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| A northern wastes Hirsute Goblin spreading its night fashionable cloak; such shaman enchanted Nightcloaks were highly prized and used on the surface to blend into the landscape, taking on the appearance of rocks or tree stumps |
These ravenous troglodytes worship Thypthyp, their snake god (actually just a big smart snake-monster that was once a sorcerers pet, but it grew too large, so down the sewer it went...) lower in the dungeon. Priests of Thypthyp carry a trained poisonous snake around their neck, which they will throw at unbelievers. Well. Basically anybody who isn't a troglodyte. Then they have their acolytes beat them to death with their fang clubs (curved pairs of spikes embedded atop a club). Warriors use poison, milking it from the tribes 'pet' snakes. They have snake sentries, snake pits, snake skin thongs, snake fang necklaces, etc.
The Bandit King
A filthy old half-orc thug, the self-proclaimed Bandit King was hired by the necromancer to sow chaos in Pelshire, which he was happy to do. He also hired out his services to Sigulf of Walcastra to do the same thing, and now he bills them both. Don't tell.
Originally named Kreg Ornstrom, the King can see in the dark as well as elves, and wields a giant two-handed executioners' scimitar (called Xanath, +2 to damage and to hit) in battle. He has a long black beard with small bones tied into it, and he's always spitting out a slimy tobacco sludge that lines his mouth and stains his lips black. He has early stage tongue cancer.
Ornstrom has enslaved wayward gnomes, dwarves, humans, and elves to work in his makeshift weapons factory in one of the old panopticons. He sells the product to the necromancer to arm his zombie hordes. Ornstrom wants to build gnome style automata for his own army, breach the Doom Vault deep below, and use the powerful evil magics contained within to become King of Greater Mercia (he is of Mercian descent, born in a pirate cove of resentful exiles and their mercenaries).
The Bandit King's own followers are the scum of the earth, a band of several dozen ruthless cutthroats that even he doesn't trust. About half are now locals (his band has taken heavy casualties). He has two brutish bo'sun assistants (Karl and Jakar) that he trusts, whose job is to keep the grunts in line. They wear troglodyte skin jerkins and wield whips and maces.
He knows the necromancer’s masters have a holdfast deep below, but they don’t trust him enough to let him visit, which is wise, because he'd loot it in a heartbeat the necromancer doesn't have.
The Bandit King hopes to use the necromancer to get at the Doom Vault, then betray him.
He thinks the necromancer’s easily manipulated, and hopes to use him as a tool, until he acquires enough power of his own.
The only problem is that The Bandit King isn't as smart as he thinks he is. Years of sycophantic flattery has distorted his perception of reality.
The Seeing Hand
The Hirsute Goblins of The Seeing Hand are a band of particularly hairy goblins from the northern wastes who've migrated south to worship Wrothvool, The All Seeing, a demon held prisoner in The Doom Vault far below. Their head to foot hairy coats mark these goblins as foreigners, and local goblins will immediately band together to fight this foreign strain.
The vault contains imprisoned evil devices and weapons and monstrous toe-curling beings... and it is leaking. Shaman have drawn open eyes on both their palms: the 'gaze' of these puts targets into a sleep like state, rendering them aware but paralyzed until attacked. Warriors paint only their left hand. This is done in a ritual before they go on raids.
Wrothvool is able to channel through the tribes' shamans, communicating in an eerie yet strangely compelling silky smooth voice, and even casting remote spells. He wants to escape his prison, and for the goblins to help, but if the players offer him better chances, he'll ditch his devoted minions in a heart beat.
Through The Nexus (a gateway rogue and reckless wizards—move fast and break things!–opened up in the depths during their forbidden magic experiments) he can bring in demonic legions and destroy the world, but he needs to get a cursed stone from the Doom Vault, The Eye of Demogorgon, to stabilize the connection first.
The Black Scales
These bitter and endlessly envious kobolds work for the necromancer, but serve the black dragon living in the south west corner of level one. Whatever you have, they want, especially if it's shiny and can be given to their dragon-god as an offering.
They wear black dragon scales (sheddings of their master) as prized armour, and throw glass grenades full of acid in battle. They also have acid pits, acid traps, and potent sour candy made from the black dragon’s drool. Warriors paint their faces black with mud, mixed with ash from the dragon's breath weapon.
They bill themselves as The Black Scale Clan, and so long as the dragon is there to back them up, take no crap, not from anyone. If the dragon wanders off (as he is prone to do, the dragon has ADHD), they run away right quick.
They mark their territory using crude jagged mouth symbols burned into available surfaces, usually walls or floors, with acid. They carry the acid in flasks made of folded dragon scales lined with basilisk entrails. In areas that lead to the dragon's lair, they've been etching dozens of reliefs of the dragon's grinning head into the stone walls, and stylized footprints into the flagstones. Kobolds are consummate stone workers and these show of their skills quite well.
The dragon moved into Druidun a few years ago through one of the dwarven mine shafts. It's still young, and is eager to make a name for itself among its dragon peers. This area has been unclaimed territory ever since Prince Imros slew the Great Wyrm of the Forks; this the dragon hopes to make it a permanent hunting ground.
Looting Forksbury and adding the city's riches to its treasure pile would be a great coup. Dragons rank each other by the devastation they wreak, the tribute they extract, and the treasure they amass. They will sometimes let adventurers go if they are suitably impressed by the dragon's hoard and will spread the word of how awe inspiring it is. This attracts more adventurers and a steady stream of snacks, not to mention the envy of other dragons. Through its dragon minions, the dragon spreads news of its riches; the bones of many foolish and greedy mercenaries of the Bandit King now adorn its lair.
The kobolds want to make humans their slaves (as a ruthless human oligarch had once used kobold slaves in his mines, this is seen as justified pay back) and take their rightful place as overlords. But first, they have to exterminate the Seeing Hand tribe, who are always messing up their super secret plans.
