Daviren Hosk NPC's page

"M' pleasure madam!" Daviren nods and grins.

"Come back any time."

"Would you be able to tell us anymore about Thistletop specifically? Perhaps mark it on a map for us? We shall make a point to speak with Shalelu, thank you for your help Daviren!"

You have already encountered sailors who could indicate the location for you.

"Like I said, I never been there. I know it's on the coast though. Mostly in my day I tried to keep em out of human territory, and away from the road. Always tried to get the tribes fighting each other whenever possible, which usually wasn't too hard."

"Always wanted to get the Mosswoods to start some kind civil war too, or maybe break into more than one tribe. If the Mosswoods ever got a strong leader they could grind the other tribes under. Or absorb them, which would be even worse. But whenever the Mosswoods have ever gone up against the Thistletops, the Thistletops have used the Nettlewood to their advantage. They know the Nettlewood, and the Mosswoods don't. So they have a pretty good defense."

Daviren grins.

"Thistletop! Well, if I recall correctly, that is the mane of one of the goblin tribes around here. They have their own god, apparently; most goblins worship one of the four 'Goblin Hero Gods' but these ones don't."

"I think Thistletop is the name of their hideout too. Never been there. I don't mind fighting goblins but it was never my strategy to take them head on, if you get my meaning. I'm not about to charge a goblin fort with fifty of the little buggers in there. If you do go there, expect to find some booby traps. Goblins aren't the most attentive guards so they like to place traps, even if they're not that good at making them."

He shakes his head.

"I don't think the Thistletops are the most dangerous tribe though. The Mosswoods have always been the biggest one around here, for quite a while now."

"You should ask Shalelu. She would know more about what is going on right now. I hear she should be back in town in the next few days."

Daviren Hosk looks up from his work as Cade enters.

"Goodbarrel!" he calls out with good cheer. "What brings you here today? Kill more Goblins did you? Hah!"

Suddenly something occurs to him and he gets very serious.

"Nothing happened to the dog, did it?" he asks gravely.

Cade looks at Davian in wonder. His voice is filled with respect and in a proper tone.

I am certain my Grandfather would never demand nor would he expect to be paid for aiding you all those years ago...

"Oh, I expect you're right. Ol' Kordon weren't no mercenary or anything like that. Still... that don't mean nothin' is owed. Besides, you gotta look after the people who look out for yourn. After yesterday, I imagine you havin' a friend like Bellum here will be good for everyone."

He is of a fine and pure breed...it is a he, right?

"Oh, aye, it's a he. And he's as pure a breed as I can tell, though I'm no dog breeder. If there's a wolf or two in his lineage I'm sure it won't hurt none."

Daviren nods. "Goblins are like rats. They breed fast, so they are hard to eradicate."

"They stick to areas that are hard to get at. Forests, swamps, rocky areas, that kind of thing. Out in the open they are too easy prey for men on horseback."

"Mostly that kind of territory is to the east of here. Along the Lost Coast there are lots of forests and thickets. The Lost Coast Road goes through there. The first couple miles are okay, but after that... well, wise men only travel that stretch of road in daylight, and in groups. Where it passes the Mosswood and the Nettlewood are the worst."

"The south and southeast are mostly open country and they're not so bad. Though there's a big marsh where the Soggy River meets the sea and there's goblins in there too."

Daviren scratches his head.

"Used to be about a half-dozen goblin tribes in the area, though goblin tribes come and go. Honestly, I'm a little out of touch now that I'm settled down here. There's a lady who could tell you a lot more. Her name's Shalelu Andosana. Now that I'm retired she's pretty much taken over for me. I think she's out of the town now but she usually reports in every week or two."

"Goblins have a lot of weird habits. Sometimes you can take advantage of that if you know how they think."

The sky is grey and a light but steady autumn rain pours down, enough to wash the bloody evidence of last night's battle off the streets and into the harbor.

