Vorka — The Cannibal
Vorka
Identity
- Name: Vorka
- Gender: Female
- Species: Goblin
- Class: Druid 3
- Alignment: NE
- Status: Deceased (killed by the party during Session 1)
Description
A cannibal goblin of considerable local legend and worse dinner habits. Oversized mouth even by goblin standards, filed teeth producing a mismatched snaggletooth grin. Wears rags and scraps of cloth harvested from victims as trophies. Never changes her distinctive floppy, pointy leather hat — stolen from a human traveler and crudely resized to fit her large, misshapen head.
Legend says she was once the wife of a former Licktoad chief. She murdered and ate him and several other tribe members before being driven out. She took up residence in the Kaijitsu Star — an old shipwreck in Brinestump Marsh — and has lived there since, eating whatever comes to her.
Personality
Arrogant, crazed. Fights to the death. Taunts enemies by describing how she plans to cook them ("Those ears might taste fine stuffed with eyes"). Has a twisted fondness for her animal "pets": a horse (Stomp), three dogs (Cuddles, Scabtongue, Tickletooth), and a giant frog (Lord Longtung).
The Encounter (Session 1)
The party boarded the Kaijitsu Star to retrieve the tribe's fireworks cache. What they found was Vorka. The horse (Stomp) died first, as horses do in goblin stories. Vorka died after, following a conversation that illustrated why goblins should not negotiate with other goblins who have already decided to eat them. The ship was thoroughly ransacked. The tribe was pleased.
Campaign note: The campaign describes a "talk to Vorka" beat before her death. The module does not frame Vorka as a conversationalist — she sleeps, awakens progressively, then attacks. The conversation was GM-added or player-initiated. Confirmed campaign canon regardless of source.
Animal Companions
- Stomp — Filthy dark gray stallion. Killed by the party (horses always die in goblin stories).
- Lord Longtung — Giant frog animal companion. AC 15, hp 22. 15-foot tongue. Flees into the marsh and dies of a broken heart if Vorka is killed.
- Cuddles — Hulking riding dog (advanced). Kept in the galley. hp 17.
- Scabtongue and Tickletooth — Two feral dogs chained to the masts. Each hp 6. Half-starved.
Stats (Module 1)
AC 17, hp 29. Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5. Scimitar +3, darts +5. Druid spells include spider climb, summon swarm, charm animal, cure light wounds, produce flame. Barkskin potion (pre-combat). Will not leave the shipwreck to pursue fleeing PCs.
Notes
- Vorka's body parts (including her face with the branded letters of Scribbleface) were in her cauldron and storage sack before the party arrived. She had eaten Scribbleface after his exile.
- An ivory fan found in Vorka's cabin has a map on its reverse side connecting to the Jade Regent AP. Its fate in the campaign is unrecorded.
- Module 3 continuity: her skull and bones were unknowingly incorporated into the Goblin Chief Effigy, from which her disembodied voice later shrieks. This is module continuity, not campaign-played content.