Hobs- Evil minded rural runts that can hold a grudge

One of my players did not want to start his campaign in London. The English countryside is a bit sparsely described in our current Victoriana sources (understandably so, it’s Victorian England, why wouldn’t you start in London?).

Realizing that I would be going to the countryside, and needing a simple fight to teach some of the rule mechanics, I looked around for a low level encounter creature. I found Hobs.
In folklore Hobs are domestic spirits in the North of England that make deals with villagers to do farm work. If the Hobs ever feel slighted or cheated by the villagers they cause trouble.

A group of mischievous or aggrandized hobs can be a great low level menace to players or a small adventure opponent.

Hobs
Physical 3
Mental 2
Social: 3
Initiative 4
Health Pips: 6
Special Traits: Fickle and Suspicious +2
Damage: Bite (3), Crude Weapons (4)

Hobs are squat, yellow-eyed trouble makers with bulbous head. Thick black hairs sparsely dot their pitted filthy skin. Feraly intelligent, hobs dress in whatever rags they can find, but shun actual clothes. Their voices are coarse and croaking, and their pronunciation of human languages is nearly incomprehensible. Hobs live in dug out warrens in groups of 10-20.

It’s uncertain how their arrangement with farmers first started, but in exchange for produce, tools and any bugs they find Hobs do any labor the farms needs. Digging, planting, weeding, clearing land, hobs are surprisingly capable farm hands, until inevitably some small incident insults the hobs petty pride and the whole band turns against the farm. The worst most Hobs do is vandalism and petty theft, but some accounts of abductions and farmhouse sieges whisper the danger of slighting a Hob. Still, with more and more laborers moving to the city, good help is hard to find.

A couple hooks for their use:
Players encounter a small band of hobs ravaging a field of crops, bothering livestock, or competitively throwing their feces at a barn.

A local farmer needs more farm hands this season, and needs someone persuasive to make the Hobs an offer.

A troop of Hobs uncovered a brass crown buried in a field. The leader of the troop believes it is a sign of his right to rule the nearby village. The Revolution begins!

An eccentric scientist wishes to study the link between the Hob’s dialect and ancient Halfling languages. Can the players arrange a conversation? Maybe even civil discourse!