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>Hoofdale. Lizren and Zin join up.
You decide on Hoofdale as your destination, while decidedly less "gobliny" than other locations you were pondering it is certainly the biggest one. There should be opportunities that can be seized there if you're smart about it, and if Lizren decides to join up he could at least find work as a tracker given his experience as a scout and warrior.
You guess that there are spies waiting for you at the shared lodge you stay at who will shadow you for any indication of rebellion or leaving. You know they aren't watching you right now because they wouldn't dare risk violating the sanctity of the naming ceremony. So you wait for the cover of nightfall at your favorite hiding spot in the dung pits before sneaking over to Lizren's hut and surreptitiously rapping at his door with a twisted knuckle.
The gruff goblin opens the door a crack and stares at you for a second before slamming it shut again.
"Go away dung-head. I'm barely tolerated as it is without being seen associating with a shit-cuckoo. If you really want to talk, send someone else to do it, at least then I have plausible deniability if the Chief finds out and decides to ride my ass about having conversations in the middle of the night like a rebel."
Sighing you whisper that you'll be back before slinking off to the shared lodge that Hglin and a few others begrudgingly share with Zin (who gets a lot of legroom). You open the lodge's creaky door as silently as possible and sneak next to Hglin and shake him awake.
The runtish fellow doesn't even need any convincing. He just groggily hears the word "Hoofdale" and leaving before giving you a thumbs up and turning back over to fall asleep. You shake him awake again send him over to Lizren's hut to tell him you're planning over leaving and that if he wants to join then meet you two over near the dung pits. You don't give him many specifics to convince Lizren since you guess that what convinces Lizren isn't going to be Hglin's charm or any sort of credibility on your part, but the fact that you're going to Hoofdale. He just needs warm bodies with him to be safe(r).
You try to convince Zin next but he denies you outright. The journey to Hoofdale would be tough on his diseased body, and he doubts that Hoofdale has anything better to offer him since goblins aren't exactly first class citizens there and he would be even less than that as a leper. Before you leave he presses a [BONE TOOTH] into your hand.
"I'z heard that prayerz hold power from a passing sorcerer. I'z been sending my prayerz to that tooth for yearz for a rainy day. It'll do youz better that it will for me."
Wishing what is probably your only real friend goodbye you head to the designated spot at the dung pits.
The wait at the dung pits is a tense one. You have to balance giving time for Lizren to make his decision and not waiting too long for someone who might not even come, each minute of night-time is precious time in cover.
(1/2)
