Poogs

Poogs
Official art of Poogs, by Elaine Tipping.
Type	PC
Actor	George Primavera
Character Information
Pronouns	he/him
Also known as	Brother (by Freedom)
Creature type	Humanoid
Race	Goblin
Class	Fighter (Battle Master)
Languages	Common, Goblin
Places	Utesspire Mountains, Issylra (originally) Vasselheim
Connections	Freedom Windsong (friend, former boss) Ear-Devourer (pet skull spider) Timpani Guff (best friend) The Re-Slayer's Take
Profession	Stab squire (formerly) Adventurer
Status
Status	Alive (before 843 PD)
Stats
Level	3
HP	21
AC
DC
Appearances
First seen	"The Carnivorous Cube" (RTx01)

Poogs is a goblin associated with the The Re-Slayer's Take. He is played by George Primavera.

Official art of Poogs, by Elaine Tipping.

Description

Appearance

Poogs is a green goblin man who lacks the usual sharp teeth of his people, using instead a false set of very straight teeth.

Personality

He is a friendly man, even described as a "gentleman", empathetic and eager, and confident enough to talk about his fake teeth without complex.

Biography

Background

Poogs came from the Utesspire Mountains, from a goblin community in which he acted as the squire of a wrathful combat medic. Since he wasn't happy with his life (and the only creature dear to him at home was a pet skull spider) he ran away, eventually finding Timpani Guff; although he tried to steal from him at first, the firbolg showed him only kindness, and eventually Poogs felt how his Curse of Strife was lifted because of it, so he thanked the druid with a cupcake. One of the first things he did after that was to replace his goblinoid teeth (which were already yellow and not very healthy) with straighter ones; he left his mouth without natural teeth, and the spellcaster (Duderonomous) sent him a set of straight human-looking teeth, although somewhat large for his small mouth, which caused him some difficulty in speaking. After that, he was just trying to get by after a very hard life, more peacefully, keeping his stabbing knife but swearing never to use it again. He stayed with Timpani while the firbolg was still trying to join the Slayer's Take, and although he supported him, his presence never made a difference in the druid's chances of entering the guild.

"The Carnivorous Cube" (RTx01)

Fan art of Poogs and the candidates, by Elaine Tipping.

Around 839 PD, a year after he left the Utesspire Mountains, he went to Himblewood with Timpani to meet potential recruits for the Slayer's Take. Poogs was in charge of the list of candidates, asking them to write their names while he asked them their motivations for joining the guild; one of them, Idrin Shadowstep, noticing the goblin's big dentures, asked to examine it, and combining Mending with Chronal Shift, managed to break it and then fix it to leave it with a size more in line with the owner's mouth. When Poogs tried it, he was elated when he realized he could talk normally, and when he was on stage, speaking to the people gathered, he was still enjoying his improved speech.

After Idrin and three other candidates (Frog, Farah Vallari and Heera Agneheart) defeated a gelatinous cube Timpani accidentally released, they were accepted as members of the Slayer's Take, and were told to meet the firbolg at dusk for their first job. At the end of the day, the group met him and Poogs in the forest, and Timpani decided to share with them a ghost story that was popular in the guild; his intention was to spook the new members, so when a terrifying sound was heard, Timpani assumed Poogs was helping him with sound effects. When they realized that wasn't the case (since Poogs had been away and distracted), and noticed strange lights and an avalanche, they started running.

"The Bog House" (RTx02)

Fan art of Poogs being rescued, by Elaine Tipping.

Poogs fell behind and ended up buried in the snow, but since one of his hands was still protruding, Heera was able to locate him, fire a crossbow bolt tied to a rope, and bring him to the surface with Frog's help (discovering that they had stuck the projectile in the goblin's ass by accident). Shortly after, four snowmen with shiny backs started approaching, and Poogs paralyzed, hoping he wouldn't be noticed; one of the monsters, however, tried to hit him, but he dodged the attack. When the adventurers defeated all the enemies, Poogs tried to congratulate them, but roots grabbed him and dragged him away.

His group tried to find him, and when they found a green energy dome Frog theorized that maybe Poogs was inside, and Farah commented that if the thing dragging him was a ghost, it might have allowed the goblin to pass through the barrier.

"The Frozen Puppet" (RTx03)

Behind the barrier, Poogs was brought to the old lair of Rimefang, a white dragon defeated by Vox Machina more than two decades ago, and ended up inside the monster's ribcage. When his friends arrived to rescue him, however, he fell, as several tendrils took control of the dragon skeleton to use it against the adventurers. Poogs played a supportive role during the fight, helping Farah when she was trapped in the ice and when she was restrained by vines. He, however, ended up frightened by Rimefang's puppet scream, and even after being attacked the goblin priorized running away while the rest of his group destroyed their enemy.

