Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins in Acroshia

Hobgoblins are a race of Medium-sized Humanoids under the sway of Maglubiyet, the Conquering God, though no living Hobgoblins in Acroshia have experienced the Call to Conquer (see Religion). Hobgoblins are an inherently martial species even when Maglubiyet turns his attention from them, but they are also a highly disciplined, goal-oriented race of society builders.
Hobgoblins build settlements, cities, and every now and again, empires, and they rule these societies with harsh, inflexible military codes. Acroshian Hobgoblins have managed to reach an uneasy détente with the human cities of the desert, living apart from them while enjoying a profitable relationship with various potentates, merchant-kings and crime lords as mercenaries and monster-hunters.

Hobgoblin Society in Acroshia

Hobgoblins are feared, misunderstood, and loathed by many humans within Shar, their reputation for wanton butchery perpetually preceding them. The Hobgoblins themselves consider the cities of Acroshia places of lawlessness, ignorance, and casual incivility, and it is to the mutual satisfaction of both groups that Hobgoblins rarely make a home within cities such as Seth or Al-Jaran.
Instead, groups of Hobgoblins, called legions, reside in insular desert fortifications called Grips, which function as highly-ordered and aggressively-centralized military hierarchies. These fortified townships are typically built against or into the bases of mountains, mesas, and gorges that offer access to running water. While Grips engage in some limited agriculture, the lion’s share of their resources derive from the fulfillment of mercenary contracts and bounties.
When a Grip takes on a contract or bounty, it dispatches a mercenary-platoon known as a Banner in order to fulfill it. Hobgoblin Banners are as brutal and efficient as they are disciplined and professional, respected and feared across Shar for their ruthless dedication. Just the sight of a Hobgoblin Banner is enough to strike terror into caravan or village alike, though in reality Banners almost never attack without provocation, unless the targets are the subject of a bounty or contract.

Intergrip Relationships

Hobgoblins pride themselves on social order and collective discipline. Different Grips remain in regular contact with one another, and while they rarely interfere in one another's affairs, should a Grip come under threat from a force that represents an existential risk, it can rely on reinforcements from all the other Grips in the area. This willingness to defend one another against otherwise insurmountable odds have kept Acroshian Hobgoblins safe from attempts to eradicate them or drive them out of the country for generations.
However, Hobgoblins also fiercely value autonomy. It’s rare for Grips to exist in close proximity to one another, and trade between Grips is almost unheard-of. Each has a large and well-defined territory, or “hunting ground”, and each is careful not to take contracts or bounties that may intrude upon a foreign Grip's hunting ground, as this is perceived as a grave insult, and could result in a bloody Honor-Feud.

Life in the Grip

The Code of Bargrivyek

Named after the ancient Hobgoblin deity representing duty, unity and discipline, this martial code is simple, brutal, and lacking in nuance. Every Grip in Acroshia recognizes and adheres to the Code as a critical matter of honor. The heart of the Code are the six righteous tenets:

• Follow Orders - All Hobgoblins must know their place.
• Honor the Gods - The gods safeguard society and victory.
• Suffer nor Give Insult - Thus is order maintained.
• Reward Glorious Action - These are the spoils of honor.
• Uphold the Legion - No one is as important as everyone.
• Keep Your Word - Reliability is the path to power.

In many Grips, these are the only laws. However, a General may introduce more specific rules, as long as none of them violate the righteous tenets, and under some Generals, a Grip's Code can become quite detailed and prescriptive, requiring careful adherence to an extensive set of expectations, social rituals, and superstitions.

Violations of the Code

Every member of a Grip is obliged to uphold the Code of Bargrivyek. Violators are brought before the Lawhold to face the General's judgement, but in his absence, or in the field, the highest-ranking Hobgoblin in any group possesses the right and responsibility to mete out justice to anyone considered to have broken the Code, though imprudent or prejudicial rulings are themselves considered a violation of the injunction to Uphold the Legion. There are only three such punishments for violations: Injury - Violations of the Code that are deemed unintentional result in the removal of an appendage whose vitality toward successful combat is chosen with the severity of the transgression in mind. Exile - Violations of the Code deemed well-intentioned, that is, committed in an attempt to uphold other parts of the Code may result in Exile from the Grip, provided the offender is judged convincingly penitent. Very rarely, an Exile may accrue enough Glorious Action to be rewarded with re-admission to their Grip. Death - Violations deemed malicious and intentional result in death by Burning or Successive Amputation. Those who willfully break the Code may not be permitted to sully the name of their Grip or their species any further.

Generals and the Rule of Law

The leader of an individual Grip carries both the rank and title of General, with the rank of Warlord being awarded only to a Hobgoblin chosen by a council of Generals to lead a coalition of legions, known as a March. Generals are responsible for the unity of the Grip and enforcing the Code of Bargrivyek.
Some Generals lead a legion’s most prestigious Banner, leaving the management of the Grip to trusted Captains while venturing in the outlands, which helps to maintain their reputation as fierce and worthy leaders. However, frequent excursions also increases the risk of an injury that might leave them unable to perform the Feats of Command. All generals are required to participate in this annual fitness trial, which reconfirms their Rank by that testing their physical strength and mental discipline. The Feats of Command differ from Grip to Grip, often employing lethal features of the local landscape. Strong and savvy Generals who balance these priorities can hold their Rank for decades.

