The caravan started to appear in the distance, kicking up the dust around it; there were three carriages, pulled by beasts unfamiliar to Kurt. They resembled rhinoceroses but their heads had no horns but a large maw with sharp teeth. Perhaps it was closer to a hippopotamus, but a carnivorous one, not that Hippopotamus are not dangerous outright. They stopped somewhat away from the pillar. The cohort was small as they said perhaps twenty or so goblins. From one of the carriages, the largest one, a large creature began to emerge. She was large, and had an enormous extra set of legs to hold another part of her body, it was like half goblin half walking slug. The Brood mother was plump to say the least.
She began to walk towards the pillar, next to her the Shaman was walking as well. Still carrying the oversized staff, it had an incense holder attached to it this time, swinging freely attached to the top, it was bellowing clouds of smoke around both of them.
Layla and Kurt had come to meet them, Layla looked a little annoyed. Seeming like something was wrong. It seemed to be working out to Kurt, they weren't coming up to attack at least. Once the two got to them, the Brood Mother stood tall and above them, and the Shaman remained at her side, after a few remarks, a familiar scene occurred and the translation spell seemed to work again.
"Your majesty, Princess Layla, may I introduce Brood Mother Carla," said the Shaman.
"Is there something wrong? I was expecting all of you to come, not just you two."
"The caravan has terms to discuss," said Mother Carla.
"Terms? I thought we had discussed all of that," Layla turned towards the Shaman.
"It was not his decision to make, however as you can see", waving toward the rest of the caravan, "I believe the terms will be agreeable to you. We didn't come here for nothing."
"Then what terms? What changes?"
"It's simple, I will not be participating in the ritual while the rest do," said Mother Carla.
Layla was silent for a moment, putting her hand to her chin, thinking, "hmm, that is difficult, as you know your participation could be considered the most important."
"Yes, but with the rest of the brood, I will be at your mercy in a way."
"Then why?"
"I wish to keep my rite to caravan again, under your terms this would be impossible."
"This would mean your next brood would not be affected, am I supposed to have disloyal forces gaining strength under my own roof?"
"You mock us, you think we would be just plotting to overthrow you, that I would dishonor our agreement."
"Can you blame me? The stories of goblins are not always kind."
Kurt could see this was an impasse, Layla was not going for the term at all. But Kurt knew there was a way, "May I offer a suggestion?" pausing seeing there were no objections, "the problem seems simple, they want to test out your rule. So to start, Mother Carla are you against ever participating?"
Carla pondered the question for a moment for a while, "no."
"Then, we simply make an arrangement for that discussion on another date. If I understand it, which I may not, your broods are numerous, would it not take simply agreeing to say the next five broods take the rites, and upon the sixth brood the Mother may either take that brood as a caravan, or may decide to enter completely."
"Five is too many, three. And this one counts as the first. and I may need more than one brood to make a proper caravan."
"Four, and we have a deal," said Layla. "I expect those broods to participate in the ritual as soon as they are able to as well."
"And the rest of the terms will be honored as was negotiated."
"Yes, I welcome you all."
"Then there is one last thing, this one," pointing at Kurt, "will be required to guard me while the ritual takes place. This is non-negotiatable, the caravan will not leave me defenseless, even for a short ritual, even if I can't overrule this demand, it would be against our very nature, and sacrilegious."
"I don't think that will be an issue, the ritual is not very long. Right Sir Kurt."
Kurt was not expecting to have to babysit the Mother, but it seemed like a reasonable condition all things considered, if it made the whole thing happen faster there was no reason to object. Kurt was a bit disgusted by the walking slug like mother, but who was he to judge another species really.
"Then all we need is a relic, unfortunately we don't have one that would be appropriate," said the Shaman.
"I have one," and a Gnome came to Layla's side and was holding a cup, a familiar looking cup. It was the same cup that Kurt had drank from after his first battle with the copy cat, the one that almost killed him. That was strange, was that a relic? What made it a relic? Layla took the cup, and made an intricate hand signal above the cup, it began to fill with a liquid. That liquid was certainly not what was in It, the time Kurt drank from it. For a moment he thought Layla was about to poison everyone, but why would she do that?