An hour later, when the adventurers joined Timpani as he tried to convince two members of the Slayer's Take about the undead activity in the area, Poogs was present, and when the members of the guild left, not wanting to listen to the firbolg, both the goblin and Idrin told him that part of the reason was that he had been lying during his activities. Despite this, when Timpani stated his desire of unveiling the truth and helping people, Poogs immediately went with him, being followed shortly after by the other adventurers.

"The Voiceless Village" (RTx04)

Fan art of the salty cupcakes, by Elaine Tipping.

When the Re-Slayer's Take were about to leave for their first official mission Poogs brought them fifteen cupcakes he had baked himself with his own sweat. Although he claimed that the baker had given him permission to use his oven, a very inquisitive Heera made him admit that the baker had actually told him no, and the tiefling told him that if he indended to sneak there in the future he had to make sure he wasn't noticed. Idrin, wanting to get the extremely salty taste of the cupcakes out of his mouth, asked Poogs to bring water, and the goblin met the adventurers in the park, giving them several bottles just before Traveling via Plants to the swamp near Josgren's Hollow.

They appeared in quicksand, and Poogs, as the shortest, ended up below the surface instantly, but Heera located him very fast, and the combined efforts of Timpani and Frog allowed the goblin to get out of there. After that he walked with his friends until they reached the village, where they eventually encountered the whispers.

"The Whispers" (RTx05)

During the fight against the whispers Timpani and Poogs ended up in quicksand again, and the firbolg, trying to get free, sank even faster, so when the battle was over Poogs called the rest of his friends so they would hurry, because Timpani was already under the surface. After he was rescued they had a brief meeting with a local politician, Vaughn Josgren Jr, which led them to break someone out of the village's prison: this person turned out to be Janet, a friend of Timpani.

"The Hungry Cloud" (RTx06)

On their way to Janet's caravan Poogs started feeling jealous about his close relationship with Timpani. However, after they prepared to go to the whispers' lair, Idrin had a brief talk with the goblin, explaining to him that it was possible for a person to have more than one best friend. Poogs, pleased to know that, told Janet that they were officially friends and they fistbumped (although the goblin was initially confused by the gesture, which had aggressive connotations in his culture). When they finally reached the lair, while the adventurers were destroying the mushrooms that produced the spores forming the whispers' bodies, Janet started playing an invisible keyboard producing a song as a distraction, and since the biggest enemy (the whispering mouther) was focused on the bard, Poogs wrapped a rope around him just in case; this was useful when the whispering mouther engulfed Janet, knocking him unconscious for a few moments (until Timpani's Healing Word) while the goblin dragged him to safety, while trying to tell a very scared Frog to stay away. Shortly after, Idrin put an end to the battle by destroying the whispering mouther with a Lightning Bolt, and Poogs confirmed that the people kidnapped by the whispers were still alive.

Later, when they were celebrating back in Josgren's Hollow, Timpani told Poogs that he was his best friend, and gave him a harmonica, which Poogs loved.

"The Monster in the Mirror" (RTx07)

On their next mission the Re-Slayers went to Shoresight Isle with Timpani's Transport via Plants spell, but appeared on the edge of a cliff and fell; luckily, they were able to catch themselves in time and climb back up, in Poogs' case using his rope and some assistance from his best friend. After meeting with Duderonomous (Timpani's old friend who had sent them a message asking for help) they went to the local tavern, where they were soon attacked by the villagers, controlled by some sort of invisible ghost tentacles. One of them grabbed Poogs, but Idrin helped him get loose; after that, the goblin tried to help by throwing a goblet at the controlled bartender, failing to distract him, so he focused on helping to reduce the other neighbors in a non-lethal way instead.

"The Lost Light" (RTx08)

When they returned to the lighthouse Duderonomous, under the control of the entity (the ghost of an aboleth), manipulated the Magnificent Mansion spell affecting the building and sent Poogs and Timpani through a doorway that then disappeared, leaving them trapped for a while, dealing with visions and other illusory harmful manipulations. Eventually, all the Re-Slayers were able to return to the same place in the actual lighthouse, and Poogs asked if everyone else was ok; he, however, was particularly shaken, and while Farah was talking to them about the enemy they were facing, Heera told her with a gesture to give the goblin some space for the moment.

When they heard Duderonomous upstairs, they went to help him, and with some effort (which involved Idrin casting Light to make the lighthouse work again) they managed to scare away the ghost. After that Poogs pointed at the mage's strange translucent skin, which led Timpani to reveal a message on his back with instructions to restore his mind.

"The Dark Well" (RTx09)

Before they followed the aboleth Timpani healed the team, and while he was doing so Duderonomous revealed to Poogs that he was the wizard that had made his fake teeth; the goblin was surprised and grateful, and told him that Idrin had helped him as well by adapting the size of the teeth to better fit his mouth. The adventurers used the aboleth's old bones to bait him outside its cave, and Poogs stayed near Frog (the one carrying the bag with the bones) to help her, even after she told him to leave. When they were already outside Poogs signaled Duderonomous, who used the light from his home to weaken the ghost; although it managed to knock Frog unconscious, Heera destroyed it, and Timpani arrived shortly after to help the aeormaton, since Poogs didn't know how to stabilize her.

