Tag: goblins

#Lore24 – Entry #169 – Wild West Month #18 – The Towns that Vanish

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

As the People from Beyond the Great Walls spread into the lands of the Bitter Frontier, they bring their towns and buildings with them.  The wisest amongst these build new walls to protect them from the many dangers that roam the land, along with many armed with the Thundering Weapons.  However, even all of these precautions were not enough to save some of these towns.  The Towns that Vanish are many, though most are easily forgotten by the People from Beyond the Great Walls, for they do not understand the dangers of the Bitter Frontier and are blinded by their lust for the treasures they seek.

Sometimes the Bitter Frontier and the Many Spirits upon it simply reclaim the land upon which the town was built.  It is during these Little Uproars that the landscapes which were once familiar change, sometimes overnight, sometimes over the course of several days.  The Little Uproars leave only scattered remains behind, sometimes broken shells of the buildings that once stood there, perhaps a handful of survivors, those fortunate enough to have been away from the towns when the changes occurred, seeing some land that is familiar, thinking they have come home, only to find new land before them, little or no sign of their homes or families remaining.  Some are driven mad by such a thing, for it is hard for the minds of those who cannot comprehend the ways of the Many Spirits to understand what has occurred.

One of the reasons we of the Kerra-Kerra travel is because of these Little Uproars.  Our bonds with the Many Spirits allow us to know that such an event is coming; thus we do not linger too long in one place.

There are Towns that Vanish that are not the work of the Little Uproars.  You will know these, because the buildings of the towns are still there, perhaps even the valuables and perhaps even the animals as well.  Only the people of these towns are gone.  There are several of the Ghost Towns of the Vanished Peoples that dot the Bitter Frontier, and these places we do not go, for even we do not know exactly why such a thing would happen.  To the south, perhaps it is the Goblin People who are the cause, sneaking in at night and stealing the people away, but in other places, there are no such dangers.  Perhaps it is the Reaper Spirit at work, claiming the entire town in its hunger to end all life.  Or perhaps it is something of the Devil-Wardens, their lost dark sorcery at work that steals the people away, perhaps to other long forgotten Cages deep within the earth, or perhaps in realms beyond.

#Lore24 – Entry #163 – Wild West Month #11 – The Goblin People of the Far Southern Lands Beyond the Peaks that Never Rest

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

While the Orc Peoples of the north are strong and mighty warriors, there is perhaps a greater danger which lies to the far south, beyond the Peaks that Never Rest.  Long have our people told of the Night Goblin People of the Lands Beyond the Peaks that Never Rest, for it is said they are born of the Devil-Wardens’ foul sorcery.  The lost Mountain Bear tribe of Kerra-Kerra, who once roamed the lands around the Peaks that Never Rest, are said to have been taken by these goblins, though we know not what came of them, for any who venture beyond the Peaks never return.

Though none living amongst our people has seen these goblins, it is said by our ancestors that they are possessed by the spirits of the Devil-Wardens, skin the color of night and with eyes that blaze with terrible fire that can see better at night than even those of our tribe.  Using the secret ways of the Devil-Wardens, they travel unseen, unheard in the dead of night, leaving nothing behind in their wake save what they cannot carry, like some terrible dark spirit collecting souls, not a body left behind, and no blood to be found.  If they take them alive, what do they do with them?  Perhaps foul sorcery of their own, perhaps as food or slaves? 

For many moons, the Goblins of the Dark have been kept away by the Peaks that Never Rest, for travel through them is dangerous because of the constant unease of the powerful earth spirits that dwell within them.  In recent times, those from Beyond the Great Walls have placed settlements nearby, and have pushed further and further to the south, going deep into the Peaks that Never Rest in spite of the dangers.  I cannot know for certain if they even are aware of the goblins that lie beyond, but I fear it is only a matter of time before they learn of them; those from Beyond the Great Walls rarely seek wisdom from our people.