Hobgoblin Khanate

The Hobgoblin Khanate is a nation in the land of Tarteria. It's territory is mostly south of the Orog Range in southern Tarteria and spans between the continent's eastern, southern, and western coasts.

Description

The southern territories of Tarteria have long been under the control of the Hobgoblin Khanate. Split into five major clans, the territories of the Orog Range, Monbaraba Fields, Shamikhan Wilds, Hobgoblin Coast, and Drackhan Tundra are controlled by the Khanate.
It is primarily a nation of hobgoblins, with other subservient peoples on the fringes of their society. It is somewhat geographically isolated, and other races are rarer to find away from the main trade avenues. The southern end of the Orc Highway meets with the Ruby Road in the capital city, Monbaraba, and sailing ships from far shores can be seen infrequently on the country's eastern and western coasts.
The Khanate is a government lead by the strong, and each of the khans pursue their interests against myraid threats from the wilds and tundras of the region. The current leader, Grand Khan Brodur, defends all the lands of his people with a virtuous hand and a bloodied saber.
In recent history, tensions between the Khanate and the Queendom of Keeleon have risen over control of the Southern Orcish Plains. Grand Khan Brodur’s culture demands this aggression be met, but he still hopes for Queen Voltha to honor their nations' old agreements.

Notable Locations

• Monbaraba: Capital city of the khanate, located in the Monbaraba Fields.

• Meenakhan: A large city on the khanate's western coast at the mouth of the Orkhon River.

• Narankhan: A major trade port on the eastern Hobgoblin Coast.

Society

Notable People

• Grand Khan Brodur of Clan Gobi, Khan of Khans and Leader of Monbaraba: Ruling leader of the Hobgoblin Khanate and khan of the central Clan Gobi in Monbaraba.

• Khan Govrag of Clan Altai, Leader of Tugrug: The khan of the northern Clan Altai in Tugrug.

• Khan Shenkak of Clan Tarbagan, Leader of Meenakhan: The khan of the western Clan Tarbagan in Meenakhan.

• Khan Lagren of Clan Przewal, Leader of Narankhan: The khan of the eastern Clan Przewal in Narankhan.

• Khan Rheldra of Clan Bactrian, Leader of Frozen Fleet Post: The khan of the southern Clan Bactrian in Frozen Fleet Post.

Culture

Hobgoblins measure virtue by strength. Those with the strength to take what they want and defend it are deemed as the legitimate holders of that claim. Though they can be just as bloodthirsty as other goblinoid races, as all hobgoblins have a love of battle and warfare, it is the tactical mindset and honoring of battle that sets them apart, and often above, those others.
Hobgoblins use the full extent of what the land provides them. They have a long history of taming the beasts of the land and bringing them to heel: oxen and horses are common, as are ibex and boar; wolves are kept and trained to guard and battle; and birds are trained as messengers to fly between the clans and their scouts.
The lands of the khanate are abundant with resources, and abundant with many dangers and perils. They have built strongholds at strategically advantageous locations, which each clan then uses as staging areas to defend their territory. From these cultural centers, bands of the legion’s warriors form mounted scouting parties to patrol the clan’s claimed lands or escort caravans and traders on the roadways between these cities.
Each clan has their own history and interactions with the others, and their relative strength and influence has ebbed and flowed through the khanate’s history. This invariably causes conflicts and sometimes open battle between the clans. For disputes between the Khans that cannot be decided or threaten to unfold into larger engagements, the Grand Khan may step in to decide the outcome in the interest of protecting hobgoblin culture and lives.

Religion

The spiritual leaders of each clan are revered elders responsible for the connection of the clan to the will of the gods. Each of these religious leaders, called Kagyu, may revere one or more of the great Dragon gods, though they generally refer to the domains of worship rather than to the gods themselves. The worship of the domains is led by the Kagyu in great oral traditions, and the stories told are often parables combined with histories of battle.
Each Kagyu or each clan may have a preference for one of the Dragons, though generally they all revere Barduumus, The Battlelord, for strength in battle and strength of resolve, Nerull, The Scythe-Bearer, for caring for those who fall in battle and as the end result of all life, and Avianor, The Timefather, for the seasons and growth of the individual over time.

Government

The khanate is a group of five khan leaders, each of which rule over their own hobgoblin clan. At the head of these khans is the Grand Khan, or Khan of Khans, which is a clan leader that defeated the other four in ritual combat to claim the title. The Grand Khan rules over all the lands of the unified khanate and their decisions affect the country and government on a large scale. The current Khan of Khans is Grand Khan Brodur.
Within each clan, disputes that can’t be settled individually can be brought forth to the khan of each clan, to be decided by them or through ritual combat. Historically, these have often been to the death, however under Grand Khan Brodur, these contests have shifted and are often instead to first wound.
Ritual combat also determines the leadership of each clan. Any warrior of station can challenge their clan’s khan for their position, though loyalty to one’s clan and the threat of outside dangers means this is rare to happen. The khans are widely considered the strongest warriors of each clan, and to challenge them in single combat isn’t often seen as tactically sound. The position of Grand Khan is similarly determined; however, a ritual combat of this magnitude can only be called if a khan has defeated all other khans first.
Since the time of Monbaraba, a Grand Khan has held dominion over the various clans. This continues to shift and change, and generally the head of the strongest of the clans is deemed the Grand Khan, culturally in charge of the furtherment of all hobgoblins, but to what factor and how this is pursued depends on the Khan. Generally, each Grand Khan has attempted to increase territory or defeat a great enemy, carving their name on the map with military action.

