Reaching the outer edges of the ring of light coming off the waterfall in Brightwater they made another stop. There were two reasons for doing so, first to calm down the goblins, as the place was known to the goblins as a haunt for harmful spirits, and second, so Tokki could run ahead and retrieve some hides from the stores, so masks could be fashioned for the goblins, to protect their eyes.

Once all of them had been outfitted for the unique conditions of their new home and taught the importance of wearing the masks, getting the goblins to enter the light still took much work, but between seeing how Hopper and Tokki could walk ahead and return unharmed and the frightening presence of Arnith at the back, they made progress.

Once behind the waterfall, the goblins found the place much to their liking. The younger ones took flight instantly to explore their new home.

"Tokki, get the fire going," Arnith said to him.

"Yes, Master." He replied.

Ama and the two other adult goblins followed the firepit and sat down next to it. They were more reserved in their enthusiasm about the place but still, they were looking around curiously.

Arnith felt tired, but also satisfied with how things had gone. The expedition had been a planned endeavor instead of a reactionary task, having success was a sweet morsel. He went to where his sleeping place was and laid down his shield and spear next to it.

Arnith noticed that the goblins were looking at him, it was not hard, his pile of dry moss was only some steps away from the firepit. The stares of the goblins at what he had begun to consider his private area reminded him that there were no longer just three of them here and privacy would be luxury now. The cave could still easily hold them, but if he wanted to be alone, he would need to go out to find solitude.

Loud noises began to come from down the cave. Arnith came to alert and the spear was back in his hands instantly.

A pack of juvenile goblins ran from the shadows at the back and Arnith could hear Hopper's voice following them as the group quipped excitedly.

Arnith relaxed and laid his weapon down again. It seems that Hopper has rousted some unwelcome guests from his abode, Arnith thought.

The image of the shaman finding the juvenile goblins ransacking his carefully cultivated collection of weirdness made the sides of his mouth rise up.

Arnith's mirth lasted only for as long as he took a look around.

"Hey, you! Put that down!" The elf called out.

There were a pair of goblins at where they had hung the meats that they had preserved, each of them had managed to pull down a leg of lizard and were gnawing into them with abandon.

Arnith was at them with a few quick strides. One of them let his prise fall down immediately, startled by the appearance the elf behind him, the other one tried to make a run for it, but Arnith was too fast for him and caught him by the ear before he had taken the third step.

"You cannot take from the stores yourself." He admonished the goblin.

Seeing that there was little recognition to his words, Arnith let out a sigh and released the goblin, who fast scampered away.

The elf took the two legs and pulled down another couple to roast at the firepit. He did not feel angry especially, but he was a little frustrated. He was sure that if things were left as they were, the moment he was not there the goblins, especially the younger ones would get up to much mischief. Someone would need to keep an eye on things.

Arnith returned to the pit and found that Tokki was just now beginning to have success in relighting the fire. Realizing that they had been at the cave for only some minutes since they arrived and already there were incidents, reaffirmed that there needed to be set down some rules quick or thing would get out of hand.

"Now then, this is how things are going to work from now on..." Arnith paused to make sure that all of those present were paying attention. "Ama, you will be in charge of the stores, both of the food and the crafting materials, no one except you, me, and Tokki can take from them, make sure that everyone understands that. Food will be rationed out sparingly, so there would always be some left for emergency situations." Arnith took a pause to, turn the meats that were roasting next to the fire. "Tokki will be in charge of venturing out to hunt and to gather materials. You two will go with him and follow his commands and if you do not listen to him, I will tan your hides, do you understand?" he said the last to the two adult males while pointing with his Longknife to emphasize the point.

Arnith spent the rest of the time it took for the meats to cook fully, by going over what he expected from the goblins. He set Ama to be in charge of the everyday needs of the holding, giving power to someone on their first day did not suit Arnith's paranoia, but he knew that at the moment the young matriarch was what he needed to keep things in order. She already had much control over the goblins, so it would be a seamless transition for her to take on the role.

