Embur Bitey-Bomb

"There's probably not a lot of things better than a bomb. I mean, bombs can break things, burn things, hurt things, kill things... and they make the BEST noises!"

## **The Rock-Chomper Tribe**

Established at the base of a great mountain, new tribe-members are generally made to chisel away at sturdy granite with shoddy pickaxes and shovels. To spend one's day breaking away the rocks under the blistering heat of the sun is a tradition, of sorts. Of course, this exercise serves a dual purpose; While the Goblins benefit somewhat from having a surplus of stone and ore, and the workers develop considerable strength from their time in the quarry, their primary reason for forcing their youthful kin to work in such poor conditions is weeding out the weak and disloyal. Those who collapse from exhaustion before the day's end, or those who are caught sneaking away from their duties, are almost always banished, exiled, or branded as an outsider.

Those Goblins who power through their early years eventually leave the mines and join other, more experienced kin and pick up a trade or job. Many of the strongest miners become battle-masters and barbaric raiders, while those of leaner build are often enlisted as spies and theives. Very rarely, a Goblin will emerge from the quarry and demonstrate above-average mental power, and are quickly left in the tutelage of the small cluster of booyahgs, alchemists, and mystics.

With ranks consisting exclusively of true Goblins, it's no wonder that the leaders of this tribe are also Goblins. Hobgoblins have yet to have tread upon the territory of the Roch-Chompers, so elder Goblins like Warchief Klurack, Xixnab the Sneaky, and Kiramksh Quartz-Jaw hold great sway over their younger clan members. Their numerous years and countless battles are recognized by all of their tribe. Their voices are among the few things that can silence a rowdy Goblin riot, a feat only matched by a dragon's roar... or the scent of a decent meal. Under the Elders' leadership, this tribe has felled many a great foe, and has plundered countless hoards of human treasure.

## **Embur's Backstory**

Born in the same pit that most Goblins of his clan came from, the Goblin originally named 'Slushii' (Currently Embur) seemed to be a completely average, normal member of the Rock-Chomper tribe from the very start. Only a few years or so after his eyes first opened, he joined his siblings in the Glittering Quarry to mine for quartz, granite, and metal ores for the good of his kin. Of course, not everyone could be an examplar of natural strength, and Slushii found himself lagging behind many of his peers when it came to breaking stone. He was swifter and more perceptive than them, however, and often managed to spot otherwise unseen or unreachable valuables buried in the granite. Slushii most often managed to haul the shiniest, glitteriest ores and gems to his overseers, much to the chagrin of the other miners who brought up only simple stone.

Everything seemed to be going well for Slushii up unto his seventh year of life; He'd become popular with the Quarry's overseers for is many valuable contributions to the tribe's wealth, and for the past few months he'd become the tribes brightest new alchemist! He'd learned to craft bombs and simple potions, recreating effects normally only avilable to magically-gifted Goblins. However, Goblins tend to be... unlucky, at times, and the Rock-Chomper clan was no exception. Slushii didn't know exactly what happened on that fateful night, but the deep, rapid beating of the camp's warning drum was the first thing he noticed. Peeking out of his hut, he only saw the silhouette of some massive, towering creature. Running outside, the threat was obvious; A pair of ogres had wandered into their territory. Huts were being smashed, and a section of the once-strong barriers that guarded the camp's denizens had been torn asunder by the invaders' impossible might. In a split second, Slushii made what was probably his best choice and darted out of the camp through the demolished wall, sprinting away from the ogres and his kin. From there, he wandered into the forests that surrounded the great mountain's base, sleeping in trees whenever he had to stop searching for... well, anything, really.

Eventually, of course, he *did* end up finding something of significance. Amid the dense forest's countless trees, Slushii stumbled upon a dusty road, along with a strange sign that seemed to point him toward a human settlement of some sort. Using a simple, inexpensive potion, he disguised his true form with magic and infiltrated their community for the day. He acquired a free meal, discussed the locale with some other foreigners, and ended up boarding a ferry to a strange new place called 'Absalom.' All he could glean from other passengers was that the place was 'friendly-enough' to outsiders, and that it was generally a safe sort of place to be. Figuring he had little to lose, the little Goblin allowed himself to pass out on the ride to this mysterious city, only wondering what sorts of things he'd do once he got there...

## **His Story So Far...**

Only a few moments after departing from his voyage, Slushii met a friendly (and anatomically... *different*) alchemist by the name of Lara Folis. They seemed to get along well, and Lara became the first non-Goblin that Slushii could mostly trust. She left him with a guide to the city, and they parted ways. Unfortunately, in a new environment and with little supervision, it took Slushii very, very little time to get into some sort of trouble; On his way through The Coins district, he seemed to misunderstand how buying things works and inadvertantly stole an apple. When confronted by guards, he panicked and ran only a short distance before being apprehended.

Ultimately, the alleged crime was rules as a sort of lesser misdemeanor. The guards would bring the 'thief' in and lock him up for the night and release him the next day, as they were fairly sure that Slushii probably meant no harm. Jailed and somewhat perturbed, he got to know a couple of other prisoners a bit better. Vaikono and Raven, who'd been imprisoned on some other business, lamented over their current surroundings for a bit before Vai and Slushii conversed about their career paths and singing abilities. After a short while, the Goblin fell asleep, snoozing soundly on the stony floor of his cell as he awaited his release the next day...

After his release, Slushii was quick to seek out the Solar Shields, looking to join their ranks. He was tasked with hunting and slaying an Ooze, who's component material would be used in some sort of recipe. The young Goblin agreed, and quickly ran into a merchant willing to aid him. However, due to a freak accident, the Ooze was released in the middle of a crowded street, forcing Slushii to engage in combat. A couple of bomb tosses later, and the alchemist had slain the wicked, gelatinous monster.

Bringing his trophy back to the Shields' lodge, Slushii earned his place amid the group and finally found himself a home within Absalom. After spending a few weeks in deep study, he wandered the Foreign Quarter and met up with another alchemist of some sort, as well as Lara.

(Ongoing, will continue once more stuff occurs)

## **Appearance**

As is the case with most Goblins, Embur Bitey-Bomb is... rather short. Standing at around the height of a Halfling, his diminutive stature leads certain people to underestimate his abilities. Unlike Goblins of other clans, however, Embur and his kin tend to be somewhat less ugly or malformed than one may expect (likely a result of a chance encounter between the Rock-Chompers and a group of strange Gnomish nomads several generations ago). However, with hair of a deep, dark, green hue and pale-lime skin, there's no chance that he'd be mistaken for anything other than a very lean, dexterous Goblin.

## **Personality**

If one were to ask a Goblin, one would be told that Embur is a very relaxed, calm sort of person who lives life at a slower pace. Unfortunately, that's only because Goblins tend to live life at the maximum pace at any given moment, so any degree of slowness is considered deeply abnormal. Embur can be a little impatient and irritating at times, but he rarely actually means to do harm or to annoy. He's inquisitive and curious, always learning something new about the world away from his clan.

In addition, this particular Goblin was gifted with a greater attention span than his kin, and prefers to plan things out as opposed to charging head on. He likes to think of himself as a sort of intellectual, and greatly craves new knowledge. He's most in his element when brewing potions and crafting explosives, and derives extreme pleasure from admiring his own well-crafted creations.

Even so, he shares a certain love of violent occasion with other Goblins; Embur is smart enough to know that it's a bad idea to break other people's possessions or to assault someone, but given the opportunity to watch a street-fight or to violently stop a burglary, he likely would.

## **Friends and Enemies**

Friends and Enemies Table
 Enemies