Goblin Burrow: Fodlan (Itzylcoatl x darkest_fate)

[Itzylcoatl]

(just for clarity, set in Fire Emblem: Three houses world of Fodlan)

At the base of the mountains of the Adrestian Empire, a flash of light would be hidden between the trunks of a dense forest that was situated North of Remire Village in the world of Fodlan. What was dropped into the world was a creature that had not been seen upon the land before. A handful of green skinned creatures would chatter in a garbled language as each one would slowly come to from the sudden moment. Five goblins of the lowest hierarchy would shake off their fog from the magic that had pulled them from their home and into this untouched world. Each one screeched and hollered in muffled tones to keep from drawing too much attention to their position if there were humans or other predators around.

With their crude bone daggers at hand, they would skitter into the bushes to gain some cover as they surveyed their new territory. The world was lush and green which was something they had not been used to since their world was delved into waste from their ravaging of the world and the people upon it. Their sickly yellow eyes would look about the world as each one spoke in their broken language. Their faith in survival was beginning to falter as they found themselves without a leader to guide them. The intelligence of a goblin was basic at best because they were bred to take orders and not think. They were little bundles of chaos and impulse that tended to throw any off guard if they weren’t ready for the beasts.

As they split up to know their bearings, the urgent jabbering of one of the goblins would grab the attention of the others. The green beings would push through the brush and make their way to where the commotion was at. When they pushed through the brush, they would come face to face with a goblin lord that they had been bound to for protection and orders. Zralx had been pulled through the portal with his lowly warriors and laid sprawled on the ground. A dead sapling was in the place he felt and had fractured enough to pierce through his side. The black oozing liquid that as indicative of goblin blood would be seeping around the sharp protrusion in his side. He had not come to from the transport to this world but the low level goblins would know they had to find shelter soon.

Grabbing the much larger lord by the arms and legs, the green booger like creatures would heft and pull their fallen lord through the forest in search of a den that they could make home. Their instincts were to head towards the mountain. Their instinct was rewarded as they were able to find the remnants of a bear den that had been abandoned due to the warm weather. They would have to deal with the beast if it every returned. For now, it was a triage hole for them to care for their lord.

Their lack of care and intelligence would be shown as they tried to tend to their lord. Each one swiped, slapped and clawed at the other as they squabbled amongst each other. Their roughhousing and bickering was just enough to bring the lord back to the waking world since it was like nails on a chalkboard to his ears. To get them to shut their gobs, he swung a heavy hand in his stupor and was able to knock two of them back in his angry and pained growl. “Will you lot, shut yer yaps?” He said cursing under his breath as he shifted a bit and the piercing pain of the stick would make itself known. He reached down and grabbed the sapling that was embedded in him and yanked it from its hole. He would cover the gushing wound with his hand as his deep golden eyes would glare at his minions.

“Give me your cloth…” Zralx would command of one of his subordinates. The goblin was quick to comply and pulled his dirty shreds of cloth from his body and handed it over. As the lord took the time to bandage his wound, the green skinned lessers would begin their chattering and garbled speech to inform their lord of what they had seen. Zralx was not completely unaware of the change in the world based on the fresh smell of the air that seared his senses. It was a far cry from the rank and rotting world that made up their goblin burrows. The chatters turned to squabbles and would anger him once more. “Enough!” He commanded as he got the bleeding to stop. His magic was completely drained and his strength as well. Whatever brought them here had taken his ability to take this world by the reigns and command it.

Pushing to his feet, he would show strength to keep these smaller goblins from feasting on him if they viewed him weak. He pulled himself to the mouth of the den and curled his lips in disgust at how the world looked. It was far too bright and clean for his liking and he as going to have to make a change. His golden eyes would look upon the world in disdain and could feel they were no longer home. He began to let his mind run over the possibilities and reason for this moment but that was lost for the need for power. He had a handful of absolute idiots at his command and that was not enough to even to command an outhouse. He cursed his luck looking at what he was given as troops and hoped this world would give him better soldiers to be proud of. For now, he had to deal with these minimally competent troops for now.

Without needing a word, he would make his way over in quick strides to his troops and give them all a heavy hit with his hand. He had to keep the iron fist approach or these minions would think they could take charge. He watched as they all clambered to their feet and cowered in fear at their lord. He looked upon the sickly green beings with a scowl that told them that their life was insignificant. He would section out four of them to begin the work at digging out the burrow to house their future troops and the women that would bring their ranks to flourishing. With only four, it would take a long time to make anything substantial but it was enough for a start. The last goblin was told to scout out the world and let him know of the area they were in. This world would be his in time.

For days, the goblins worked on the burrow and scouted the world until they came across the village of Remire. When word came back that there was a human settlement in these lands, the lord knew that his takeover would come sooner than expected. Now a human woman wasn’t as desirable as an elf but if these humans were able to wield magic, he could hope for shamans to be bred and bring his ranks higher. For now, he wanted to focus on expanding the ranks of his green minions. When the burrow was big enough to house a few dozen goblins, Zralx would send his goblins to abduct women from the village and bring them to the burrow for breeding. Their ability to breed was explosive and within the week of their coming, word got around about green skinned creatures wreaking havoc on Remire Village. The soldiers in this world were formidable and bit at their ranks a time or two but their work was producing results as the starting five soon blossomed to a couple dozen and that was just the ones the village knew about. Many others were held within the burrow digging it deeper and creating their home.

