>>5749533
Unsurprising then, that the goblins decided to play a game, calling her their goblin princess. Neither she, not the goblin game or the strangeness of a noble house that merely reduced such a beauty to less than a servant rather than exploiting such natural gifts for political gain. It was like an adventurer using a mighty magic sword dig pits and never once using it to slay. Absurd.

This did not disturb the King, though he was more than willing to let his mood be raised or spoiled by the smallest of things, it wasn't as if he had never seen such things, indeed he had seen deeds more baffling still. Truthfully his heart was icy stone. Passion a mere delusion acted out to relieve the agony of isolation. But even when Ash spoke in that lovely voice that provoked only more wonder that any could hold ill will towards her, the King did not give himself over to his mood swings. Though it was not because he knew there were those who simply hated beauty in whatever form it took.

"Oh my goblins!" Ash began, showing no evidence that she had moments ago being screaming and crying from the sudden appearance of the goblins and their tossing her up and down.

"Truly you have come in my hour of need! Ohohoho!" Unware of her own noble bearing, a desperate attempt to seem like a royal for fear of the goblins, but her only example...

"My sinister stepaunt has dabbled in vile arts and my half-sisters are part of some terrible plot at tomorrow night's imperial bridefinding ball!"

Being fae even the goblins can tell Ash has forgotten she once as a child dreamt of attending the imperial ball and catching the eye of a charming cursed prince. But even that dream of a doomed love had vanished. Only remnants of childhood connect her to the goblins in this way.

His heart is still ice and stone.

Not her, not the city, not the pines, was it every thing? Anyone could tell that there was a lot amiss with Ellahulm. You didn't need to be a ludicrously powerful goblin monarch, you just needed to be a little more than a goblin.

She held out a delicate finger, and the goblins focused on the tip of this living treasure. A dragon would have already kidnapped her. Was she lucky the goblins valued playing around a little more than treasure? Perhaps she was unfortunate, though no prince charming, a mob of goblins stealing her away might be better than remaining. She herself was willing to stay for the sake of a pair of half-sisters.

"But you must first hide for me! Only when the time is right shall you strike!"

For some reason, the honks of the distant geese grew louder at this declaration. For a moment the goblins feel as if all the world contains just them and their newly found princess, the moment stretches on, engraving itself in their minds, then the geese go as silent as the Hungering Pines.

The Goblin King could feel the flow of fate. His heart still, he could see...

Was there a smirk that appeared on his face?

2/?

>>5749535
His heart was still, not the city, not the pines, not her or her worries. He was interested.

>Sensing something about Ellahulm, the Goblin King has composed himself! His mood will not swing, and he will only act to make the mess more entertaining, the waters are deep here little goblins.

QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
Total Goblins: 102
Total Knights: 29
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 28
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets (Remains of a great thief, can uncover the hidden, or hide the uncovered.)


>SUMMARY
Go on adventures as a goblin band to relieve the King's nightmarish ennui from being an ancient and ludicrously powerful being, win rewards to get more goblins and stuff, then go on more adventures. Each goblin is normally a 1d6. Trials of Fate are highly lethal but give good results. Trials of Talent are mostly non-lethal but give lesser results. Trials of Force are sort of in-between. Trials of Discernment are but simple option choices, maybe who knows, there might be bait.

The Goblins are folkloric fae with a slipped hand seasoning of Labyrinth goblins. They like fun, but fun for a goblin is often fatal for others, as goblins on death respawn above their king and other beings just die. A goblin left all on its lonesome or achieving deeds beyond the acts of a goblin will in time become a goblin noble losing immortality, and will no longer be butt-ugly, not as ravishing as a goblin monarch though. Rules will be elaborated as they come up.

PREVIOUS THREAD
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5704813/

>Nuns
1d6 strength goblins. Once per encounter they can call on their deity. Unless stated otherwise the strain of doing this kills a half of their number. Goblins nuns are unusual for their relative calmness and cleanliness. Unless stated otherwise nuns are immune to influences weaker than their deity.
In this case the nuns are brides of the Prince of Grooms. One might think he's a love god, but only in the sense of Dutiful Love. A Good of oaths. The Prince of Grooms is a beastial noble in a suit. Refined in spite of his savage body. A goodly natured god, however his wrath towards oath breakers and couples merely fooling around is grand. Calling upon the Prince of Grooms will not kill nuns, but it can only be done to smite unfaithful men or women or to make/witness oaths. How any goblin becomes a nun is an absurd tale, but these goblins merely blush when asked.

3/4

>>5749536
>Goblin Knights
1d10 strength goblins. Heroic male goblins. Very Hyped. They got a bit caught up after hearing tales of knightly valour. They're clad in full plate and have both lance and a stick with a fake horse head on it. The hobbyhorse is armoured and so doubles as a mace. Upon KO their armour and hobbyhorse are destroyed and they become regular though quite depressed goblins. Death results are treated as KOs for them. Once per encounter they can heroically force their highest possible value, half of them will die afterwards though. Should their hobby horses become destroyed somehow, they become regular armoured goblins.


THE NAMELESS MAIDEN OF ELLAHULM
The musings if the King have little to do with you and your fun, as things stand, Lady Luck must be smiling on you all! No sooner did you name this lovely one a princess and the returns come rolling in! A game of hiding! What fun! But where to hide, she has a few ideas, but...

TRIAL OF DISCERNMENT
By the twitching of the goblin ears, some may be unfavorable, but none are fatal.
>Time to make goblin warrens in the ashpit!
>Into the catacombs!
>Hide in the trees and bushes of the estate where she lives!
>Surely there are enough and large enough pumpkins to hide in?
>Summon the Knave to steal your visibility!
>Ignore her and storm her estate instead
>gob it out (write in)

>>5749538
>Surely there are enough and large enough pumpkins to hide in?
Lenessa will rise again! This time with pumpkin houses!

>>5749553
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
Total Goblins: 102
Total Knights: 29
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 28
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets
>Pumpkin hiding

People connect elves with forests, though many have come down from the trees, so to speak, elven cities tend to be greener than most even when they aren't forest cities. It's as inaccurate as connecting dwarves with soil though. Truthfully elves could be said to be beings that thrive in light, like the Prisoner Chariot Sun, the moonfaces or the fitful glows of underground flora. Dwarves then are creatures of the dark.

To goblins though, elves weren't divided into sources of light or environment. No there's two kinds of elves. Those that like goblins love to play and those who are no fun at all! In other words goblins got on best with elves that are most like a sunray or a moonbeam.

Ash certainly qualified as a moonbeam like elf.

"Pumpkins? What a cunning idea! But you must be careful goblins! Make sure you don't go inside any gray pumpkins, or pumpkins with windows! If you can find a bunch of purple pumpkins that'd be the best, nobody eats those!" Some might say she was accepting the presence of a small army of goblins too much.

"Windows?" "Gray?" "Not tasty?" "Purple nice!" "Pretty" "Glass not tasty" "Why?" "Other colours?"

Truthfully, several goblins said the same thing, but though tough to follow, Ash managed to make some sense of the overlapping goblin cries.

"The pumpkins with windows have people living in them, you want to hide! You can't go where other people are! The gray pumpkins have too much hunger in them, uh that's what I've heard, but the purple have just enough to make you sick! I don't know much about all the pumpkins but do please be careful! I won't know what to do if you aren't helping me!"


She even searched for a big pumpkin patch for them, how nice.

"Goodbye goblins! I've got to get back home or I'll get extra beatings!"

The goblins waved her off and turned their gluttonous eyes to the pumpkins. Eating a few would be fine right?

Pumpkins could be seen everywhere in the city and around it, but Ash had taken them to an abandoned estate completely over-run with the plants. While the Hungering Pines were kept at bay outside, the pumpkins, fat and plentiful sat proudly as if to declare; 'see, as with the sun and the winds, we chose the path of sun and won!'

Geese could be heard, and distant avian shadows could be seen, but as fierce as they are, clearly they didn't want to mess with a mob of goblins more than a hundred strong. Though, why were they still unwilling to completely vanish from the goblins' presences? Perhaps their aggression kept them from total fight. It would be still quite goose-like to seethe just out of sight.

It really was quite a sight the ruptured estate, the pumpkins spilling out like guts of a gored animal. In time, would the pumpkins take over the whole city?

1/?

>>5750340
They'd get eaten by the pines if nobody was left though.

There was quite a variety of pumpkins of many differing sizes and colours, though interestingly they tended to blend from one colour to the next. Two pumpkins stood out though, both in the oddity of their colour and their size. They were giants among their kin.

Ash had cunningly picked a place that had no gray pumpkins, though they mainly grew on the edges of the ashpits anyway. Well, no gray pumpkins save for a massive one occupying the space where once had surely been one of the main quarters of this fallen estate.

It had big ornate windows of silvery metal, and a foreboding door with grimacing fiends of some kind sculpted out.


If the other pumpkins were proudly displaying their plump flesh and fine foliage, this pumpkin was like a body hung at a crossroads. Utterly ominous. Ash said not a thing about it, clearly believing that the goblins would not bother about it at all, since not only was it gray and possessed murky windows, it was obviously super bad news.

The other giant pumpkin was less sinister, but looked for all the world like the back of a particularly warty green toad. There were no windows, but there was a wooden door, though you had to squint to see it.

ESTATE OF PUMPKINS
Ash has left to get beaten at home, while you all hide. However...

TASTY?
These pumpkins look quite tasty, there won't be a fight about it, but the urge is there.
>Just a nibble each would be no harm?
>Time for a pumpkin feast!
>No eatings, time for hidings!

Trial of Discernment
Time to hide! Each choice picked will divide the amount of goblins that do the action, multiple votes on the same choice will of course give a choice a larger share of goblins. You can also choose separate actions for the regular goblins, nuns and knights. If not specified, I'll treat the action as chosen for all three. By the twitching of noses, there's danger here!
>There's lots of orange pumpkins not too big...
>Eh? Big yellow pumpkin, smells nice.
>Gob smarter than rest, dig warrens under pumpkins!
>Hide lots in big purple pumpkins!
>Sneak into the big gray pumpkin
>Sneak into the warty green pumpkin
>Hide in as many different pumpkins as one can!

GOBLIN KING'S MOOD: FOCUSED
All vegetables like pumpkins have associations with heads and storage, but he's fairly sure the goblins won't find a small world inside a pumpkin.

>>5750342
>Just a nibble each would be no harm?
>Hide in as many different pumpkins as one can!

>>5750343
Actually, no.
I'll vote for
>No eatings, time for hidings!
>Hide lots in big purple pumpkins!
I have to control my inner gob for once. If we are to help Ash, we must be responsible.

>>5750342
>No eatings, time for hidings!
>Hide in as many different pumpkins as one can!

>Hide in as many different pumpkins as one can!

>>5750342
>>Sneak into the big gray pumpkin

I slept in today. Update tomorrow.

