Goblinoids

Goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, and bugbears all fall under the term 'goblinoid'. Though distinct from one another, they can all reproduce with each other - in fact, a nascent goblinoid could grow up into being any of the four races. Goblinoid society puts the group over the self, several separate communities connected in a loose alliance across the Verdant Expanse.

The Forest and the Trees

Communities of goblinoids are typically quite small, with migratory groups usually 30-50 strong, and settled groups ranging from just under 100 to 300. These groups, migratory or not, are known as ‘trees’. Each tree is a self-sufficient group of goblinoids, and each tree has their own individual culture and systems of governance. It is nigh impossible to make sweeping statements on all goblinoid trees. However, regions with several trees are often united in a loose confederacy known as a forest. The different trees of a forest trade, exchanging culture and goods between them. Some may have their own system of currency befitting their surroundings, others may stick to bartering or other forms of exchange.
Within a tree, the goblinoids work not for themselves, but for the good of their tree. The roles of each race are inherited from their mythos, and even the less religious trees feel its influence in their daily lives.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Goblinoid society is modeled after the anatomy of a tree. Hobgoblins are the roots of the tree, the foundation that the rest of the tree grows and thrives upon. Hobgoblins are expected to be the magical experts of the trees, with typical duties including feeding the tree during rough winter months with spells such as goodberry and luck of the sea. Hobgoblins play the role of shaman, overseeing maturity rites and other important rituals. The exact duties of a hobgoblin vary from tree to tree, and from circumstance to circumstance, however their most sacred duty is always upkeeping the spoken record.
Growing from the roots is the trunk. Goblins are the backbone, the structure of the tree, overseeing a thousand tiny tasks that are required for the tree’s survival and prosperity. Just as the trunk supports the branches and thus the leaves, goblins support orcs and bugbears in their endeavors, often assisting in hunting, scouting, foraging, trading, and other matters concerning life outside the tree. Beyond this, goblins are tasked with child-rearing alongside hobgoblins, teaching the youth of the ways of the tree. Goblins also fulfil the role of craftsman and artist, creating necessities such as pots, shields, and blankets.
Sprouting from the trunk are the branches. Orcs are often the emissaries of a tree, trading and negotiating with other groups, whether that be other trees of their forest, individuals who stumble upon their lands, or travelers from faraway lands. In order to fulfil these duties, orcs must be capable of defending themselves and traversing large swathes of terrain. To this end, orc emissaries spend much of their time honing their body, not only to meet the harsh demands of the wild, but to reflect well on the strength of their tree. A weak and feeble emissary is a mark of a weak and feeble tree, and such a display may invite shame from benevolent parties and aggression from malevolent ones.
Developing from the branches are the leaves. Just as leaves capture sunlight to nourish the tree, bugbears are responsible for bringing in what the tree needs to survive. In times of peace, this means hunting; the typical method is ambush hunting, and many bugbears devote themselves to the practice, learning to hide amongst the trees and hills to strike with deadly precision. Bugbears are expected to supply the tree with meat and furs, while their goblin partners gather various kinds of vegetation. During times of conflict, bugbears often leverage their hunting skills to act as ambush units, striking in the dark of night and retreating thereafter, using massive great bows to rain down arrows on unsuspecting camps.

Shared customary codes and values

Two driving forces hold a forest together; the need for defense, and the need for trade. Beyond simple commodities like furs and flora, different trees often exchange cultural goods such as works of art, instruments, and performances. The most substantial trade is that of magical knowledge. Scholars, shamans, and sages from different trees – almost always hobgoblins, though occasionally other races may serve as magical experts in their tree – join to exchange their findings, practices, and theories with one another. Trade typically happens between a smaller, migratory tree and a larger, settled one, resulting in the mutual cross-pollination of ideas and goods.
When threats too large for any one tree to handle arise, whether that be a foreign army, a series of natural disasters, or an incursion of Outsiders, different trees band together to ward off the threat. In times of extreme danger, different forests may band together, though the number of times that has proved necessary is low. People of every race are expected to contribute to the defense effort, either directly on the battlefield, or by crafting the tools and growing or hunting the food needed to sustain their soldiers.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

