As they arrive in the area where the goblin settlements are located, Jardor's mind begins to turn to the task at hand.

"Okay, Let's recap what we are supposed to do and try to come up with some kind of battleplan. He ticks the three objectives off on overly large fingers.

1. Make sure the settlements are safe
2. Help them grow and thrive
3. Give them a trinket and help them use it as they see fit

Except for killing the things that are making the settlements unsafe, I don't know what I can really do to help.  I am good at 2 things, making things dead and making more life.  And I don't imagine any of the people in these settlements are going to be my type.

So what's the plan? And which settlement should we go to first?  Looks like we could make it to either of those two before the sun sets."

His meaty hand jabs at the map in Nasaar's grasp, indicating the settlements that are 3 and 4 hours away.

"Well, killing helps to fullfill point one, and teaching how to kill and make life helps fullfill point two." 

"I'd say head to the bigger one."  Nasaar says with a shrug.  he moves the map a bit away from the thick fingers of the minotaur, not trusting the brute not to poke a hole in it.  "We can then work at setting up scouting parties of goblins to help us patrol the area, and figure out what is causing so much trouble for them."

Serit listens as he sits with a thud under a shaded tree. "Gara is right, teaching them to fight or hunt is our skill set for the most part. I will teach ambushes and traps, Gathrik can teach pointers for fighting at their level and you minotaurs can help them learn to deal with larger opponents. As for which settlement, I disagree with Nasaar, if we can get this smaller community growing first then we can leave it knowing that it will continue to do so."

Nasaar just shrugs.  He is actually fine going to either one.

Jardor ponders a moment more.  "It probably depends on how they have organized themselves I guess."

He plucks a long strand of grass from the ground and absently grinds in between his teeth.

"Old Bear mentioned giving the gidget to the local chiefs...plural.  So each settlement probably has it's own leader.  I wonder if the largest settlement has a head chief that oversees all 4 though.  If so we should probably make our introductions to him, rather than some subordinate that might kick up a squabble.

Gathrik, it is no doubt  a false trail to think you might, but do you know anything about the goblins of these parts?  Do they have a central leader, or regional chiefs with no partnership, or is it just chaos?"

As a goblin, Gathrick can take a history check, to try to remember any details about this otherwise minor place.

Gathrik rubs behind his ear as he thinks of this area.

History: 5

”No, nothing that comes to mind. I’d agree with going to the bigger village. We can establish our base there and expand further. We got a lot of hunting to do to clear the area.”

"I can try to help train them some but what I know how to do is mostly what I learned after I left the monastery. So if they are fighting in a pit then I can help them out. Outside of that most of my fighting experience is dealing with wolves and other wild animals." Yarvem says as he walks besides them, listening to what the others suggest.

The big one it is then. 

With the majority appearing to want to go to the bigger village, Nasaar angles them in that direction.  As you travel with Nasaar you find him constantly munching on small herbs or leaves he finds on the way, or pulls from a pouch at his waist, some of them glowing softly as he does so.

(Using herbalism kit for spell focus in casting Guidance.  So the glowing herbs and leaves are just his way of casting guidance.)

Serit moves along with the group in a loping gait. He will randomly peer in to a shadow and scowl, as if he is seeing a reflection and does not like the result. 

"I am really looking forward to seeing what these runts have to eat, I am just starving."

You travel in the direction of the larger of the two villages which you can reach before sunset. You arrive in sight of the village with a couple of hours before nighttime, to find it in a sorry sight. The palisade around the village is partially rotten, and some logs simple missing. Noone appears to be standing guard at the open gate, with one of the doors off the hinges. You go inside to see the village barely react to your presence. The goblins you see have a apathetic demeanor, many of them look injured, some sick, all of them badly malnourished.

The hovels behind the fence seem to be built on a solid foundation, but looks like they haven't been maintained and would collapse from anything stronger than a gentle breeze. The central "plaza" of the village is a dumping ground for various junk.

The only relatively well-looking structure is the central tower. With a stone first floor, and wooden upper floors, it seems in good condition.