>>5751175
Tomorrow is today

>>5750346
>>5750353
>>5750489
>>5750700
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
Total Goblins: 102
Total Knights: 29
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 28
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets
>Hide in many! 62, 19 knights, 18 nuns
>Hide in purple! 20 goblins, 5 knights, 5 nuns
>Sneak in gray pumpkins! 20 goblins, 5 knights, 5 nuns

While it's true that goblins enjoy a game of hide and seek, there's a part they aren't fond of at all, well non-weirdo goblins aren't fond of it. Goblins like to find hiding places, finding nooks and crannies delights them. They also quite like discovering things in such places, from objects to other goblins. If a mage lives in a area where goblins roam it's important to goblin-proof it by having lots of deadly traps in secret passages, otherwise one can have an important ritual ruined by a goblin inexplicably appearing.

What goblins can't stand about hiding is the part where one stays still and silent, this usually means they prefer hiding spots that can fit a playmate and have good sound muffling. When this isn't an option, goblins have a few tried and true methods to deal with the tedium of hiding.

The first is of course to kill themselves.
The second is getting bored and wandering off
The last resort is to go to sleep.

Sleep came quickly to the goblins that dug their way into a random selection of pumpkins, many beings might have trouble getting to sleep that quickly in pumpkin innards, but not goblins of the Goblin King above goblin kings.

For another group of goblins, the purple pumpkins were big enough that after squishing the innards against the walls they could fit several goblins to a pumpkin. About all they could do was whisper to each other though. Had someone cared to pass by the broken estate and put an ear to one of the pumpkins the inane chatter of the goblins would grace their ear.

Now, had that been all, events would have moved closer to the missing hour, but as it was a few goblins behaved as goblins do. Reckless with little fear for death. Twenty regular goblins, five knights and five nuns.

The allure of the grand gray pumpkin with its fancy windows and perturbing portal shared them. They were told not to, but this was really altogether too interesting. The Goblin King clearly thought so too, so as the goblins tore into the pumpkin to sneak inside...

One could miss it in a blink of an eye, the flicker of wards put to slumber from afar. A slumber such that a master or mistress would never notice. The goblins took little notice of it, but the depth of their wills would surely recall this.

A goblin let out a yelp as his hand hit wooden plank instead of thick pumpkin flesh. A knight muscled his way in and punched up. The plank moved not and tears formed in his eyes. With the efforts of all five knights and several goblins, the plank gave an unpleasant creak and a distressed snap, and light came into the tunnel the goblins had dug.
1/?

>>5751924
Excitement filling their little goblin hearts, they lifted the plank and entered wonderland.

Ah, not quite wonderland. Instead was a grand room, far larger than even the monstrous size of the gray pumpkin would allow. Clearly the abode of some magician or the like.

Before the goblins could take in the sights of what was doubtless a menagerie of the typical mess magicians have...

They heard a skittering, clattering sound.

Then, at the end of a hall that twisted like a throat, from the corner, they saw a delicate and beautiful hand stuffed into a dainty golden high-heeled shoe.

They heard then a voice. A plump and rich lady's voice.

"By the tips of my shoes, by the twists of my wrists, I smell vermin in my lovely house"

There was the sound of a second shoe, then the sound of far to many.

CLATTER CLICK LADY OF THE HOUSE
While the rest of the goblins are quite at peace, these few have found themselves in deadly peril! Probably.


Trial of Fate
Rolls of a 1 or 2 are deaths
>Flee back! Hide in pumpkins!
>Greet the Lady of the House, pretty shoes!
>Through the doors, run run run!
>Hide in the mess of junk!
>Pick up things and start throwing!
>Play dead
>Gob it out (write in)

>>5751926
>Pick up things and start throwing!

>>5751926
>Greet the Lady of the House, pretty shoes!
Gobs not vermin, gobs are guests!

>>5751947
supporting

Rolled 5, 2, 5, 6, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 6, 4, 6, 3, 1, 6, 5, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 76 (20d6)

>>5751938
>>5751947
>>5752431
For throwing we have 6d6 goblins, 2d10 knights, 2d6 nuns

For Greeting, we have 14d6 goblins, 3d10 knights and 3d6 nuns.

Should have done this this morning. As a reminder the first death roll of a knight merely destroys their armour and hobbyhorse, turning them into depressed normal goblins.

I'll roll all these out in the interest of time saving, but a player roll better than mine will be taken in preference. This is very time limited though.

Rolling all the regular goblins as a block. The last six rolls are the throwers.

Rolled 1, 10, 8, 10, 1 = 30 (5d10)

>>5752447
I'll roll for the knights then

Rolled 4, 9, 5, 4, 6 = 28 (5d10)

>>5752447
Well turns out throwing stuff wasn't a good idea, who would have thought it?

Rolling knights as a block, first 2 are reckless throwers.

>>5752448
I don't think I've never seem the dice do a mirrowed result before

Rolled 3, 1, 3, 2, 1 = 10 (5d6)

>>5752448
Your roll is taken in preference to mine.

Rolling nuns. Last 2 are throwers.

Rolled 4, 1, 6, 3, 5, 2, 4, 4, 2, 1, 2, 2, 5, 5 = 46 (14d6)

>>5752447
Greetings goblins

Rolled 5, 3, 3 = 11 (3d7)

>>5751938
>>5751947
>>5752431
>>5752447
>>5752448
>>5752449
>>5752452
>>5752456
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
Total Goblins: 102
Total Knights: 29
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 28
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets
Hiding in many, 62 goblins, 19 knights, 18 nuns
Hiding in purples! 20 goblins, 5 knights, 5 nuns
Currently in peril: 20 goblins, 5 knights, 5 nuns
>Throwing! 6 goblins, 2 knights, 2 nuns! Failure! 4 goblins died! 1 Knight is unknighted! 2 nuns died! However, something happens to the survivors.
>Greeting! 14 goblins, 3 knights, 3 nuns! Success! 2 goblins died, 1 Knight unknighted, 1 nun died!
Now in Danger: 13 goblins, 2 knights, 2 nuns

Reckless and brave, a few goblins grabbed whatever came to hand, and threw it at the lady of the house, or at least that was what they attempted. But as soon as they reached their grubby mitts out...

"Impertinence! Rot where you stand, none shall touch what is mine! Rot, rot, rot!" Her voice shrieked and just like that, four goblins and two goblins rotted away to black sludge before all the other goblins' eyes. They could only watch golden motes drift away back to the King. One knight quivered as his armour and hobbyhorse were reduced to muck. Rather than fear, it was sadness over losing horse and armour. The other goblins who intended to throw objects were a bit slow and thus were spared.

Though fear may have not frozen the goblins, there was something else that did.

She was before them.

A ball of mold and rot twisting in on itself, not a single bit falling to the ground. Though not directly connected, a number of arms had their shoulders warp and vanish in the direction of the sphere of decay. Beings other than goblins would be disgusted by the contrast of the disgusting sphere and the beautiful arms and hands, the goblins however had their eyes firmly fixed on this abomination's shoes, which her hands were stuffed inside. One was golden, and all the others were silver, clearly witch shoes, filled with magic!

Indeed, what was before must have been a witch who discarded everything for magic. A magi-horror. Though if she was a witch, there wasn't a hat in sight, and a witch without hat is a tiger without teeth or claws.

Still, among female magicians, those that do not present as beautiful maidens are thought of as the most dangerous. Even many crones will weave illusions if they failed to preserve their flesh, indeed there are fewer liches and magi-horror among the ladies of magic, there are however more vampires, thieves of beauty and assorted body-snatchers. As some wizards joke, a terror with vanity and a terror without.

This magi-horror of course would only appear as a beautiful maiden if it furthered the obessession of their studies. Indeed a magi-horror while still having some of the pride of magicians was probably the most willing to put itself in degrading positions for their obscure goals.

1/?

>>5752560
Strictly speaking this magi-horror was only female in the historical sense, like a inanimate skeleton you dig up would be female. Or perhaps she was an irregular among magi-horror, an incomplete that failed to discard all attachments.

A shoeless hand pointed at the offending goblins, casting an eyeless gaze upon them.

"Goblins, vermin of vermin, first I shall deal with those who dared to touch what is mine"

Several hands rose from the shadows and gripped the three goblins and the lone knight who had survived.

"Though to another you belong, by ancient law I claim my price! Oh brazen goblin knight I rob you of your name, your head! Wander evermore as my servant!"

A whisper came from beyond, a voice familiar to the goblins, the King.

"For trespass, I accept, the price is not worse than death. His fate has come"

A hand grasped the knight's head and then it was gone but no wound was left only smoking shadow from a stump without head. His armour was dyed in starry night, and wordlessly the small dullahan knelt before his new master.

Several more hands were grasping the three other goblins.

"Three become one and three, a sad steed for an brazen knight, serve my knight and bicker among yourselves"

"For trespass, I accept, the price is not worse than death. Their fate has come"

The hands pushed and where once was three goblin was a three headed donkey black as coal with eyes red as blood. It's heads twisted about in interest as they took in their new body.

At this, rather than horror, the goblins' eyes sparkled, they thought this was very interesting. Would the magic lady make them into different things too? Several of those eyeless hands focused on the remaining goblins.

"Now, as for you lot of vermin..." She began.

"Greetings!" "Gob not vermin!" "Hello" "Turn gob into goose!" "Gobs are gobs!" "Turn into big snake!" "Gob dumb, big wolf better" "Gob wants to be fire" "Please pretty lady, turn into fun things!"

The goblins devolved into repetitions of begging the nice lady to transform.

"Silence!"

The goblins mouths were held shut, but still they murmured.

The hands fiddled with each other.
"Lady huh, been quite a while since... *ahem* I mean, why should this lady, the wonderful Witch of Helpful Decay, Andebella do as you ask? Why I should just rot the whole lot of you! *Hmmph* serves you right for breaking into my home! Some nerve, even if you are that man's goblins!"

2/3

>>5752561
WITCH OF HELPFUL DECAY ANDEBELLA
A chance! Feeling a little flattered and likely a bit starved for company this strange magi-horror hasn't instantly dealt with you all! Though before trying to persuade her of anything one thing needs to be made clear. Do the goblins really want her to transform them?

TRANSFORMATION
If in favour, state what you wish goblins to become!
>Ye
>Nay

TRIAL OF DISCERNMENT
A fatal misstep is possible, what worked once might not twice and only by a write in could the best possible outcome be seized, best not to trust the QM here. There is a maximum of 17 persuasions, and any failure will wipe out half the number of the goblins. A total failure will of course result in the death of all the goblins in the pumpkin and runs the risk of her seeking out the rest, you'd have to really make her mad for that though.
>Flattery
>Bafflegarble
>Appeal to Authority (The Goblin King)
>Recount the story thus far
>Throw a tantrum
>Grovel
>Gob thought (write in)

>>5752562
>Gob thought (write in)
>Because King sent gobs to restore magic kingdom! And Witch is magic!

