Campaign Idea: Gobbledeguk

Considering that we've already lost one member of our party (fate unknown) and another one is played by a father who sometimes wishes to spend time with his child (/raspberry), we've been getting into a groove in which we play D&D about once every other week. Rather than keep going and penalize Reid for having a family or skip D&D every other week and penalize the other players, I've concocted a new campaign to play during the "off" weeks.

This campaign is entitled Gobbledeguk. It's about goblins.

Deep in the mountains of Tul, at the border of two kingdoms of Man, there is a cave where a village of goblins thrived, unmolested by murderous adventurers. There had never been so prosperous a goblin civilization as Goblette Village in Goblette Cave.

Until one fateful day, as a group of hunters was leaving the cave, they found a Man standing outside. As the hunters paused to marvel, the Man calmly drew a bow and killed the nearest hunter.

The hunters fled back into the cave and watched from its blessed darkness as the Man put away his bow, pulled out a sheet of paper, and scribbled something on it. He then turned away and left Goblette Cave.

The goblins recovered the body of their fallen comrade and gave him a proper burial. Then, the goblins had to decide what to do about the Man.

Soon the adventurers would come. Of that there was no doubt. Within weeks the caves would be crawling with adventurers, coming to clear the cave of the goblins they hated so much.

They could evacuate the cave, perhaps. But where would they go? Hunting gets harder deeper into the mountains, and who knows if they would ever find another suitable cave? Plus, traveling would be dangerous for the children and the elderly.

So they must stay. They must defend their home.

Since the goblins of Goblette Village had not seen humans for several generations, they had no army to speak of. The hunters could fight, sure, but they mostly just trapped beasts.

So, the chief and the elders called upon volunteers to lead an effort to prepare the cave for invasion, using every resource the goblins had available: weapons, traps, alchemy, whatever it takes to stop the adventurers.

Eleven volunteers stood forward:

• The Blacksmith, skilled and strong.
• The Historian, smart and respected.
• The Doctor, trusted and knowledgeable.
• The Shaman, strange yet wise.
• The Farmer, honest and tough.
• The Teacher, patient and alert.
• The Heir, charming and well-loved.
• The Hunter, grizzled and experienced.
• The Burglar, wily and quick.
• The Outcast, distrusted yet powerful.
• The Scientist, calculating and confident.

Of these eleven volunteers, three will be chosen to lead the resistance. They will leave their primary jobs to direct the goblins full-time as they prepare the caves against attack. Their duties, if they have any, will fall on other, less-well-trained shoulders. This will no doubt affect the decision of who will be chosen.

May They watch over Goblette Village in this time of need.