The Big Itch

The Big Itch was a mysterious process by which goblinoids, giants and other beings, previously considered monsters, gained intelligence roughly on par with humanoids. This phenomenon started to appear about twenty years before the events of the second campaign and was simultaneous with the appearance of the Great White Star.

In Hillsink
About ten years ago a huge influx of goblin refugees hit the metropolis of Hillsink. This was met with some hostility from the natives. Gats, a very early beneficiary of the Itch, was able to leverage this into mob power when he and his goblin lackeys locked down half of the city, converting it into a casino fortress. The party of the first campaign were able to dispatch Gats and bring the city back to normal. After this, they were named the "saviors of Hillsink" by Emelia Tydir and the guilds, and asked what to do about all of the goblins. On their advice, it was decided that low-income housing was to be provided for the goblins.