>>5752570
Also
>Nay

>>5752570
Supporting also maybe Andebella should become Princess Ash's fairy god mother? Tell her she has to help Ash save her half-sisters.
>transformation
Nay

>>5752562
>>5752570
>>5752571
+1

>>5752570
>>5752571
>>5752583
>>5752610
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets
Current Mob: 13 goblins, 2 knights, 2 nuns
>Don't actually want transforming
>Because King sent gobs to restore magic kingdom! And Witch is magic!
>Become Ash's fairy godmother? Help save half-sisters!

Normally Magi-horrors are focused on their obessessions, it may seem like they can communicate, but everything loops back to their path of magic. Truthfully most mages treat magi-horrors as having gone down a dead end path. It begins as discarding things the mage deems unnecessary for their study and it usually ends in discarding understanding, reduced to a madness of magic. Few are those who overcome the struggle to maintain self.

To goblins though they just understand that magi-horrors come in two types. Fun ones that think a little like them and nasty ones that do nasty things to goblins. Goblins don't really mind having horrifying magical experiments done to them, so long as it doesn't leave them immobile. Being unable to do anything other than think is agony for them. If course to magi-horrors, being monsters of utility, goblins come in two types for them. Either they have use, or they're trash.

"Eh, don't want transform" "Already seen" "Boring now!" "Witch magic, help!" "Gib hand!" "Got lots!" "Lovely hands!" "Very handy!" "Handshakes?"

"Oh, changed your little minds did you? Well whyever should I help you little goblins, no matter how much you like my hands, why should I lift them for you?"

"King sent gobs!" "Witch magic!" "Handy!" "Kingdom thing?" "Necromancy?" "No revival?" "Name? What name?" "Revival not right?" "L something?"

"Oh what a bother, speak what you know but cannot speak, proclaim your aim, rise from fog of mind to dawn of voice"

The goblins, knights and nuns went rigid and in as perfect chorus as they could manage they shouted out together.

"Gobs sent by King, restore the nation of Lennessa he said"

Laughter.

Blue roses spiraled out from Andebella, from them, laughter for they were her laughter itself. A magi-horror shouldn't have a sense of humour. They shouldn't have laughter, but still the roses came, filling the house and coiling around the goblins.


Then the roses withered, becoming dust and with that dust vanishing, the laughter ended and not a petal remained.

"I shall spare you, for the sake of his farce, you all may leave"

She stepped to the side and the inside of the house contracted, bringing the front door right up to the goblins' noses.

"No help?" "Sad" "Wanted hand" "Perfect godmother"

Andebella who was stepping away from the goblins stopped, her shoeless hands pointed at the goblins.

"Eh? You want me to be your fairy godmother? I'm not even a fairy though."

"No" "Don't want" "Stupid" "Nope" "Silly" "Don't need it" "No way gob"

The arms twitched.

1/?

>>5753210
"What was that about a godmother then?" Andebella screeched, her ball of rot wobbling in an alarming manner.

"Ash!" "Goblin Princess!" "Save them!" "Nasty aunt!" "Plots!" "Less beatings?" "Fun!" "Sisters wasn't it?" "Bad magic?"

"I've forgotten how annoying it is talking to goblins, I'll just peek inside your skulls"

All the goblins experienced an unpleasant sensation as if someone had grabbed their brains and was digging their fingers in, mercifully it didn't last long.

"Hoho, what an adorable tale, a fine bit of misdirection. Hmm, hmm. I was going to just rot quietly here, collecting more decay and ruin since I'm not part of it, but I've decided. Rejoice! I, the wonderful Witch of Helpful Decay, will become your fairy godmother. Yes, this role I shall play."

"Ehhh?" "No good!" "Not gobs!" "Princess!" "Gobs no need!" "All wrong!" "Day ruined" "Dreams broken!" "No fair!"

"Silence cretins! You have no right or ability to refuse! You can sleep here for this night, but tomorrow night the pumpkin's gonna go! Hohoho! We'll meet again soon my little godchildren!"

She vanished along with the headless goblin, the steed and so did the witch's house vanish too, all that was left was a few confused goblins and raw pumpkin flesh. The flesh was no longer gray but purple. The door and windows had of course vanished with the witch's house.

Soon the confused goblins were joined by more goblins, the rest that had been hiding in the other pumpkins.

"I've gathered you all together my cute godchildren, and I even have a present to celebrate our connection! I've placed the head of your fellow somewhere in Ellalund, find it and I'll return your kin to you, take care my darlings"

After getting the full story from the goblins who entered the witch's house, all the goblins settled down to enjoy the spacious pumpkin. Andebella was stuffed into the back of their heads as they happily mucked about together.

Inside the pumpkin, they missed seeing what moonfaces came out at night, and they even missed the missing hour...

>The goblins have gained a Fairy Godmother(fake) the Magi-horror Andebella of Helpful Decay, what a boon!
>New Quest! Seek the Headless Goblin's Head!
>For Surviving an encounter with Andebella, one adventure reward gained!

At some point during the goblins' revelry they fell asleep, perhaps a handy witch did it. Still, they woke and heard a surprised voice, as if being freed from a spell.

"Ah, was there always a humongous pumpkin here?"

Ash had come. With a bit of excitement the goblins rushed out to meet their princess. She limped a bit in fright as they came pouring out. The geese were considerably more startled flying away and letting out angry hisses. This time they mostly settled on the tallest pumpkins and bits of ruined building. It was displeasure and not hatred in their little eyes, but they were certainly keeping out of reach of the goblins.

2/?

>>5753212
With a dainty cough, Ash tried to compose herself, and get into the mindset of pretending to be a royal ruler of goblins.

"Ohohoho! My Loyal goblins, I see you've sur... wait, isn't there less of you? Where are they, are they ok?"

Her eyes almost came to tears.

"Gone" "Returned!" "Back with King" "All good" "Ah, gotta find head" "Fine if gobs don't" "Gob wish for three heads" "But three different heads" "So only one head?" "Confused"

Rubbing her eyes, Ash gave a weak laugh that conjured no roses, yet for all the world sounded more magical, even the goblins' hearts throbbed a tiny bit. Just a bit. Most of them put it down to the funky goblin cheese they licked last evening.

"I almost forgot that goblins don't truly die, I've made a fool of myself"

A small sniffle.

"My goblins, I must ask you to hide a while longer, tonight is the ball, we'll sneak inside and foil the wicked plot!"

The goblins almost grimaced as a collective.

MORE WAITINGS?
This intolerable! Unacceptable. Well maybe it can be borne. There's still the really big pumpkin to hide in too...

>Wait till evening, as Ash desires, the ball sounds fun
>Stuff this, the time of Kidnapping is now! Goblin Princess no more, treasure forevermore!
>Lie, promising to hide, but instead send out an adventuring mob.

TRIAL OF DISCERNMENT
One hour missed, one hour to come.
In case of waiting
>Have the nuns hold a service, always fun
>There's enough room in the pumpkin for jousting!

In case of kidnapping
>Invade Ash's Estate
>Go on a literal wild goose chase

In case of lying (State how many goblins will adventure)
>The catacombs!
>There's still that pumpkin with a door...

>>5753213
>>There's enough room in the pumpkin for jousting!

>>5753213
>Have the nuns hold a service, always fun
Why does Andebella give off a tsundere vibe? Is my brain rotten?

>>5753213
>Wait till evening, as Ash desires, the ball sounds fun
>Have the nuns hold a service, always fun

>>5753237
>Is my brain rotten?
More like decaying dabum tiss.

>>5753302
Kek

>>5753237
>>5753302
>>5753308

I think a tsundere magi-horror would be a real handful.

asif

>>5753390
especially if shes made out of hands

No darkness comes to my door today, no self-inflicted torment, nor a joy unnoticed, of life intruding. Today is a very normal peaceful day. I'll keep its peace, and rest a while.

So, no update, but you can clearly tell that after the goblin nun's service will come the ball.

So...
>Be Reckless above
>Be Brave below
>Be Swift aground

Take your pick of how to approach the Imperial Palace of Ellaholm. Feel free to suggest a goblinic plot if you have one, for example you still have that summon crystal but don't worry too much.

>>5754178
>Be Brave below
Our plot is to play pranks on the evil sisters, and scare them off!

>>5754178
>>5754180
Seconding

>>5754178
>Be Swift aground

I've a bit more to write, but I figured I'd post the service, since that is complete.

>>5754180
>>5754203
>>5754368
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
>In wait of evening, the nuns hold service
>Be brave below
>Pranks and scares

The main problem with gods is one of taxonomy. It's clear enough what something like a lord, a peasant or a goblin is. Though sphinxes, scholars and other monstrous beings can still play games as to what those three things are, the masses unmolested by the mental malice of mesmers know a rock when they see one. Even if sometimes a rock speaks, sees and strides, it's still a rock.

A god though?

The Scholars of Enduring Desperation, known for their wisdom and depression, class gods into three classes, they hope for a fourth, but are unwilling to name any as the fourth.

The first class are False Gods, beings that merely exhibit powers from other beings worshipping them. One can not only spill the blood of these beings, but to wipe out their worshippers is to reduce these beings to whatever they were before they supped on the faith of others. By nature these beings are frequently called gods, and with the right method, one can become one of these.

The second class are Minor Gods, beings not dependent on worship, though many still enjoy the benefits. A minor god is a being of great power, a person who exudes a law, place or phenomenon. Such can be slain, can have their power stolen, and with mighty efforts worthy of epics one can become one. There's actually less of these that claim to be gods than the other two classes. Some of the scholars propose folding this class into the previous one.

The fourth class are Major Gods, those not studied in the despair of the Scholars of Enduring Desperation sometimes call these true gods. None of these can truly be harmed, a few have been slain only for the deed to fail to stick. These are beings that are on the edge of understanding or beyond understanding. The stars and their varied natures. Jack of the Elements who rides disaster as horses. Lady Luck whose favour can be as deadly as her ire. Provenance whose knowledge is poison. The Moonfaces and their obscure plays. These and many others are most fitting of being called gods. Yet, among the ones that clearly speak (scant few, and even then the clearest of words can bring destruction to lesser beings), of which there are few, some make no claims of divinity. Yet these do not need to make such claims, their existence inspires the lessers into awe.

As for the fourth class, that is the shame and yearning of those colourless scholars. They hope that one of the third class is this, they fear that one of the third class is this.

1/?

>>5755321
Even goblin scholars, crazed as they are do not reach the maddening depths of enlightenment that the Enduring Desperates do. So goblins have a simple understanding. A god is whatever they decide to treat as a god, and sometimes whatever makes the claim or looks to fit the bill.

As Ash departed once more, the Nuns of the Prince of Grooms decided it was a good time to hold a service.

