Self Proclaimed master criminalmind

Squirm's Story and "Abilities"

The Forgotten Realms are not friendly to those who aren't used to them. While they might be ripe with adventure and mystery for the common species, to a goblin they're as dangerous as any dark dominion or pocket of the Hells on a good day.And so it was that an unfortunate goblin grew up feral, to some degree. At least as much as any goblin is more feral than another one. But she did grow up, surviving as her village was wiped out by humans in the name of "cleansing".And then those she'd managed to flee with were just as easily torn down, leaving an adolescent goblin desperately throwing down her weapons and hoping for mercy from "adventurers" who only saw her life as more currency for their own growth.She was a pit fighter for a time. Brought to the edge of death time and time again, barely pulled back only so she could be reused for next week's bout.Unfortunately, despite what others might've thought, she was learning. Every death, she desperately clung to something. A scrap of knowledge. A single technique she could do better. It was hopeless work, but the alternative was no better than total erasure.One could argue she was a fool for not accepting erasure, but the brutality that broke many didn't break her. Instead, in a hazy moment of instinct and blind luck, a gemstone fallen from a wizardly gladiator's satchel ended up in her footwraps, and in all of a blink reality seemed to swallow the goblin up.She'd just Gatecrashed.

"Wonderful goblin. Either I'm going to kill it or I'm beginning to like it."

• "Gatecrashing"

Despite everything, Squirm is still tethered to her roots, and her past.She remembered the bitterness and resentment she felt towards the "civilized" races who had brutalized her home just as viciously as anyone else.And she had no small number of scores worth settling.

The Spirit-Thread Clan

The Spirit-Thread Goblin Clan is one of the few perhaps most known for their civility and willingness to work with the travelers of the Forgotten Realms. This is in part because they are virtually unknown to the world at large, but known among “those who know”. To most, the words mean nothing.

That being said, they have a deep culture and community, and a spiritual connection to nature that transcends that which most ever think to learn about. Death is unfortunately common among goblins, and so they came to know it well, practicing an art of necromancy that is known as “Soul Brokering”. Rather than raising the unwilling dead and defiling their corpses, a Soul Broker reaches out to the spirits in request, and should they be amenable, the spirits comply, forming a compact agreement that makes up the spiritual root of their society. The souls called upon are primarily those of the clan itself, but it is not unheard of or particularly outrageous for the spirits of other species to answer the call, if the request is suited to them, and the broker willing to meet their terms. This usually means dealing with unfinished baggage or protecting lingering loved ones, but spirits can negotiate more or less in the deals, as can the Soul Brokers.

This close affiliation with death easily gives the misconception that the Spirit-Thread Goblins are just like their more malicious cousins and relations in close or distant clans. Their totems are often carved bone, their cavernous homes protected by bound spirits, and even runes stitched into their very flesh can all be signs to the uninitiated that they’re necromancers devoid of morals.

They stand a bit taller than most goblins, but by majority are known for their black sclera and slit pupils borne from some mixture of a life underground and quirks of goblin physiology.They are fierce protectors of their tribal and found families as well as loyal to one another above all else. To be called kin by one is to be accepted as kin by all their number.

The Bone-Thread Clan: The Soulbrokers of the Chionthar Vale
Location & SecrecyThe Soulbroker clan now lives in a series of concealed cavern complexes and moss-covered ravines hidden along the Chionthar River Valley, not far from Baldur’s Gate but worlds away in terms of discovery.Their territory sits in the wooded limestone cliffs east of the Cloakwood and south of Wyrm’s Crossing, where natural sinkholes and narrow cracks in the rock descend into a well-lit cavern network warmed by subterranean springs. Vicious briar thickets, misleading game trails, and carefully crafted illusions keep travelers away.Secrecy is the clan’s greatest protection.
Most residents of Baldur’s Gate have no idea a civilized goblin enclave lives only a few hours from the city.The Soulbrokers are not entirely necromancers. In truth:
Only about one in ten goblins practices bone-thread spirit-binding.
The rest are hunters, mushroom-farmers, traders, weavers, medics, scouts, smiths, scouts, or scholars.
Many are simply ordinary goblins with complex, gentle cultural practices.
But every clan member, young or old, respects the role of the necromancers — not as feared sorcerers but as priests, diplomats, and custodians of their ancestors and allies.Bone-thread necromancy is not forced upon the entire clan, nor is it a requirement. It is a sacred trade, practiced by a few and honored by all.Despite their desire to remain hidden, the Bone-Thread Clan is not isolationist. They maintain cautious but productive relationships with “monster” peoples of the region.They sometimes trade with:
Bugbear caravans.
Kobold burrow-tribes.
Hobgoblin mercenary bands who respect them.
Lizardfolk from the Cloakwood river marshes.
Myconid clusters deep in the earth.Such allies understand the value of discretion and the danger of letting their more volatile kinfolk know too much.

A handful of skilled Soulbrokers and non-magic clan members venture into Baldur’s Gate itself using magical and mundane disguises, posing as: Halflings, traveling apothecaries, itinerant scribes or diviners or even Mushroom brokers or Rag-and-bone merchants.They sell:
Herbal poultices
Luminescent cavern fungi
Bone-carved jewelry
Dried cave-fish
High-quality thread and sinew
Rare cave saltsThey do not partake in necromancy for profit.Most who deal with them never realize they’re speaking to goblins at all.Every disguised agent follows the same hard-learned lessons:
Never speak of the clan.
Never reveal the existence of the Soulbrokers.
Never use necromancy in town.
Never return to the same market too often.
Never invite outsiders home.
Never accept “help” from adventurers unless you're hiring them, and even then probably don't.Breaking these rules risks the safety of thousands of years of tradition.

Ancestor Worship & Ethical SoulbrokeringThese principles guide their necromancy:All spirits must consent to services rendered, though the dead may be called upon for questions. They can simply choose not to answer.All deals must be negotiated.All manifestations are chosen by the spirit.All pacts must have an end condition.All spirits must be released cleanly and peacefully.The living do not own the dead
— they host, bargain with, and care for them.The clan’s non-necromancers still leave offerings at ancestor shrines, speak to lantern-spirits during festivals, and trust the bonebound guardians watching over the deep caves.But they know to keep these practices secret from Baldur’s Gate.
The Flaming Fist would not understand.
The city’s priests would misinterpret the rituals.
Human superstition is far more dangerous than any spirit.The Raven Queen’s Hidden EyesThe secret sect of Raven Queen devotees — the Vel-stri — still watches over all Soulbroker pacts. Their role is unchanged, but the danger is greater near Baldur’s Gate, where necromancers and cults are common. The Vel-stri quietly eliminate threats, bad actors, or any magical activity that might expose the clan.They blend in among everyday clan members, and even the necromancers rarely know who they are.Tone & Reputation
To other goblin tribes, the Bone-Thread Soulbrokers are:
“Creepy but honorable”
“Strange hermits with silent skeleton guards”
“The clan that never betrays a deal”
“The ones who talk to the dead”
To Baldur’s Gate, they are simply… invisible.