The Goblin Raiders

Tork and Pongyre lead small bands of goblins scavenging a heavily forested area that happens to be part of the Salayan home range. They are seeking anything that might be of benefit to their tribe, but as always, the primary goal is to take slaves. Slaves can be useful in many ways, but are absolutely essential to increasing the size of the tribe and in replacing the tribe's losses from fights with their far more physically imposing enemies. The two leaders each control a group of about twenty goblins, though they have divided into smaller groups to cover more territory.

Joined by another small group, the 2 goblins now lead a group of 23 goblins and 7 captives, all of them looking fit for conversion into ponygirls. This large group is also being shadowed by two groups of about eight goblins each, serving as both scouts and skirmishers to find more prizes and to provide an early warning of danger. The large group is about to split up again, since two of the captives have shown early promise and are sufficiently broken in to take a direct route home with news of their success and to show off the sample prizes. One is a great prize, as human females make excellent mounts, but the other is a real treasure. An elfen captive can serve for many hundreds of years and remains fertile for all but the last few decades of her life. This results in the most highly trained war ponies and a regular breeding machine.

After a bit of debate it was decided that Tork would lead the pair who went straight to camp since his elf was the greater prize, but Pongyre's chief lieutenant would accompany him on the human mare to ensure that each leader's exploits were fairly told. In the meantime Pongyre would continue a meandering route, training in the more recalcitrant mounts, collecting forage, and seeking new prizes. The foraging they had done, and the collecting of seven prizes, already made the expedition a huge success. They had hardly begun their expedition however, when they stumbled upon their first quarry and then found that the other team had met with similar quick success. This meant that, by continuing to explore, they had the potential for a truly epic quest that would elevate each of their leaders status in the tribal hierarchy. The two leaders arranged a rendezvous for a fortnight later two resume their co-leadership and semi-independent operations.

The two travelers prepared to depart in the predawn hours of a chill and misty morning, though the weather looked to show warm and fair for the day's journey. Tork and Bluebell, the blue skinned elf named Mora's new name as mare and ponygirl, were ready in a jiffy. Tork always ate a modest breakfast, and once she had her potion, her feedbag and a watering, Bluebell was ready and eager to do her diminutive master's bidding, even though it somehow felt wrong to be such a willing animal. The other pair, Sigurd and Starfire (Caryn's new name), were not so speedy. Sigurd was large for a goblin and ate like he meant to keep growing. Starfire was difficult, resisting her training, and requiring both large doses of potion and extra strength additives to her feed. Eventually she too settled in to the strange realization that serving master was good, and that good service was both its own reward and would let her receive bonus rewards later. The goblin's set off with an easy pace and lighthearted banter between them. The newly minted war ponies set off whinnying, neighing, and snuffling back and forth as the had been taught now that spoken language was forbidden. Unbeknownst to the goblins, these horse-like noises were slowly taking shape into a rudimentary language that could grow with time and allow the ponygirls to communicate quite freely with each other.

With the traveler's departure, the main group prepared for the day. The two leaders were now Pongyre and Gurkle, Gurkle being Tork's right hand goblin. They would proceed as before, with a main group and two flanking elements. They had met little enough resistance and small enough groups that they chose to let their flankers range farther afield. Hence, they were able to provide neither screen nor quick support to the main group in event of need. This need would come all too soon and the lack of support would prove very costly.