Where does the Prince of Grooms fall? It's all well and good having classifications, but one has to know enough to make a call. He certainly doesn't seem all that worried about having worshippers. It's actually a little debatable that his brides even count, he certainly doesn't refer to them as anything other than brides while they live, and collects them to be wives once they die, collecting their spirits to enjoy his presence in his heavenly mansion till they can last no more and they reach the banks of the River of the End.
Indeed there's many women that devote their whole lives to him only to never feel his touch either in life or death, in comparison each and every one those goblins nuns had tussled in their dreams. Apart from faithfulness it was unknown what made him pick up a bride.

In spite of having so many wives (from weak goblins to even beings considered gods) He's never been killed, so who knows if he's a minor god or not. As for his powers, it's difficult to say, as he only acts for the sake of his brides and especially faithful men in danger of losing their brides. Can he only do so, or he just too lazy and uninterested to get involved with anything else?

Though, he usually asks for the firstborn daughter as a bride in exchange for helping men. Really it's probably he's called the Prince of Grooms just due to how many brides he has at any given moment.

The other goblins didn't care much about the Prince of Grooms, but they did like a good show. It's worth remembering that the touch of the Prince of Grooms had made the goblins nuns almost cute, in an ugly cute kind of way. In their patchwork white robes, only stained a little by pumpkin juices, they had a kind of freshness that happy newly wed women have.

Assembled in front of the other goblins they began to sing.

It isn't true to say that all gods love singing, indeed the Diva of All Sound, Ayaya will smite any of her devotees who dare to sing or even hear others sing, viewing it as cheating on her. Some still do it anyway just for the chance of being chewed by her mouths. The Prince of Grooms is known to actually dislike men singing (and men in general except when they do heroism for their woman's sake).

Rather than worship, it was more that he just liked his brides to do cute things. In terms of level of quality the nuns' singing couldn't be said to be acceptable, however the soul, the earnestness with which they sang of their groom's might and gentleness, of his ability to tell funny jokes and interesting stories, and of course how much of a handsome beast he was.

2/?

>>5755325
It was cute the way they stumbled over words and tried to remember superlatives, especially the part where all of them got stuck on a rhyme and gathered in a huddle to try and figure it out.

The sweetness would likely be too much for even many couples to enduring, such was the doting love they held for him. Their only audience was probably only lead headed goblins, the Prince of Grooms who loved them and the Goblin King whose tolerance for goblins was terrifyingly high. Perhaps somewhere, a being with far too many hands was spasming in agony.

The sho- the service really kicked off when the nuns began to dance, it was far too little for the goblins but their was a hint of beauty to that dance, and they were surprisingly co-ordinated.

After a few routines of singing and dancing that the nuns had clearly actually practiced, they collapsed in a heap on each other. The other goblins clapped throughout, but stopped once the nunpile was created.

One nun, perhaps a little cuter than the others poked her head out from the exhausted pile.

"Hubby best! Love best! Get Princess hubby too!"
"Eh, Groom got plenty" A goblin objected.
"No, Ash not for hubby! Bad fit"

As to how a wee goblin knew what was a good or bad fit for the Prince of Grooms, that was a mystery to baffle the Enduring Desperates. However, in mere moments she was proven correct as the big man himself backed up his girls. A divine manly presence filled the pumpkin and a voice that made even prideful bitter women say 'I do' graced the ears of the female goblins. The males heard the voice as if it was far away.

"You know me too well my blushing brides!"
Squeals of joy came from the nuns as they called him their favourite pet names.
"Quite the occasion you've found yourselves in, well babes, big G has a gift just for you, until the light of day hits you, no wound shall fell you, enjoy yourselves. Hmm yeah that elfchild, what a pity. My lovely girls, if you actually manage to hook her up with a mutual love faithful and true, then big G here will do a little heavy lifting, even for your brothers here. Don't forget to call me if any scum pop up, big G is here for you, even if you can't see or hear me"

>Gained Divine Quest: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love

The divinity left, leaving only blushing goblin females and hyped males.

"Goblin king best" One goblin said to settle her pounding heart.
"Gobs for this gob!" Protested another.

Gradually they managed to return to normal, most goblins weren't going to become his brides after all. The service wasn't quite over however. If the singing and dancing was a service for the Prince of Grooms, what came next was for the attending goblins.

A story about a groom that had received His divine aid. Being told by love addled goblins, it was mixed up with several other stories they had heard, that multiple nuns were metaphorically wrestling to tell the tale didn't do the story any favours either. Still the moral of the story was clear.

3/?

>>5755328
"Death to cheats!" "Faithful best!" "Death to dalliers!" "Cute Justice!" "Death to advisors!" "Butler hate!"

Well, clear to anyone not goblins. It was probably going to end badly for anyone who fit the villains of the nuns' tale. Really it was a conga line of the heroine being captured from one villain to the next. Almost like the nuns remembered more about the villains than the rest of the stories.

>Temporary Madness Gained: Hatred of Right Hand Men
Viziers, Head Butlers and other positions of trust don't always have monsters lurking to betray and capture the heroine, but between means motive and opportunity, usually a man in that role only needs motive. Even honest ones better watch out, because the goblins are hopping mad.

The nuns recovered from their singing and dancing by the time Ash and the evening rolled around. However, when they rushed out from the pumpkin at the sound of Ash's voice, what greeted them was a young woman in a patchwork dress of many colours, a labour made from many scraps of cloth sneaked away. The design of the dress and the beauty of the wearer's body carried the patchwork into a territory of wild gorgeousness, and though she wore no shoes, this only added to this untamed vision of loveliness.

If there was a problem, it was that where a head would be, there was a silvery pumpkin a bit bigger than an elf's head.

>>5755325
>Diva of All Sound, Ayaya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wnNW4HyDtg
>>5755328
>Prince of Grooms acts like a pimp.
Lmao

>>5755330
>If there was a problem, it was that where a head would be, there was a silvery pumpkin a bit bigger than an elf's head.
She's wearing a disguise? Or did her head actually transform?

>>5755330
"Eh? Pumpkin Princess?" "Where Ash?" "Cool" "Gobs wear pumpkins?" "Good idea!" "Pumpkin steal Ash?" "Who who?" "Imposter?" "Tricks?"

"Ohohoho!" It was that laugh again, made in imitation of one far more fitting to the laugh. "Worry not my faithful goblins, have no doubts, it is I ASH!"

She didn't take the pumpkin off though, had it got stuck on her ears?

"YAY!" "Much better cloths" "Good look" "Princess!"

There were several chants of princess as other goblins were harvesting pumpkins and smashing them onto each others heads, there were a few near misses as they gouged out eyeholes to, and a few goblins needed pumpkin smashed twice due to the pumpkin falling apart too much the first time.

Regaining her senses from this sight, she spoke once more.
"*Ahem* The time of destiny is upon us my Minions come, together we foil the wicked plot and save my sisters, no all of Ellahulm!"

Was she beginning to enjoy playing goblin princess? Regardless, she began her march through Ellahulm. From ruin to the slightly more prosperous, she even marched openly through the main street towards that distant palace, what most stood out about it was a grand tower with a clock face upon it, but the hands had long long ago stopped seconds before midnight and moved no more.

"There's nobody out and about tonight, because not only is this a bride finding ball, it's also the anniversary of Ellalund's founding! The Festival of Midnight! The whole city is stuffed into the palace, and nobody steals from the empty houses for fear of the imperial curse striking them!"

The goblins stumbled across the dark main street that hadn't be getting the maintenance it should have, it was likely no mundane carriages could traverse this road. For a moment, the goblins had an illusion they were passing under a canopy of withered rotten trees, but what flanked their sides were only faded buildings whose embossing and statues had lost their details, whose magic waned, replaced with lesser inferior works or none at all. All silent as a tomb. Their princess was more than happy to keep the silence at bay.

"My step-aunt... if there was a snake in the shape of a hulf, she'd be it, it's amazing she isn't a gorgon"

The deprived, the least of all human races, having no pointed ears, and not having natural gifts like elves and dwarves, perhaps that was part of where the mistreatment came from.

"She's got scarlet hair and really cold steely eyes, you'd best not mess with her directly goblins, I think she might be secretly powerful. She should be wearing a yellow dress that looks like a cross between a pumpkin and a sheep!"

"Play pranks on sisters?" "Evil sisters cry?" "Very scary?" "Hehehe"

"They're not evil, they've their own troubles! If they tried then... *ahem* It's fine to scare them, you can even make them cry, but please don't hurt them! We just need them out of the palace."

1/?

>>5755574
"Finally kidnap time" "Been holding back!" "Fun fun!" "Look like?" "Tell tell!" "Just grab all women?"

"Please don't. My sisters are twins, they have dark green hair, a golden eye and a brown eye each, and they'll be wearing dresses themed after roses. Odella will be in red and Odilla in blue."

"Names bad" All the other goblins voiced their agreement with this.

"They secretly call each other Odette and Odile, honestly they'll probably switch dresses once stepaunt takes her eyes off them. You just have to safely get them out, don't worry so much"

Finally they were close to the palace, and naturally their pumpkin princess stopped.

"We can't just walk in right?" She muttered.

"Can though?" "Rush in?" "Climb above?" "March forward!" "Sneak under?" "Under?" "Uuuu, underground?" "Sleeping place?" "Catacombs?" "Yes!" "Where?"

Deciding on their plan of action they surrounded their current pumpkin princess and begged her to show them to the catacombs.

"What a good idea, I almost forgot how many times w- I snuck into the palace through those! Good goblins for reminding me about them!"

So, with the mob of goblins with her, they pulled open a heavy manhole with a skull on it and descended into the catacombs of Ellaholm. She held out a hand a fitful ball of light appeared at the tip of her fingers. The light was dim along with being unstable, she clearly hadn't been taught, but was she untalented too? Perhaps it was all the beatings.

The light revealed yellow brickwork passages, unadorned. One had to wonder what those bricks were made of. If the empty city had been silent as a tomb, this then was a pit that devoured that silence. The goblins couldn't even hear their own breathing, a few goblins even checked to see if they were still breathing.

They would have talked about it, but something about the brickwork cowed the goblins into silence, they felt there was something strange to the way the bricks were put together, but they couldn't quite place it in their little goblin heads.

She spoke no more to them, only leading them through brickwork tunnels that looked more and more like the scales of some monster. Not a skeleton or coffin ever came into sight. There wasn't even little slots dug into the walls. Apart from a deathly air, there wasn't a sign this was a catacomb at all. After a time of taut tension, they came away from the brickwork and entered a tunnel of normal soil.

"Strangely uneventful, I wonder where the spirits are?" She muttered.

She stopped beneath a large slab, stood on her toe-tips and knocked on it.

"Is anyone there good slab?"
"By her hidden name, there is not" A gravelly voice devoid of thought and life. After stating this, the slab slithered into the form of a ladder and she quickly climbed up.

"We're right near the ballroom, you just need to dash in grab my sisters and flee, or scare them out!"

2/?

