Korpiklanni Horsekiller's page

Korpiklanni looks like your average goblin. His grayish skin is scarred and often filthy. Above his wide mouth his reddish eyes stare out at the world with apparently eternal anger, greed, and curiosity. One of his long ears is pierced by a series of crude brass rings. He wears a suit of black leather armor studded with jagged bits of metal scavenged from the detritus of Sandpoint. Across his back is usually slung a large flail with a wickedly spiked ball that is his pride and joy despite the fact that it looks absurdly large when compared with its wielder. He’s collected many small trinkets during his time in Sandpoint and he keeps his favorite items with him at all times. Hung on a dirty string around his neck and from his belt are dozens of small items (a key, a large rat’s skull, and such; anything that catches his eye).
Despite his apparent hatred of just about every other living creature, he possesses a strong curiosity which, combined with his poor judgment and lack of knowledge of the human culture, often gets him into trouble. He has tried to learn as much as he can of the longshank culture and has incorporated his findings into his own ways creating a bizarre mix of human and goblin habits and customs.

Korpiklanni is not your typical goblin. For one thing, he's a little brighter than most of his kin. Secondly, he lives in an uneasy peace with the town of Sandpoint.
One year ago Korpiklanni (then called Kork) was a goblin destined to become a Big Goblin Hero in the Mosswood tribe. He earned his name, Horsekiller, by striking the finally blow in a battle against a particularly large longshank horse, quite an accomplishment for a goblin. His fame was short lived, since a few months later Big Chief Ripnugget of the Thistletop tribe approached the chief of the Mosswood tribe with an offer, winning most of the Mosswood goblins over with gifts of food, longshank ale, and fine presents stolen from a longshank caravan. For a while the fact that Mosswoods hate Thistletops was ignored at the prospect of some great triumph over the longshanks (Mosswoods believe that the Thistletop island is rightfully theirs and the Thistletop goblins stole it from them severl generations ago, meaning about twenty-five years. Most of the tribes have similair feelings). A few goblins distrusted the Thistletop goblin's offers of truce, including Korpiklanni's father. Since the Mosswood goblins are a fractious lot, they decided that this would be an ideal time to take revenge on the Thistletop goblins by ruining their plan and to take control of the tribe for their family. Unfortunately due to a complete lack of planning and a few last minute betrayels, the uprisin went poorly and only Korpiklanni survived (and only because he groveled for mercy when the battle went bad). Instead of being killed outright, the new cheif branded him an exile, knocked him unconcious, stuffed him in a sack and dumped him near the Sandpoint.
This would have been a death sentance for most goblins, but Korpiklanni is smarter than your average goblin. He knew a little of the longshank-talk and managed to get Gorvi to let him stay in the Sandpoint junkyard as a guard and a helper in Gorvi's street-cleaning buisness. He took a new name for himself too, although he still bear the Horsekiller title with pride.
He tries to stay out of trouble and tries to follow the longshank rules since, despite his hatred for the longshanks, he enjoys a soft life on the outskirts of their society. He likes living in his little hut in the junkyard, has arranged a truce with the Seven Tooth Tribe (he covers up some of thier tracks, they don't kill him), and has even developed agrudging respect bordering on lliking for a few of the longshanks. He also holds a grudge, both against the Thistletop goblins and the chief of his old tribe (he thinks that he is the rightful chief) and hopes to go back to the Mosswood tribe, kill their chief, take over, and then retake thier ancestral home of Thistletop.