Woodland Path

The Woodland Path, outside of the Crossing West Gate, is territory claimed by the Goblins. The goblins currently get agitated about once every month or two and start killing adventurers great and small for the "indignity" of having "their people" slaughtered at the hands of adventureres daily.

History of the Conflict

The conflict began as soon as Tiger Clan, Wolf Clan, and Knife Clan opened. This has caused massive speculation among Elanthian intellectuals that either the Goblin King or Goblin Prince Tnok actually didn't care about the working-class goblins or their wholesale slaughter, but rather cared more about turning the Woodland Path into a trade route from which to profit. Once these clans opened, rhetoric from the Goblin Prince began almost immediately.

Goblins is on wood path, and goblins will not be left out of deals with clans. Goblins is biggest clan there is, and we shouldn't stand for this!

This was only one of several occasions where prominent goblins have been quoted as citing the loss of revenue of the dozens of traders passing through the Woodland Path as contributing to the constant poverty of the goblin nation. If the Woodland Path were to be reclaimed properly, revenues would increase, the Goblins could purchase better weaponry than short swords and target shields, and perhaps then the Goblins could begin building their own cities of world-wide reknown and commerce centers. The reception from the goblin people was luke-warm, however, until the rhetoric started switching to the inhumanity of having their people slaughtered by adventurers. One year later, Grishnok had this to say:

Now with caravans comes death and destruction! Why should goblins suffer so? Now not only have we lost money deals from traders, our peoples is dying! Goblins rise up!

This outgoing and vindictive personality would be characteristic of Grishnok, as would his outward usurping of Tnok be in line with the power struggle we know to have occurred between The Prince and Grishnok. It is rumored that Grishnok went on the offensive here to prove to the Goblin King that he could gain the support of the masses, for war or for economic prosperity, while Tnok's lukewarm economic admonishments and whimpering about loss of revenue failed to resonate with the populace. This could be one of many actions in this power struggle who's ultimate goal is to have Tnok removed from the royal succession line and have Grishnok himself, eventually, alone at the top of the Goblin nation. Whether this comes to fruition or not remains to be seen.

The Woodland Path is on Map 4