>>5755576
It took a while for the goblins to climb out, but once some of them were on the ladder they could climb over their fellows. In short order, the whole mob were in dark hall, a tall door was open a crack before them, spilling warm light, the sounds of revelry and music came from beyond.

They peeked through, and Lady Luck must have been smiling on them! They couldn't see much, colourful dresses and dapper finery swirling, some kind of giant barbarian wearing only a loincloth sticking out like a sore thumb, but most importantly right in front of them, arguing about something or another, was a pair of pretty girls, one in a red dress like reversed rose shedding petals to make its train. The other was in a blue dress, and looked like she was rising from a rose, only a few of its large petals looking like they were blown by wind preserved her modesty. Most importantly, they had dull green hair! Their ears were only slightly pointed.

Just as the goblins were about to engage the traditional goblinic arts of kidnapping meant for acquiring playmates, there was the bugle of horns, heavy with a tortured history, sorrowful as the cry of the banshee or the baying of the black hounds.

"As the Lost hour approaches, Her Imperial Majesty will grace us with her words on this day of celebr- *guuugh*"

The unmistakable sound of a man being gutted.

Cries of terror.

"By the will of the seven nations, I Grand Gardener of the Hungering Pines command the death of the imperial line! Stay where you are and no ha..."

Even amid the screams he could be heard, the goblins could not see, him and his doings, but they saw and heard all at once the things that stilled his voice.

The shadows in the ballroom thickened and met in the centre, forming an black altar upon which was a body covered by a snowy cloth. Before this, bubbling up from the shadow was a bewitching woman.

Brilliant scarlet hair, a cascade of bloody dawn fell over a strange dress that looked like a pumpkin bodied sheep, her shapely body arose from the maw of this unthinkable raiment, barely did the sheepmouth keep her bosom contained. From a flap in the dress was a strange shiny black tail, thick at the root and thin at the end, it crawled about her body accenting her curves, it actually had more in common with an elephant's trunk, though it was fair more elegant, there were still nostrils on the end of that appendage! Though the goblins couldn't see her eyes they saw there were two black spikes on her head, one could have mistaken them for horns, rather than the ears they were. In her hand was a leering obsidian blade, possessing a tongue to lick its own edge!

Of two types of beings named succubus, this was the kind that is isn't necessarily evil, but regrettably she didn't look like she was anything good!

Yet this shocking sight was but one of three.

3/?

>>5755578
The second was the barbarian, a pale almost sickly looking man in spite of his muscles. With one hand he clutched his head, the other had a flaming spark that formed a sword that grew and grew, and flames that spilt from his ran wildly about the ballroom, dancing where the horrified guests would not. As it grew, so did his body, but the muscles ballooning were grotesque, and the form of man was swiftly leaving him. He cackled and sobbed as he transformed.

"I hear it! I hear it! Now, now! Ahahaha!" Such were the nature of his ravings, along with words that escaped the translation of the curse of misunderstanding.

Remember. This was only the second of the freakish events that stilled the tongue of the Grand Gardener.

The third was a joyful warcry, and a torrent of honking, the windows shattered and geese flew in with fairies on their backs.

"Retribution!"
This was the cry they repeated again and again. It wouldn't have been that worrying had it not been for their sheer numbers and the fact that it was geese, but to those that could tell their was an abnormal power to some of the fairies, a weight of magic!

These three things stilled the tongue of one who thought he merely had to wring the neck of the goose in his hands.

Yet, on the heels of these three, came one more, one that gave pause to succubus, mad giant, geese and fairies alike!

A majestic rumbling as if something was trying to force its way through the ceiling of the ballroom.

CHAOS BEFORE THE HOUR
This was a lot more than promised. One hour missed, the missing shall greet the goblins. In this frozen moment, what shall you do goblins? The sisters are still there before you.

Trial of Fatal Discernment
All save two are doom, but perhaps with remembering, one might know how to cheat fate. Unless a player states, a choice counts for all three goblin types.
>Confront the Succubus
>Confront the Mad One
>Confront the Fairy Host
>Remain Hidden, thankfully people are too shocked to flee
>Become the Fifth Thing
>Grab the sisters and flee
>Gob Sweating (write in)

>>5755355
>>5755470
Ayaya.

Enjoy. Had a dream for the first time in a long while. I could fly by flapping my arms, in spite of this I was still lost in the nearby city.

In theory, the next update, regardless of what you choose should be smaller. Ah that felt good.

>>5755579
>Grab the sisters and flee
>Insult the fairies as you flee!
Gobs don't like fairies

>>5755579
>>Grab the sisters and flee
Maybe we should summon the knave to steal them away!
Maybe we should ask the hand lady for help!

>>5755579
>Grab the sisters and flee

>>5755595
Hm, these aren't bad ideas.

>>5755584
that update was great, by the way!

>>5755794
You're welcome.

>>5755591
>>5755595
>>5755630

Now I could squeeze in the update even at this late hour, but don't want this critical next bit to suffer for it.

Tomorrow.

>>5755591
>>5755595
>>5755630
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Summon Crystal Knave of Secrets, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
>Grab the sisters and Flee!
>Insult the fairies!
>Summon the Knave of Secrets
>Ask hand lady for help

There was a lot of hubbub, and seriously ominous happenings, but what did that have to do with the goblins? It was only a game, a goblin princess they didn't hold true reverence for. A passing fancy. Still, the sisters were right there, it was obvious what to do! All they had to do was reach out and grab them.

So, as the ballroom rumbled, filled with the chaos of flame, feather and fear, small hands reached out from behind that door. A simple matter of seizing a pair of girls just a tiny bit younger than Ash. Childsnatching is in the blood of all Fae. In the case of the wicked, because sooner or later evil arrives at child sacrifice. In the case of the rest, fae that aren't hopelessly twisted are drawn to those with natures like their own, which is frequently children.

The task was as easy as taking a baby along with the candy, especially with the numbers the goblins had. Grabbing the one in red, which should be Odette was easy enough. The issue came with the one in blue, that should be Odile.

Odette didn't resist at all interestingly, but when it came to grab little miss blue rose dress.

"No! She's still there!"

A swelling of magic, and from that from her, wind pushed the goblins away from her. The goblins weren't having any of this, while they'd likely be able to overpower her with sheer mass of bodies, impatiently they lifted a yellow crystal!

Just as something burst through the ballroom ceiling, there was the swirl of a cat-like pelt that clearly had more limbs than a normal cat should. Following it was an elegant figure in a checkered yellow and mustard suit, with gloves and shoes white as snow a tophat furred from the same beast as the pelt completed his raiment.

"Good timing on calling me darlings! There's some things people just shouldn't see"

A yellow stone cat mask, distorted by a disturbingly inhuman human smug grin drew their attention, and when their eyes had left the darkness where the knave's eyes should have been, no more could they see the inside of the ballroom, though the chaos now had the fresh sound of something that sounded like a tortured frog.

Under the knave's arms were the two girls, rendered unconscious and snatched by him at some point. He immediately began to run away from the ballroom.

"I doubt it'll do much good, but best follow me my sweet mob!"

The goblins did so, but before that, they had one more important task to fulfill.

"Goblins rule! Fairies Drool" "Stupid bugs!" "Get swatted!" "Loser midges!" "No treasures!" "Poor!"

A torrent of childish abuse toward the fairies.
1/?

>>5757613
It was important to show those fairies who was the cream and who was the milk!

"Who dares mock us!" A noble and dignified voice, strange for fairies shouted in outrage, but the goblins giggling and sniggering had already fled after the Knave of Secrets.

They returned to the passage where they came from, but...

Instead of a hidden passage bits of stone were strewn everywhere and a geyser of weeping pale spirits was blasting out from the remains of the passage. The Knave of Secrets had stopped, his gaze was not upon the outpouring of undead that was threatening to wash over them. Instead his head was cocked upward to the side.

"Is that how it is? An hour? That's quite the trick! Well my darlings we're out of time. The hour has come"

The goblins almost didn't hear him, as unseen geese honked louder and louder, then there was a monstrous metallic screech. A reverberating bong that silenced the geese, and then their was no then.

The goblins had been about to cry out to their fresh fairy godmother, but they were confused dumb as they found themselves in a grand ashpit, before them was a familiar weeping maiden.

Yet, they had no time to react, as the sight before their eyes rotted away, and they found themselves bolted to seats before a huge blackboard in a room that was an unholy cross between classroom and swamp.

A hand shoved into a golden shoe split the air, and as if passing through a curtain, Andebella Witch of Helpful Decay appeared.

"Have you been good my little godchildren? No no, there's no need to speak, rather I won't let you. Class is in session goblins! Oh my, so many many years since I've done teaching, but your godmother will do her best!"

The goblins usually liked to say things, but currently they could only manage muffled mumbles.

The sound of a metal claw scraping against glass, and silvery letters appeared on the blackboard.

LOOP

"I won't tell you what kind it is, but you're all in one. Just so as you know, this wasn't my fault. I've just be peacefully collecting rot and ruin like a busy bee! There's a truth for you; Andebella is unrelated to this whole mess"

*Bam*

The word was gone, not that many of the goblins could read in the first place, but between the ones that knew a few letters they'd piece it together for the rest.

"You can do whatever you want and your King is sure to be pleased, but I'm sure you all wish to complete the quest he gave you, well whatever that means, all your hard work will be undone on the coming of the missing hour on the second night, though as a bonus if you find that missing head, it'll stay found, aren't I nice?"

Several of her hands clapped together.

"Enough about that! We've a special guest! The remains of a real heart stealer!"

A crumbling mask appeared. Yellow stone, cat-like with a smug smile no cat could have.

2/?

>>5757615
"Hello my darlings, thank you Madam for giving me a little time. Marvelous mob, remember this, each time you draw close to the missing hour on the second day, you'll have my help. With the state this place is in, you might find a way to get me moving about earlier, do your best"

>Summon Quest: Steal some extra time for the Knave of Secrets!

The mask crumbled away to nothing.

"Quite the naughty boy that one, might spill some cats out of the bag before their time, but fear not! I'll happily silence him!"

"Secrets... well, there's that giant, the hour, that vixen, those silly fairies and a whole pile more! I'm not giving any hints, not yet my little godchildren. You have to earn some interference! Oh, do take care, your King is keeping you here, but there's only so much he can do for your little spirits! Now have fun, see you soon!"

The odd classroom decayed away, revealing the familiar ashpit and maiden.

GOBLINS AND THE LOOP
While their godmother has been miserly with information, it's clear the goblins are in some kind of loop, but the exact nature is unclear, well, one hundred heads are better than one, so they might eventually figure it out.

While in the loop, by grace of the King, you'll receive back half of the goblins that die in a given loop. Changes to goblins stay however, so knights that lose their armour don't get it back for example. Perhaps there's some way to get more goblins...