They went to the sea cave to close a portal the ghost had been using, and as Timpani was doing so, a spectral black finger attacked him, leaving him confused and unfocused, talking nonsense. After Idrin determined that was likely a magical disease, Poogs proposed to bring the firbolg to Duderonomous, but he used his Hidden Step to walk away, still confused, running towards a tree and casting Transport via Plants. His friends ran after him and crossed the portal in time, appearing in the Utesspire Mountains. Recognizing the area, Poogs agreed to bring Timpani to his old home to help him, although he wasn't happy about it.

"The Curse of Strife (episode)" (RTx10)

Poogs guided his friends through the mountains, warning them about local dangers such as the landsharks, and explaining to them that although he didn't have many friends at home, there was a medic they could potentially trust. As they moved through a tunnel, he told Heera about his experience with the Curse of Strife, as well as his first encounter with Timpani, and the tiefling promised to help him. When they went through an area with Goblin writing (which both the fighter and the rogue understood) they confirmed that hobgoblins had arrived to the area at some point, and when Heera tried to access the settlement by asking for help in Goblin, and Poogs praised her accent.

When they finally came in, they arrived to an area filled with goblins, and Poogs got very tense, until the group was greeted warmly and someone offered them a fruit basket; shocked, the fighter checked with Farah, who confirmed that those people didn't seem to be possessed. Shortly after, the medic that were looking for appeared and hugged Poogs (who for a moment thought he was going to be stabbed), calling him brother and introducing himself with a new name, Freedom Windsong, and told them that the settlement was now called Hug Hive. They asked him for help, and the doctor agreed to examine Timpani, revealing the firbolg suffered from mindfire, an effect of the Contagion spell, and left him with his assistants, assuring the group that with a few hours and the proper ritual, Timpani would be healed; at Freedom's place Poogs was also welcomed by his pet skull spider, still alive and happy to see him. Freedom guided them through a tunnel, showing them a pillar with a goblin hand holding a cupcake, and telling Poogs how witnessing his first kind interaction with Timpani had freed Freedom from the Curse of Strife, and how he had done the same for the rest of their community (making the fighter cry, and causing Heera to remind him that even the small gestures could help others); the doctor then recommended the adventurers to meditate there for a bit, and when Idrin asked for some cupcake to leave as offering Poogs showed him a flattened mass in his backpack, of which the wizard took a piece. After they returned to Hug Hive, they spent some more time with Freedom and shared a meal before he left to prepare the ritual, giving Poogs some slug milk to use on his cupcakes. After that the younger goblin told his friends that the Slayer's Take had been there once, dealing with a mind flayer, and although he wasn't worried (since it had happened a long time ago) the others got worried and started asking about the monster and its remains; Poogs told them the skeleton used to be at the entrance, and that the hobgoblins probably took it. Shortly after they got confirmation that the remains had been gone for only a week, the entire group suffered a psychic attack and heard a telepathic threat, falling to their knees.

"The Rotten Soldiers" (RTx11)

After realizing that many of the local goblins had suffered the attack too, the adventurers spoke with them and shared some healing kombucha, learning that, according to their scouts, an army of skeletons was approaching; when Poogs noticed that they were too relaxed about it he hurried them so that they could prepare the defense of the settlement. As part of the preparations, the fighter made sure everyone in his team had the magical earrings they had found in Rimefang's lair, so that they could communicate from a distance.

During the battle, Poogs stayed out of sight, and at some point went with Timpani, being with the firbolg when he, after being healed by Freedom, came back to the Re-Slayers, who had just defeated the enemy.

"The Timberblight of Dead Man's Table" (RTx12)

After saying goodbye to Freedom and his people, Poogs and his friends used miniature horses to return to the tree that had brought them to the Utesspire Mountains, using it to Travel via Plants to the Vesper Timberland, near Dead Man's Table. When they reached the top Poogs took his stabbing knife ready to use it, since Putridius Festerkin deserved it. A battle ensued, and the moment the goblin fighter got close to the enemy his Aura of Poison hurt him, so he had to use his Second Wind to restore some health, and later managed to stab him once. As he got weaker, the Timberblight declared that he would take something from the Re-Slayers one way or another, casting Mind Sliver and knocking Poogs unconscious; Frog, however, reacted fast, taking her friend away from the danger and using the radiant light she had created with her punches to destroy Putridius.

Timpani woke Poogs up with Mass Cure Wounds, and Frog declared he had been very brave. The fighter told Timpani that maybe their new deed would convince the Slayer's Take to accept them, but the firbolg declared they had a team of their own already. After a brief celebration Poogs suggested to go back to Himblewood to rest, and although Timpani told him he was still a good stab squire, the goblin decided to leave his knife in the plateau, declaring he was done with it. As they were making their way to the town, they were stopped by people of the Slayer's Take led by Heldwell, very ready to kill them; however, one of them, Sweeny (a gnome), saved them by teleporting them to a bakery where Kashaw Vesh told the group Osysa wanted to speak with them.

