Smashed Skull
Smashed Skull is the least populous of the three great hobgoblin citadels in the Stoneheart Mountains. To compensate for their lack of hobgoblin manpower, the militaristic goblinoids open their ranks to hill giants, ogres, and even orcs. Gothar Khan views this alliance with these undisciplined barbarians as a necessary evil when considering their current predicament. Their hobgoblin foes to the north and south vastly outnumber or outclass their army. The inclusion of chaotic evil humanoids adds an unexpected wild card to the mix when combating their enemies. Although hobgoblins typically crave order and discipline, the weaker yet unorthodox adversary sometimes proves more dangerous than the marginally inferior but predictable opponent.
Gothar Khan recognizes the tempestuous nature of his newfound allies. Thus, he diverts much of his city’s limited resources to maintaining their hedonistic and expensive lifestyle even if his citizens must ultimately pay the price for their loyalty. He makes sure the ale flows freely and the servants are comely in the orcish quarter of the city. Some sources claim his forces include a significant number of half-orcs as well as human mercenaries happy to extract a pound of flesh from their dwarven enemies. While some of his subordinates grumble about this situation, they realize Smashed Skull would quickly crumble without the giants and the orcish shock troops. Gothar Khan mainly fights on the defensive, falling back on the city’s outer defenses of moats, palisades, and earthworks to keep their enemies at bay.
Gothar Khan is an average tactician. Instead, his abilities to motivate his troops and foster cohesion within the ranks of his diverse army prove to be his strengths. He also excels at reading his opponents, a skill he acquired playing games involving varying degrees of skill and chance. Gothar Khan willingly engages his adversaries in small skirmishes and minor battles, but when matched against a vastly superior force, the cagey hobgoblin boasts about his secret weapon — a otherworldly creature of terrible might and power contained within a magical prison beneath his citadel. To date, no adversary has ever challenged the wily Gothar’s boast, leading many to speculate whether the being exists at all or is merely a figment of his vivid imagination.
Stronghold
Smashed Skull, City of
Type
Fortress
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