Zralx kept his command from deep within the burrow as he sat upon his throne of animal and human bones lashed with leather. He looked over his growing horde of green skinned heathens and longed for the glory of hobgoblins and goblin champions to begin to attack stronger strongholds that would hold better vessels for his seedbeds. For now, he knew that his presence was known in this land because his incompetent kin were not ones for stealth even in large groups. He was always prepared for such events but he hoped that the strongest of the land didn’t come for his head. He was still too weak and his wound had become infected from lack of proper care. He would still fight like hell but it would be a struggle. All he had right now was his intellect and patience to watch the world from his torchlit hovel that was the beginnings of a goblin empire.

 

[darkest_fate]

Nearly in the center of Fodlan was the Gerreg Mach Monastery, home to the Church of Seiros, and the Officers Academy. The proud building had stood for over a millennium as the beacon of the Seiros faith, home of their priestess Rhea. The Church could be counted on to serve as a peacekeeping force, sending out its forces to protect the lands surrounding the well fortified Monastery proper, but also occasionally into the lands of the various territories.

That aforementioned Officers Academy took students from each of the three ruling bodies: the Kingdom of Faerghus, the Adrestian Empire, and the Leicester Alliance. The lands sent only their best and brightest, quite often but not always the future lords, ladies, and even royals from the lands. These students would be grouped into three houses, each led by a chosen leader (usually, but not always the highest ranking student). Those students would receive the finest education available in all of Fodlan. The best of armsmasters would train them in sword, lance, bow and spear, while the finest crestologists would help them uncover their secret powers. Expert historians, canny sages, and of course the most pious of healers, only the best would serve to instructor these students.

Word came to the Monastery that Remire Village was under attack. supposedly strange creatures, green skinned and oddly stunted, were invading the land. These foul beasts not only took supplies and killed the soldiers assigned to defend the village, but they also seemed to make off with any and all women, particularly the more attractive kind. Obviously this had to be investigated, but it sounded more like superstition, perhaps villagers being overly concerned with recent events. Regardless, the Monastery had sworn to protect the village, so it was decided, with some reluctance, that they'd send a force out to investigate. And to show Remire they meant business, they'd send out some students from one of the Houses.

Dorothea Arnault held the distinction of being the only member of the current class of the Black Eagles to not have noble blood in her veins. Her Housemates didn't generally look down on her, save for Ferdinand who looked down on everyone, but she was hardly Princess Edelgard's confidant. Many said that Dorothea got into the Academy based more on her charms than her skills, and they wouldn't be too far off. However, she had gotten a willing sponsor from the faculty, and she had since proved herself to be above average in both swordsmanship and attack magics, being second in both among her house

The ex-Opera singer also happened to be incredibly striking. Her creamy skin almost immediately drew attention, attention which she enhanced with her finely selected wardrobe. Students may be required to wear the black and gold uniforms of the Academy, but Dorothea knew how to enhance it. The boxy shape of the top seemed to fit her impressive curves quite well. She'd kept her skirt flirtatiously short, coming to just halfway below her thigh. Long black boots covered her lower half, extending above the knee, displaying only the slightest bit of pale thigh to oh so eager viewers. A jaunty cap sat atop a head of chestnut hair, which flowed down past her shoulders in curls. Her bright green eyes were enhanced by makeup.

Yes, Dorothea was a bit of a flirt, often teasingly suggesting she was there more for a husband or wife than an education, but that didn't stop her from being a member of the Black Eagles, a force to be reckoned with and one of the potential growing champions of Fodlan. Currently she'd finished directing her contingent of guards and soldiers to tend to aid, while she took her own battalion out to investigate near the edges of these green skinned creatures' territory. The locals called them "goblins," referencing the fairy tale creatures, and their description sounded... striking ,if nothing else

"I don't know at this point if I'd be thankful to actually find something, or more relieved to have this all be something paranoid villagers thought up," Dorothea mused, mostly to herself, though likely the battalion leaders heard it. She knew that someone had to check in on the villagers, and while the rest of her House had looked down at this opportunity, Dorothea had jumped at it. They needed protecting, and she could use a little more combat experience anyway. She hummed beautifully to herself as she led her troops onward, her left hand resting on her sword, the other free to cast lightning or other magicks as needed.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Remire Village had been the ample supply to the goblin hordes and their like were dotted through the trees and shrubbery within their territory keeping guard for their lord. They had been diligent to map out the land so that their lord, Zralx, would know the world he was commanding. The deep blue skin of the large goblin lord was even darker in the low light of the burning torches of his burrow. Every little morsel of information was drawn upon the leather hide of a buck they had struck down during a hunt. He had used the black coals of used wood to mark everything he could. He had slapped the hands of many of his lessers who dared to try and touch the map and some were unlucky enough to lose a hand in the process.

Zralx knew of every path that either crossed through his land or nearby and the large main artery of trail that came down from the tops of the mountains was one he had his kin watch closely. His ears would listen to the sounds of women held deep within the bowels of his home either being bred to bring more minions to the world or begging to be released as their bellies were round with litters of green skins. Most did not make it passed the second set of goblin births which made his pillaging of the village more abundant and required. He had not found a single female worth his time from what the goblins had brought home and he was almost giving up hope for anything to satiate his need.

