Skartt

Born and raised in Strovall, Skartt at first lived an unassuming life in a simple Goblin village among others of his kind. He doesn't speak much about that point in his life, only mentioning that it had happened, and was put to an end by beings who had the power to do it.

Skartt made his living for several years, decades possibly, as a highwayman and a thief on the wasteland roads of Strovall alongside allies who were left in the same situation - monsterkind who didn't have the looks or finances to travel to a better land and make a better living for themselves. Regardless of their situation, the five men managed well enough on the stolen gold and food of hapless travelers until eventually facing Ivittzian soldiers who dispatched two of Skartt's companions and then arrested him. Skartt was expecting to be left to starve to death when he woke up in a prison cell alongside two humans and a Minotaur, but when Jack Taffety performed a mass jailbreak, the Goblin thief wasn't about to complain.

## Physical description

### Eye color

Brown

Though the situation inevitably led him to rely on the Talladegan Guild for transportation and refuge, Skartt has since moved past his direct distrust for the two leaders and thinks of them as well-meaning men with some problems in properly defending themselves (on both sides of the spectrum). He's more concerned that Jack's overbearing suspicion of assassins and spies, and Hugo's open good-naturedness will leave them too vulnerable in the worst of times, like the gooey shade-zombie that had appeared onboard their boat when escaping from Ivittzy. And though he's equally wary of the company Jack's chosen to set him up with, he doesn't think they're much of a threat to his life (at least most of them). There's one small blessing in that he at least has Kardesh by his side - as troublesome as that might be without the other three members of the old band there to back him up in keeping the Gnoll's bad habits under control.

Skartt has a wizened and sarcastic look to match his natural behavior, and looks every bit as rugged as his nation's people are expected to, with worn and dirtied rags and rough leather armor to pass for clothing. He even has a wolf's fang strapped into his jaw to replace one of the teeth he lost himself! He isn't as loud and cheery as most of the other Goblins in Talladega, instead being snarky and suspicious, often quietly observing what others are doing before speaking up himself. He has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to just about anyone other than his own kin, especially if they come from "more civilized" societies like Casterino. In his opinion, the world turned its back on Monsterkind long ago, and since he's been picked to be the bottom rung on the ladder, he owes little to anyone else without getting paid for it in turn.

* Skartt trusts Klein most of all to not stab him in the back in any way, mostly because Klein is obviously one of those clueless Rich Boys he would have robbed back in Strovall. That, and despite knowing Skartt's past, Klein is still welcoming and even determined to treat him and other Monster folk like Barayle with respect if they should ever cross into Casterino territory. Skartt secretly hopes that Klein will manage to bring about some change in his country, if he can manage to not be killed first due to his inexperience with conflicts and weaponry. He's in a mixed state of appreciating Klein but still being put off by the odd sheer kindness he exudes.

* Maggie is clearly out of her depth in this guild and Skartt isn't inclined to try and teach her the ropes, given that she's so awkward about being near him and the others in the bathhouses and has a history with freaky magic, carrying around a bunny that can think and now being able to channel magic of her own! It's possible she can be helpful, either to the guild or herself, but the ways of magic are nutty as hell and Skartt can't be sure something won't happen with this girl that could blow them all up. If nothing else, her history with fishing ought to be useful for emergency meals - he never learned the skill himself in the Strovall terrain.

* Birds of a feather flock together, as Skartt would say. Barayle technically comes from a different country, so Skartt is sure Barayle has his own matters to get back to when all is said and done in Talladega, but Minotaurs aren't treated all that much better than Goblins and Skartt knows it. Though he isn't fond of Barayle shapeshifting into other creatures, he at least seems to have enough of a grip on the ability to not be pulling something dangerous with it, and despite acting like a softie he's not a slouch at all in a fight. Even so, Skartt's got his riches to track down, so the tunnel map he bought from Gurgasletch is his alone, and he's watching carefully to make sure Barayle doesn't swipe it or try to prevent him from getting whatever treasures are hidden down there when the chance comes up.

* Searedroot is by far the hardest for Skartt to read - not that he was expecting much different when he learned he was gonna be working with a talking tree! In terms of supplying for the team, Searedroot has been strong, loyal and patient. The only thing bothering Skartt is just why they would be here at all - it can't be as simple as "an obedient servant in the right place at the right time", or else someone would be rampaging across the world with an army of devoted tree-warriors, right? He's tried to dig for something to be sure that Searedroot won't try anything funny, but all he got out of it was that Searedroot "needs help" with something, and apparently hopes that nobody will be hurt in the process. He's decided that will have to do as an oath of trust until something happens to prove otherwise. He's keeping an eye or two on this "gentle" giant.