Should all the goblins get wiped out in the same encounter, this is called a bad end, and all goblins lost in the bad end will return in the next loop. Recklessly collect bad ends with a peace of mind, but beware spending goblins piecemeal.

Each day is divided into morning, afternoon and evening. So normally three encounters each day is possible. Occasionally something might take up more or less time.

ASH AND THE PIT
Trial of Discernment
A repeat may not always result in the same outcome...
>Ignore her and wander outside the ashpit (specify a location)
>Greet your princess anew! (Repeat)
>Pray for the Prince of Grooms' Guidance
>Take the time to go over what all just happened
>Dig.
>Kidnapping time! Claim a living treasure! (specify a location)
>Gob knows!

Known Locations
Estate taken over by pumpkins
The Catacombs of Yellow Brick
Main street of Ellaholm (hostile)
Palace of Ellalund (hostile)

>>5757616
>Take the time to go over what all just happened

>>5757616
>Take the time to go over what all just happened
So that's the deal with this.

>>5757615
>Yet, they had no time to react, as the sight before their eyes rotted away, and they found themselves bolted to seats before a huge blackboard in a room that was an unholy cross between classroom and swamp.
i'm sure the classroom part is scarier than the swamp part.>>5757616
>Recklessly collect bad ends with a peace of mind, but beware spending goblins piecemeal.
good to know. no half measures!
>>5757616
>>Greet your princess anew! (Repeat)
let's not wait for the ball before stealing her sisters

>>5757653
>>5757661
It is too hot to think today.

>>5758598
I fully agree with that.
I feel like my head is going to melt

>>5757653
>>5757661
>>5758549
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Morning of the First Day
Place: Ashpit near an Estate
>Take the time to go over what all just happened

A single goblin's mind is a pitiful thing, uncomprehending of all. A single goblin's mind is an enviable thing, they live in brainless bliss. Leave that single goblin alone and it will lose both bliss and bafflement. Goblins are a little smarter as a group. Technically such resonance can be achieved by any group of beings, it's just that most cannot harmonize with each other.

Though, in the case if goblins, calling it harmony is a bit much. Fools seldom differ.

Even these fools were a little bothered by all that had happened, there was quite a bit at the end there after all. They'd be happy enough to leave well alone, but something had nagged at some of the goblins, and if one goblin is uncomfortable, the rest are sure to follow.

It was time for a goblin council.

There was a startled cry as they formed a several ringed huddle, but the goblins ignored this, they had important matters to attend to!
"Big trouble" "Not right!" "Tricksy!" "All gone!" "Where start?" "Ashes?" "Princess!" "But Quest?" "Lensomething"

The first matter wasn't Ash, it was the King's Quest. In a goblins' understanding, a nation is just a really big family. Certainly the argument for a shared bloodline can be made, but the Blood Historians, those obsessives about lineage, figure that the real thing is a weight of history. It is in time that bloodlines connect, shaped by pairings, the environment and traditions.

Elves are elves, but only fools would say those that live underground are the same as those that live in the clouds. Of course the blood historian are making the same assumption as the goblins.

A nation is people.

"What look like?" "Elves?" "This place not called it!" "Asking?"

Of the first matter, the goblins didn't know who the nation of Lennessa referred to. Was Lennessa a hero or god? A phenomena that a bloodline was derived from? A place? For what reason did a nation bear this name.

>Restoring is clear enough, but what is Lennessa?

"Mean godmother won't tell gobs" "King no tell gibs, want gobs to have fun!"

Having reached dead end, the goblins turned to the next matter.

"Princess, bit odd second time!" "Fun pumpkin!" "Weak magic!" "Sneaky" "Oh! Vanished at end!"

They didn't notice it at the time, but their princess vanished after climbing up out of the catacombs. She wasn't seen from the start of the chaos to the end.

"Hiding?" "Fleeing?"

>The strangeness and vanishing of Ash on the second day

1/?

>>5759396
They skipped over talking about Andebella taking her claims of being unrelated at face value... though, there was something about that that niggled in the back of their heads. It was time to get into the meat and potatoes of the goblin council! The other stuff that happened at the

"Betrayal?" "Anti-royal hate!" "Gardener!" "Bad seven nations!"

In the information that the King had stuffed inside the heads of the goblins, originally the grand gardener was a cross between envoy and tribute sent by the seven nations. However, since Ellalund was declining, it became more like an overseer and prison warden. The true ruler of Ellahulm. Had the seven nations decided to end the pretense of the empire for good? Or had the gardener gone rogue? One thing was clear, though.

>The Grand Gardener's ignorance
He didn't expect all the stuff that happened at all. He was probably unrelated to the loop at least. Well that was the goblins' guess anyway.

This did remind the goblins of another important bit of information.

>For some reason, the Hungering Pines are focused on devouring Ellahulm.

"Seven nations?" "Lennessa?" "No?" "Nah!"

Thristers of the Salt Minehalls, Thristruins
Hortgannys of the Dread Dukedom of Hortgan
Yamites of the Land of Water Flowers, Ran-Wyam
Potters of Cauldronrange Plentypots
Sanzish of Beastcorpse Country Sanzollo
Drobblers of Dragon Vassal, Drobblemarch
Knopish of The Hidden City, Knop

Once conquered by the Magic Empire of Midnight Ellalund in the past, the tables had long since turned and the seven nations had grown fat from the sales of wood from the Hungering Pines. The goblins felt that if any of them were core to restoring Lennessa, the King would have sent them there, well, that was their gut anyway.

The people of Ellahulm, mostly elves, are called Ellans. The goblins didn't give it anymore thought and moved on to the next matter.

"Succubus huh" "Dreamsnatchers!" "Weirdos!" "Living Treasure?" "Dangerous!" "Like dress!" "Dress!" "Really?" "Match!"

Ash hadn't said anything about her step-aunt being a succubus! But...

>The succubus match's Ash's description of her step-aunt!

Didn't this mean her half-sisters were half succubus? They hid that one! Or was there something else going on? The goblins hadn't a clue what use this information was, and they didn't know what the succubus aunt was going to do other than...

>A clear attempt to sacrifice someone.
>It didn't look like she expected the other things that happened.

"Wait? Sisters fine?" "Heh?" "Strange!"

>Ash said that her sisters were going to be used in an evil plot, but the sisters were untouched and only a single body was of the altar made from shadows!

"Gob remember! Ash called Ash, Ash the Liar!"

>It was a single mention, but she referred to herself as Ash the Liar
'None will believe Ash the Liar' those were her words, did she lie to them?

>How much did Ash know would happen?
2/?

>>5759401
Not knowing what was going on there, the goblins moved on.

"Big muscle" "Lumpy!" "Firey!" "All muscle" "Got muscler!" "Kept going!" "What heard?" "Ah, did say that!"

The barbarian and his sword of flame who both grew uncontrollably were a mystery but there was one point of interest.

>What did the barbarian hear?

"Music?" "Voices?" "Geese?" "Lots of noise"

They didn't know, so it was time for the next council deliberation!

"Fairy scum!" "No sign until then!" "They flutter among us!" "Stole gobs' geese!" "Always taking gobs' nice things!" "Fairy hate!" "Hiding?" "No way!" "Would have messed with gobs!"

Just as goblins wouldn't leave fairies alone without bullying them, fairies wouldn't leave goblins alone without bullying them, so then...

>Where did the fairies come from?

"Said something" "Stupid fairies!"

>The fairies cried out 'retribution' but for what and who was their target?

At the very least...

>The fairies, the mad giant, the succubus and the gardener had no direct connection.

"Fancy man stole sight" "Couldn't see last thing" "Wonder what it was?" "Big nasty?"

>The entity that broke through the ballroom ceiling was something they shouldn't look at.

"Always there?" "Or just there then?" "Oh, passage got filled up!" "Lots of weepy spooks!" "Very sad"

>Before the missing hour, undead spirits poured out of the catacombs

"That all?" "No, hour" "Geese!" "Loop!" "Lotta stuff different?" "No joining?"

>None of the things that happened looked terribly connected to a loop or the missing hour's arrival. Though, the descent of the entity in the ballroom at least had enough mystery.

"Hour loop?" "Maybe?" "Ending at least" "Hard" "Annoying" "Too much thinking!"

>The missing hour was a big mystery, but whatever way it was connected to the loop, it was clear at least that the end of the loop was when midnight of the second day arrived.

"Why two days?" "Geese start and end?"

>It was suspicious that geese were so loud at the start and end, even when not seen.

The goblins collapsed steam rising from their little heads.

>In moments where this information is relevant, the goblins will remember it unprompted.

"Ah, princess!" One goblin remarked, remembering about Ash.

However, when the goblins got up and looked about, she was nowhere to be seen. A quite normal reaction to a mob of goblins appearing. Although the goblins knew her, she had forgotten about them and fled while they were distracted!

ALREADY A CHANGE
In the previous loop, Ash got entangled with the goblins, but in this one, she fled before they could declare her goblin princess. All of these actions will advance Time to afternoon.
> Hunt her down! (3d7) encounter
> Dig some warrens in the ashpit
> Wild Goose chase! (2d6) encounter
> Sneak into the catacombs
> Make a statue of the Prince of Grooms from ash and spit
> Investigate the nearby estate (3d6) encounter
> Gob knows! (Write in)

>>5759403
> Investigate the nearby estate (3d6) encounter
Time to learn more about Ash's family

>>5759403
> Investigate the nearby estate (3d6) encounter

Rolled 5, 1, 1 = 7 (3d6)

>>5759406
>>5759460

I'm going to have a look at the rolls and decide if I do a short update now, or a longer one tomorrow.

>>5760392

Hmm, quite auspicious and very fitting.
Tomorrow then.

In the meanwhile, somewhat related to that result, what mystery would you like made clearer the most?

>>5760394
I forgot to vote but I approve of investigating

It didn't come out long
>>5759406
>>5759460
>>5760811
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Afternoon of the First Day
Place: City Outskirts Estate (name unknown)

Even in the heyday of the Magic Empire of Midnight Ellalund it was a place infamous for its architecture, but when the power was waxing full, people called the donkey a horse, fearing to speak their true thoughts of the abodes of Ellaholm.

With the decline though, none fear to say it.

'Don't they look like ugly pumpkins with weird hats? How laughable'

This was somewhat unfair, to the untrained eye, certainly they looked like misshapen pumpkins with ludicrous hats, but that was only due to the focus on curves and bulges that the masonry of Ellahulm had. A physical representation of ripe richness if you will. Only a true architect could appreciate the artistic madness behind these obese forms.

After leaving the ashpit the goblins stuck to hiding in hedge and pumpkin patch and soon came before the estate attached to the ashpit. Previously the only other estate the goblins saw clearly was the one overrun by pumpkins, in the last loop this estate had been a bit far to see clearly and when they snuck into the city it was shrouded in deep night.

So as soon as they came close enough for a good gawk...

"Look, weird fake pumpkins!" "Big and huddled together" "Comfy?"