The begging and pleading was soon broken by the scrambling and jabbering of a goblin scout. He rushed through the darkness of their burrow before falling before his lord. Zralx was not too fond of the garbled words of these smaller kin but they had their uses. His deep golden eyes would glare down at the goblin who proceeded to speak about the group that was seen upon the large road on the edge of their territory. The goblin lord was not all too surprised when he was told that they were much more formidable looking than the guards of the village. He did not know what caliber these soldiers were but he was going to use tactics to his advantage.

“Coax them here… we will use our burrow to overwhelm them… tell the others to gain their attention and we will ambush them within the walls of our home…” He said as he looked down at the small goblin. The yellow eyes of the green creature would look up at its blue leader in a confused state and that only infuriated the lord more. With a heavy foot, he would kick the scout square in the chest to knock it back and wind it. “BRING THEM HERE!!!” He shouted his command simply since it as the only thing that worked on their simple minds. The rat like goblin would scramble on all fours taking the command to heart as he rushed out of the burrow to tell the others.

Zralx would huff a bit in his anger before the pain of his infected wound would begin to complain. He cursed and pulled the leather bandage from his side. The wound was not bleeding but it was obviously not well. Black runners would trace out from the wound indicating the infection he was fighting. He cursed his luck in being wounded in coming here but it was his test for this world. He would bare it and succeed. Knowing that company was coming, he would lash the bandage back into place and grab the crudely hammered armor that was altered from the human iron plates that had been stolen. He drew a heavy sword from its sheath and held it in one hand even as his wound protested. He had not time to be weak. His roar into the caverns would get the attention of the large number of kin that hid in the shadows as he prepared his home for battle.

The goblin scout would skitter through the brush before climbing a tree where many of the scouts and archers would be hidden. He would relay the order to bring the outlanders to their home. It was all his small mind could remember but that was what was expected. The half dozen of scouts would all get the message as they would sneak through the trees to get into position. They looked down upon the marching band of soldiers and felt no fear. Since thought was non existent in them, fear was something they did not have. They lived, they ate, they died and their lord was the one who was meant to survive. Sacrifice was their livelihood in the world. As they all got into position, they would ready their shoddy bows and knock some twig fashioned arrows into the notch. With one screeching command, their arrows were let to fly as fast as they could pull them. They were working for the humans’ attention to be able to lead them home.

 

[darkest_fate]

Unfortunately for the goblins, despite Dorothea's seemingly carefree demeanor, the young girl still had some military training. She'd noticed the rustling in the trees, and without breaking tune, she'd watched as some strange creatures moved about. A subtle signal would have her battalion leader readying his troops. There weren't many of the creatures, and they were likely in for a surprise.

The arrows still flew. Most were ill made, often not even getting close. More still bounced off thick shields or ricocheted off sturdy armor. A handful did hit home, and Dorothea winced as at least a few of her men went down, not felled by the arrows, but at least taken out of the fight. The graceful fighter herself had to nimbly dodge out of the way. Dorothea then gestured with a hand, summoning enough magical energy to cast her most simple of spells.

Crackling energy cascaded from Dorothea's fingers, lancing out toward an unsuspecting goblin. The "Thunder' spell was a basic reason ability, one that had stood the test of time. It pulled some of Dorothea's latent energy into a rather impressive burst of electricity that was likely more than enough to fry the goblin Dorothea aimed toward, even if he attempted to get away. Whether it hit others would be up for debate. Either way, Dorothea's battalion unleashed a volley of their own, better aimed arrows, obviously intent on taking down several of the green nuisances.

'Well, at least we've confirmed they're real," said Dorothea, tossing some of her gorgeous hair over a shoulder. She extended a hand, calling out. "Creatures! I don't know if you can understand me, but now's your chance to retreat and leave this village in peace! I'd rather not have to hunt you down, but I will if necessary," Dorothea almost sighed. She hated that they needed to resort to violence for such things, but she was hoping her display of magical prowess and her small but well trained troops' display of skill would end the fight in a hurry. If these beings were smart enough to use weaponry, maybe they could even talk to them, figure something out, get to a solution of some kind.

If not, at least Dorothea hoped she could take enough of them to force them to scatter. Leave it to the Church to take care of the rest, or maybe even the villagers themselves: they weren't completely helpless, after all.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

The goblins and their rudimentary weapons would be of little match to the soldiers. It was possibly a bad calculation on the goblin lord's part but he would need the sacrifice to learn. The minions would be hit with arrows and the searing zap of electricity and tore through their numbers. This battle was obviously one sided an it showed. The remaining scouts would drop from the trees to the underbrush and hopefully hide themselves. They were clumsy but effective for the most part since they did wing a couple of soldiers. That was at least the dumb luck that these green skinned peons would be known for. Her words echoed through the trees and even if the words were familiar, the creatures did not take her command to heart. They had one leader and he was more ruthless than this fair skinned woman would ever be.

The jarring events of the moment would bring about something more alarming. Though six had been drafted for the attack, dozens more would begin to move through the trees. The show of force was enough to break their spirits for the most part and get them to vacate the trees. Home was safe and home was where they were headed. A couple let a few arrows fly in the attempt to at least annoy the soldiers they were no match for as they seemed to retreat into the forest towards the mountains. Each one jabbered and chittered in their fear and anger as they left their posts. They knew what was to come if they came home from their posts but they were willing to take the wrath of their lord over the piercing lighting of this mage. Arrows would continue to lightly pepper the soldiers of the Church before the little green monsters were too far to be much good.