"The Cat's Cathedral" (RT2x01)

In Osysa's lair the sphinx started analyzing the Re-Slayers, and told Poogs that he sensed his guilty conscience for stealing ingredients from a bakery, making him nervous. Shortly after she isolated each member of the group with darkness and illusions, and presumably tested the goblin in some way, before releasing them all. Idrin, who was very affected by his own test, threw his magical beads to Poogs, and before the adventurers could react, the wizard crossed a portal to Xhorhas.

After returning to Timpani's house, Poogs was nervous about what to do with the beads, and Heera tried to cheer him up telling him that Idrin wanted him to protect them, although she mentioned that the goblin lacked ability, making him feel worse. Frog kneeled in front of him and helped him put the beads on his wrists, causing the moved Poogs to declare that he would do his best until they find someone worthy of the item. Again Heera tried to cheer him up by saying that he was already worthy, and the goblin commented that in the past he had been a thief, recounting the way he met Timpani; Frog replied that under other circumstances she could have ended up a criminal too, although she would not be as good as Poogs (making him feel bad again).

"The Masked Man" (RT2x02)

The next morning, after sleeping for the first time in the new headquarters, Poogs baked some cupcakes using slug milk and some of the "salt" that Farah had given him. When they went out into the street and saw that Timpani was looking very elegant, the goblin theorized that he had a date, causing curiosity to the rest of the group, who followed the druid when he left, until he became invisible to leave them behind. Poogs then shared the cupcakes with their friends, and when they told them they tasted good, he confessed he had used more slug milk and less salt since they had complained about the flavor before. He then left to share them with their neighbor Bongo.

After walking around Vasselheim on his own until lunchtime, Poogs met up with the rest of the group in front of the library, and although he seemed worried about something related to his cupcakes, he decided not to say anything.

"The Dire Descent" (RT2x03)

After Frog told them about a potential mission to retrieve her missing pieces, the group agreed to go. During the hour of preparation before leaving, Farah questioned Poogs about his cupcakes, having noticed his concern, until he confessed that he had given one to Bongo and Bongo had fainted while driving a carriage. When the blood hunter realized that it was due to the special properties of slug milk, she asked her friend to cook two batches of cupcakes for the trip: one without slug milk and the other with said ingredient; she stayed with him throughout the entire process, and at the end she kept the sleep-inducing batch. Before they left Poogs said goodbye to Ear-Devourer. When they appeared in the Spectrum Gorge there was a landslide and they were attacked by a magma landshark controlled by marionettes. Trying to help, Timpani created a Wall of Stone but it caused Poogs to be thrown into the air, so Heera had to catch him. Eventually the group managed to take refuge in the building of a mining company.

There they met a Disguised man who, after revealing his true appearance, introduced himself as Xella. While they were speaking Poogs realized that the undead landshark attack had been caused by the Timberblight, and Timpani admitted that Osysa had insinuated to him that Putridius wasn't truly gone, but her explanation and rhymes had been confusing so he didn't understand it at first. The Re-Slayers decided that they would defeat the monster if Xella helped them, and after some preparation at a workshop, they descended through the tunnels guided by Xella; Poogs offered Farah (who had been transformed into goo because of a experimental product) to travel inside his backpack, but she refused. Shortly after they discovered that the current that was supposed to keep the magma landshark away was hampered by fungal growth.

"The Monstrous Mine" (RT2x04)

Poogs was very alarmed by the situation, and given his experience with landsharks, informed the rest of the group that they were in a very vulnerable place in the mines, since the monster could attack them from literally anywhere. They, however, decided to stay and try to restore the river by destroying the fungus, so they could use the water against the magma landshark. When Farah asked, the goblin put the sleep-inducing cupcakes inside her gelatinous form, and they started moving in the direction of their enemy's screams; the blood hunter, however, made Poogs return with the rest of the group. When the landshark attacked, some of the Re-Slayers focused on fighting it while Frog and Xella tried to get rid of the fungus; just when Poogs was checking on the monk, she created a big enough opening, and the current dragged them. The goblin fighter went with his friends, who were still trying to destroy the monster, and when he saw Heera hurt in the ground, he used the beads Idrin had given him to create a protective ward around her; the tiefling, however, was worried about his safety and made him get to safety (which he did, somewhat hurt for not being allowed to stay).

After the monster was defeated and Sasha the half-orc bodyguard was rescued, they returned to the workshop, where Xella gave them their rewards and told them about a potential new mission in a gnomish village nearby.

"The Befuddled Bravehearts" (RT2x05)

The next morning, on the way to Seedfeld, Poogs was irritable and when asked about it explained that he resented being pulled away from combat when he was trying to help, although his bad mood subsided somewhat when Heera told him that he He brought many unique things to the team, and they could train him if they wanted. He then left to find Timpani, and when he told him the idea, the firbolg wasn't happy about it, since he thought Poogs didn't want to be involved in violent situations. The conversation was getting tense, so they agreed to continue later.

