When Basil Gummidge became arbiter, Ost Forod underwent a major change. Up until that point, the town was a battleground between the brigands of Evendim and decent folk trying to live their life. When not out robbing buildings and tombs left behind by men of a bygone age, the brigands were taking advantage of a general lack of authority. The arbiter at the time, an old, senile man, had been paid off long ago, and couldn't care less what was happening in his town.
Standing up to the tomb-robbers and ruffians were the town guard and the bounty-hunters, together comprising the few men trained in combat who did not turn to a life of crime. The town guard stayed in the city, doing their best to keep crime (especially violent crime) away from Ost Forod, though small numbers often forced them into failure. The bounty-hunters, on the other hand, took the fight out into the field, vowing to take the criminals back to Ost Forod, dead or alive, in return from payment from either the town guard or the decent people of Ost Forod.
That all changed when the old arbiter died, and Basil Gummidge entered the scene. A former guard captain, Basil hated the tomb-robbers as much as anyone, but he believed in a brighter future for Ost Forod than the dark reality it faced. In a controversial couple of days when he first took the office, Basil Gummidge outlawed bounty-hunting and met with several leaders of the tomb-robbers, including Bill Tripper, Andy Idden, and Cuthbert Sprunt, in peace talks. The deal was clear: the criminals would no longer be hunted outside of the walls of Ost Forod, and in return they would keep their criminal activity outside the town. With the money saved from no longer offering bounties, Basil refocused the budget to increase the size of the town guard, sending a message to the tomb-robbers that Ost Forod was, from that point on, off limits.
A few years passed. Most of the old bounty-hunters became guards, and while they were unhappy at first they learned to live their new life. Ecbert Milkweed was among these. Renowned for his strength and skill at arms and strategy, Ecbert not only became a valued guard but also a valued advisor to the arbiter. Which is why he had Basil's ear when the Hobgoblin killed five criminals over the course of two months.
"These killings are not accidental!" he cried. "This Hobgoblin knows what he's doing! He's a bounty-hunter with no bounty, Basil. If he were around five years ago he would be lauded as a hero!"
"Well what do you want me to do?!" Basil shouted back. "Breaking the ban on bounty-hunting would mean breaking the deal with the tomb-robbers, which we cannot afford to do."
"I think we can. The tomb-robbers are weakening under the axe of the Hobgoblin. Let the bounty-hunters roam free again and not only will the killings stop, crime across Evendim will be dealt with!"
"You don't know that. You're just guessing. More likely than not they'll just attack the town full-force, leaving us devastated."
Ecbert shook his head. "You don't know, do you?"
"I don't know what?"
"Andy Idden. Don't you know where he's been the last few days?"
"No, he's always been in and out."
"Goblins. He's going and making deals with goblins. Supposedly he thinks that we're protecting the Hobgoblin, and he's none too happy about it. The brigands are going to break your deal if we don't, Basil."
Basil buried his head in his hands. "What do we do then?"
"Put a bounty on him. Maybe the Hobgoblin will go out and claim the bounty. Maybe it'll be someone else. In any case, he will be dealt with before he causes too much trouble."
"And how do you know this will stop the Hobgoblin murders?"
"He has killed five people. All of them criminals. I know who he is, or at least what sort of person he is. He is one of your guards, though I can't say which one. Formerly a bounty-hunter, undoubtedly. Probably grew tired of letting criminals get away with anything so long as they were outside Ost Forod."
"Barry Idden wasn't outside."
"No, but were the guards stopping him?"
Of course they weren't, and Ecbert made his point. Reluctantly, Basil posted a sign around Ost Forod about a bounty on Andy Idden. Several guards, including Ecbert, quit their jobs to become bounty-hunters again, their numbers meaning that Basil could not tell for sure who the Hobgoblin was. The murders stopped, at least for a time, and several wanted criminals were killed or taken in. Andy Idden still hadn't been caught, since it was believed that he was far away trying to move goblins towards Lake Evendim, but many of his lackeys and comrades were caught and spilled the secrets of his plan. When the goblins came, Ost Forod would be ready.
News spread around town. Ruffians were outraged at the broken truce, but as most people heard about the uncovered plot they held up Ecbert and the other bounty-hunters as heroes. Dozens of bounties popped up here and there for different criminals, and business was good again. In those months, the Hobgoblin didn't murder again. Certainly he was out there catching criminals, doing what he was always doing, but legally now.
Despite the success, Basil was upset. He had bent to the will of a murderer and a villain. He had broken the long-standing peace. Ecbert was a good fighter, and a skilled bounty-hunter, but Basil found himself having trouble saying he was a good man. Ecbert, he saw, could not live without a fight, which is why he seemed to understand the Hobgoblin so well. Ecbert and the Hobgoblin were practically the same person, only the Hobgoblin must have been pushed over some edge that Ecbert merely peered over.