Those that littered the ground were splattered with the black liquid of their blood and those hit with lightning were charred to near skeletons. Their bodies were not adapted to the magic of this land making the effect quite potent. Each little amateur assassin would show just how much their pillaging went. Expensive clothes and other knickknacks adorned them in their patchwork style. They had gold trinkets lining necklaces and their fingers as if they were trophies. It was more of a fact that they hoarded them because they shined. Some held trinkets and items that were items held by the villagers they had stolen. At their belts were daggers chipped from bone and crude bows made from twigs and leather bindings. Each one was as ugly as the last as they laid upon the ground.

Zralx would hear the feet of his goblins as they would cut through the forest. He did not hear the hooves of horses or the heavy feet of humans in armor behind them. This brought his ire to a boil as he knew his diminutive troops had lost their nerve in the battle. The chattering of magic and the garbled squeals of these lesser green skins would give him everything he needed to know of this world. There was magic among the world of man and that gave him hope. The frantic and terrified scouts groveled at their lord's feet hoping for leniency from his wrath. As a show of force and command, his heavy foot would come down upon one of the goblin's heads and splatter it to the ground. He had to keep his stern approach or these little creatures would walk all over him. His eyes peered out the brightly lit hole that connected his world to the outside and his mind would begin to turn.

He barked orders at his minions and kicked those that did not find enough hustle in their action. The antagonizing party he had hoped to use to his advantage had not produced the result he needed. Either his forces were too incompetent or the foe was far too arrogant about their abilities. Either way, he wanted them prepared. He had them take ambushing positions within the walls of his burrow as he kept to the deep dark of his empire. His mind would turn and think of all tactical needs for this moment and knew the affinity many humans had for others of their kind. He was going to use one last piece of bait before he would go out there to confront them himself.

Walking over to the goblin seedbeds, he pulled open one of the cages of a recently bred woman who would be producing soon. Her skin was matted with dirt, sweat and other fluids from being the play thing of the lesser caste. He grabbed the screaming and sobbing woman by the neck and glared at her. She fought against him and his hold and all he could do was smirk at her flailing attempts. The fight of these humans knew no bounds but he wished that fight had been bred into his green skinned ranks. It was a shame that he would be sacrificing a vessel from his holds for this but there was need. This was his rabbit for the hounds that the Church had set loose upon the world and he was hopeful for their chase. He dragged the woman from her cage and tossed her out into the forest. With her freedom, she was good to run home and tell of her moments within his burrow. He was playing this game to catch the soldiers off guard. Attachment and emotion was one a weak point of all humans. He hoped this realm of humans fell for the same trap but with the lingering feeling of magic in the air from the lightning Dorothea had let loose. He almost felt a direct approach was inevitable.

 

[darkest_fate]

The sound of more movement in the forest put Dorothea on alert. She twisted, pulling her blade free while commanding her men to take ranks. It still felt bizarre, being on this particular stage, but Dorothea knew they needed to act fast. They could hold their weapons and battle only if the creatures followed her command, or, she supposed, if they proved cowardly on the whole. It seemed like the latter might prove true, as the creatures darted around them, often squealing in their panic.

"We should probably catch one," she said, pursing her lips, "assuming they can talk?" she looked to one of her troops, who shrugged. Dorothea laughed, relaxing a little as she looked in the direction they'd went. What was she supposed to do now? Technically she could give chase, but they may be leading to some sort of den or something, and she wasn't sure that a single well trained Officer and one battalion could handle them, not in their lair, where they'd obviously have tricks and traps arranged for such an arrival. It would probably be for the best to report back to the Monastery, let them know that she'd driven them off for now.

That and Dorothea would rather not fight unless she absolutely had to. The songstress sighed, sheathing her sword fully now, putting one hand on a cocked hip and watching as the last few scampered past. "Go ahead and follow," she instructed a scout. "I'm going to go back and check on the village," she nodded, waiting a moment to give the handful of troops that were going to scout a friendly wave and a blown kiss for luck, before heading back to Remire village proper.

They'd barely gotten within sight of the village when a feminine cry caught their attentions. Dorothea turned, taking several steps toward it, even as her troops drew their weapons. She gestured almost frantically for them to lowering, turning the gesture into an outright command as she saw the disheveled girl coming forth. Dorothea was near her in a moment, already reaching into her side pouch for the vulneraries she kept there. The magical healing substance would work wonders on the girl, but it couldn't fix the mental exhaustion or the evident exertion. The girl started stammering, saying something about a den and how they were keeping several girls to... to mate with.

The idea almost made Dorothea want to vomit. She grimaced just thinking about the strange little creatures. Why would they bother with human women? Wouldn't a goblin female be more appropriate? Dorothea was tempted to ask, but the girl didn't seem in a position to answer, frantically pointing behind her and telling sobbing tales of how there were others suffering, and how they couldn't let them do so. Dorothea had to agree; she could hardly condemn her fellow women to such a fate. She knew that she should probably gather more troops, but, well, they had proven to be cowardly, and she'd already be on alert for traps. It could be better to strike now, and even if it wasn't, they'd need to do something to show that they weren't going to abandon these women.