When they arrived to Seedfeld they found it mostly empty, with the exception of some gnomes, of which only one, Norbert Klott, was able to fight. When Poogs noticed his aggressive demeanor he approached ready to defend the Re-Slayers, and Norbert thought he was a bandit until the other adventurers explained the situation. The gnome told them that he was taking care of the local heroes, the Mega Magic Paladins, who had become incapacitated after trying to solve the mystery of the yellow cloud blocking the sun over their town. Timpani suggested that Poogs could stay taking care of the warriors so that Norbert could act as a guide for the rest of the group, and although the goblin didn't like the idea at first, when the gnome told him he saw great promise in him, he agreed. Poogs asked his friends not to return to the village like the paladins (in a trance, unable to do anything), and Timpani replied that if that were to be the case, he wouldn't want any other caretaker.

"The Confounding Cavern" (RT2x06)

While his friends were gone the wind gibbons returned to Seedfeld, so Poogs had to fend them off while he was taking care of the paladins. He ended up tiring them down and gaining their respect after they threw him around like he was a ball.

"The Melancholic March" (RT2x08)

Poogs, very tired, welcomed his friends when they returned to Seedfeld after completing their mission, and asked them about their mission; he also gave Norbert his headband back, now very sweaty. Frog, who was under the effects of a Potion of Flying, asked the goblin if he wanted her to take him with her for a bit, but he refused, remembering his recent experience as the gibbons' toy. Since he and the leader of the wind gibbons were in good terms, the creatures stayed in town while the adventurers and the Mega Magic Paladins celebrated.

The next morning Frog told Poogs that her compass was detecting one of her missing pieces westward, and she left; the goblin followed her, saying goodbye in a hurry, and he was in turn followed by the rest of their group. While they approached the Utesspire Mountains Poogs and Timpani remembered they were near the area were they first met, and tried to apologize to each other for their most recent argument; Timpani ended up agreeing to teach Poogs some stuff to be more useful in the battlefield, as long as he kept his promise of not stabbing people ever again. When she heard their conversation, Heera started ennumerating the many flaws of the goblin in combat, and Frog started transcribing for him. Later, when Heera expressed concern about the fact that Heldwell had Gurt's lantern, Timpani agreed to go check on his friend and return the next day. As Poogs had suggested, they camped there, and he spent some time talking with Frog, revealing to her that Osysa had told him he was supposed to be the protector of the Hug Hive, and that he didn't feel prepared, hence his desire to be a better warrior; the monk told him that the moment for him to take that role would come eventually but that he shouldn't hurry, and the fighter admitted he didn't like that a sphinx was deciding his future for him. Timpani returned that same night after learning the tree used to access Gurt's bog had been burned, and following Poogs's advice, he used an owl to cast Animal Messenger and send a message to his friend, with the rest of the Re-Slayers telling him how to use the limited number of words for the spell. After Heera shared her thoughts about their vulnerable position now that Heldwell was an ally of the Timberblight, Poogs suggested to finish their current task and return to Vasselheim to ask the Slayer's Take for advice, and when Farah and Timpani started arguing about how trustworthy the guild was, Poogs acted as a conciliator, telling them they could appreciate the kindness they had shown to them (like the druid said) while still being reasonably cautious (like the blood hunter wanted). When they were about to go to bed Heera took her new egg with her but panicked when she noticed it was cold; Poogs, however, calmed her down by telling her that hook horror eggs needed to be warm during the day and cold during the night in order to hatch, and the tiefling was thankful for the information.

"The Restless Retreat" (RT2x09)

After a small surprise when they found a swarm of eidolon ghosts in the area, the adventurers went to bed, and Poogs stayed awake alone for the first watch (since Timpani fell asleep). When it was Farah's turn he woke her up, but before he could sleep she asked the goblin to cover her while she went down to the forest, returning minutes later and confirming that everything was fine. In the morning, when they woke up, Poogs suggested Goodberry pancakes for breakfast, and him and Timpani made them together, for the rest of the group.

They continued advancing through the mountain pass until they came across a large nest; both Poogs and Frog were slightly confused when Timpani told them it was the home of a roc, but it became clear when a gargantuan bird appeared, furious at finding strangers so close to her eggs. Farah tried to knock the monster unconscious with her sleepy cupcakes, but smashed the food on its chest instead of the beak; however, when the roc grabbed Timpani with a claw Poogs approached and managed to push some of the cupcake inside its mouth, causing it to fall asleep. As they were leaving the area Poogs tried to relieve the tension joking about Heera's hook horror egg, but when she started weeping because of the stress, he comforted her, and when Frog suggested to buy a gold piece for her to put in her broken horn, the goblin declared he would be willing to pay for it, since he had barely spent any money last time they were in Vasselheim. They kept moving, and when they heard some detonations in the distance, they went in that direction. Farah said it sounded like ship cannons, but Poogs argued that none of the bodies of water in the area was big enough for a boat with those weapons. When they reached a certain point on the mountain the temperature dropped so much that Timpani lent Poogs his coat, asking him not to touch the pockets; after a while they came to a valley with a solitary cabin and a sign that threatened trespassers, saying they would be thrown off the top of the mountain. Without much confidence, Poogs joked that whoever lived there couldn't throw them all away at once.

