🤔 Journey

A petrified goblin figure carved from pale gray stone, with sharp features, pointed ears, and jagged teeth. Its expression is one of wide-eyed shock, and it is mid-stride, one hand reaching out and the other holding a small dagger. The stone is cracked, pulsing with a faint green glow, and it wears a string of deteriorated bone charms around its neck. Despite being made of stone, the figure's posture is uncannily lifelike—its limbs tense, as if frozen in the middle of a desperate motion. Fine details like torn fabric, chipped fingernails, and scuff marks on its boots suggest it was once a living being. Moss and lichen have begun to grow in the recesses of the figure, especially around the eyes and joints, giving it a haunting, ancient look. Some claim the moss changes position subtly over time, and that on certain nights, the dagger gleams like metal rather than stone.

The goblin is a tragic figure, embodying both the ambition and folly of its kind. It serves as a silent monument to the price of overreaching one's bounds—an eternal reminder that not all knowledge should be pursued. Though it cannot speak, its expression captures a final moment of fear, regret, or perhaps defiance. Villagers who pass by often feel a strange sense of unease, as if the statue is watching, judging, or warning them. Elders view it with solemn respect, while younger goblins treat it as both a mystery and a cautionary tale. Its presence instills a strange reverence, as though the goblin’s soul still lingers within the stone, aware yet trapped. Some believe it was once a clever mind who dared too much, others that it was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time—either way, its stillness speaks louder than words.

In the heart of Grubnash Hollow stands a petrified goblin, frozen mid-stride, its body made of smooth, pale stone. Some believe it is merely a statue, crafted by a forgotten artist, while others insist it is a goblin cursed by a failed ritual or dark magic. The goblin's face shows an expression of shock, and its cracked stone body sometimes pulses with a faint green glow. Whispers claim the statue’s eyes move or that it hums faintly on full moons, though none can say for certain. Some believe it is a guardian, trapped in stone for a failed task, while others think it’s a warning of something more sinister buried beneath Grubnash Hollow. The villagers avoid it, yet no one dares remove it. Children are told not to stare too long, lest they see something staring back. A few brave scavengers have tried touching it—some say they felt warmth, others say cold, and one vanished for a day with no memory of where he'd been. The truth remains buried, as still and silent as the statue itself.