Umok

Location overview

Umok is a village located between Chitterwood and the Aspodell Mountains, primarily inhabited by gnomes who founded it to live in harmony with the surrounding forest. The residents prohibit open flame within 500 yards, a measure instituted after Hobgoblin Raiders attempted to burn the village during the Goblinblood Wars. Instead, they rely on magic and alchemy for cooking, warmth, and light. Trained woodland animals serve as lookouts to alert them to dangerous creatures, and borehounds are utilized to combat extraplanar threats. Ivy-covered cottages, floating colored lights, wandering deer and badgers, and friendly boarhounds fill the town.
The villagers have had negative interactions with goblins. When a party arrived, small fires had recently broken out in the woods southwest of Umok, leading locals to suspect goblins or hobgoblins were responsible. A badly Burned Goblin then collapsed nearby. Kracka revived her with an elixir, and Samantha identified the burns as having been sustained from direct fire. A townsman called for the goblin’s banishment, but Lexx persuaded him to allow the party to treat her. The goblin awoke, cried that they had to leave, gasped “Fire Dog,” and collapsed again.
The forest outside Umok features shrubs, trees, dry grass, and streams. Several recent fires have occurred in the area, including a brush fire that had not yet reached the nearby trees. The fire was extinguished using water, trenches, dirt, mud, and wet bedrolls. Tracks led deeper into the forest, where two hellhounds attacked with fire, but both were killed. Farther in, a circular burned area roughly one hundred feet across was found, where trees had been reduced to stumps and the ground was covered with charred grass. Although the heat had dissipated, smoke and the smell of burning lingered.
The Hellbreakers League’s assigned region includes Umok. They reviewed the village's customs, defenses, and its position over 100 miles from Saringallow while preparing their route.