"The Hermit's Hill" (RT2x10)

When they started climbing the stairs they soon discovered that there were hidden traps, and when one of them was activated by Frog, both Poogs and Timpani were very alarmed when she fell down the stairs, getting very hurt. When they finally reached the cabin they met Professor Alexander Parade, an eccentric dwarf who was doing research in the valley with local resources, and searching for lost Aeorian technology. Poogs expressed curiosity about the professor's sources, but he was told he wasn't smart enough to get them; however, shortly after Alexander agreed to share with him some of his work, instructing him to go out with a bag full of black powder. Poogs obeyed (with Timpani Enhancing his friend's Strength to make it easier), but ended up covered in the substance when he fell, so Alexander told him to swim in the nearby pond before the sun caused him to catch fire; the goblin did that immediately.

"The Terrible Twigmen" (RT2x11)

Poogs was joined by the rest of the group shortly after, when they walked down the stairs after Alexander deactivated all the traps (which annoyed the goblin, since he had had to deal with them). They all went together to a crater where the professor showed them how to use the black powder, but shortly after a twigman appeared and stole Frog's screwdriver, so they went to their lair; on their way there Farah carried her flaming sword, and Poogs made sure to walk away from her in case the powder reacted. When they arrived to the area where the twigmen lived Frog commented she had a bad feeling about the place, and Poogs agreed, even though their weapons weren't reacting to undead presence.

"The Hexed Hive" (RT2x12)

When the battle started after the detonation of the twigmen's tree, Poogs threw some black powder at them, and although he was attacked, he retired to the pine tree where Heera was hiding, climbing with her; the tree itself, animated by Timpani's Speak with Plants, used its own branches to prevent the twigmen from reaching them. Poogs lit a torch for Heera, and she used it to send flaming arrows against their enemies. Shortly after, when Frog disappeared inside the crater, both of them approached, stopping for a moment so that Poogs could help Timpani, who got stuck in the hole; when they finally reached their friend, Alexander had already finished the last enemy off.

After they recovered Douglas's heart piece and Frog's screwdriver they returned to Alexander's cabin, where he fixed his robotic dog. After a brief period of celebration the dwarf offered them to stay, but Poogs explained that they had problems to solve, so the Re-Slayer's Take had to leave; the goblin declared it had been a pleasure to meet Alexander, who thanked them again for their help. After saying goodbye the group left with their wagon.

"The Decomposing Domicile" (RT2x13)

After returning to Vasselheim, Poogs spent his time cooking and looking after Ear-Devourer. A few days later, when he realized he was out of slug milk, Timpani offered to take him to the Hug Hive to get more. The goblin accepted, but first spent a few minutes checking on the rest of the team, helping Frog install her new arms now that she had regained her usual size (and putting her in a good mood by telling her that she would now be able to draw and fight at the same time), witnessing Farah getting angry at a delivered package from Dr. Fitzwaggle, and Heera being paranoid around Timpani. He then proceeded to announce that Kash has sent them a letter offering them a mission investigating Heldwell's mansion; when Farah said she still didn't trust the cleric Poogs told her that although he respected her wisdom, he would prefer to have proof before accusing Kashaw of anything. Frog assured the goblin that he and Timpani could leave the mission to them, and Heera declared that she would like it that way, since she needed some time away from the firbolg, whose visage had been tormenting her in dreams. When Poogs noticed her tattoos and pressed the matter, the tiefling admitted she might have had sold her soul without knowing. He proposed to find a way to break her deal, but she said she had to face the consequences of her own decisions, and when Timpani suggested Freedom might be able to help, she Disguised as the Strife Emperor to show them how serious the issue was. Poogs left with Timpani, very scared.

"The Cursed Contract" (RT2x16)

