Goblin Den

Thornbound Realms

The Heroes

Five heroes stand between the kingdoms and oblivion. Each has a passive ability nobody else gets and a stat line that quietly suggests how they’d like to be played. Pick one, and prepare to defend your choice for the rest of the evening.

  1. Alden, a fox in mail and a worn leather coat, resting both paws on the pommel of a sword

    The Fox Captain

    Alden

    Alden never wanted to be a leader. He wanted to be a farmer, tending the wheat fields outside Millhaven. But when the mist took Millhaven, and nobody else stepped forward, he picked up his father’s sword and said the words nobody else would say: “Follow me.”

    RallyUnits in Alden’s army get +1 to courage and leadership rolls. His troops hold their nerve when others would break.

    The army commander. Build farms, garrison every town you pass, and arrive at the Rat Castle with a full army at your back.

    HP
    4
    Atk
    2
    Def
    2
    Ldr
    3
    Init
    4
    Move
    4

    Starting kit: Sword, shield, 2 apples, 3 gold

    Read The Fox Who Stayed
  2. Brock, a broad badger in dark armour, a mining hammer over each shoulder

    The Badger Guardian

    Brock

    They say Brock was born underground, in the deepest burrow beneath the Grey Mountains. They say he once held a cave mouth alone for three days. They say a lot of things about Brock. Most of them are true. He doesn’t talk about it.

    IronhideEvery attack that lands on Brock deals 1 less damage. The toughest hero to kill.

    The frontline tank. Explore the red zone first, take on crystal intruders alone, and hold the line when the rat armies come.

    HP
    5
    Atk
    2
    Def
    3
    Ldr
    2
    Init
    3
    Move
    3

    Starting kit: Twin mining hammers, 2 apples, 2 gold

    Read The Mouth of the Mountain
  3. Flick, a rust-brown rabbit with a blue kerchief, a dagger in each paw

    The Rabbit Scout

    Flick

    Flick is fast. Not just fast: recklessly, absurdly, dangerously fast. She once crossed three frontier territories in a single day to warn of a rat army. She arrived before the army. Sitting still is how the mist catches you.

    Pathfinder+1 movement on the hex map, and she ignores the extra cost of hexes the mist has taken back.

    The explorer. Reveal the map, grab the first noble house quest, and stroll off with the loot nobody else can reach.

    HP
    3
    Atk
    2
    Def
    1
    Ldr
    2
    Init
    5
    Move
    5

    Starting kit: Daggers (dual wield, +1 initiative), 2 apples, 3 gold

    Read The Fastest Thing Alive
  4. Pip, a grey rabbit in leather armour with a longbow and a quiver of arrows

    The Rabbit Ranger

    Pip

    Pip doesn’t talk much. She watches, from whatever high ground she found while everyone else was arguing about the map. “I don’t miss,” Pip says, which isn’t a boast. It’s a warning.

    Eagle Eye+1 attack die with ranged weapons, and one hex more range than the bow allows.

    The deadliest ranged fighter in the game. Take the high ground, pick off priority targets, and never let them get close.

    HP
    3
    Atk
    3
    Def
    1
    Ldr
    2
    Init
    5
    Move
    4

    Starting kit: Bow, 2 apples, 4 gold

    Read The Arrow and the Silence
  5. Ember, a small grey mouse in a scholar’s robe, holding a staff topped with a glowing crystal

    The Mouse Sage

    Ember

    Ember is small. Ember is quiet. Ember has read more books than most kingdoms have written. “Magic,” Ember would say, “is memory, applied carefully.”

    Crystal Attunement+1 crystal when harvesting, and spells cost 1 fewer crystal to buy.

    The late-game closer. Weak at the start, devastating at the end: walk into the final battle carrying four spell scrolls.

    HP
    3
    Atk
    1
    Def
    1
    Ldr
    2
    Init
    4
    Move
    4

    Starting kit: Staff (Ember only), 2 apples, 4 gold

    Read The Mouse Who Remembered

The other side

What waits in the mist

  • Rat foot soldiers

    Rat foot soldiers

    Drilled, armoured and patient. They move in pairs and they move through the mist.

  • Rat archers

    Rat archers

    Short black bows and forge-made iron, made in numbers somewhere with anvils.

  • Wolf elites

    Wolf elites

    The mountain wolves were a people once. Corruption hollows them out; what fights is the husk.

  • Rat shamans

    Rat shamans

    They wait in the Rat King’s castle for the final battle.

  • Giant spiders

    Giant spiders

    Whatever lives in the caves is hungrier the further out you go.

  • Cave trolls

    Cave trolls

    Stone and patience, met in the deepest caves and at the castle gate.

The enemy

The Rat King

He waits in his castle with a full army, and his strength scales with how well you’ve prepared: towns defended, corruption cleansed, generals beaten in the caves. Even at his weakest, he’s the hardest fight in the game.

Nobody on the surface knows his name.

Read The King Below
The Rat King on a throne of black stone, crowned and cloaked

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