Tinker Clan
There is one clan of goblins that is very different from the rest of the orc tribes. These goblins learned early on that the best way to survive in orc culture was to be useful and banded together to form the Tinker Clan. This collection of crafters and Alchemists have a very interesting view on invention and tend to view safety and the well being of its members as less important than the final product. As such it is rare that you will meet a member of the tinker clan with all his fingers or both eyes or ears. To be a member of the tinker clan you must be a goblin who has taken the relevant advantage at character generation.
Goblins have always been a versatile race. The need to survive within orc culture has traditionally meant that the need to adapt and improvise, while grasping opportunities presented, is of paramount importance. The best example of this industrious ingenuity is the goblin Tinker Clan. Being generally smaller than their orc cousins, the goblins have had to find other ways to be useful in society and as such they have often turned their hand to creation and crafting. Before the Days of Fire the goblin workshops in the orc clan settlements rang out with the clang of metal being moulded and struck into the best armour and weapons. Goblins with skill in alchemical practices created potions and tinctures that served many purposes and the crafters of magical talismans toiled diligently making focuses for great spells. These efforts frequently went unrecognised however, as their old masters gave little respect to the craftsman expecting the work to simply be completed to their satisfaction. Following the Days of Fire the goblins found themselves in the same boat as the orcs and through those cataclysmic times they cowered and hid in the shadow of their stronger brethren, waiting for the fires to subside. When the devastation abated it revealed a new threat in the form of the human armies of the north. In the first few years following the cataclysm, the orcs under the Great Khan fell into three distinct groups and now being free from oppression these groups were free to make their homes anywhere they pleased. The orcs of the plains took to the nomadic lifestyle of their long dead ancestors. Once again the wolf riders ruled the plains and savannah ranging from the great river in the north and the blistering desert in the south. The savage Mountain Kin-bands moved into the foothills of the Mountains of Fire and their barbarous society thrived there. Finally, the curious River Clans saw the civilization and trappings of wealth that existed in the human lands and coveted it, taking to the piratical and maritime life of the corsair. Goblins travelled with all these groups and as before integrated into these societies, using their cunning and guile to rise through the ranks just as their orc cousins used strength and endurance to do the same.
Weazel Crankhammer, Senior Tinker of the spell-forger faction.
There was a section of goblin society, however, that felt the need to be more than just part of the crowd. They realised that the skills they had as crafters, engineers and inventors were a valuable commodity that they could use to their advantage. Specifically, at this time an extremely enterprising goblin artisan, Rattik "Slippy" Pugno saw the worth of his skills in this new regime and gathered goblin tinkers from all corners of the Orclands to a meeting. At this gathering Pugno proposed that all goblin crafters who wanted a goblin nation should separate themselves from their clans and begin their own settlement. In doing this, Pungo created a place where goblins could form their own society and make their own rules. They called this city The Pit. When the Great Khan heard about this move he was initially enraged that those who owed him respect through strength would make such a decision without informing him. After conversations with his shaman and advisers, he realised that the goblin tinkers were essential if the war with the humans was to be won. He could not however let the goblins think that they could just break away from his rule. By his command, he sent his Wolf Riders to the new settlement and surrounded it for three days. He did not attack, but this show of strength was enough for Pugno to realise that even though he and his clan were needed by the Khan he would still rather wipe them from memory than have them defy his authority. Newly named Grand Tinker, Pugno saw the writing on the wall and swore his allegiance to the Khan vowing to continue to work towards the same goals as him, claiming freedom for all orcs and goblins. The Khan in turn agreed that the goblins could continue to run their own affairs in The Pit. He was secretly happy that the explosive experimentation of the engineers was now confined (mostly) to one area. In the years that have followed many more goblin tinkers have moved to The Pit and the clan has become a structured organisation for learning and experimentation. To join the Tinker Clan a goblin must exhibit a skill in one of the crafting professions and not be scared to experiment for the good of progress. The Pit thrived and with it the Khan’s nation.
The tinker stronghold in the south west of the Orclands is a smoky hive of bustling innovation and dangerous experimentation. The city is separated into different areas that are controlled by the various factions of tinkers who all vie for the resources that are needed to continue their craft. The Pit is divided into four quarters. The alchemy pits, the magik labs and the smelting works all churn out the items and creations that are needed for the Khans forces. These three constantly petition and squabble for the attention of the high tinkers from the fourth quarter known as the Hub. The rulers of The Pit allocate material, time and cash to the three factions, deciding which inventions to sponsor and which are not worthy. This system of authority breeds a very political and cut throat society where it has been known for certain tinkers to be found “shived-up” in the sewers due to their competition being a little too zealous about getting funding for a certain new prototype.
The current ruler Rattik “Slippy” Pugno goes by the title of Grand Tinker and has the final say in anything that goes on in The Pit. The High tinkers are not adverse to accepting bribes for their patronage and many an invention has been the result of a high tinker being “eminently compensated” for their time...
In general The Pit is a dirty, oily place with many strange smells and miasmas around every corner. The walls are commonly covered in strange residues and multi-coloured liquids flow from outlet pipes into the deep and voluminous sewers under the city. With the multitude of failed experiments and effluvia that flows into the depths below The Pit, it is not unsurprising that many rumours and tales tell of the wildlife in the deep being, “changed”. Only the most crazed and foolhardy goblins, known as "sewer boys", venture into the dark tunnels. Their job of cleaning and dredging the waterways is looked upon as one of the most dangerous and suicidal and they are paid well for their trouble, as many never return from the stagnant gloom.