Most goblins are totally uneducated, they're quite likely to point out the emperor has no clothes, or in this case that in spite of being mainly elves, something was seriously wrong with the aesthetic sensibilities of the denizens of Ellahulm.

Distantly the goblins could see two girls sitting beneath a tree that was trimmed in the shape of some kind of corpulent bird, it was almost just a big ball. They were sitting by a table that the goblins could only barely see a small plate of snacks on. On closer inspection the girls were sitting on what looked a bit like a woman in sackcloth. In spite of the smallness of the two girls, this was still an impressive feat, though from a distance the woman looked like a sculpted bench rather than a breathing, strained human.

As the goblins sought to go closer, a misty fog arose, and the there came the sound of barking honks.

Barking? That wasn't the sound geese made!

HONKBARKS IN THE FOG
Even a poor noble estate has some defences! There's a way to get total victory with ease, but it requires a good memory and a leap of logic, it isn't any of the presented choices though! An adventure reward will be gained if you think of it though.

Trial of Discernment
>Honk Bark back!
>Hide in nearby pumpkins!
>Dig some tunnels!

Trial of Fate
>Hunt out the source of the barking honks, strike first!
>Form a defensive formation!
>Dash through the fog!

>Gob it out (write in)

>>5761213
>Dig some tunnels!
No thinking, only fun!

>>5761213
>>Dash through the fog!

Rolled 4, 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 1, 3, 3, 6, 5, 6, 6, 3, 6, 4, 1, 1, 6, 3, 5, 1, 3 = 86 (23d6)

>>5761255

46 goblins (I've rolled 23), 13 knights, 12 nuns.

As an addendum to the previous information, should all your goblins die in a single encounter such as this current one 'the estate fog', you'll get them all back in the new loop.

Rolled 5, 1, 1, 2, 1, 6, 6, 2, 5, 3, 5, 4 = 41 (12d6)

>>5761797

The goblins aren't all going to die to the honk Barker's but... well, you'll see.

Rolled 4, 9, 1, 10, 6, 9, 2, 8, 10, 2, 3, 2, 3 = 69 (13d10)

>>5761798

It can be easy to forget the knights are d10s

Rolled 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, 1, 5, 4, 4, 5, 1, 2, 6, 1, 3, 5, 4, 1, 3, 3, 4 = 69 (23d6)

>>5761797
Gonna have lunch and then write. You can roll your own rolls if you want, but don't worry too much, everyone is going to die.

You'll get to react with the remaining goblins, even if they are dead gobs walking.

>>5761217
>>5761255
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Current Numbers at Start of Loop: 93 g, 26 K, 25 nun
Total Goblins: 47
Total Knights: 13
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 13
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Afternoon of the First Day
Place: City Outskirts Estate (name unknown)
>Dig some tunnels
>Dash through the fog! Trial of Fate! Failure! 11 goblins died, 5 nuns died! 4 Knights became goblins! But all survivors were slaughtered by something else!

There was some ominous honkbarks, but goblins are beings that fear their fun being ended, not their lives! They split into two groups, one began to dig with fervour and the other made a mad dash through the fog itself.

Helpfully for the dashing goblins, there wasn't any killing arrays in the fog, truly Ellahulm had fallen on hard times. Instead, just as the fog was robbing the goblins of most of their sight, they saw the source of the queer honkbarks. A body not unlike a dun coated dog, but with claws longer than any natural hound, and speaking of things natural hounds don't have, normally they don't have the head and neck of a goose. Usually geese don't have beaks that are serrated on the outside either.

>The goblins now know that three goosehounds lurk in the fog of the estate.

There was only three of them, but they first appeared by mauling several goblins. A knight readied himself to face them, but one of the goosehounds opened its beak and a tongue shot out like a bullet. His prized armour and hobbyhorse gave their lives for his. Afterward the tongue thrashed about in the air like a tentacle, injuring a few other goblins before it returned to the mouth of the monster.

Goosehounds came to be in the Era of Emperor Crystal Pumpkinhead the Beloved Usurper. In spite and because of their sheer bloodthirst, they still see use far beyond the old borders of Ellalund. As with most abominations that blight a world, it was the creation of a magician.

One day, the wandering wizard Dunn was roasting a goose that had attacked him in Ellahulm, when he saw an impromptu dogfight between two small but bloodyminded dogs.

Dark inspiration took him with the thought of 'what if the aggression of both was combined' being a wizard and having the ability to do just that, he of course set to work right away, thus giving the rich a new horror to guard their homes and adventurers a new monster to die a grizzly death to. As for the tongue? That was just proof that Dunn was bad natured even among wizards.

Now, although the goosehounds were a deadly monster, they weren't terribly large and now that the goblins were aware of them, they could kill them by making a few sacrifices. Before they got the chance however, there was a rush of wind, and the goblins, each one of them saw their feet from an odd angle. It took most of them a while to register that they had been cut in half.

1/?

>>5761861
Then they became golden motes, but instead of vanishing as they usually do, it was as if something plucked them from the air.

Back at the digging goblins, they had made good progress, as goblins are quite acceptable diggers. All of them were already able to fit underground. They heard distant cries and then only the hissing of the goosehounds. There was the sound of heavy footsteps, then at the opening of the tunnel they saw a helmet. An orange metal so dark it was almost black. A visor almost like a bird's beak. A plume of feathers. A pair of glowing red eyes.

"As expected, more goblins"

DEAD END: KNIGHT OF THE ESTATE
It's an old saying that even moldy bread has one good maggot. The goblins have found themselves faced with the last strong servant of fallen nobility. Death comes. None will survive, but perhaps something can be gained in death for the next loop.

FATAL TRIAL
>Dig even quicker!
>Flee every-which-way
>Struggle to at least take the helmet off him
>Gob has Questions! (Ask something of the knight)
>Throw a goblin tantrum
>Pray to the Prince of Grooms
>Gob is Gobbed! (Write in)

Rolled 5, 2 = 7 (2d6)

rolling for he rails cocaine off your boner

>>5761862
>Struggle to at least take the helmet off him

>>5761862
>Throw a goblin tantrum

>>5761861
>One day, the wandering wizard Dunn was roasting a goose that had attacked him in Ellahulm, when he saw an impromptu dogfight between two small but bloodyminded dogs.
>Dark inspiration took him with the thought of 'what if the aggression of both was combined' being a wizard and having the ability to do just that, he of course set to work right away, thus giving the rich a new horror to guard their homes and adventurers a new monster to die a grizzly death to. As for the tongue? That was just proof that Dunn was bad natured even among wizards.
i guess we know one reason he got put in the naughty pot.
>>5761862
>>Struggle to at least take the helmet off him
>>Gob has Questions! (Ask something of the knight)
ask him who stole the missing hour while we try to get the helmet off.

>>5761867
>>5761886
>>5761918
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Current Numbers at Start of Loop: 93 g, 26 K, 25 nun
Total Goblins: 47
Total Knights: 13
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 13
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Afternoon of the First Day
Place: City Outskirts Estate (name unknown)
>Throw a goblin tantrum
>Struggle to at least take the helmet off him
>Missing hour stolen?

It's easy enough to forget how dangerous goblins can be, weak as they are. With how magnanimous the Goblin King above Kings, you could also be forgiven for forgetting how innocently cruel goblin games could be. Yet, it was only by the Knight's qualities that he did not flinch as a mob seventy-three goblins strong exploded out of the tunnel, each reaching out for his head.

The three bloodthirsty goosehounds fled yelping, it had been one thing when they were the ones ambushing a loose mob of runners, but this compact fountain of goblins was beyond what they could cope with.

Indeed, a lesser knight would have been overwhelmed, and despair would have robbed them the chance of slaughtering at least a third of the mob's number before death.

He however was implacable and mechanical. Not a single flinch, just a large two handed sword wide as the knight himself sweeping goblins as if they were dust and the sword a broom. He did not react when the goblins began to scream out questions demanding to know who or what stole the missing hour.

No reaction to their hands scrabbling against his helmet. None to the half-dead and gutted goblins throwing a tantrum that their desires were not met, that this knight barred their way.

Hateful, hateful, hateful! So they cried.

Daring to bar our way, daring to spoil our fun!

Yet, for all their wails, it looked like all the effort was in vain, the knight didn't even take special effort to fling the goblins clinging to him, the force of his normal swings was enough to dislodge them, their fragile bones cracking as they were flung off and smashed into the soil.

The honking of geese filled the ears of the dying goblins, would they go unrewarded for their last efforts?

Was it will of Provenance, whimsy of Lady Luck, mercy of the Goblin King or the fruit of their own efforts?

But just as they turned into motes of gold, there was a crack, and the visor of the knight fell. He caught it, holding it to his face, but...

Gobs saw it! Gobs know your secret! Dead dead dead!

Indeed, behind the visor was a fleshless face, a skull bare of trappings of life, and curiously the visor broken, the ghostlight glows in his sockets had changed from red to gold. A pair of golden eyes...

"The living's minds are clouded, but we dead know, the hour is rightfully taken from the undeserving" he whispered it, but they still heard.

The dying goblins still heard, and laughed.

Won, gobs won! Gobs'll be back! Just wait!

1/?

>>5762761
The knight cut a sorrowful figure, as one beaten down in spite of his victory, it was not in reaction to the goblins, even as the last vanished he didn't put them in his mind, gazing only through the fog, where three young women played a farce...

>Though, he knows not, the goblins have developed a grudge against this Knight!


Time moved forward without the goblins, in limbo they dreamt of a ballroom and a clocktower, of sedition and four oddities, of a Knave who sighed, wondering when his summoners would reach him once more, of a tide of undead and a clock hand finally moving, and the missing hour returning.

>Conditions met for an adventure reward!

The goblins did not find themselves back at the ashpit, instead was a rotting cross between swamp and classroom, swamp they recognised, but classroom they didn't. But in spite of dying miserable deaths mere moments ago, they wasted no time in playing with the desks and chairs, more decayed and ornate than a real room of students would have.

A clack of shoes, and she was there once more, Andebella, Witch of Helpful Decay.

"I suspected you wouldn't reach the full end this time my godchildren! Poor little goblins cut like harvest wheat!"

The goblins expressed themselves, but Andebella didn't silence them this time, she merely lowered their voices to a whisper, even if they shouted, it was still an easily ignorable whisper.

"Hmm, hmm, I hear you little ones"

This was a lie, she clearly wasn't paying their words any attention at all.

"You're all a little frustrated, aren't you? Just think, that was just a noble estate barely holding on, everyone else has far better defenses, especially the city, oh perhaps not too many freaks like that undead knight. Congratulations for struggling right up to the end godchildren! You may have gained more than you know!"

A dismissive wave of a hand among many and the swamproom decayed away revealing that now familiar sight, a pit of hungering ash, a weeping maiden.

RETURNED ONCE MORE TO THE START
Minor gains at worst, the goblins face the beginning once more, so there's two orders of business, how to treat Ash, and how to spend the morning.

