing what he believes to be to epitome of wit. "Gorkle jump first!" He cackles wildly.
Loptop yells. STOP!