The Hub is the home of the high tinkers. These expert crafters have risen to the very top of their fields and form the ruling elite of the city. High tinkers have access to all areas of knowledge and stand above the other goblins of the three factions in being able to access any and all of the recipes and blueprints that are churned out by the cities’ residents. The High Tinker, Boomer Coppervault has been sent as the representative of the Grand Tinker to the Vale with a new contraption known only as “The Machine”. This device, rumoured to be created with help from the demons, has the ability to create all types of item using the resources from this magical place, thus removing the need for huge amounts of cumbersome machinery and able to be operated by a single tinker regardless of his particular expertise.
The Hub is a bustling hive of trade and industry. The lofty apartments and mansions of the high tinkers tower above the smoke and grease ridden walls and buildings, looking down at the bustling marketplace that sits at the centre of the quarter. The market floor is alive day and night with goblin traderz running backward and forward buying and selling the wares from the three industrial quarters. The prices rise and fall as bronze, silver and gold cogs are exchanged for the goods that are produced. Everything from mana potions to mighty orc styled axes and armour, to talismans and protections, are bought and sold and sent to the various legions and hordes that request them for help in the war against the human alliance in the North. Warlords from across the Khanate sit in special balcony seats watching the work being done and send their orders via goblins runnerz to the trading posts below. Many a runner has met his end by not being quick enough and getting rage kicked over the edge of the balcony due to the Warlord not getting his shinies...
The Pit is a thriving hive of murderous economy and untested innovation. To fund such a greed and wealth obsessed culture the high tinkers instigated the cog standard shortly after the creation of the city about a year after the Days of Fire. The bronze silver and gold Cog system of currency is the normal token system used to measure wealth and rates of exchange for goods and services inside The Pit. The Goblin exchange rates fluctuate alarmingly quickly within The Pit and it is almost impossible to use outside due to the need to understand how much a cog is worth at any given time. Suffice to say that tinkers usually have their ears to the ground enough that they have a general idea of the relative worth. This may change with news from home of huge new orders or catastrophic explosions that crash the market. One day a silver cog could be worth 43 and a half Bronze cogs and the next there could be a Ratodile attack on the Alchemists quarter which destroys a load of potion stock. This in turn makes the potion trade plummet or soar depending on if your buying or selling, causing cogs to be stripped or raised invalue. It is up to the traderz and brokerz to determine to the worth of the cog against the goods being produced and it is this complicated system that keeps The Pit running and the Khan's war alive. The common phrase, "greed iz good" is one that is heard a lot when talking about the complex system that is used but it works and the goblins like it that way.
The tunnels and warrens that make up the alchemy dens are next to impossible to enter without the correct breathing equipment. The labs of the dens all have a link to the central drain of the quarter and all failed experiments and waste materials are funnelled to this location and fall into the sewers to mix and swirl in the melting pot below. Foetid and caustic gases flow through the underground halls hanging in the air in a multi coloured fog. Hundreds of Alchemists experiment with recipes and concoctions each day, trying to create the next breakthrough in alchemical research as well as claiming bragging rights over the rest of their clan.
Dizzle Cogsmasher,
Junior Goblin Tinker of the Smelters' Faction.
The jagged towers and spires of the magik labs crackle and hum with the arcane engineering of the spell-forgers. These magically inclined tinkers constantly strive to create new and increasingly powerful, if sometimes unstable, devices. These allow the wizards of the Khans forces to better harness the eldritch power of storm, fire and ice as well as the more insidious disciplines of necromancy and conjuration. The labs of the magik quarter are housed high on these precarious towers of steel and lead to contain the potentially devastating magical energy and keep it away from the main city. The sky above The Pit is always filled with the arcane discharge of hundreds of spells and experiments from the myriad tower labs. A common tinker pastime is to sit on the tavern roofs or living quarters making wagers on which tower will explode or which spell forger will make the next mistake.
Smoke, soot and charcoal is the first thing that hits you when you enter the smelting works. The sound of hammer on anvil is constant and the air is so hot that it can burn your lungs if you are unprepared. The tinkers of this quarter are constantly experimenting with ores and alloys, trying to cast new and improved weapons and armour for the war effort. They use any and all ingredients to improve their creations and imbue them with all manner of powers and abilities. Working with the heat and volatile materials that are needed to create weapons and armour of an arcane nature means that the life of a smelter is not easy. Many a smith has been turned to ash or lost a limb whilst trying to create the next big thing in warfare. Tinkers of this faction tend to sport many burns and scars from their run-ins with less than perfect experiments.
Tinkers see invention as a battle and a competition. To complete a formula is to win the battle, and if the casualties of this fight are a lost finger or two then that is the price to be paid for progress. The tinkers have never been very concerned with health and safety and as a result there are often unfortunate instances and accidents. Many a time, an over-zealous craftsman decides that he will cut a corner to steal the march on his competitors and ends up on the business end of a rather volatile explosion or interesting magical effect. Suffice to say that being a tinker is not without its dangers and the only way to get ahead in tinker society is to push the boundaries of invention and hope that you do not find yourself two hundred feet in the air wondering if maybe you shouldn’t have mixed the blue liquid with the green stuff from the sewer...