ASH THE LIAR
>Ignore her (repeat)
>Declare her goblin princess (repeat)
>Kidnap her
>Scare her off
>Gob knows! (Write in)

A MORNING'S DIVERSIONS
>Pray for the Prince of Groom's guidance
>Make some warrens
>Go somewhere else (Catacombs, Pumpkin dominated estate, Ash's Estate, the City, the Pines, Wild goose chase)
>Do as Ash asks (repeat, hiding in pumpkins, specify differences, or timeskip right to the climax)
>Make a statue of the Prince of Grooms from ash and spit
>Just play in the ash
>Gob it out! (Write in)

>>5762762
>Scare her off

>Go somewhere else
>Catacombs

>>5762762
Ash the Liar
>>Scare her off
Action
>>Go somewhere else
Right into the heart of the city

>>5762762
>Declare her goblin princess (repeat)
>Go somewhere else (Ash's Estate)

>>5762807
>>5762905
>>5763040
Tiebreaker goblin debate
1d48 Vs 1d48 Vs 1d48
If you don't like what I've rolled, feel free to roll. Gonna take an ill advised nap.

Rolled 40, 35, 9 = 84 (3d48)

>>5763478
Maybe it isn't ill advised after all.

Rolled 41 (1d48)

>>5763478

>>5763479
A stupid person could be said to be one with lacking capabilities, a problem might take such a person some time to solve for example.

A good example of a fool is knowing the right answer but answering wrong anyway.

It was indeed I'll advised. It always has been so.

You may rightly call me Steller the Fool.

>>5763612
Going to the heart of the city is currently winning.

Update tomorrow.

Rolled 14 (1d48)

>>5763479
Let's see if I can roll higher then a 41

>>5763739
The integers were right but the sequence was wrong

>>5763739
>>5764203
>>5763612
>>5763040
>>5762807
Visitor came over, so no update today, sorry.

>>5764561
Enjoy your company

>>5762807
>>5762905
>>5763040
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Current Numbers at Start of Loop: 93 g, 26 K, 25 nun
Total Goblins: 47
Total Knights: 13
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 13
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Morning of the First Day
Place: The Capital City Ellahulm
>Scare Ash Off
>Right to the heart of the city

Had Ash not be before them, the goblins would assuredly had a minor brawl over their course of action, as it was they settle for a quite match of silent pull-ear, which those that favoured a reckless trip to the centre of the city won, the grandest victory was those that wished to scare Ash off, those that wished to greet her once more sorrowfully clutched their aching ears and joined their fellows.

Poor Ash, sobbing out her worries for her sisters and Ellahulm, the goblins still liked her and her goblin monarch like aura, but they had important pla- business this time! No time to play goblin princess with her, so...

Gibbering and screeching, pulling funny faces, it was the goblin art of scaring people off! Most effective on small animals and children, but there was certainly a horror when a large enough mob did it at once. A mass of leering faces, each as hideous as the last, pointed warty noses bobbing up and down in nauseating sync. An illusion of a single multi limbed and headed monster of vermin. The nuns being somewhat ugly-cute and vaguely serene just added to the discordant feeling.

To Ash's credit, she didn't faint or have a heart attack, but having such sight and sound appear before her, she probably ran the fastest she had ever in her whole life, faster even than that time step-aunt set the goosehounds on her. Naturally her prompt escape was only because the goblins let her go, and as soon as they saw her vanish over a heap of ash, they made their way towards the city itself.

Ellahulm, grand capital of a once mighty empire. Due to the Hungering Pines, recklessly the city never built walls, but as it was looking, how foresighted it was to forgo the expense, since even with walls, the city would still decay.

A great rotten pumpkin patch overshadowed by a gloomy clocktower, looking more like a prison tower than a mystic tower of time telling. Even at the empire's height it was always like a flower in dung, but now the clocktower once hailed as one of the only decent buildings in Ellahulm was more like a headstone than a flower.

The goblins were sneaking towards the city passing through greenery that had clearly been allowed to run rampant a far cry from the gardens that had once been filled with plants manically pruned to resemble pumpkin-like shapes. As they snuck over, they heard the whisper of the Goblin King in their ears.

1/?

>>5765509
"My goblins, though without walls this city is, even this rotten empire has its guards, so a gift for you on your first real exploration of this city, this day, this loop, till the missing hour comes, you shall be less than ghosts, seeing but unseen, untouched and untouching, neither scent nor sound shall you make. Wander freely my goblins"

A thrum of magic, and while the goblins seemed unchanged to each other, they trusted the King, and so openly made a mad dash towards the city, indeed they ran even while they entered, and to their amusement they passed right through the few citizens who listlessly stalked the streets. They didn't stop until they came before a grand fountain that had water no more, instead it was choked with pumpkins and their vines.

The foliage made it impossible to see what the fountain once looked like, but whatever it did look like, it was clearly before pumpkin mania had taken over the brains of the architects, and beyond this central feature of the city was a grand palace, which also must have been built before the architects had become curve fetishists.

A palace like a ray of light striking the soil with fury, the clocktower being the foremost beam, but now... Somehow it gave the image of a grasping hand of a drowning man. The gloom of the surroundings, the boarded up bulbous houses, the cracked buildings overrun by pumpkin patches, the dispirited citizens who hurried about their business, as if ashamed to be seen living in such a place. All of this added to the dreary appearance of the palace. Neither the city nor the palace looked ready to celebrate what was only a day away, though the population certainly looked reduced enough to fit all the celebrants in the palace.

Two people by the fountain did catch the eyes of the goblins though, a lady bard dressed as a jester in quartered checkered cloth like the feathers of a peacock's tail. Her cheery appearance was quite out of place, though she wore a white stone mask of two faces, a joyous and sorrowful one, each having a single eye of hers to claim as their own. This unsettling mask and her out of tune sad song strummed on bone-harp fit the scene well enough.

Some distance from her was a familiar face to the goblins, though it was quite different from when they last saw him. A mountain of a man was seated at the lip of the fountain, and such was his misery that it far overshadowed any ferocity he should have had. If anything he looked pitiful like a small abandoned animal.

2/3

>>5765513
TICKTOCK GHOSTLY GOBLINS
Under the spell of the King, the goblins can't really do anything other than observe, but on the other hand, until the time of the missing hour of the first day comes, they're not going to be stopped from peeping by anyone or anything! The goblins probably have the time to observe three things before time advances to afternoon.

TRIAL OF DISCERNMENT
Pick three
>Follow the barbarian giant (conflicts with bard, must be done before second and third choice)
>She might be out of tune, but it isn't like goblins care! Follow the jester-like bard (conflicts with giant, must be done before second and third choice)
>Isn't now a good time to snoop about the palace?
>Isn't it a good time to snoop about the clocktower
>Eh? Didn't King say there were guards?
>Wild Goose chase, city edition?
>Gob wonders (write in)

>>5765517
>Isn't now a good time to snoop about the palace?
>Isn't it a good time to snoop about the clocktower
>Eh? Didn't King say there were guards?

>>5765517
>>Follow the barbarian giant (conflicts with bard, must be done before second and third choice)
Figure out what he's up to ahead of the big show
>>Isn't now a good time to snoop about the palace?
>>Isn't it a good time to snoop about the clocktower

>>5765517
>Isn't now a good time to snoop about the palace?
>Isn't it a good time to snoop about the clocktower
>Eh? Didn't King say there were guards?

Rolled 2, 7, 1 = 10 (3d7)

>>5765567
>>5766087
>>5766130

Just having a test of some goblin luck for the kind of things goblins stumble upon while snooping about.

>>5766420
Interesting results

Rough day today, posting what I have for now, more tomorrow.

>>5765567
>>5766087
>>5766130
QUEST: Restore the Nation of Lennessa
QUEST: Seek the Headless Goblin's Head
DIVINE QUEST: Find Ash Some Mutual Dutiful Love
Current Numbers at Start of Loop: 93 g, 26 K, 25 nun
Total Goblins: 93
Total Knights: 26
Total Nuns of the Prince of Grooms : 25
SPOILS: Ghostly Treasure, Pumpkin Flesh, Ashes of Hunger
Time: Morning of the First Day -> Afternoon
Place: The Capital City Ellahulm
>Isn't now a good time to snoop about the palace?
>Isn't it a good time to snoop about the clocktower
>Eh? Didn't King say there were guards?

The goblin looked at the barbarian with no small amount of curiosity, he was after all one of the abnormalities on the second night, but even the goblins knew that getting another chance to snoop about wasn't likely. It was time, in particular if the goblins were lucky they might even find secret passages.

As soon as the goblins finished murmuring among themselves, fixing to a course of action, they got started. The bard jester stopped playing her music, and bowed right towards where the goblins were!

"Long forgotten sorrows can entertain even those like little children, my thanks for listening to my song"

She put a hand into her collar, revealing no skin, and pulled out a weathered coin, flicking it in the air, sorrowfully the goblins watched it dance through the air, and saw that the minstrel was not talking to them but a blindfolded beggar child.

"A-ahh" The child had some objections oddly, but before she could untwist her tongue, the minstrel backflipped over the whole of the fountain vanishing out of sight.

Both the goblins and the beggar proving themselves to be of one spirit ran around the fountain, but not a square of that checkered peacock lady remained.

"Oh what a bother! Where did they go anyway?" The child muttered to herself before hobbling off.

To this small interlude, the mountainous man reacted not a bit, thoroughly sunk into his worries.

"Spooked for nothing!" "Singer can't see if course!" "King's magic best!" "Strongest!" "Wanted coin" "Very sad" "Tick tock" "Move move!"


Leaving the strangeness behind, the goblins rushed into the palace...

The bowels of the palace proved to be a little more festive, with a paltry number of servants for an imperial still putting up banners, ribbons and the like. They had probably been at it for days considering their numbers.

"It'll be the third Prince's turn soon won't it?"
"Such a pity, they're all so handsome..."
"Blasted curse!"
"Shut it! The Empress will have us all whipped if she hears this sort of talk!"

Glum silence overtook the servants. The goblins would have happily rattled the ladders the servants were on to liven things up, but alas they were as ghosts now. They didn't feel like sticking around to watch a bunch of silent elves with gloomy faces.

The metaphorical hounds at my door have been very insistent of late, while I attempt to give them a good beating, I'll be taking a break from this quest.

I have an idea for a low effort quest that I'll run while I'm busy assaulting the mental canines.

I might be back to running this in mere days though. I have been enjoying it, and the pieces of the mess are actually assembled in my head.

>>5767323
Alright Steller, take care of your mental health!

>>5767323
I look forward to a continuation!

>>5767323
I hope the best of luck in taming those mental dogs.

>>5767325
>>5767346
>>5767424

To tide you over while I deal with things...

>>5769081

Isekai Gods Quest, where you pit a poor unfortunate champion against the stinky Demonlord!