The Tale of Trixxi the Goblin

Not long after, Trixxi's village was overrun by raiding gnolls. She was left wandering parentless in the wilderness when the aroma of freshly fried dwarven bacon led her to an old Dwarven couple. They took pity on her and adopted her in as their own. They cared for her and introduced her to working with metal. Some time later, as she was walking through her new village, the same aroma led her to the home of a Gnomish grain miller. The miller befriended her and taught her about machines. Blessed with the knack of a tinker, she put her bits of knowledge together and started to create tiny but precise mechanical things. Eventually she created a mechanical clock small enough to fit into a pocket or belt pouch. But the village she lived in was small, and its people had no use for such a toy.

Then, one day, the aroma of freshly fried dwarven bacon reached her nose yet again. This time, it let her to the wagon of a traveling merchant. She offered the merchant one of her timekeeping toys in exchange for some of her favorite food, and the merchant agreed. Later, when he looked at the device carefully, he was amazed. The merchant rushed back to the nearest city and, after showing it around, soon had orders to create dozens more. He returned to Trixxi's village, and persuaded the goblin girl to return to the city with him. He set her up in a small shop and got her started in the business of making her timekeeping toys. First, it seemed that every member of the city watch wanted one of these devices to help them mark the passing of time when recording their activities. People in the city even started to call the devices "watches".

As her skills continued to grow, Trixxi made more elaborately decorated devices that were sought after by nobles - first within the city, but soon in the surrounding land as well. Eventually, enough people in the city relied on her devices to mark the passing of time that the city commissioned her to build a giant device in the bell tower of the city hall so all in the city could see it.

On the day the bell tower clock was dedicated, Trixxi found herself on a stage in front of the city hall. Accolades from the citizens resounded around her as she recalled the old blind woman's prediction. Her nose, attracted three times by dwarven bacon, led her to the knowledge and skills she needed and a craft she loved. And that craft gave her the opportunity to prove her worth and gain praise and acceptance from the Tallfolk. The old woman's foretelling had come true after all.

Variations of the Tale

There are some variations in the telling of the tale, but they are always minor. Sometimes, the girl's name is not Trixxi, but is rather something more reflective of local Goblin names. Sometimes the name of the city changes. Sometimes it is trolls, or giant spiders, or some other horrid creature that kills her parents and drives her into the wilderness. Regardless of these variations, the prophecy, the dwarven bacon, the watchmaking skills, and the clock in the bell tower are constants.

Historical Basis

Whether or not there was actually a female Goblin named Trixxi (or anything else) who was singlehandedly responsible for creating the pocketwatch, getting an entire city to rely on it, and having the mechanical tracking of time become a thing around the world has been debated for many years. What is known, however, is that the Dwarven city of Irongate, just beyond the borders of the First Kingdom, boasts the first large mechanical clock ever built into a belltower, and that clock is named the Goblin's Clock.

Spread of the Tale

As Goblins moved around the world, this tale became woven into the collection of many such stories of success that Goblins tell their children. Today, the story of Trixxi is known to most Goblins everywhere on Cartyrion.

Cultural Importance

Many of the Folk of Cartyrion tell tales to their children that speak of success after following one's dreams. Trixxi's tale is similar to these on the surface, but there is an important difference. Trixxi was told by the old woman to make sure her heart followed her nose. This is interpreted to mean that while the versions told by most other folk inspire children to learn how to shape their circumstances to fit their dream, the goblin version - the Trixxi tale - teaches goblins to embrace whatever circumstances they are given, and make the best of them. The difference is subtle, but it speaks to the root of the difference between Human aspirations, for example, and Goblin aspirations.

Har!! D'ye hear that Brizbillet? E'en the goblins know it! There wouldna be civilization if 'tweren't fer Dwarven Bacon!!

— Dwarf adventurer joking with gnome companion after hearing a goblin tell Trixxi's Tale.

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