The shaman stared at the cup like it was something holy. "Yes, that will certainly work."
So, the meeting ended up turning into a tour of sorts, since there needed to be distance between the Mother and the rest of the caravan, it was an easy solution. Carla expressed interest in the top of the pillar to see the land better. Kurt had no problem showing the way. After a slow walk up the pillar, they stood over watching the canyon, on the side they could see the rest of the caravan. Apparently part of the ritual required everyone drinking from the cup, but it seemed the line was almost done.
"Can I ask you something champion?"
"Sure, and you can call me Kurt, Mother Carla."
"Why do you serve the princess?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it serving, we have a mutual understanding I would think. There are benefits for both of us. But if it came right down to it, I would probably say it's because she saved my life."
"A life debt, this explains a lot, very honorable of you."
"A debt is hard to say exactly, I wouldn't have ended up needing saving without her meddling, but afterwards, I don't know everything just seemed to just happen. It has been so much, so fast, that it is hard to take perspective."
"Life can surprise you. I ask because it is odd, your kind are new to this world, and it's strange there are not more of you. Also, I don't believe the arrangements of those humans and fairies are similar to the one you have here," said Carla.
"I don't really know much about the clans, they are secretive. So why are you doing this then?"
"Hmm, that is more complicated. The caravan would happen regardless, but I assume you mean why here?"
"Yes, the Shaman said something about the bones."
"Yes, the truths they reveal can not be ignored, this is true. But it's not like you have to listen to them. So what it really comes to is, I think it might be the best decision for my brood. Many goblins crave glory and warfare is our nature, but what is glory without a legacy? If I created a horde, and traveled rather than settled, there would be none, and we would constantly be at risk. Eventually something would conquer us, and that would be the end for all time. On the other hand, if we can bring this place to a proper station a different kind of glory would be achieved, one I believe would require the least of my brood's lives, and much more lasting."
"Is it uncommon for goblins to settle?"
"Not entirely, it is rare there is enough to support a full horde for very long, this place used to be barren, so there is far less competition for resources. and it seems here resources are growing as well. So many hordes tend to migrate from one place to another or are fully nomadic. So it really can depend. Also there are ways to challenge the horde to submission, if successful it would be common to keep the horde in one place under that rule. I say we are warlike, but really it doesn't matter if that is against monsters or more intelligent beings like yourself."
"You are not like I expected, Mother Carla. You are far wiser, and kinder than you appear."
"You are not as I expected as well, Sir Kurt. But I don't know what I was expecting from a human. You are the first I've met."
"You're the second goblin I met, your friend, the shaman, I never caught his name, was the first.
Just then a strand of light shot up to the heavens from the main entrance, the wind screamed in furry, the strand expanded encompassing the entire front entrance area. It was so bright, so wide, so tall. Kurt jumped to attention. "Are we under attack?" Kurt said.
"No way," Carla had been laying on her slug like belly, but had stood up on her four legs, her eyes widened, "that's so much, too much. How in the world?"
"What's happening?"
"The ritual is concluding, but this," she stared at the column of light tilting her head up, "that, that is…I don't know, it can't be that big. This is simply unbelievable, yet I can see it with my own two eyes. I can't even see it all." She turned towards Kurt. "It was a very wise decision to come here." Turning her head back up to the light, "When he told me, I thought he couldn't possibly be telling the truth, that he had misread the bones. Had misread her. But she is something, isn't she? Had I known…believed." She made a motion with her arms and brought them to her body and shouted in a commanding booming tone "Glory to the Princess, and her champions. Dith, rid-so, ma, kir!"
They stared at the spectacle together for the few more moments it went on, the light came back just the way it had started, and there was cold silence until the roar of the goblins below raged over the land. I thought we were trying to keep a low profile?