* "We should've left this one behind." Covet is a classic nutcase, an unhinged Kobold on the hunt for anything she considers precious to herself, and damned be the consequences because she doesn't have time to waste thinking about the future! He already expected her to do something dumb in the guild as soon as she was brought in, and has been as cautious as possible to be sure that nothing that she pulls in the guild can be affiliated with him or the others. He even tried to reason with her that stealing from the guild would be like stealing from a dragon - and he could tell she either wasn't paying attention, or ignored the warning. He's contemplating if slitting her throat and writing it off as a casualty from a fight would save a lot of trouble later.

* FINALLY, someone Skartt can relate to! During his brief stay in Ivittzy, Skartt wondered what had even happened to Kardesh - if he'd been killed, how he would fend for himself without the band, and if by some stroke of dumb luck they would ever see each other again. He was utterly thrilled to meet Kardesh in the mines under Jack and Hugo's orders, even if he didn't show it. And although he wants to have a heart-to-heart with Kardesh, the shenanigans in the guild are making it hard to have enough time without someone barging in and making him into a fool.

* Jack might be a pain in the ass, but Skartt respects Shorty enough to realize that he's got the same approach to life as Skartt does - only trust the folks you've spent your life with, and do what you can to make sure the rest are either in line, or out the door. This business about being betrothed to a woman he doesn't really care for and targeted by assassins thanks to his status, on the other hand, Skartt can't relate to at all. All he can really do is approach the situation the same way he did in Strovall - know that everyone thinks of you as someone to be shot in the head and ground into the dirt, and be ready to shoot them first.

* At least for now, Skartt doesn't have a damn clue what Jack sees in Hugo (aside from being good at moving heavy supplies around). For a guild leader, Hugo seems too good-natured and laid-back to fully grasp the fact that Jack has a bullseye painted on his back thanks to his wife. He assumes that Hugo has let the fact that life in Talladega is far better than in Strovall color his lenses way too rosy, and that he thinks odds are slim to none that anything bad could happen in this country.

* This kid rubbed Skartt the wrong way from the beginning - not because he was suspicious himself, but because everything around him seemed to be just plain wrong. He has the same happy-go-lucky attitude that Skartt sees in Klein, but with the added curse of being somebody's target, same as Jack. When Sunny made the group promise to "not talk about what they find out" where the group is headed next, Skartt wasn't surprised that he had something to hide. He's looking forward to finding out just what it is, that way he knows who he'll need to cut down in order to stop all the crap that's been keeping him on edge lately.

* Item #1 in the "Why Humans Suck" arsenal. Dakotah has already sloughed off Skartt's input (as expected from a man in a prissy outfit) and apparently has kicked, bitten and clawed at Sunny - the only experienced healer in the entire guild building, in Skartt's opinion. This, therefore, makes him a racist moron in Skartt's eyes. The fact that Jack conveniently "fell" on a weapon in Dakotah's possession seems to indicate that Dakotah lashed out at more than just the Gnoll in the room, though he apparently feels guilty about Jack's resulting infection. Skartt will be impressed if he apologizes to anyone other than Jack.

* And this one is #2. Fincher seems like a more insane version of Dakotah: Skartt figures that Dakotah was still figuring out how the Talladega Guild works - and its heavy reliance on Monsterkind for labor - when he pitched a fit on Sunny. Fincher, on the other hand, directly ignored Jack's warnings to not start a fight when defending the border and fired at Harpies that would have otherwise completely ignored their party. And apparently brought a cursed weapon to the guild without having it examined or secured, if his claim is to be taken as the truth. He would have happily stabbed this one with the spear that infected Jack, and might even still do it if he can spot an opening. Like Covet, he's sure his life will be safer without this one around.

* Taken at face value, Gurgasletch appears to be on Skartt's level - a fellow with experience traveling through lands that aren't really welcoming, even among his own kind, who makes his living in whatever ways suit him. Or at least, he DID have a map that made Barayle antsy and may have used a glamour to disguise himself and sell a deadly spear to Fincher. If that was Gurgasletch in human disguise, then Skartt just respects him even more for his cleverness and powerful resources. Might even ask for some pointers on where to get some goods that are just as good. Hell, since his old team is thoroughly disbanded, he might even saddle up with the old man for a while once Jack turns him loose.