Goblin
From time to time a Goblin stronghold may be established, but none last more than the lifetime of the leader who controls it. The majority of goblins are found with Hobgoblins or wandering in nomadic tribes across the land. Some of the cosmopolitan cities may have goblin citizens but they are usually a minority and their tribe has transitioned to some permanent part of the city – a guild, a merchant, or some other role.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Small humanoids that have large facial features and sharp teeth. They have large ears and eyes, and many have noses out of proportion to the face as compared to humans. Skin is a deep yellow tan to deep green, and family members can have variation in color.
Genetics and Reproduction
Goblins are mammalians and reproduce with live birth in litters of 6 to 9. Like other goblinoid races there is a chance that the offspring will be a bugbear or a hobgoblin. Typically only a third will be another species. Goblins gestate for 4 months.
Growth Rate & Stages
Goblins are able to walk in 72 hours of birth, and able to eat solid food in two weeks. They reach maturity at age 8, and reach adult size at age 10. Goblins live for about 60 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Goblins prefer colder climes but are very adaptable and can live in any clime. Goblins like to make their villages in caves and rock formations. Abandoned and ruined structures they can convert into a village or fortress is preferred. Otherwise they will build a village with stockades and traps.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Goblins are omnivores and prefer meat but include mushrooms, fungus, tubers, roots and some greens in their diet as well. They are proficient hunters and trackers. Some larger villages and populations will keep boars, rodents, and other small creatures as food sources.
Biological Cycle
Goblins are nocturnal and prefer darkness but will operate during the day if they so choose. Goblins live a hard life and and few make it past 30, but those that do are strong, clever, and highly skilled. This population will likely live to an age of 60.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Goblins, when outside hobgoblin hierarchies, generally have a 4 tiered society. The top tier are lashers who are leaders and enforcers and many may have magic or psychic abilities. These will also be the experts and specialist that are best at fighting, building, engineering, tinkering, mining, or possess some other unique skill. Lashers rarely leave the main village unless their expertise is required.
Hunters are the external leaders, they will be the scouts, mappers, traders, and hunters that bring back resources and goods to the village.
Gatherers are the majority of goblins in any village. these castes farm, raise animals, forage for food, or are tasked to semi-skilled labor. They are however the village cooks, food preservers, and slaughters the livestock.
Pariahs are the lowest caste, most are families that have lost face, or are adopted goblins from bugbear and hobgoblins. This caste works under the direction of the gatherers, and do the unskilled labor.
Slaves are the outcasts, these may be rival goblins captured in combat, any other sentient creature they can force to work work for them. The Pariahs are usually in charge of slave labor.
Facial characteristics
Goblins have large eyes, large noses and long pointy ears that generally point back. they lack facial hair, but have thick manes of hair on their heads, they have a receding hair line.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Global, but the largest populations are on the Gorgandra continents.
Average Intelligence
Goblins are on average less intelligent than human average. However those that are intelligent are very intelligent, cunning and clever. Goblin intelligence is non-executive, meaning they are easily distracted and if not under direction they will either procrastinate or get bored of any task they are working on. Goblin leaders tend to be highly executive, if not driven by goals and determination.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Goblins have darkvision and can see extremely well in the dark, but only in black and yellow. Otherwise they have human ranges of taste, smell, and hearing. Some develop psychic or sorcery ability.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Most goblins have dozens of fungal colonies living in their intestinal tract that help them break down food. This is not found in Bugbears or Hobgoblins. The chemicals excreted by the fungi protect them from invasive bacteria and allow them to digest things like hair, fur and scales.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Individual names belong to a family and there are a lot of repeats in the large families. So they adopt monikers and nick names to gain some level of identity.
Beauty Ideals
Goblins are enamored with their own visage, and think the goblin is the highest form of beauty in the world. After that it is wolves.
Gender Ideals
Goblins are generally equal and a goblin female or male may be a leader in any of the castes.
Courtship Ideals
Goblins are a perverse lot and there are not much in the way of establishing courtship. Usually the female will steal something of the males and the male has to get it back. If she is satisfied with his cleverness, boldness, or cunning they may end up married. Marriages may not last much past the first litter, they on average last around 3 years. Many females once they've mated don't bother looking for a mate again. However those that are lashers may have many suitors.
Relationship Ideals
Castes are fairly entrenched in goblin societies. There is rarely a time when gatherers or pariahs would consider overthrowing lashers for power. The upward mobility comes from lashers choosing a mate from some clever or cunning individual from one of the lower castes. Occasionally the other way is if a lower caste member finds a cypher or magic object, and the lashers decide to promote their status. However if they don't establish some level of alliances or respect when that object fails to work they will find themselves back at the bottom again.