Dorothea did instruct a guard to send word to the Monastery, pausing for a moment to send a few missives. Her dear friend Ingrid would likely need to know, and she was duty bound to inform Princess Edelgard, head of her house. It wouldn't hurt to send missive to the other princess in the Black Eagles, Petra, just to get more word out. Thus situated, Dorothea rallied her battalion, filling in some missing men with a few volunteers, and set forth toward the den, determined to at least free the women for now, and hopefully to either strike a peace or eliminate the goblin threat entirely.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Zralx would get some hope when the first round of human scouts came to his doorstep. He would get the enjoyment of wetting his blade with their blood and stretch out his muscles from being idle from his injuries. The fresh taste of human blood was something he had missed since his minions were slow when they pillaged the village. The green skinned goblins were not the brightest or strongest which made their return back to the burrow slow. The goblin lord stood over the bodies that were being picked at by his kin.

Kneeling down next to one of the soldiers, he would pull at the satchel of items that was fixed to the soldier’s belt. Pulling it and snapping the strap, he would dump the contents into his hand and look them over. Aside from the coins, he would go through the various objects he was unfamiliar with. He would look over the medical bandages and herbs and did not recognize them from what he was used to. They must have been important for this soldier to keep them on himself. He would seal back up the satchel and command his kin to strip the bodies and get them taken care of. The chattering and excited green skins would eagerly pull these trophies deep into the burrow.

His attention went to the world outside as he looked through the forest and sniffed the air. The heavy scent of death still lingered but he was looking for something new. He wondered what the next moves of the human’s would be. He had set a couple of things in motion and one had already produced fresh meat for the flames. That would feed his troops and the growing young for a few days at best if he kept them rationed properly. Knowing the greed of his green globs, that would be nearly impossible. His mind was wrapped in thoughts and plans that he was missing the sound of clanging armor and voices echoing through the forest.

Feeling a tug at his scrap leather pants, he would growl and look down to the goblin scout that had been stationed above the burrow entrance. It garbled and snarled in its childlike and incomprehensible language. Zralx would listen intently as if knowing what the beast was saying before his attention went to the woods. He stood at the burrow entrance and took in the sounds that were coming. The smell of human was strong on the breeze and he grinned at the hopes that the others were coming to try and save their kind from his seedbeds. He would take a moment to watch and listen to the sounds bouncing through the trees.

“Get the boys ready… We’re gonna have company…” he said with a grin that crossed his face. More meat for their flames would get his army growing strong. It was a better choice than the meat of rats and other rodents that were now the sole inhabitants of the forest since their hunting raids cleared it of larger game. His green skinned minion would chatter and trip over itself as it ran to complete its task. The rousing sound of excitement would echo in the caverns as the others were told of the man flesh that was to cross their path.

Zralx would stand at the burrow entrance and was silhouetted from behind from a few torches that lit the area. His deep blue skin seemed to only absorb the light around him keeping his form dark. The only thing that would shine in the light is the yellowish gold tint in his eyes. He looked across the thicket and saw the group of humans that were now deep in goblin territory. He looked over the group to account for their strength and he would catch a glimpse of the woman leading the band. He could catch her scent upon the air and grinned feeling the strength and magic her presence had brought. His sinister grin only grew more at the thought of finally finding something worth shafting in this world. When he felt he had lingered long enough, he would remove himself from the entry to await the soldiers to cross into his home. The trap had been reset but Zralx knew this would cost him a heavy toll if he pushed to capture the woman.

 

[darkest_fate]

When the scouts didn't come back, Dorothea knew that something more dangerous probably lay ahead. Again her training told her it would probably be a better idea to fall back, get reinforcement, tell the Church to send a squad of Knights down here to really deal with the situation. But if she did, those girls in the cave would get bred yet again, and she couldn't have that on her conscience. It was still entirely possibly that her battalion could overwhelm the creatures, at least enough for Dorothea to free the girls and get out of there.

The songstress wasn't fully convinced of her plan, but she didn't have any better ones and many of her followers were more or less of the same mind. Quite a few of them would of course follow Dorothea boldly into whatever conflict, and several had families in the local area. One or two even had relatives in Remire itself. No, they'd have to do this, to press onward.

Sword in hand, Dorothea looked over the entrance to the burrow. There were signs that someone had put things together here, that someone with intelligence had known how to set up camp. It didn't have quite the shoddy look that most of the other materials and equipment the goblins had did. Dorothea paused, looking, trying to weigh her options. The earlier scouts hadn't come back, but there were several possibilities for that. After a few moments she sighed, knowing she'd have to go with her conscience again.

"Hello!" she called toward the cave. "It's come to our attention that you've recently come to these lands, or at least made yourself known," she dared take a few steps forward, tightening her grip on the blade, as alert as ever. She'd gotten lucky so far: her HP was nearly at max, but she still didn't relish getting caught by surprise. "I know there's been losses on both sides, but I'm willing to work something out," she tried again. "We can still end this without further bloodshed."

Dorothea paused, pursing her lips, waiting anxiously. She doubted this would work, but she had to try; she'd probably still ask even when face to face with whoever, whatever it was that led these strange green-skinned freaks. Time to see if they'd respond, or if Dorothea would need to start leading her troops into the den proper.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Zralx kept within the shadows of his burrow since the sneaking of goblins worked for all of their kind. It was almost a hereditary skill that had seen many fall to the stealthy creatures. It was almost laughable that such a clumsy creature would even be able to get the drop on anyone. That is why he believed it was a hereditary skill that even he benefitted from. He watched a his minions drooled at the thought of more man flesh for their gullets as the footsteps outside and the clang of armor would make itself known outside their door. His attention would be heightened a bit when the noise came to a halt. There as a long moment of silence as neither side made a move and Zralx knew that his prey lingered outside the door. They needed to come inside for his kin to have any chance of taking on this formidable force.