Military

Each of the five great clans are responsible for their own territory and have complete authority over their own affairs. As such, each defends their own territory with warriors from their people, organized into a Legion. Each clan’s legion has a history that is known and revered by those among it. Even individual battalions can have great history they call back to, and should one fall in battle, those honor bound to reform it to continue this legacy.
In their martial society, every hobgoblin has a rank, from the powerful leaders and champions, to the rank-and-file foot soldiers, to the goblins that find themselves driven into the front lines at spear point. Every able-bodied citizen can be called to defend their clan to supplement the ranks of their standing military force and guards.
A legion is headed by a warlord with several captains serving under their command. As loyal and disciplined as hobgoblins are in their own legion, rival legions compete constantly for reputation and status. Meetings between legions erupt in violence if troops aren't restrained, and only exceptionally powerful leaders can force legions to cooperate on the battlefield.
Grand Khan Brodur does maintain a standing military presence in important locations for the khanate. These forces are called the Red Blades – a group of warriors pulled from the five major clans which exist as an independent force, loyal to all hobgoblins by vow.
Hobgoblin armies don’t fear battle, as there is no glory in cowardice. But they are not foolhardy; sound tactics are often at the core of any battle strategy. Legions often change orders and organizations to best suit the obstacles before them. Hobgoblin warlords never tire of combat, but they don't take up arms lightly. Reconnaissance, strategy, adaptability, and tactics are highly prized attributes which can lead to hobgoblins advancing through the ranks of their clan’s legion.

History

The Second Age: The Age of the Severance

Historically, the hobgoblin tribes are native to the plains and tundra south of the Orog Mountains of southern Tarteria. There is little recorded history of the Age of the Severance, but stories told by elders of the different clans all reference a time of turmoil and great bloodshed. Many fractured clans would fight amongst themselves and all other cultures here for dominance during this time.

The Third Age: The Age of Zenethia

It would not be until the Third Age that hobgoblin culture would begin shifting from the truly violent and destructive ways of the past. When the Azimuth Pantheon made themselves known to the races of the world, the hobgoblins began to worship the great God of Strength, Barduumus. They revered The Battlelord as a paragon of strength and skill, and the hobgoblins shifted from wonton bloodshed to skill, honor, and strategy during this age.
With a respect for strength came a cultural shift. Ritual combat rose in prominence over fights to the death, and their population began growing. The smaller tribes coalesced into what would be known as the Great Clans, four powerhouses that swallowed up or destroyed all others. Hobgoblin influence would continue to spread from coast to coast in southern Tarteria.

The Fourth Age: The Age of Shadow

After the Great War, orcish influence grew greatly in the north and the orcs expanded southwards to the Orog Range, starting the Baloratak War. While the kingdom of Keeleon was united, the clans of the hobgoblins were not, and they could not stand against Keeleon’s orichalcum so ununified.
This is when the first Grand Khan rose, a warrior from Clan Gobi named Monbaraba. He brought the other Khans to heel by defeating them in ritual combat and claiming lordship and loyalty from them, and for the first time all hobgoblins were unified under one banner. This great Khanate fought back the forces of the orcs in a drawn-out campaign of ambushes and blitzes until the orcs pulled back to the north of the Orog Mountains.
The war was ended with the Treaty of Sword and Axe, which officially defined the border shared by the khanate and the orc kingdom.
At the end of the Fourth Age, during the Tarterian War the forces of Esturk would nearly wipe out the Keeleon Kingdom, and the forces of The World’s End would continue southwards. It was the hobgoblin armies that remained and fought against the demonic forces, defending their realm from total destruction. The thickest of the fighting was in the Orog Pass, where the khanate’s soldiers held the line.

The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings

In the wake of the war, Grand Khan Drack claimed dominion over the regions near Hezrou Pass by the right of the blood shed to defend them. This caused much tension between the khanate and the fledgling Queendom of Keeleon to the north.
However, Grand Khan Drack and his fleet were lost in a storm to off the southern tundra. At the time, it was not known what had become of the Grand Khan and his fleet, and he was presumed lost. The disappearance of Drack caused a breakdown of the khanate's political power and leadership, and the four major clans became ununified. Queen Alena, daughter of the Last Orc King, used this time as the leaderless khanate was stumbling to negotiate an amendment to the Treaty of Sword and Axe, resulting in dual fealty over certain parts of the Southern Orcish Plains.
Eventually, the fate of Drack would be discovered and the survivors of the new settlement of Frozen Fleet Post would be rescued. These events would result in the new Clan Bactrian and the addition of the Drackhan Tundra to the khanate.
The current Grand Khan, Grand Khan Brodur, came to power when his Clan Gobi proved the strongest of the five major clans. Khan Brodur defeated the leaders of the other clans in ritual combat to prove his superiority, and left each of the other four alive. This was instrumental in building bonds between them rather than resentment, which historically had caused more infighting and instability in the overall khanate.

2021 Art by K Bredain
The heraldry of the Hobgoblin Khante consists of five separate, yet unified, pieces representing each of the five major clans. The red color is for the connections between them, the biege color is for the difficult terrain they thrive in, and the emblazoned axe is for the strength of their people.

Founding Date

Early Fourth Age

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Founders

• Monbaraba, the First Grand Khan

Location

Tarteria

Notable Members

• Grand Khan Drack
• Monbaraba, the First Grand Khan