Average Technological Level
Goblins in Goblinoid areas have a low level of technological and social understanding. They generally stick with primitive and well crafted solutions. They understand firearms and know how to craft weapons, but prefer to steal better ones.
Goblins are experts at animal capture, training, and domestication. because of their size they mostly stick to medium and smaller animals.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Goblin is the main language, most are fluent in Atlan or the next most popular regional language. Only lashers can read. The other castes are forbidden to read.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Goblins know they came from the stars with the Hobgoblins and Bugbears. But now they are lowest of the low. They will have to rely on cunning and never giving up to survive.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Goblins are slavers. The Hobgoblins allow them to take slaves and use them for labor. Slaves are owned by the tribe, and are under the control of the pariahs, as managing slaves is lowest job. Goblins will try to enslave any humanoid or creature they think will be of use. Kidnapping is a common tactic, and this can lead to enmity between goblins and humanoids living in goblinoid lands. Slaves that escape goblins and make it to hobgoblin or humanoid controlled areas are considered freed, and the tribe has no claim on them. So the goblins put a premium on capturing escapees.
Common Taboos
Leaving your caste for a lower one. This is an insult to your family, and the rest of the caste. They will be considered by the lower caste as an outsider and not worthy.
History
Goblin history is a non-linear mess, and those goblins that have written down their own history or others it is often rambling and boastful of the power of goblins and their integral part they play in the world, and few if any facts.
Hobgoblin histories indicate that goblins in the ancient pre-arc ship days were technical and enterprising builders under their auspices. When the legions founded their fortresses and compounds the goblins handled all of the construction and maintenance, but as the technology got harder to maintain it was harder for them to stay focused on this work. As more moved out of the failing cities they became less and less organized.
However over the centuries goblins specialized in animal husbandry and became excellent at raising wolves, rats, and other creatures. They have large populations that live in hunter-gatherer level economies, so it is easy to gather vast numbers of them as shock troops for any Hobgoblin army or plans.
Historical Figures
Booyahg the wise. This historical figure lived in the 2200's and taught goblins magic and how to unleash their sorcery. Booyahg had lived as a servant in Arolend lands and learned both magic and sorcery. He traveled to Gorgandria and traveled from goblin village to village teaching the lashers how to use magic. Over the decades the villages he had taught became bolder and bolder and even challenged hobgoblin forces. The hobgoblins eventually tracked him down and publicly executed him. Goblins shouted his name when the execution happened, a freak lightning storm rained down causing everyone to scatter. From this point on all magic is called Booyahg, and that is the goblin cry when they want magic used in battle. He had dozens of disciples who continued the work in secret teaching magic and developing goblin sorcery, even philosophical magic.
Common Myths and Legends
Goblin King. Goblins have a myth that one day a goblin will arise who will unite all of the goblin tribes and they will rule over hobgoblins and bugbears and others. Key to this is control of the great stick Gronkotron, hidden away in a forgotten dungeon. When a goblin finds this key it will tell him the secret of gronkotron and they will be able to rule all. Only a goblin may wield it. All others will obey it. Many have sought out the Gronkotron, and none have succeeded.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Goblins are the targets of stronger creatures and often cowed into servitude, conscription or labor. Humanoid and non-humanoids know they can find easily controlled minions in goblin hordes, they just have to kill a few lashers and make the rest fall in line. Because of this goblins do not trust any other races, beings or creatures. They take slaves when they can and put them to work to make the tribe stronger.
Goblins fear and are in awe of Hobgoblins. They fear their lash and disregard for their freedom, but are in awe of their ambition, discipline, and military prowess.
Goblins that are acculturated to other cultures will follow those cultures and leave much of the castes and power politics behind. These goblins tend to have some issues because of their lack of individual executive focus, but excel in many roles in those societies.
Origin
Gorgandra
Goblins, Hobgoblin and Bugbear are separate species but also compatible. One can mate with the other two species and a litter will bear a mix of each race randomly. Goblinoid culture it is acceptable to trade children for other species offspring. However how they are treated varies. Bugbears will abandon goblins, and may trade a hobgoblin baby in return for loot. Goblins will keep a bugbear, and it will either wonder off on its own or try to take over the tribe. Hobgoblins will raise both as lower caste members, or sell them to other legions.
Lifespan
60 years
Average Height
3' to 4' tall
Average Weight
60lbs to 80lbs
Average Physique
Goblins are generally weak, but extremely nimble and have a heightened sense of balance.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Goblins range in color from a dark yellow tan sallow color to deep green. This skin tone tends to vary even within family groups and may be the results of fungal diet. Their hair is dark brown with some individuals having lighter brown or grey.
Related Ethnicities
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