His ears perked up and shifted slightly as the feminine toned voice would begin to call into the burrow. It was obvious from her words that their kind was not natural to their world which would mean he was a king in this land. There were very few lords in his world that were able to grasp at that title because of the quick breeding of his kind. Her words of diplomacy would almost get him to laugh since it was as if the sheep was asking the wolf not to hunt them. This would play a bit in his mind and the thought of gaining info willingly from her was an option. Torture and pain only revealed so much but if their minds were steal traps, they would not reveal anything to protect their world. His burrow was his advantage at this moment and he needed to do what he could to keep that advantage.

The scent of this woman hung in the air and it made him salivate at the thought of having her. His more primal desires had him drooling like a beast if he let slip his control. He gritted his teeth and bite his tongue to keep from falling prey to his needs to keep a level head in the moment. He had to play diplomat for a moment which was a problem with his goblins being the green skins. He needed more enforcers but no breeding vessel had been seeded with one. With a hobgoblin or two, they could help keep the primal masses at bey during this moment. For now, he had to put faith in his ironfisted tactics that would keep them in line. He looked to his kin that waited in the shadows and grunted a command that they knew well. A handful of the smaller green skins would clamber up small tunnels that emerged up the mountain a bit to watch from above. The others would keep the area surrounded in the dark waiting their lord's command. This was going to be a test of his command and he did not have a lot of faith.

"And yet... you cross into my land without a single offering and worse yet... uninvited..." He said pulling all his focus on his intellect and mental prowess as his deep voice echoed. He needed to show more in this moment to keep from being treated like the dirty mongrels he commanded. With his sword in hand, he would step forward through the burrow and emerge from the entry way of the burrow. He was much larger than his green skinned counterparts. Where they were between two and four feet in stature, the lord stood a good eight feet in height. As impressive as that was, champions and paladins made him seem small in comparison. Yet, right now, he was the superior and it showed in his stature and form. He was not as grotesque as his kin but it was evident that they held a similar lineage. His deep blue skin would also be a stark contrast to this world. His golden eyes were fixed on Dorothea in that moment and at the prize he wished to take. "And what should I work out with a human... after they killed a half dozen of my brethren on my land?" Just as he figured, a couple of diminutive goblins would come to his side and aim their crude bows at the soldiers as if playing bodyguard.

 

[darkest_fate]

This answered a few questions immediately. These creatures, goblins or whatever, clearly had some sort of lord or master guiding them. The creature that stepped out bore a passing resemblance to the others, anyway, though he stood a good deal taller than them. For that matter, he was taller than Dorothea herself, and she wasn't exactly a short woman. Everything in this being's presentation, from his demeanor to his garb to his build, spoke to some kind of warrior. Given the way he spoke, a sort of warrior chief who was probably used to getting what he wanted.

Dorothea sheathed the sword. Likely she could've danced around him and cut a few times, but the gesture should work more toward her diplomatic stance here. She took a few more steps forward, holding a hand even as her battalion tensed behind her. "These actually aren't your lands?" she pointed out, gesturing. "The territory around here is dangerously close to a human settlement, Remire Village," she waved in the general direction of the place. "And your people have essentially been attacking them. I'm not sure where you came from," probably the far east, though Dorothea knew there was magic and all sorts of issues and ways of moving, "but you can't exactly just come over and claim a section of land that people are already using."

She paused for a moment, keeping a careful watch on the big blue guy, trying to consider. In actuality, he wasn't passingly bad, for a monster, probably the most handsome of that kind that Dorothea had ever seen. "I should also point out that you actually kidnapped several girls and are doing... things with them that they're probably not consenting to," she pointed out, gesturing loosely to indicate the burrow/cave behind him. "But we can possibly work out some sort of arrangement. We could provide supplies, maybe establish trade," she looked around, wondering just what these creatures could possibly offer. Mercenary work, maybe? That really wasn't Dorothea's strong suit here.

There was only so much she could promise too, but if she could at least say they wanted to discuss things, get people to come to the table, maybe all the violence could stop. Still, the songstress couldn't help but be unnerved by the green creatures around this leader, and how they looked at her with a hunger in their eyes that Dorothea was all too familiar with.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Zralx stood tall and commanding even as her words denied him what he knew to be true. This was his land and he had claimed right for it. It was standard human politics to own land that no one used or protected. He wasn't going to fight semantics with a human because he did not have the patience to do so. He would let her have her ease of mind in that moment and watched as she sheathed her blade. He knew her to be dangerous even without her blade. His scouts had been able to relay her magic potential and he could almost feel it in the air. If she wanted to make this quick, she had the easiest path to make it happen. If he had been at full strength, her magic would be something manageable but right now, it was something he was unsure he could withstand. His armor kept his wound hidden in that moment to keep his weakness out of sight.

His own magic was minimal at best. His focus on healing had taken away from some of his more useful skills of manipulating this woman with the allure that all lords held at their disposal. He could see the glimmer in her eyes that he still held some appeal and influence of his lord ability. She showed the disgust of a woman seeing a beast in the green skins but that was entirely lacking with her gaze upon him. It was at least one bright spot in this world that he was able to still manipulate the mind and wants of a woman he intended to breed. It was something that helped lords bring the strongest to their chambers to bring about the best goblin ranks into the world. His mind was running over the situation and hoped he held more appeal to lull at least the woman into a false sense of security. The soldiers at her side seemed ready to shoot first and ponder later. He wanted to see if any pity would work to his advantage since there was an opening for negotiations.

