Gramps Lights My Path to Cultural Exploration

Lharvion, 991 – Eyre, 992 YK Grandpa Broken Sandal (Sandal) is a retired bard and the current sage/head Librarian of the Lassites library in Stormreach. The Lassites are one the Storm Lord families and they oversee diplomacy and commerce within the city. The family’s current head is Varen Lassite. Of all the Storm Lords, Lord Varen is the only one who is beloved by his subjects. He has a reputation for generosity, and he will buy a drink for anyone who suffers misfortune in the Marketplace. He is the epitome of the dashing swashbuckler—clever, witty, with a fine eye for…

I Become an Integral Part of a Negotiation Between Goblins

Those of us that were to appear before the Queen are told… asked to remove all weapons. They even want Vanii’s component pouch, which he is not happy about at all. We give everything to our companions who will be staying outside and then proceed in. The hut is filled with about a dozen goblin warriors wearing painted masks resembling ants. Cool! And there at the other end is an intricately carved wooden throne. Upon the throne sat Queen Grabstab. She was larger than any of the other goblins we’d seen here. Larger in every way. I’m pretty sure the…

The Goblin Village of Yellyark

We Find Yellyark and the Biting Ant Tribe

So, I gave a little rundown on Yellyark and their flying village (flinging village???) We find it and those goblins find us. Dad, Trees, and Valii had scouted ahead enough that they thought they had triangulated where the village should be (they were correct). They returned and we all proceeded toward the village. About 100 yards out a small group of goblin warriors, with primitive armor and weapons, confronted us. It was obvious that there were many more hidden in the jungle around us, but that just seems prudent on their part as we were a pretty decent-sized group. Jhazaali…

These Goblinoids are Awesome and I Learn Some Stuff

As mentioned, these goblins (of Yellyark) are semi-nomadic in their own awesome way and Dad explains the difficulties of finding them. We spend several days going up and down various tributaries and even hit parts of the Hydra again. There are some battles but with dad and Trees perceiving what was coming and the fighting prowess of the Volaar, short work is made of all that comes our way. Again, I’m still pretty young and told to hide but I do get the occasional dart or thrown dagger into a target. Let’s get back to the Volaar fighting prowess. Each…

Let’s Finish Up the History Lesson from Jhazaali

Frax, Grabstab, Blah Blah Blah Uh… Right! Frax. So, the Dhakaani weren’t big magic users. Primarily bardic and artificer stuff but not so much in the pure arcane or divine. This is why Frax was a rarity and was the one sent. He used and had even managed to study a decent level of arcana. So Frax is on Xen’drik with a bunch of other goblins that were sent (not sure why no hobgoblins or bugbears but I think it may have been considered a bit of a suicide mission/hopeless case). However, it does seem that Frax and crew made…

Working with Dad Gets Me into Goblin Culture

My Intro to Kech Volaar (e.g., Coolest Goblinoids on the Planet) Barrakas – Rhaan, 990 YK There are some cool people I got to meet going out with dad and Trees and I really did learn a lot about surviving in the jungle, fighting for my life both face-to-face and from a nice hidden position, and how to keep an eye out for danger in general. One of my favorites was the time we were hired on by a couple Dhakaani hobgoblins, Jhazaali, a duur’kala, or “dirge singer” and Tariic (the glory seeker and singer of his own praises). They…

Dad’s Job is Fun but Dangerous (Which Just Means More Fun)

Now we get to my time training alongside my father. This is where I got to learn more about different cultures hands-on, and how my interest in anthropology blossomed. Also helped me to hone my survival skills and hiding. Sometimes it’s waaay better to hide than fight, especially when even dad and uncle Trees tell the group to get scarce. I went on quite a few jobs with him and as my skills got better, I got to go deeper and deeper into the jungle. Now, Xen’drik is huge. I know people on Khorvaire think it’s tough to get all-around…

Geez, My Aunts Know How to Keep a Person Busy

That’s Right, I Said Zapoo I also got to help with guarding a Lyrandar captain, a halfling merchant who was transporting a few wagons full of expensive textiles from the dyeworks to his ship, and a couple Tairnadal elves who were in town to meet with a clan member of theirs named Zapoo. I’d heard of him and even got to read a couple of his essays, later on, that talked of his adventures in Xen’drik. A little contrived but a decent read. Wish I’d gotten a chance to talk to him, but I didn’t know about his writings until…

My Continuing Work with Butterfly and Thunder

Half-Orcs are Tough Cool and Aereni are Creepy Cool The elves we worked for were from Aerenal and had those skeleton tattoos on their faces. They were doin’ some negotiating with House Tharashk for some Siberys dragonshards and I got to see Ront again. I also got to hear a bit of the negotiations while standin’ around watching out for any funny biz. The Aereni are an odd lot. Sorry I haven’t gotten a chance to head over there and learn more about ‘em, but one day.

Butterfly, Thunder, and a Bar Fight

A Dragonmarked House Can Get Away with Murder The half-orcs from House Tharashk didn’t seem like they needed bodyguards but that’s when I learned it’s always good to have locals with you in a fight. See, the half-orcs, Ront, Shrump, and Myev, were from Khorvaire and weren’t always the friendliest crew. One night we escorted them to the Wavecrest Tavern since they’d heard about the weekly arm-wrestling tournament there. Thunder and Butterfly take up positions on either side of the room where they can keep their eyes on things. I’m told to rove around the room, also keeping an eye…

Butterfly and Thunder, Makes You Wunder

Aunts Thunder and Butterfly hire out as bodyguards. They contract under House Deneith and do well for themselves. You wouldn’t believe how many VIP types want a twin pair of Tabaxi warrior women escorting them around. It doesn’t hurt that they are both thought to be very beautiful, stand as tall as I do today (6’-6”), and can wrestle a half-giant to the ground. This is where Brook absolutely excelled. She’s the spitting image of the two of them. Well, build-wise. Brook has all white fur (as opposed to my blue/gray) and my aunts have longer length fur that some…