When he was telling Ama, what he expected to happen in the next couple of nights, a distant memory surfaced. The voice of his father came to him, he could hardly remember his face anymore, but the voice of the High King was clear and strong, "Give to those the power they already possess and they will wield it to your purposes, but to take away power and then let those who have tasted it be, is sure to sow the seeds of dissent." Remembering his father's words was a sweet treat, though he thought that the elf should have followed his own advice more closely. His uncle and his descendants had been the nominal heirs of the sky throne for millennia and looking back on it was no wonder that they would not let the succession pass them over.

The two adult goblins were named Urgit and Ant. They seemed to be submissive and from how they looked it seemed that they had been the subjects of regular beatings in the past, it was not hard to guess at what their role in the Black Rat had been. Arnith hoped that they would fare with less suffering while in his domain, but he would not shy away from enacting discipline if necessary.

When the meat was ready, the goblins were called to eat, though most of them had already been gathered by the smell that the meat gave off. Arnith made sure that each of them got an equal share and he gave out the portions personally.

After eating he declared that it was time for them all to rest, so they could begin on their tasks on the morrow.

The goblins stayed around the fire for the night, for warmth. Though they were creatures of the underground and well acclimated for life in the cool climate of the caverns, sleeping on bare ground was still uncomfortable, so they slept in clumps together, keeping warmth with each other's bodies.

When Arnith woke up some hours later he found that one of the smallest ones had snuggled in behind his back, Arnith was startled when he felt the little goblin shift as he moved to stand up and had almost begun to berate the critter. What held him back was the size of the goblin, it was little more than a toddler. He left the little one be and went to restoke the fire.

Arnith went to the stores to get breakfast materials and took stock of what they had, there were enough meat and mushroom for the hold for four days. They had, through hard work and dedication, gathered enough for weeks, if there were still just the three of them, but with the addition of so many mouths, it was only a little.

There were also the small shrooms that Hopper had gathered, some twelve of them. Hopper had placed them carefully next to the cave wall and each of them had a bit of the muddy dirt they came with still on the bottoms. Arnith did not take them into account when he tallied up the stocks, they were insignificant anyway and he was not sure of what the shaman had planned to do with them, he made a note to ask about it during the early meal.

Gathering some meat and mushroom for the meal, he went back to the fire.

Once the goblins began to rise, so did the chaos that came with the juveniles. There were two toddlers, those kept close to Ama and her infant, but the other eight, were not too far from what Arnith considered adults and they were prone to games of catch that ended up in a fight as often as not. A couple of times he had to break them up when it seemed that they were becoming to vicious. Teenagers of any race are always more aggressive, but the mayhem was fast grating on Arniths nerves.

The elf considered what to with them, when he envisioned the types of goblins that he could gather under his rule he had thought of warriors that he could submit to his will, but that now seemed a fantasy. Warriors who already are set in their ways can not be easily trained into disciplined soldiers, nor would they follow him if he was not backed by others, elf or not.

Maybe he could turn the situation to his benefit, Arnith thought. At the moment the juveniles were next to useless, with how unruly they were, but they were also malleable clay, something that he could mold into what he needed them to be. Armies the world over recruited mostly from those who were barely adults, so the indoctrination would be easier. At the very least, instilling some discipline into them would keep them out of trouble.

At breakfast, he told Tokki to check on his traps and after that, he and the two former slaves would need to gather enough dried moss to make sleeping arrangements for all of them.

When Hopper showed up for his meal he asked about the small mushrooms, but he only answered with "Haha, the knowledge of shamans." and then he retreated back into the shadows, without adding anything more.

Shaking off the effect that Hoppers idiosyncracies had on him, Arnith told Ama of what he needed of her, after the meal.

When the food was consumed Ama and Arnith herded the eight juvenile goblins out of the cave, into the open area next to the waterfall. The ground on the south side was flat earth and would serve well.

Arnith Had Ama come along because he needed her to translate for him.

"Line up!" he shouted to the goblins once they were at a good spot.