"The proximity of our kinds is not something in my control." He said as he was running over the thoughts in his head. "Our actions are of desperation. Someone or thing in your world brought us here and we fight for our survival just like you. I can already see on your face the disgust our kind brings to mind. The attack on the village was in retaliation to my kin being stricken as monsters." He knew he was lying but he hoped his act and his ability to at least play with their minds would help him slide the curtain over their eyes. He would smartly omit any words of the girls knowing that there was nothing he could say that would be able to ease the fact that they had kidnapped these women. It was even worse to admit that they were being bred to shore up bodies in his army. His eyes would look over the group of people standing before him before his heavy hand would knock on the bald dome of his little protectors. They would take the notion to head inside and move out of sight.

"Lets take negotiations inside... the light is hurting my eyes..." He said as he looked directly at Dorothea and hoped he held enough sway to get her to comply. In this moment, it had been tense but he had not struck or attacked which could play into the want to negotiate. He would stab his heavy sword into the ground by the side of the entrance to show that he was going to be unarmed. It was a slight of hand that he used time and again. Humans tended to be nothing without their magic and weapons and felt that was the same for the creatures they crossed. His own special breeding actually made him a potent weapon in his own right without the aid of a weapon. He would turn and motion for them to follow as he would lead them into the burrow that he called his home.

 

[darkest_fate]

Some part of Dorothea wanted to argue that the proximity was very much in the creature's control. Nothing was technically stopping him from leaving this area, going somewhere else. Except that it was entirely likely that someone would see his monstrous force and decided that he needed to be struck down. And something about his talk of "desperation" had to make Dorothea wonder. That didn't quite gel with what the village girl had said, about how they were taking prisoners, particularly women, and using them for breeding. It almost felt like he was purposefully avoiding talk of that. Clearly he hadn't just been made the leader because he loomed over all the others.

His suggestion did catch Dorothea a little off guard, and she paused to consider. It was possible this was some sort of trap, that he wanted her to enter his den where his fellows would lock her up or something. Except that Dorothea would go in knowing it was a trap, and she was hardly some defenseless village girl. Even if they took away the blade, she still had the energy for several more Thunder spells, and could even push herself into some of the stronger ones if it came to it. Plus, she needed to give some sort of concession anyway.

"Alright then," she agreed, nodding, smoothing her skirt. "I'll go on ahead, with just a few of my battalion," she gestured for a few of her more trusted, experienced followers to stick by her side, while the others sort of spread out as a rear guard. Dorothea didn't have to tell them that if things got bad or she didn't come out, they'd need to get back to Garrag Mach. This was hardly their first mission. Dorothea knew this could go badly, and quickly, but she had to hold out hope for the best. For now, that meant taking a deep breath of the fresh air and following the looming creature into the burrow.

Even with that breath, the stench of goblin and sex hit Dorothea hard enough to make her nose wrinkle, almost gasp. She dared take another deep breath, hoping to acclimate herself quickly. That just led to some coughing and her handful of followers weren't doing much better. Still, they'd just need a few moments to acclimate and then they could proceed, hopefully following this creature's lead.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Zralx was changing his plan from trickery to just all out numbers. His days of having his minions breed the women of this land had given him a formidable force. He was intent on using this fodder to his advantage since this woman was far too on edge to trick easily. They were both reading the situation and each other and playing a match in their heads on what steps to take. She conceded to his request to bring negotiations inside and that was at least something he could place a feather in his cap for. He needed to gain more intel of who he was up against because there was a lot they both were hiding from each other. They both had information about the other and it was coming down to who would falter and reveal their hand first.

He turned his head when he heard Dorothea and her guards coughing at the heavy smells that hung in the air of his home. Human senses were deadened in many ways but in a burrow, their senses were overwhelmed. The decay of meat, the heavy scent of goblin and the ravenous breeding of his lessers was a smell that all of them were used to and it was the smell of conquest. He watched as they struggled to gain composure with everything bombarding their senses around them. It took a lot of restraint for him to keep from laughing at their struggles. His head would cock to the echoing sounds of struggling women deep in the seedbed chambers. Their muffled cries and moans would come as he knew some of his kin could not help but take advantage of the moment in the dark. He would take care of the needy beings later as he would focus on his 'guests'.

He would lead them to an open chamber that was obviously built to house the goblin lord. It was spacious and piles of more valuable items would be left in piles along the walls that had been dug out in the mountain. There was an alcove dug behind his throne of bone where his bed of straw and leather would be situated. He would look over his shoulder once more to make sure they still followed before leading them to the deerskin map that he had upon the wall. It was lit by a torch but it was extremely detailed for the work of a monstrous creature. He would stand there for the moment to not take his position over them on his throne and give the look of a lord who was in command and not negotiating.

"What do you have to offer a creature such as myself?" He said as he would look to the map. His golden eye would shine a bit in the light indicating that he was more accustomed to the dark. "There are settlements all around this forest... an each one had treated us as monsters. If we wanted to find better lands, we would no doubt be spotted and hunted by those of your world. The disgust in your eyes does not lead me to believe that I could walk anywhere without the fear of an arrow in my back or in the heads of my brethren. We have little to nothing to offer you and you humans hold all the power. What can you possibly offer that would lead me to believe that you won't bring your armies here and slash my kind to pieces." He was pointed with his words but was putting out a point that would put any negotiations at a disadvantage to him. It was his way of getting them to cross further over the line to make it seem fair to reach a deal.

