Maglubiyet

Maglubiyet is the chief deity of goblins, norkers, and hobgoblins. He is a god of war and leadership who rules over the goblin pantheon with an iron fist. Maglubiyet's many titles include: Fiery-Eyes, the Mighty One, the High Chieftain, and the Lord of Depths and Darkness. As a god of war and a great general he is also known as the Battle Lord. Maglubiyet appears as a giant (11 feet tall), black-skinned goblin with flaming eyes, powerfully-muscled arms and sharp talons. He wields a mighty coal-black battle axe that constantly drips blood. Maglubiyet is currently served by Khurgorbaeyag, goblin god of slavery, oppression, and morale, and Bargrivyek, the god of co-operation and territory among the goblins. Nomog-Geaya, patron deity of the hobgoblins, also pays fealty to Maglubiyet. Maglubiyet is an unpopular deity with many gods, including those of the elves, dwarves, orcs, and others. Maglubiyet covets the fertility portfolio of Kikanuti, the good-aligned goblinoid goddess of the desert goblins. Maglubiyet's divine realm is Clangor, located on the plane of Acheron. His capital is a fortress city called Grashmog, which translated from the goblin tongue means the "Heart of Battle." The mightiest goblin city in Clangor is Shetring, a fortification with five bridges spanning the River Lorfang. Maglubiyet lives at the bottom of a waterfall of the river in a cavern of magnificently carved steel dripping with moisture. From his throne of flaming iron, Maglubiyet commands the souls of goblins, hobgoblins, and worgs to wage eternal war against the orcish petitioners of Gruumsh. He also employs baatezu, barghests, and yugoloths as mercenaries and commanders to bolster his armies. Maglubiyet allows the gods Khurgorbaeyag and Nomog-Geaya to live in his realm, if only just to keep an eye on them. Maglubiyet revels in conflict and destruction and constantly pushes his followers to wage war, particularly against dwarves and gnomes. He encourages goblins to increase their numbers in order to overrun their enemies. As a paranoid god he is prone to destroy lesser goblin deities when he suspects treachery or he thinks they are becoming too powerful. Maglubiyet is worshiped by goblins and hobgoblins alike. His goblin worshipers are sometimes referred to as the "sons of Maglubiyet." The tasloi also worship an aspect of Maglubiyet. The priests and shamans of Maglubiyet are his mouthpieces on the Material Planes. They fulfill his demands for blood sacrifices by dispatching victims with an axe. They believe that these sacrifices strengthen Maglubiyet. His clergy is almost always drawn from the goblin and hobgoblin races. Maglubiyet communes with his priests through omens. Blood flowing from the edge of an axe, abnormal behavior in worgs and wolves, and speaking directly through shamans in a trance are all ways he makes his will known. In some worlds Maglubiyet's priests wear gray-green scale mail and conical hats. His holy weapon is the battle axe. Maglubiyet is worshiped in cave temples where sacrifices of hearts are made to him monthly. His holy day is the new moon. In times past, Maglubiyet had two sons who served as his lieutenants. However, in true goblin fashion, he decided that they were a threat. To get rid of them he sent them on suicide missions against the orcs and dwarves until they were slain. Maglubiyet means "defeat" in Turkish, and the root word Maglub is probably of Arabic origin. Maglubiyet first appeared in Deities & Demigods (1980), by Robert J. Kuntz and James M. Ward, and was further developed for the second edition of the AD&D game in Monster Mythology and On Hallowed Ground. His outer planar realm was described in great detail in Planes of Law. In 4th edition, he appears (with full game statistics) as a demigod servant of the god Bane in Dragon #372.