The Hobb’s house was… impressive. Kraant realized it would have to be, to serve as a power base, but it still seemed odd that he was brought to a place of residence instead of a designated Business Building. He assumed that either the Hobb had built his power from nothing, and had simply accepted the risks of living so close to a place his enemies would target, or that the Hobb was an arrogant ass.

  Upon entry, he was disposed towards the latter. The building had an impressive fa?ade, more than two stories tall and covering what Kraant couldn’t help but think of as a “city block”, but the grounds were more full of masonry than greenery. The main building, into which we was led, was less a home and more a palace. Lots of marble, lots of metallic highlights, and lots of empty space dominated his view. This was clearly a space meant to intimidate visitors with wealth, rather than a place to comfort the inhabitants. The occasional glimpse of a servant scurrying from one shadow to the next reinforced this impression, and Kraant immediately felt a loss of respect for the Hobb. Nobody should be feared in their own home, and anyone who disagreed was clearly not someone he should respect on moral grounds. That said… as he walked, and walked some more, he began to respect the Hobb on the grounds of power, if nothing else. He clearly managed to thoroughly cow his servants and his citizens, if he could live in such an overly-large building.

  It was when he saw the Hobb, though, that he realized what he might have gotten himself into. The Hobb met him in a small room, barely large enough for a desk and a couple bookshelves- each filled to the brim with tomes of legal and political data- and sat calmly. His desk was full of paperwork that, probably, could have been delegated. Rather than the look of an arrogant noble, however, he had the bearing of a competent administrator. Had he been a clerk or secretary, nobody would have blinked, but Kraant took a second to prove to himself that this was, in fact, the man who’d demanded his presence. The Hobb was a shortish kobold, almost a full two inches shorter than Kraant himself, but with radiant green scales that showed nary a blemish or scar, and he was fat. Extremely fat. But, all the same, Kraant felt a constant trill of danger running down his spine… he could not afford to discount this person as a weak enemy.

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  “Good, uh, afternoon Hobb.” Kraant nodded his head. “I hear you wanted to speak to me?”

  “Yes!” The Hobb glared slightly, but made no other notice of Kraant’s vague disrespect. Adventurers, after all, were their own breed. “Please, sit.”

  After Kraant was settled across the desk, the Hobb put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward slightly.

  “You are Kraant, kobold miner of Hematite Mine 175-B, correct?”

  “Yes, but-“

  “Good. You are under arrest on the authority of me, Hobb of Gastronomia. I will hold you until such time as your tribe transfers ownership.” A greenish-red glow swirled around the Hobb, and then struck at Kraant’s chest. Immediately, a pop-up appeared before him.

  Well, fuck.