In the Hug Hive Poogs took several lost treasures with him for his friends, but when Timpani was supposed to bring them home, he was so distracted that he sent them to quicksand again, so they ended up arriving to Vasselheim the next morning, shocking Frog with the unlikely incident. The goblin told them that Freedom sent his regards, and presented Farah and Frog with presents (a Carpet of Flying and a magical quarterstaff respectively); then he went to Timpani's floor, following him and Heera, and after a moment of tension with Maurice (who apparently wanted cooking to be their shared "thing") he gave the tiefling a Cloak of Elvenkind. After Timpani went downstairs they were left alone, and Poogs gave Heera another gift: a cupcake, perfectly baked using sugar and following the advice of the Re-Slayers. She liked it, but then started behaving nervously around him, asking if he was feeling ok; he responded with the same question, mentioning the Disguise Self she had used the day before, and telling her she had reminded him of Gorgonthakahn, the hobgoblin who used to lead the conquests of the Hoard Hive. Poogs explained that, the same way said warrior felt good following the Strife Emperor, he himself had felt good while he had the curse of strife (something not even Timpani knew); he also said that although the deal Heera made had good intentions, it was still dangerous. She admitted that she regretted it, and that she felt she was walking on the edge of a dagger, revealing that Bane wanted Poogs back, even though the goblin didn't; they both agreed, however, that regardless of the god's wishes she wouldn't force her friend to accept the curse of strife again. Poogs reminded her that the Re-Slayers would help her, and after a fist bump he added they could always chat if she needed to; she started threatening him not to tell anyone about such conversations, and the goblin told her that he knew, without letting her finish. Gavain told them about a red dragonborn asking for them at the door, and after a brief pause in Farah's floor they went to meet him. This wealthy client offered a massive amount of gold in exchange for dealing with a monster in the Thorain Tundra; when he left and Heera declared he was cool, both Timpani and Poogs (who had been actually impressed by how rich he was) questioned it. Later they received a letter carried by Idrin's hawk, in which he told them about his own adventurers, wishing he could come back already, and in which he thanked Timpani and Poogs for keeping him updated with their letters, making the goblin cry.

The next day they went to the park with warm clothing that belonged to Timpani in different moments of his life; Poogs found living snails in one of his pockets, and left them there before leaving to the tundra with the group.

"The Fading Frosts" (RT2x17)

When the Re-Slayers arrived Timpani apologized for not bringing them closer to the construction zone, explaining that the further north they went, the fewer trees were available; as they advanced they noticed that the temperature, despite being cold, fluctuated strangely, and the druid confirmed that this was not the case the last time he visited the Thorain Tundra. In the ruins they met their client's employee, Derek (who turned out to be one of the potential candidates that wanted to join the Slayer's Take in Himblewood weeks before, although they barely remembered him), who explained the monster's attacks; the adventurers deduced that it could be an Apex Eidolon. Farah then told Heera that she really needed the reward of the mission, even if she didn't want to hurt eidolons, and when he heard it Poogs told her that if she really needed to she could always sell the carpet he had given to her. When they learned the creature was angry because its forest and runic stones had been disturbed, they decided to use said rocks to move it to a new location without harming it. Heera asked Timpani if he could use his Wild Shape to help with the plan, and he admitted that it wasn't his forte, with Poogs declaring it always looked very odd; that led to the firbolg turning into a talking badger that still had one of his humanoid hands, which the goblin described as an abomination. When Derek revealed that the runic stones had been thrown away, Farah said that Heera should go find them and use her powers to read their runes; the tiefling agreed and left with Poogs, hiding both of them with her new elven cloak. As she started walking she told the goblin that her letting him ride on her back was a one-time thing, but he didn't believe it.

While they were looking for the stones under the snow, Poogs noticed that Heera seemed distracted, but after a while she found a slate rock with the Druidic runic meaning "home/den", and he found another; the goblin asked her if she was feeling alright, and she brushed it off. Since they wouldn't be able to move all the stones at once, they decided to take one and return later for the other, so Poogs took some fabric from his vest and a bell Heera gave him and went to make an identifiable mark for when they returned. After that, he and his friend started moving the first of the runic stones.

"The Stalked Spirit" (RT2x18)

When the group reunited, Poogs, like the rest, was horrified by the strange firbolg-moose hybrid that Timpani had transformed into (although being familiar with it he took it with some amused resignation). They all returned together to look for the runic stones (locating seven in total) but when the time came to use them they realized that they did not want to force the Apex Eidolon to move (since they had no guarantees that people would not invade its new territory), and decided to destroy the construction instead; Poogs consoled Farah by telling her that if she was worried about money she could always ask Freedom for more treasures, since the latter still felt like he owed the Re-Slayers. When they were done cleaning the area, the elk-like spirit appeared, and despite its aggressive demeanor, Poogs moved towards it, claiming they weren't enemies. The eidolon calmed down, sniffed them all, and made a new sapling grow; Poogs told Frog she should draw that, and she informed him she had been doing it since the beginning.

When Grimm Heldwell appeared to claim the power of the elk spirit, he used magic to paralyze some of the Re-Slayers, but Poogs shot him in the head with his slingshot, angering the wizard, who compared him to a useless flea. A battle ensued, and when the goblin shot again at Heldwell, he responded more aggressively, with Toll the Dead, and shortly after included Poogs in his Hold Person (along with Timpani). While he was distracted fighting the other adventurers, however, Poogs managed to get free from the magical effect, jumping towards the enemy and grabbing his magical lantern; when Farah attacked with lava, Poogs moved behind the wizard (without letting go of him) to avoid the heat. Heldwell, furious, cast Power Word Pain on the goblin, causing him to fall screaming as the enemy moved away to claim the power of the Apex Eidolon.

