Tag: Goblins

  • Queen and Konstruct: A Goblin’s Lyfe

    Queen and Konstruct: A Goblin’s Lyfe

    There are two important things in a goblin’s lyfe. I’m talking about all of us, the gobkon, the hobkon, the mulkon — all of us — our relationship to the Queen and our Guild. This is hard for you humans, with all your divergent nations and cities and faiths and disgusting menagerie animals to understand.

    Goblin
    By creanita design und ausführung by nina saner (CC BY-SA 2.0)

    I’m a printer, part of the Ratxet Guild. My engines run on the power of muls (best!) or whoever else I can hire. The clockwerks give that comforting noise as sheaf and stamp press against each other leaving words behind.

    We’re into gears, mostly. But also some other interesting clockwerks. Frankly, we do better with springs than the Union does. Sure, they’ve the Queens’ Stamp – so we cannot sell to others. In our builds we don’t buy from the Union anymore.

    My first engine was a climbing device. Lean it up against a feral tar-tree and you’ll be able to get to the top on a platform to work that tree with nary your own effort. It was a tough build, because I needed it to be strong enough for a hob. Without a brother there were no hobs to help me. Sis rode atop my shoulders during the entire testing phase.

    At Test it showed a new mechanic for the tar-tree. A Baroness blessed the family via flag and decree. Mother’s standing improved, and the full family took on that glory.

    Now, sister is part of the Airxip Syndicate. They’re relatively new. Taking our bike-props and bladders from the Sisterhood, and the Federation’s tar stacks, the Syndicate built those awesome airxips. I don’t understand her werk. There’s something about steampipes. She’s done well for mother. Her flags came from a Countess, one for her and one for mother. Blerxa left on the First Flight with me.

    I’m Phatha Phioxa Baroness-flagged of the Guild. Sis is Blerxa Phioxa First-Countess Flagged and Many Unfurled of the Syndicate.

    We are what we build and how much the Ladies, may they serve the Queen, reward us for our werks.

    A few more daughters like us and mother could be a Lady. If Blerxa and I hadn’t left for the untamed lands of the Kin Blerx may have earned mother the knighting on her own.

    Our werks are trapped from knowing since we are far from Queen, so I expect mother to have a few more gobkon. Maybe I’ll find out if I go back, not until after I figure out how to use the power of horses in my next werk. They smell, but they are even stronger than mulgobs.

  • Expeditionary fleet of Airxip Ixkon leaves Kon

    Expeditionary fleet of Airxip Ixkon leaves Kon

    Laurelyn looked over her works. Her funds sending a flight out over the Spires of Xelgar were larger than any other. It is her town that gets to host the final rising of the airxips; her vassals that operate the Ship of the Fleet and its three carrax; her pamphleteers that will write the story of these days. Other families had more money, fame, power, but the Ixkon discovered the anti-sink balloons and taut-line messaging that is needed for such a large expedition.

    There are two other models like her Airxip Ixkon (of course she gave it the family name), one is slightly larger and with an additional two tenders. Gerarldine played the game well, but proximity to the High Mother could not earn her more than the vital discoveries necessary to cross the Spires. The third broadxip, Arx Golmul, comes from the North. With just two carrax helping it over the Spire it is most likely to struggle with the winds. But the northern community harvests the fuel trees for the bellows and they are experimenting in granting mulkon the right to vote. If the High Mother sees Arx Golmul do well major changes could be forced. It is likely that the Mothers Parliament were outmaneuvered when they approved that flight. No matter for Laurelyn, she is focused on earning her family, all of her family, more money.

    Her artists turned out great posters for the launch. Sales are going well and the non-Ixkon living nearby continue to fall under her sway. There was a need for last minute recruits, and the posters helped.

    What a perfect day. The winds are blowing towards the Spires. Normally that’s a problem, but today it’s what they need. Two Feyelfs (weeks) floating to those harsh isles and then the steep rise after extensive fishing. After the rise the ships will cross towards a land unseen for centuries, if the math is right the expedition will float for just a Glibbon (month) before landfall.

    Captain Yerxian walks beside Laurelyn

    “Ma’am, you’ll have to leave or this xip will not float. It is our time, the winds are right and the crew ready.”

    “Certainly Captain. You have the cares and wishes of all of Kon behind you. Bring us something wonderful. This is your fleet now.”

    There are no large speeches. The High Mother’s words were in every gobkon, hobkon and mulkon’s wallets, pockets or hands. That pamphlet is half orders and half inspiration to be as great as Kon can be. Each ship has a press so that new pamphlets can be made, and with the taut-line messaging system those can be more easily coordinated when at altitude.