The Hobsons moved to New Greenleaf about forty years ago. Old Ausk Hobson, his cousins Davok and Tsarog, their wives and a mess of kids. They bought the old farm in the Dell, paid gold - a lot of gold - for it without complaint. Did it despite everyone knowing it was haunted. Well, if the dell had a bad reputation afore the Hobsons moved in its got a terrible one now.
Hobson farm barely scrapes by. Their kids are all dressed in poorly made things, and they mostly get by by hunting. Occasionally old Ausk comes into town to trade, but its rare. Still, when Ausk's son Karoug started that fire at the Hicksons Ausk coughed up the gold to pay for it with little complaint.
They don't mix with us, and we don't mix with them, and that's how we like it. Something funny about 'em - not just that they're foreign. They've got a weird look about them. Teeth too big, noses too small. There's those who say there's orc blood in the Hobsons, and I reckon they're right.
Local kids no better than to prowl around there, but there's chanting been heard in the nights, and howlin', and strange smells.
Hob’s Dell:
Hob’s Dell - or Hobson’s Dell, or just The Dell as humans sometimes call it - is a dark place. A crater in the local highlands it has steep sides and no easy access, and even in summer spends hours half-shaded from the sun. Fertile soil and a natural hot spring encourage verdant growth and this has encouraged humans to farm her over and over, but each farm find the inaccessibility and isolation make it unviable to transport crops or cattle out for sale.
In the rainy seasons the area floods, the whole valley turning into a morass of sticky mud and occasional patches of quicksand. There is a sulpherous smell in the dell. The smell, and the number of deaths that have occured have led humans to call it haunted.
When Hob Ausk led The Family to these lands he declared it perfect. He spent much of his blood-gold claiming it peacefully from the locals.
Though larger cattle are not viable goats, chickens and wild animals roam the area. Fruit and vegetables - often the last remainder of previous farms - dot the area. The Family doesn’t really perform agriculture as understood by humans, but it has domesticated many of the goats and chickens to some extent.
The Family currently numbers 26. At any one time most of those - five men, seven women, and eight young people - live in the Big House. This ramshackle modified longhouse was built by The Family, and has sprawled out as they grew. It consists of a well-constructed kitchen built over a spring, with slapped on rooms leaning into that area in which The Family sleep in rude accommodation. There is no common room - most of the Family’s life is spent outdoors.
A number of couples in the Family live independently of the Big House, and some have even left the local area.
The Family is mostly hunter-gatherer, and live harsh, hard lives. Descended from a limited pool there is a large degree of inbreeding, but the mix of orc and human genes have left them with a large degree of hybrid vigor. The Family are fighters and warriors. Everyone Fights is one of their mottos. The peace in which they have found themselves has led to a lot of internal fighting among the young, and quite a few deaths. The lack of medicine tends to mean those who are badly injured or fall sick die. Toughness is highly admired among The Family.
Karoug, The Hob:
Karoug is a big man, with a big temper. He’s terrifyingly fast for such a large man, all but immune to pain, smart and even sort of handsome. Sadly foresight, patience and perception - hallmarks of his father Ausk - are not his strengths.
Karoug is the son of Ausk. Ausk was the first Hob, and led the Family here. They escaped persecution and have built a life for themselves with his leadership.
Ausk trained Karoug as his heir, and when he recently died Karoug found himself finally in the leadership position - The Hob - he had been groomed for.
Karoug has big plans for The Family but has been frustrated by their lazy attitude. His attempts to encourage agriculture and start a new building have actually led to several of the couples leaving the Big House.
Ausk spent near the last of the Blood Gold paying a fine when Karoug “lost his temper” and used sacred fire spells on a neighbor's barn. What no-one knows is that Karoug was in the barn having a tryst with Elspeth, a human girl engaged to another human. The Burning was supposed to be a distraction that stopped Elspeth’s father George from discovering them. Both Ausk and George would have been shocked to discover the tryst.
Karoug has been sneaking out to spend time among the humans for a long time. Though he doesn’t particularly admire them he is not as xenophobic as some of The Family.
Karna is one of three remaining women in The Family who aren’t Ausk’s sister, and the assumption is that Ausk and Karna will end up together. Neither of them are particularly interested in the other, however. Ausk’s last act as Hob was to engage the two.
Tsarn is Karoug’s heir and apprentice. He has not been apprenticed very long but the two are firm friends.
Shahs is Karoug’s sister and a highly xenophobic traditionalist, as well as Tsarn’s mother.
crunch:
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 10.
BAB +0. Greataxe +2, 1d12+3.
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +2
AC 14 (10% spell failure)
HP 10.
Drawback: Family Ties
Traits: Rich Parents (900gp), Slippery (+1 stealth, stealth is class skill), Know the land (+1 know:nature, +1 survival, survival is class skill)
Feats: Diehard
spells
3 0th/day. All known.
2 1st/day. 6 known. Cure light wounds[ ], enlarge person, blood money, mage armour, charm person[ ], burning hands.
Abilities: Patron: Occult, Mask familiar (+2 intimidate, +2 heal), Scarshield hex (+1 na, 1 minute), Shaman’s Apprentice (Endurance, no intimidating), Sacred tattoo (replaces Orc Ferocity), Weapon familiarity: greataxe and falchion, Darkvision
Languages: Common, Orc, Draconic.
Skills: Spellcraft (+5), Stealth (+7) , Survival (+4)
Equipment (teams and rooms at build cost unless noted):
Guard Team (x5, full cost)
Kitchen (three quarter cost)
Laborers (x15)
Bunks x2
Pit (well)
Storage
40 goats
200 chickens
Witch’s kit (carried)
Greataxe
Leather armour