But Daviren Hosk's stable is right next door and those who want to see him can get there without getting too wet. The door to the stable is wide open and from the street you can see Daviren brushing one of the horses. He smiles as he sees you come in.

"Cade, Kargas!" He acknowledges anyone else that is also coming. "Good to see you! Barnabas! Get... oh, there you are." He hands his brush to a stableboy. "Take over here, I have customers."

As Daviren comes over you can see that he indeed has nailed a few dozen goblin ears to the rafters of the stable. Three of the rafters are covered with them.

"Cade, I've been thinking. I owed your grandad something way back then. He saved me life, and even if I had lived, without him who knows what path my life would'a took? Never got to pay 'im back neither."

"Back then I had nothin' but the shirt on me back. But now I'm doin' all right as ya can see. So there's something I'd like ta give ya on account o' old Kordon Blu."

He takes you towards the back, where a large dog sits lying on the straw.

"I got this dog here trained but not too many folks around here are in the market for a dog as a mount. Yeah, you can ride him, but he's trained to fight too. It's a Kangal dog; that's a Shoanti breed. They raise 'em as guards for their flocks and herds."

"Anyways, the dog's yours if you want it. I have a saddle and tack that'll fit him too."

Cade: You can choose the name and gender for the dog. It would be useful if you made a separate avatar for the dog. Also please familiarize yourself with the rules for Handle Animal skill to give commands to a trained domestic animal. FYI You don't need to have ranks in handle animal to give the dog orders (though it's not a bad idea).

When Kargas mentions the ears, Daviren rubs his chin in thought.

"I appreciate that, but we might be out of luck. I think Gorvi and his boys have cleared the bodies out of the streets already. Gorvi's the guy in charge of collecting garbage. His shack's at the north end of town."

"You fellas dealt with goblins before?"

sorry...umm..if I am correct you knew my grandfather. Kordon Goodbarrel...Do you remember him? He sometimes went by the nick name Blu.....

Once again, Daviren Hosk is taken aback. "Goodbarrel? You're Kordon Blu's grandson?" He stares for a moment.

"Hah! I should 'ave known! I was just a lad when I met Kordon. Just starting out. The Bonegrinder tribe was still around then, but me an' your grandad made short work of them! He saved my life once even!
Say, did he ever tell you about that Taldoran with the big wheel of cheese?"

So, how much exp does one get for killing the Mood. That has to be a CR 3-4 at least! ;)

Heh. Sadly you can't get bonus XP in story-based advancement. :)

"Nature doesn't take trophies, and neither should you!"

Daviren blinks a few times, clearly taken aback.

"Nature doesn't wear hats, either. Or cook food. Or use weapons, for that matter."

"I do know a little bit about nature, little one. I spent most of my youth living off the wild."

"But goblins... well, there's no way to live in peace with those nasty buggers. And people need reminding once in a while that they can be fought, and beaten."

"What exactly do you wish to do with goblin ears?..."

"Heh. I nail them to the rafters in my stable! I've got a few dozen. I also brand the name of the goblin onto the ear. Well, whenever I can find out what their name was. They hate that! Ha ha ha ha!" Daviren slaps the table a few times as he laughs.

"You're welcome to come and have a look anytime! Well, anytime I'm about, anyway."

"I'm getting a bit old for the goblin fighting business, 's why I got into raising horses, you see. Horses terrify goblins. Hah! But I did win two more ears today, I'm happy to say. Sounds like you lot got more than your share though! Folks around here know that if they don't want the ears, I'm always happy to take 'em."

A burly, bearded man bursts into the tavern.

"I hear the new goblin-slayers are here!" he shouts. He looks around the room, and strides up to the table where the party sits.

"That must be you!" he says with a grin. "Did you happen to take any of their ears? Very well done by the way. Couldn't have done better meself."

He looks around for a moment, then something occurs to him.

"Oh, right! I'm Daviren. Daviren Hosk. I run the stable next door. It's called 'The Goblin Squash Stables.' Heh. Honored to meet you!"