Robal¶
Robal is a young goblin standing afore his initiation into the Toadlicker tribe.
The Toadlickers live in the swamps near the city of Sandpoint in Varisia under the leadership of Chief Gutwad, known for his loud and booming voice. They are a supersticious, petty, aggresive people with a fondness for fire and explosions of all kinds, as well as pickles (also of all kinds). Like all goblins they detest and fear horses and hate dogs with a passion, to the point of worshiping Zarongel in the devotion of that hatred. They are also suspicious towards literacy, which is believed to extract words from the goblin. The Toadlicker clan has an initiation ritual that involves various contests and the act of finding and licking specimen of a particular species of frog.
Robal wears mismatched and variously acquired clothes and bits of armor—those always grimy and badly fitted, always showing his pot belly. Below a bald skull pocked with growths, he carries a pair tiny, sunken red eyes with and long notched ears pointing sideways. His small, wrinkled nose sets off his wide mouth, whose thin lips cannot hide the rows of his sparse, extremely prominent teeth—long as daggers and jagged as saw blades. One of his well-muscled arms bears an inexpertly applied heart tattoo. He carries his paunch on a pair of bandy legs whose yellowing claws bite into the mud with every heavy step. He often uses his finger to idly scratch, pick his nose, or irrigate his ear canals. He gives the impression of being manky.
Robal is a meathead with simple, naïve thoughts concentrated on petty theft, simple acts of mischief, and the collection and consumption of liquids especially mysterious ones or ones that promise a kick. He is a follower by nature, willing to go with almost any plan asserted by anybody. On the other hand, he would act the bully when given authority over anyone. He is interested in stealing things over violence. He does not let truth constrain his reasoning. He perceives horses and dogs as uniquely dangerous in line with his upbringing.
In confrontations, he is very confident and straightforward. He likes to strut towards opponents and stare them down, regardless of size. He tries to assert his dominance by shoving, pushing, and triping his adversaries. But it is his long jagged teeth that are his primary tool for the resolution of physical conflict—he likes taking big chunks out of people’s bodies, causing splashes of blood and squelching gore. He is not completely mindless or suicidal—he will devert attention or escape.
He might also wander off to steal things before, after, or during combat. He will happily steal anything that holds his interest, including bevereages and other liquids, food, shiny things, weapons, and animals.