A forest has little impact on the life of a tree when not engaging in trade or war. Rules of a forest are decided by a council of representatives of each tree – typically but not always orcs – and are enforced with threats of expulsion from the forest, or with violent retribution in some cases. Though the rules – called laws, edicts, or statutes depending on the forest – vary, they typically are minimal and only exist to ensure peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions between trees. Cultural and moral rules are left entirely to every individual tree.
Another curious commonality between trees is their tradition of an oral history. Following the ideal that strength comes from training, and strength of self leads to strength of tree, the oral history is a way that the scholars and sages of trees refine their mental acuity. The language of the goblinoids, NiTaXuRa, has no written script, and is filled with words with very precise meanings in order to easily transfer intent from generation to generation.
Some historians and sages commit their life to upholding and expanding the oral tradition. These people are called 'Orogs', and can be any of the four goblinoid races. At any big event, whether it be a coming of age ceremony, a battle, a shift in leadership, or other event, an Orog is expected to be there. At the end of each fall, Orogs retell the triumphs and falls of the last year to the whole tree, as a part of a holiday of reflection, celebration, and mourning known as 'Xuggoth's Day'.
Supplementary to the oral tradition is the artwork immortalizing the tree's most impactful events, whether they be great triumphs or terrible defeats. Revolts, conquests, major discoveries, or golden ages are all preserved in paintings, pottery, statues, and other works. Extensive murals may tell of a war waged against a different tree, while a statue may honor a unit in their work repelling an Outsider incursion. Rarely do these works honor or disgrace an individual. Instead, these monuments reflect the tree as a whole.
On the rare occasion that written word is absolutely required, goblinoids borrow the script of the giants to the north. Such times include marking an area as dangerous for other travelers, recording agreements for the weaker-minded cultures, and references for learning - such as passing down alchemical formulae to pupils. If something is more important than a quick note, reminder, or secret message, then it tends to be carved in wood or stone; anything worth the trouble of writing is worth writing permanently.
The major exception to this rule is the pursuit of magic. While the first practitioners eschewed writing, as the goblinoid's magical accomplishments grew, it became simply impossible for them to keep it all in their head. Pragmatism won out, and so some practitioners carry around thick tomes, made from pulped trees that are carved into carefully rather than written upon.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Handed down from the original four, one of the few commonalities of the distinct trees and forests of the goblinoids are the reproductive rites. This rite takes place in two parts; once, before conception, and once during labor. It’s strictly taboo to conceive without undergoing this rite, and spells such as dalliance along side more mundane measures are taken to ensure this doesn’t happen. Children who are conceived outside of the normal ways may be cast out, ostracized, or even sold off, depending on the culture of a given tree. Parents who conceive without undergoing rites are universally punished, though the extent of it varies. Children are conceived according to the needs of the tree; a tree who just survived a deadly war may conceive many children at once, whereas a tree struggling to feed their current population may abstain from conception altogether. The person, or group of people in charge of making these decisions varies from tree to tree.
When the time comes for conception, those involved under go a fertility rite, believed to have been created by Vreni. Beyond ensuring conception and a healthy, peaceful carrying term, this rite is believed to invoke the spirits of the original four, bestowing some of their strengths on the to-be child. At the end of the carrying term, another rite is held, to assist the mother in delivery and reinforce the blessings of the first rite. The true effects of these rites, however, aren’t seen until the child’s adolescence, during the coming of age rite.
The newly born goblinoid is just that; a goblinoid. Not yet a goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear, or orc, the child is taught the fundamentals of the tree, gaining basic knowledge about magic, hunting, crafting, and the history of the tree, beginning at the age of two. The goblinoid only discovers their race during the ‘blooming’.

Coming of Age Rites

When a goblinoid child turns exactly six, they undergo a physical and mental transformation known as the ‘blooming’. Prior to the blooming, the child is taught the fundamentals of the tree, gaining basic knowledge about magic, hunting, crafting, and the history of the tree. The blooming rite comes in three parts; the slumber, the transformation, and the awakening.
The slumber is where the latent blessings given during the child’s conception is unlocked. The child is laid to rest, while magic reinvents them. Muscles may firm, wisdom beyond the child’s age may be bestowed, imperfections of the body may be cleansed. This process is up to the child’s innermost desires, and the shamans presiding over the rituals take careful note of any transformations, mental or physical. While the different goblinoid races traditionally fill specific roles within a tree, many trees – or even forests – allow the blessings revealed during the slumber to dictate the child’s role in the tree. A goblin blessed with unusual strength may join the ranks of bugbears and orcs out in the wilds, while a hobgoblin that displays the deftness of hand typical of goblins may become an artisan rather than shaman or historian. Regardless of the boon bestowed upon the child, the sleeping goblinoid then enters the transformation.
The transformation is where their race is decided; whether they take after the wizened and cunning Xuggoth, the energetic and spritely Vreni, the determined and stalwart Kratz, or the ardent and zealous Tarez. Often times, the blessings of the slumber portend the result of the transformation, though not always. During this physical transformation, the body grows or shrinks to fit its true form, even possibly changing sex. After the body stills and the form solidifies, the awakening occurs.
The first words of the awakening are not said by the shamans presiding over it, but of the newly formed adolescent – their name. Up until this point, the goblinoid bore a name reflective of the tree’s history. Celebrated heroes, meaningful locations, or simply names that evoked a feeling of what the tree stood for are all sources of nascent goblinoid names. However, when the awakening begins, each goblinoid simply understands their true names, and are compelled to speak it even as their eyes open. Once uttered, the new member of the tree is welcomed, and fresh harvests are given to strengthen the new body. Once the last of the harvest is eaten, the rite concludes, and the newly named, newly formed goblinoid begins life in the tree anew.

Common Myths and Legends

According to goblinoid mythos, every goblinoid traces their heritage to one of four individuals; Kratz, Xuggoth, Vreni, or Tarez. Created by KikAkuOnuKas, each individual is believed to be the first of their kind. Vreni, from the word ‘trunk’, was created by Kik and is the original goblin. Tarez, from the word ‘leaf’, was created by Ako, and is the original bugbear. Xuggoth, from the word ‘root’, was created by Onu, and is the original hobgoblin. Finally, Kratz, from the word ‘branch’, was created by Kas, and is the original orc.
The sex and gender of these four individuals vary from recounting to recounting, however the season they portray does not. Goblins are said to take after Vreni’s gusto, feeling all emotions deeply and moving with the spritely freedom of spring winds. The bugbears are said to take after Tarez’ zeal and competitive streak, with spirits that burn as bright and hot as the summer sun. The hobgoblins are said to take after the erudition and pride of Xuggoth, with durable minds and bodies alike. Lastly, the orcs are said to take after the pragmatism and grit of Kratz, with bodies capable of withstanding the most troubling hardships of winter. Because the four were of one cycle, the four original individuals propagated with each other, leading to the goblinoid races.

Diverged ethnicities

• Vahtra-Vasta

Related Organizations

• The Wagadu Forest