Hum

A Goblin bard known most places he has traveled, and more still that he has yet to see, his talent and reputation has surpassed him as few have seen such a *civilized* Goblin. Often dressed in a colourful garb, from a distance Hum is easily identified as some kind of dandy or entertainer. His short cape, puffed sleeves and cravat, and his wide brimmed hat topped with plumage makes quite a statement that this person wants to be seen coming. He strides with his chest pushed out, raised elbows and his chin held high; for anyone else this would be a mark of confidence, but for a Goblin in these civilized lands it almost seems as much to be defiance.

Up close the preening peacock image is overshadowed by a gruesome face typical of his kin, made all the worse by the slight bend in his nose from a break, a scar across his eye, and a number of teeth missing from his mouth with only a few that have been replaced with iron. It is clear that Hum has seen more than his share of fights, and some of his cuts and bruises seem fresh, marking that his defiance is no doubt often met with brutality.

Still, beyond the cruel and twisted features that seem to be almost innate to a Goblin, there is a gleam in his eye and a crooked smile that carries with it character and a presence that almost oozes charm.

## History

### Origins

“Hum”, so he has been nicknamed, has always had a gift among his people when it came to music, with no singing voice to speak of when the young goblin would hum to himself the tunes he would produce were hauntingly captivating. So to he came to be known as “Hum”. Among his clan even as a child he was put to task to help motivate workers keep quick time, or help the warriors of his tribe keep step on a march as the young boys innocuous tunes drifted among the ranks. Hum has seen much tragedy and bloodshed, it is the nature of his kind, though those memories are faded from mind and were so long ago.

A raid gone bad on a trade caravan in The Wastes, the young Hum had fled and hid, or so it has been told to him. Found by travelling guards that protected the route, the goblin child was huddled, his knees curled up and his face buried, and the young cowardly creature doing all that was left to him. He hummed. He hummed over and over and when his soon-to-be executioners arrived, blades in hand, they stopped. They listened. The goblin’s innocent tune driving such melancholy and sorrow into his captors that soon a small crowd was gathered. They watched. They listened. It was clear this creature was not like the others of its kind.

### Civilized Servitude

So it came to be that Hum ended up among the civilized folks, the humans, dwarves and even elvenkind that had forever shunned his own race. Brought before nobles to show his abilities Hum realised that the revulsion they initially showed was soon quelled and replaced with fascination. He had a use among these people. Whilst to the nobles that Hum would perform for he was seen as a circus attraction, a pet to be gawped upon, for Hum he had a place again.

As Hum grew he began to learn more about the civilized folk, their ways and customs, and he integrated himself as best he could and much of his old life was forgotten and that which he remembered or learned of he rejected outright so that he could be one of the civilized folk. Try as he might he would never be one of them, and at every turn the distrust for his kind was made plain. Accusations and falsehoods were a part of his life; should something go missing whether a purse of coin was drunkenly and unwittingly spent by a noble, or a piece of food on a table that was sneaked away by a stray cat, all eyes turned to “the goblin” first. Hum was constantly blamed for anything taken, and so that was what he did. He took. Not coin, or food, or trinkets, but their secrets. Whilst performing for nobles as they listened to him, so too did Hum listen to them and their words they thought private. Between performances it was not uncommon for this creature to slip into a study or bedroom to see what secrets he could discover of his hosts and then sell to the highest bidder. His efforts brought wealth, and wealth brought more status (as much as his kind could ever claim), and over time it even earned him his freedom and independence.

### A Free Goblin

Unable to find anywhere to truly settle in the Kingdom of Tramere, Hum headed further north to Altinova. For the last decade Hum has traveled from settlement to settlement. It rarely takes long for the inhabitants of a town to hear of Hum once he has arrived, and those places he has spent much time in the people have become more accustomed to his presence (though not necessarily always trusting or accepting). In some places he has even become a bard in demand, with some taverns and noble houses seeking him out to come perform for them when he is in town.

Hum is now looking even further north to the mainland, something is wrong in Altinova; tensions rise and the nobles seem easily antagonized. Hum no longer feels safe there and so looks to move on...