Campaign Notes: Goblintown

Recently in my main campaign the party captured almost 200 goblins (mainly non-combatants) and people are asking, 'where are they going?"

Where?

Goblintown.

As I have mentioned before, very few humanoids are inherently evil. OK, no one has ever converted a grimlock, mind flayer, or bugbear but they potentially could. And a fair number of kobolds and goblins have converted to the Church and are on the side of good. Orcs, too, although they are not as common in Seaward.

The majority of these converts are in the West, near Ekull. Over time the people of Ekull have grown more accustomed to seeing goblins and kobolds on the street. Unlike their devil-worshipping counterparts, these converts eschew the rather distinctive colors of the various tribes and instead dress just like other peasants and often have a cross sewn prominently to their tunic (something a devil-worshipper would never do). Over time the practice of adding a cross to the tunic has spread to human and even half-elven peasants in Ekull.

Just as halflings and dwarves tend to cluster together because of shared language, diets, and physical size, the goblins and kobolds likewise live in close-knit neighborhoods. Because of their size and mining skill many of the goblins find work in Ekull's mines, leading to a small walled village near Ekull called Goblintown. Home to about 700 souls, the town in about 60% goblin, 20% kobold, 15% human, and the rest a mix of halfling and half-elves, Goblintown has a goblin headman and the guards are goblins and kobolds (although the baron is human). Most work in the nearby mines although some are sheep herders

Although rare, it is not unheard of for patrols, the army, or adventurers to capture larger groups of kobolds or goblins. The non-combatants tend to move to Goblintown where the young are raised in fosterage (fairly common among all races) while the warriors are kept in gaol near the mines. About 35% of warrior captives eventually convert and move to Goblintown.

The recent capture of 80 warriors and almost 200 non-combatants in Skull Mountain will strain Ekull's system, but will be a great boon in a generation or two.