With the human forces now broken apart in a small way, his green skinned assassins were working their part to help take out the troops stationed at the mouth of the cave. Those that had squirmed their way out the holes upon the mountain now looked down behind some rocks at the armored guards waiting for their lead to return. Their silence and stealth would be a marvel in this moment from what it had been earlier. The goblin ability to ambush others was showing its strength as they all began to take position. They would pull their bone daggers from their belts but would wait patiently. They could not jump these guards and cause a ruckus while the Lord was working his magic inside the burrow. The warted beings would be waiting for their moment to strike.

 

[darkest_fate]

Dorothea pushed through her own initial reactions, trying to focus on the area around her, take in a few details. It looked like they sort of had things structured out, though she thought she could hear sounds that she definitely didn't want to dwell too long on. What was most interesting was the room they wound up in: there was just enough here to suggest that this leader happened to both like some opulence, and to understand a few things. Why else would he have some items of value on hand, and what looked like a throne? That actually heartened Dorothea: it meant that he cared about things beyond the basics, giving her at least some room to negotiate.

She wasn't surprised by his continued high-handed discussion. Dorothea highly doubted that he'd been completely innocent in his behavior, and the fact that she literally had eye witnesses only lend further weight to that. He was attempting to cast himself as some downtrodden being, when in reality he'd terrorized a village and kidnapped its women. Of course, Dorothea wasn't about to say as much, simply waiting for him to get his little speech out of the way.

"It seems like there's a bit of misunderstanding going on here," she said. "Obviously both sides have committed some wrongs, but until recently, nobody knew that you were even really here, let alone that you had intelligence. Going around pillaging and stealing women didn't exactly endear you to the locals. Again, we can work out some sort of diplomatic situation. Find you and your people somewhere that you can live unmolested. Likely you'd have to work with it, or perhaps trade goods or something, but in turn we could all live in relative peace."

It all sounded good to Dorothea, but she still couldn't quite shake her suspicions. She had no idea what her guards outside were doing, but it was entirely likely that they'd already sent some messengers out to inform the monastery, adding more in addition to what Dorothea had already sent. Now Dorothea just had to hope that it all continued to go relatively well.

 

[Itzylcoatl]

Zralx was beginning to feel that things were not exactly clicking in the ways he was trying to influence. They were both working their bluffs to no avail and he was needing to take the reigns and drive this moment into the ground. The negotiations had been broken before the notion had been put forth. His golden eyes darkened as his brow furrowed a bit in frustration that he was not the smooth talker he thought himself to be. Then again, he did not hold the cards that would give him any leverage. The only thing he had on his side was being a hammer. Without his blade, he would be able to use more of his strength without straining his wound. It was a small advantage that he would want to exploit in this moment. The time for words would now be over and things were going to have to be taken by force.

The assassins outside would find their moment when a couple of soldiers went off to relay messages to the monastery in hopes of requesting aid. It had given the goblins the ability to pick them off better with the masses not close enough to aid one another. The small creatures would leap down upon the soldiers and used their clawed hands to grapple and claw at their armor to grab hold. Their daggers would find ways to pierce between the joints of the armor to do as much damage to their targets as possible. Even though the soldiers were strong and skilled, more of the green masses would fall upon them using their numbers to their advantage. They would lose many in the attempt but they could be replenished. Right now, they were aiding their lord in claiming a prize and bring forth the first generation of higher class goblins into the world. The screams, squeal, shouts and clashing of bone and metal would begin echoing through the burrows which would be an alarm bell for all inside.

Zralx would hear the commotion outside and knew that things were spiraling fast an he needed to get this done quickly. With his heavy feet, he would charge at the group of humans that were deep inside his burrow. He would use his arms to tackle the group as a whole since some guards would put themselves between the blue skinned goblin lord and Dorothea. It was enough to allow him to push the crowd back out into the sprawling open area of the burrow. He would knock the lot to the ground to give enough time for the swarms of his green skinned to surround the area to protect their lord and aid him. For now, their grabbled words and intelligible squawking would echo all around them. The shadows seemed to writhe with dozens of the goblins within the shadows and their piercing yellow eyes would flicker from the dark. He would step over the stunned guards in that moment to reach the target of his desires. With a heavy hand, he would grab her by the front of her shirt to lift her to peer into his face.

"The only peace you can hope for here... is the peace of mind that your body will bring forth a new generation to fuel my ranks." He said with a snarl. He knew this woman was the one he would need to wear down before he tried to subjugate her. His wound was a sore spot that her magic would take advantage of. Before he would feel the flash of her blast, he would throw her amongst the throng of his green skinned kin. Their numbers would help distract her if her magic was able to be strained. The cannon fodder he offered her would hopefully keep her occupied as he took care of the soldiers she brought with her.

As a matter of pride and testing himself, the goblin lord would square himself up against the armored guards that were gaining their senses and swords. It would be easy enough to allow his kin to swarm them but he needed this to make sure he was able to call himself a lord. His heavy blows with his hands would shake up each soldier as he was able to dent the smooth surfaces of the armor. With each strike, he was able to put more force behind it but was finding his limit from his illness and injury. Even with that handicap, he was able to go toe to toe with them and work at bringing each one down with his bare hands. He longed for the moment he would be back on top of the pecking order but for now, he gained confidence that he was on the mend.