Serit's eyes go wide and a primal growl erupts from his lips. "You half wit good for nothing swine," he bellows in goblin! "Get on your feet you pathetic vermin, where is your chief? Bring him to me now or I will start eating you one by one!" He storms in to the plaza, swatting any goblins that don't move fast enough out of his way. He grabs random junk and pushes it over, in general having a ferocious tantrum.

Intimidation: 23

The goblins mostly ignore Serit. You can hear a few react with short remarks like between the bugbear outburst "...been a while since ... looters...", "...nothing worth stealing...", "...will be nothing but bone fragments by morning...".

Some try to make some distance between themsleves and Serit, but even they seem unable to move very fast.

Jardor makes a show of calming the bugbear down. 

"Easy there friend. No point in cracking heads that have nothing in them. 'Specially when Old Bear don't want them cracked."

He smiles widely at the group of goblins that are trying to move away. "Hey there my green friend . Don't mind grumpy. Road dust dont agree with his lungs. Why don't you all go tell the chief that Old Bear has sent some friends to help the village. The one that can get him go come out and see is can have 2 rations of the worgs we brought down getting here."

He turns back to Serit, continuing to smile but allowing it to turn cold. "Give to those who dont have and take from those that do. That is how you make people do what you want on this world."

The goblins look up to you with some interest. Some take a quick glance near a section of the wall, where you find some cages, empty and as decayed as the rest of the wall. Even the prospect the normally disgusting worg meat seems to inspire some of the goblins. Between them they respond:

"Old bear? The last bear wasn't old. It came to the village, ate the berries from the supplies as well as one of the guards that tried to scare it away. But even that bear is probably itself in "those things' " bellies."

A few get up, and make their way towards the tower. They return with another goblin, also malnourished and generally tired, but still looking mch better than the rest. This goblin is wearing a relatively well made thick robe, that is halfway between a piece and of everyday clothing and a padded armor, capable of stopping and arrow or two.  The goblin is leaning on totemic staff, adorned with with a wolf's skull and some rat skulls hangin on a thread. The goblin looks at Serit:

"No point in trying to threaten those who have resigned themselves to their fate. Given our circumstances, the threat of eating us is particularly hollow.  It you want to talk, here I am."

He then turns to the minotaur:

"So, I understand you are not looters. But why would you come here to die? There's nothing else to do in this village. And who is this "Bear" who supposedly told you to come here?"

"You sure are a sorry lot."  Nasaar says, speaking in goblin, with a glance around.  "We are going to have our work cut out for us it seems."  He looks over the rotted lumbers and falling-apart structures with a shake of his head.  "What do you know about the other goblin camps around here?  are they all in this bad of state?"

Yarvem shakes his head as he sees the sorry excuse for a town, not saying much as he sees how badly malnourished the goblins that live in the place are. The last time he had seen anyone so skinny was back at the monastery where some of the senior monks had the ability to go days or longer without food.

"Show them what he gave us to see if that makes them more agreeable."

Jardor inclines his head downward, greeting the goblin with a degree of reverence. 

"Thank you for coming out to see us father. We have travelled long to come to your village. Allow me a moment to give your people what I promised."

With a nod to Yarvem, Jardor digs into the other minotaur's pack where the Worg rations were packed away and removes two of them. He gifts them to the strongest looking of the group that went to get the chief. "Share this with who you will. Hopefully more will come soon."

He turns back to the chief. "We don't know much about Old Bear. That is what he told us to call him. He seems to have taken an interest in your village and the others in the immediate area though. Has asked us to come help your people become a more established and thriving clan. But I get ahead of myself. Allow me to make introductions. I am Jardor Toughpelt of the Quorema Clan of the Spearspine plains. This is my clansbrother Yarvem his battle prowess very nearly surpasses my own, and this..."

He introduces each of the members of the party to the chief in turn, extolling their virtues and making them up where he draws a blank. 

"Now, you know our names. Allow me to present a gift, so that you know we are friends. This claw was removed from a Worg that had the audacity to hunt in your territory. He won't be doing that any longer, he and his brother have departed our mortal plain. Please take this trophy as a sign of our friendship.

And now that acquantainces have been made, might we sit at your table to discuss the future of your clan?"

Jardor lifts a hand to the central tower standing in the distance, inviting himself and his companions in to meet.