"The Broken Beacon" (RT2x19)

Timpani cast Mass Cure Wounds to heal his friends and wake up Frog, but that didn't stop the pain that Poogs was suffering, preventing him from even getting up, and as the firbolg was trying to help him, a marionette grabbed the goblin; soon after they were surrounded by wraiths summoned by the corrupted wizard, but although Poogs (having failed to attack with his sling) asked him to, Timpani refused to abandon his friend. The druid then cast Healing Spirit with his own appearance to stay next to Poogs, and after threatening Heldwell he used a perfect Wild Shape, taking the form of a tiger and trying to bite his throat, but being hit by a Finger of Death immediately after; very weakly, Poogs told Heldwell they were going to stop him, but in response the wizard asked him who he was. Shortly after, however, Pike Trickfoot arrived to the battlefield, and her attacks served as distraction and motivation for the Re-Slayers, who destroyed Heldwell's lantern and freed the spiritual energy of the device, weakening the corrupted wizard so much it killed him.

After that, the adventurers were very worried about Farah (who had died because of her wounds) but after Poogs asked if no one could do anything, Pike resurrected her, and the goblin told her that she had scared them. He then asked the cleric how she had found them, and she explained to the Re-Slayers how she had learned about the Timberblight's activity and tracked Heldwell here. Since they needed a decent place to rest, she cast Temple of the Gods to give shelter to the group for some hours; Poogs was very curious about resurrection magic and asked Pike about it, before checking on Farah to make sure she was doing ok. Timpani was still very emotional after all that had happened earlier, and he walked away crying very loudly, as the goblin followed to comfort him. They gathered later when Pike asked them to, as she channeled the power of the Everlight to grant them a boon, improving their health.

Relationships

Ear-Devourer

This skull spider was one of the few things Poogs liked when he lived in the Hoard Hive. Ear-Devourer remembered him when he left, and greeted him warmly when he returned months later, staying with him. In the new headquarters the spider has created a nest in a corner of the goblin's room, and catches insects there. Since they live there Ear-Devourer is well fed and has grown.

Timpani Guff

Poogs is Timpani's best friend. He seems to have known Poogs for a while, long enough to work with him and expect him to support him in activities such as finding allies while pretending to be part of the Slayer's Take. The two of them disagree on how much should the goblin be involved in the missions, since Timpani believes Poogs should stay away from violence and combat.

He didn't know much about Timpani's past friendship, hence his jealousy when he learned he wasn't his only best friend, although the firbolg then assured him he was the closest one.

Character information

Notable items

• Dentures made by Duderonomous
• Magic earring
• Harmonica, a gift from Timpani taken from Janet's caravan
• Slug milk, a gift from Freedom Windsong
• Necklace of painted wooden beads that he wears as bracelets on his two hands, given to him by Idrin Shadowstep
• Sugar labeled as "salt" and given to him by Farah Vallari
• Slingshot

Former items

• Stabbing knife, left in Dead Man's Table, taken by Grimm Heldwell

Abilities

After meditating near the Cupcake Memorial Poogs got a permanent +1 to his AC.

A boon granted by the Everlight increased his Constitution ability score by 2.

Goblin abilities

Unless otherwise noted, the following abilities are assumed from the standard Dungeons and Dragons materials.

• Darkvision
• Fury of the Small
• Nimble Escape

Fighter features

• Fighting Style
• Second Wind
• Action Surge (once per rest)
• Martial Archetype: Battle Master

Appearances and mentions

• The Re-Slayer's Take, every episode except:
  • "The Promised Pact" (RT2x07), mentioned only, unnamed
  • "The Hopeless Hostages" (RT2x14), mentioned only
  • "The Mummified Menace" (RT2x15), mentioned only

Trivia

• Him and Timpani are rare examples of characters that start their adventure as both player characters and characters controlled by the GMs.
• Heera thinks Poogs is an unlucky person in general.
• Poogs likes to bake, but someone told him once that good food is made with blood, sweat, and tears. Since the goblin doesn't want to bleed on his food and can't cry on command, he "compensates" by adding a lot of sweat as an ingredient, which causes the resulting meal to be extremely salty.
• When they met Kashaw Vesh Poogs seemed to share Timpani's excitement, but since the firbolg was the only one mentioning a fan experience involving the cleric, it is possible that Poogs had not met Kash until that moment, knowing only of his reputation.
• In the new headquarters of the Re-Slayer's Take, Poogs lives on the second floor, where he has adapted everything to make it accessible for someone short like him.
• He used to like ghost stories, but now he is tired of them.
• He and Timpani kept in touch with Idrin via letters after he left.
• According to Heera Maurice Fiddlefoot reminds her of Poogs in a way, but with an attitude very different of that of the goblin. Ironically, Poogs doesn't like him because he makes tea and has an interest in cooking, which is his territory.
• If Poogs hadn't joined the Re-Slayers he would probably be a bakery apprentice.

References

Art: