Liora’s POV

It was hard to remember who she was sometimes. Things would get fuzzy. The world would blend together into a pool of colors and sounds.

The world had been like that since Alaric returned her to a semblance of life. She hated it.

In life Liora had been a young and beautiful elf. For her time, she was knowledgeable in magic and pretty good at wielding it. Now she knew less than her contemporaries, but still had some strength.

It was hard to keep up on the knowledge front. She had no hands to flip the pages of the books she would have to read. She had tried to use skeletons before, but they didn’t have the dexterity to flip a single page.

“You have done good Grag.” Paul said to the shaking little creature. “This new village is a much better fit for my new plans.”

Plans? What plans?

“What plans master?” Grag asked, as if to voice Liora’s own question.

“I’ve decided I have a taste for combat and acting the general.” Paul leaned back in his ‘throne’. “This village shall be the first step in a larger conquest of the Deepwood. I have plans and a need for an army. The goblins and other denizens of the Deepwood will serve perfectly for those ends.”

This was new. Liora wondered if fear of the adventurers had anything to do with the need for an army. It would explain the new direction Paul wanted to go in.

She wondered why Paul hadn’t discussed it with her. She didn’t care either way, she had to go where Paul went anyways. It would have been nice to be consulted, though.

She could feel the bond with Paul pulse. It never left her. It allowed Liora to sense Paul and his location at all times.

Alaric had at first planned to bond her to himself, but she couldn’t leave the crypt without help, which made her useless to their old master.

Now that she was bonded to Paul she could go places, but she couldn’t go more than a couple miles from Paul. He could also force her to do things. Forcing her to do anything would have soured their relationship, so it had never happened.

Paul needed a lieutenant he could trust. If he had forced her to do things, trust would be shattered and she would be useless to him. A liability even.

“How are you going to make an army?” Grag asked.

“I will gain the use the goblins of the Deepwood. The only problem I can foresee is the question of loyalty.” Paul said dismissively.

“Loyalty?” Grag scrunched his brow.

“That is where you come in Grag.” Paul sat forward. “You will act as my representative to the goblins. You will help convince them that working for me is better than the alternative.”

“Me?” Grag shivered. “Master I am considered weak. They won’t want to listen to me.”

“Then I shall give you strength. We will rearm the five goblin warriors left from your village. They, and you, will act as examples of how good life can be under my leadership. You will be my freemen. The others are slaves.

“The others will want to be freemen, like you. You will be treated better and given better things. The slaves will sleep in dingy and packed quarters, they will eat your leftovers, and most importantly, they will be my food.”

Paul leaned back again.

Liora had to give him credit, he definitely seemed to have thought about what he wanted and how he was going to achieve it. She was genuinely curious on whether it would work or not.

“How will we keep the other goblins in line master?” Grag asked. “Me and the other goblins from the village doesn’t seem like enough to keep everyone in line.”

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“Each of the five rearmed goblins will be put in charge of five more skeletons to help them maintain order. You will be given ten.” Paul said. “Other than that, skeletons and zombies will patrol the streets putting down any attempts at disobedience.”

“Are the skeletons and zombies smart enough to know what disobedience looks like, master?”

“The goblins from your village will be able to tell them when disobedience is happening.” Paul said. “They won’t be able to command them in the same way as the soldiers, but telling the undead something is wrong should be fine.”

Liora now wondered how Paul actual planned on implementing these things. It seemed strange to her that random goblins could cause the skeletons to attack other goblins. What if one goblin simply didn’t like another? This seemed like a system ripe for corruption.

Kreglr walked in before Liora could voice her concerns.

He was an older goblin with greying fur and dull yellow eyes. He seemed to walk fine enough on his own. Liora wondered how old he was. She wondered if she should ask.

“Kreglr.” Paul acknowledged the shaman’s presence.

“Master.” Krelgr responded in kind.

Calling Paul master was a new habit of the goblins. A habit Paul seemed fine with. It made Liora smile.

“Can you count Krelgr?” Paul asked.

“Yes master.”

“Good. You will teach Grag his numbers. I grow tired of him not knowing them.”

“Sorry master.” Grag said lowering his head.

Paul waved a hand dismissively. “Learn quickly or you’ll be replaced. Krelgr you’ll start teaching the tenets of Shiiraviia. You’ll meet with me each day and I will teach you the ways of the goddess.”

Krelgr made a pained expression. “Master, our people have gods.”

“And Shiiraviia will be among them from now on.” Paul said. “I will also teach you my language and you will teach it to the others. I grow tired of having to renew my language spell two to three times a day, just to talk to you all.”

“Master…” Krelgr paused as if trying to come up with a way to say what he wanted without offending Paul. “Some goblins may find it hard to learn your language.”

Paul leaned forward and pointed an accusing finger at Krelgr. “If goblins are too stupid to speak two languages, then they won’t speak goblin. If your adult goblin can’t learn, start with the young. I have time.”

Krelgr flinched under Paul’s gaze. He visible shrank, trying to make himself too small to notice. His discomfort made Liora smile. She took little pleasure from her unlife, she had to relish it when it came.

“We will also have the burned down structures rebuilt.” Paul said. “How long does it usually take goblins to construct such things as longhouses and your crude huts?”

Krelgr shifted a little. “It would take our people a few weeks to make a longhouse, master.” He looked away. “Many of the goblins don’t like the work, they are more likely to just wait until we captured slaves of other races to build it for us.”

Paul barked a laugh. “Too bad for them then. By my reconning, we have around fifty goblin slaves who can work on the long houses. The freedmen get first choice of housing. The rest can sleep outside until the huts and longhouses are done.”

“But master, they will need a lot of oversight. Many will just be lazy…”

Whatever Kreglr was going to say got cut off as Paul roared. “Then watch them closely! It is what the undead are for, muscle.”

Liora was quickly becoming bored with this line of dialog and turned, making her way out of the hut. The night’s sky was barely visible through the canopy of trees.

The surroundings were a stark contrast to the once vibrant Deepwood she remembered. Now it felt more like a necropolis, with undead creatures patrolling the streets and goblins scurrying about in fear or submission. She wondered how the goblin society, with its new hierarchy and plans for expansion, would evolve under Paul's rule.

As she strolled through the narrow pathways, she overheard snippets of conversation among the goblins. They spoke in hushed tones, exchanging worried glances. The news of their village becoming a staging ground for conquest and Paul's plans for an army had unsettled them.

Liora observed a group of goblin adults whispering anxiously. They glanced at her with a mix of fear and reverence, taking hurried steps to make way as she passed. It was clear that the presence of an undead wraith, bonded to Paul, instilled a deep sense of dread among the goblins.

Further along the path, she noticed a lone goblin repairing a damaged hut. His hands trembled as he worked, stealing glances in her direction. Liora decided to approach him, curious about the thoughts lingering in the mind of an ordinary goblin.

"Working hard, are you?" she said, her ethereal voice cutting through the eerie silence.

The goblin jumped at the sound, dropping his makeshift repair tools. He bowed hastily, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and reverence. "M-milady Liora, I didn't mean to slack off. Please, forgive me."

Liora observed the goblin's fidgeting form. "No need for apologies. I'm merely curious. How do you feel about these changes in the village? Paul's plans for an army and expansion."

The goblin gulped audibly, struggling to find words. "It is... unsettling, milady. We've always had our way of life, our gods. Now, it seems everything is changing. Master Paul is powerful, but the unknown... it frightens us."

Liora nodded, sensing the genuine concern in the goblin's words. "Change is inevitable, but I wonder how the goblin heart will adapt. Do you think your kin will accept Master Paul's vision willingly?"

The goblin hesitated before responding, "Some will resist, I'm sure. But fear of the unknown might force others to comply. We're a simple folk, milady, not used to such grand plans."

As Liora left the goblin to his repairs, she pondered the intricate tapestry of emotions within the goblin society. Fear, reverence, uncertainty – all woven together in the wake of Paul's ambitions. The success or failure of his plans rested not only on military strategy but on the delicate threads of goblin hearts and minds.