Votarra Den

Votarra Den is a cave on the eastern border of Dwarven territory, home to the Votarran Goblins.

History

Votarra Den was settled in the year 1 by Jibral, the first Votarran Matriarch. Prior to her splitting off from the other Goblins, her mother Zelgrile was the Matriarch of Goblins centralized in Nerodil.

Zelgrile by Jarhed

Zelgrile and Jibral had discovered Votarra Den when they had fled Nerodil a few years prior, but Zelgrile wanted to continue fighting for her home. Only when Varth Dreamless killed Zelgrile was Jibral able to convince the Votarrans to move.
This created two other factions as well: the Nationalists who stayed in Nerodil in the caves beneath it, as well as the Ocultos Goblins who fled to the Mines of the Slime.

Settlement

Jibral first went to the King of the Dwarves at the time of their displacement, Mordain, and begged him for asylum. She mentioned that she sought only a cave for her people, as the Dark Elves had gotten over a thousand years prior, and that the land above ground was still all for the Dwarves.

Jibral by Jarhed

Mordain agreed, and Jibral led her people to Votarra.
Initially, they were hesitant when they arrived. The Goblins did not find it to be large enough for their needs. Jibral, however, said that they could expand it as they see fit. They had the whole of the Dwarven underground.
Jibral successfully settled the Goblins and led to peacetalks with the Dwarves and Elves. She knew her people could be targets for the Elves, now that they were in Dwarven territory, so she wanted to stop that before it happened.
Jibral went down as the greatest of Matriarchs, setting a precedent for all to follow if they intend to lead the Votarrans.

Expedition of the Depths

Jibral sanctioned one expansion during her lifetime, which led to the uncovering of a tunnel which became known as "The Depths." She considered this discovery, the potential for possibility, to be her greatest achievement, beyond leading her people to safety or founding a thriving Kingdom.

"That there is a future for my people, the idea of hope and expansion, that there is a dream of what lies beyond, means that I have succeeded. The future was dark before, and yet now when faced with darkness, we see only potential light.
That is what I want to be remembered for: Hope."

— Jibral

She died before a team could be gathered to explore it. Those she selected were posthumously gathered and sent to explore it, but only one returned.
It was for this that the Matriarchs following Jibral decided to not focus on exploration or expansion. They feared its consequences, and thus stuck to strengthening the Votarran matriarchy and centralizing its power.

Lair of the Lords

In the year 126, however, the Matriarch named Gilge saw her power fading. She needed a way to strengthen it and decided to follow Jibral's footsteps and expand the cave. She had the powerful Goblins help her, promising the land to them.
This area became known as the Lair of the Lords, where the powerful Goblins would gather together. This brought many to support her, and she was said to have one of the strongest Matriarchal powerbases in history.

The Necromantic Project

It was sworn that this would be the only major expansion, and any other basic expansion would be slow and purely for housing, moving the cave walls back slightly to fit more homes.
However, in the year 269, a Goblin named Peon led a revolution against the Matriarch's anti-expansionist mindset.

Votarra Den by Jarhed

Locations

Votarra Den is a hub for much of Goblin society, and for this its layout has generally changed. However, the areas numbered above have held significance at many points in time.

1. The Common- A common area where many Goblins congregate around fires and sing songs, tell stories, and hang out together. Why most Votarran Goblins are fairly close, as they bond together here.


2. The Corpse Room- While it has been repurposed since, Sliq Monion used this to store the corpses of those he killed as well as hiding and storing items.


3. Marketplace- Where merchants, both those who live in Votarra and who come from the outside, come to sell items.


4. The Pit- A hole at the center of the cave where fights happen, bet on by onlookers.


5. Nothing- An area around the Lair of the Lords where many once feared traveling to, it then expanded to more housing, as well as area for trade and crafts for the people.


6. The Throne Room- The home of the Goblin throne, fashioned to mock the throne of the Kingdom of Man that was stolen from them.


7. Necromancer's Pass- The location where Goblins who practice Necromancy reside. Others who study magic come here since the Necromancers are the most knowledgeable in the subject.


8. Housing- Around this area is generally where most of the Goblins in Votarra Den live.


9. Lair of the Lords- An area that has belonged to various prominent, powerful Goblins, where they exert their power away from the Matriarch.


10. The Art Hall- A museum where the art of Goblins from Votarra is displayed, meant to show the best of Goblin culture to visitors and inspire its citizens.


11. The Depths- A tunnel that leads from Votarra Den throughout Dwarven Territory, its exit being beneath Landhelm.

Peon had studied at the Magic College and had come back with a new technique called Necromancy. Due to the Age of Plague, many were dying, but Peon was able to bring them back and keep Votarra thriving even as the disease "Dragon's Doom" spread rapdily in the close proximity of the cave. Peon, then, wanted to teach this to his people so they could help as well, but he needed a place to do so. There was no room anywhere else in Votarra, so he took other Earth Mages and taught them magic to dig out a new tunnel in the cave.
This place would be considered for Necromancy only, but in truth Peon made it as a place where magic could be taught to anyone willing to learn. He considered the idea that it was for Necromancers to be a worthy barrier. Anyone unwilling to work with necromancers was too much of a coward to learn real magic.

Sliq Monion by Yumedatchi

Ultimately the Necromancers fell back under the rule of the Matriarch, but still they are more autonomous than others in Votarra Den.

Sliq Monion's Changes

Sliq Monion made many changes to Votarra Den when he was the Goblin Lord, a title he took after the death of the Matriarch and his great theft of some Item Magics.
His first change was to prioritize Goblin art so that their people could be inspired to create more, and so that the Goblins would not be treated as lower people by the Elves and Korvians. It was Elven propaganda, spread by Korvians, that the Goblins were a rabid, evil culture. Sliq wanted to change that.
Sliq was, however, evil. He killed thousands for power, stealing Items and killing prominent figures with no regard for their place in society. Due to this, he also had another room changed in Votarra Den. The room beside the Throne Room became known as the Corpse Room, and Sliq would store all the people he killed there as trophies and as storage.
At this time, the Necromancers were independent, and the Lair of the Lords was independent as well, controlled by Hugg Gguh, another rival Goblin Lord. Hugg would lead the Monions to kill Sliq, then uniting together the Votarrans again and removing the Corpse Room. He did, however, keep the Art Gallery.
Since then, Votarra has not expanded at all, staying relatively the same.