This is a Summer Camp article written AT GREAT SPEED! It has not yet been edited, so apologies for the copious typos and small text issues.
The Goblin-Drawn Carriage was a light open carriage drawn by teams of four-eight goblins. It was a rare vehicle that enjoyed a very brief fad during the Ancient Empire. It is historically significant because it sparked social controversy that led to equal-sapient rights legislation in the Ancient Empire.
The Rise of the Goblin-Drawn Carriage
Following the events of the
Underdark Collapse, a huge number of sapient Underdark species, including goblins and
Moon Elves, found themselves on the surface. Goblins in particular initially struggled to adapt to the surface environment, and a number were secretly captured by estate owners during the
Battle of the Beasts.
The captured Goblins were treated as forced labour and, unable to escape their captivity, were put to work repairing damage, in farms, and the like. A month or so after that event, the first Goblin-Drawn Carriages appeared.
Social Outcry
Following the Battle of the Beasts, many of the Underdark refugees had banded together to form the Underdark Concord. They were shocked that their own people were being treated like cattle. Most sapient surface species were protected with treaties and long histories of cohabitation, but the Underdark species had no such protection. When they complained to the Imperial forces, they were told, regretfully, that they had no laws protecting them. Fortunately, thanks to protest efforts led by MoonElf community leader Firlt Turdan and imperial Orc bureaucrat Morgan Bloodluster, the Equal Sapient Rights Movement was passed.
The Equal Sapient Rights Movement
This piece of legislation from the Ancient Empire gave basic equal rights to all sapient creatures, and prevented slavery, subjugation, or abuse to sapients. It also held that all sapient creatures dwelling within the empire were beholden to its laws, meaning that sapient but non-humanoid creatures (often considered monstrous) like Dragons, Sapient-Ghosts and Vampires could and must be tried within the law and punished for their crimes.
Reception history
The basic philosophy of these laws have passed down to most present day city states and kingdoms. Occasional historical references are made to the Goblin-Drawn Carriage, and the vehicle remains a persistent theme in art, opera and literature. Several significant works of art and sculpture immortalise this turning point in the understanding of sapient rights.
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