The Council of Captains

The General rules their Grip with the aid of the Council of Captains, made up of the Captain-Quartermaster, Captain-Archcleric, and Captain-Tactician. In most Grips, the Counsel of Captains meets for several hours a day with the General to discuss the needs and goals of the Grip and address any potential risks to the upholding of the Code of Bargrivyek.
When the General is absent from the Grip, the Captain-Tactician becomes the de facto representative and face of the law, but in practice, Councils of Captains typically deliberate carefully amongst themselves before making a major decision in such a circumstance.

Reproduction and Family Life

Hobgoblins reproduce exclusively with those of their own kind, and breeding with non-Hobgoblins is considered a willful violation of the injunctions to Honor the Gods and Uphold the Legion. Hobgoblins mate for life, though their pairings rarely feature elements of romance. Hobgoblin Banners and Crews are all mixed-gender, and pairings almost universally begin between Banner or Crewmates who hold one another in mutual esteem for honorable conduct and ferocious effectiveness on the field of battle.
When Hobgoblins pair, the end goal is exclusively the support of the legion through the providence of new lives, and "married life" for Hobgoblins is little more than a sequence of frequent and scheduled mating acts. While Hobgoblins enjoy mating, it is almost never performed outside of an attempt to produce offspring, and ceases entirely during their brief periods of pregnancy. Mating in a manner that cannot result in pregnancy is considered a violation of the Code of Bargrivyek.
When children are born, they are, like any other resource, rendered to the Captain-Quartermaster, who oversees their nourishment and the first crude phases of their training before they are relinquished to the General-Tactician to begin their more formal martial education. A hobgoblin child learns to march rather than walk, and their innate discipline allows them to serve as effective scouts and laborers well before they are physically mature; Hobgoblins often see their first battle before they turn ten.

Religion

Long ago, Hobgoblins worshipped their own pantheon of deities, who were butchered and supplanted by Maglubiyet, currently an exarch of Bane, leaving only Nomog-Geaya and Bargrivyek as vassal deities. Maglubiyet occasionally exercises his will by issuing a Call to Conquer, a divine order which brings Hobgoblins together with Goblins and Bugbears to form Conquering Hosts. It has been over 400 years since Maglubiyet has issued such a call to the Hobgoblins of Acroshia, and none living Hobgoblins can remember that terrible compulsion.

Nomog-Geaya & Bargrivyek

The last two surviving members of the ancient Hobgoblin pantheon, Nomog-Geaya & Bargrivyek represent two aspects of a successful legion: Strength and Unity.
Nomog-Geaya is a cold and stoic warlord who leads without mercy, pity, or doubt. His priests deliver punishments and continuously feed an eternal flame, the act of which represents the Hobgoblin willingness never to stop conquering. Priests of Nomog-Geaya must all occupy the rank of Fatal Axe or higher, as only those who have proven themselves beyond doubt in battle are fit to represent His will on the Material Plane.
Bargrivyek represents duty and discipline. His priests perform marriages, deliver children, heal the sick and tend to the injured. However, their most critical duty is to serve as contacts and emissaries to the cities outside the Grip. It is the Priests of Bargrivyek who select the contracts and bounties that will sustain their Grip.

Temples

Traditionally, Hobgoblins have been reluctant to build temples to their gods for fear of angering Maglubiyet. However, the passing of several generations without a Call to Conquer have caused most Acroshian Grips to abandon this superstition. The traditional shrines to their ancestor deities have grown steadily larger, though a ritual carving of the sigil of Maglubiyet always remains the most elevated feature of any temple in a Grip, regardless of which God might be venerated there.
The Temple of the Ancestors is usually carved from large pieces of stone, and typically comprises two seperate but nearly identical circular chambers separated from each other by a long, central hall. Each chamber has a circular floorplan and a stone altar at the center.
The leftmost chamber, carved in black or grey stone, honors Nomog-Geaya and the altar contains the everburning Honorflame. The rightmost chamber, honoring Bargrivyek, is carved from white or yellow stone, and the altar at its center is a stone-tablet upon which sacrifices are made and surgeries are performed. Below the primary chambers of the temple are living quarters for the priests and acolytes.
If a Grip contains one or more temples to other gods, they are always constructed at a lower elevation from the Temple of the Elders, with a smaller physical footprint and a small Crew of no more than four acolytes.

Notable Grips

There are eight Grips in Acroshia, with the size and prestige of each strongly associated with the fertility of their hunting grounds. Here are two of the most influential.

Drumhold

The largest Grip in Acroshia, Drumhold, is built upon a dune sea near Seth, its exposed and thirsting location a brazen challenge to any would-be aggressors. Its proximity to this large city, and the many contracts it regularly produces, have nurtured its growth into the largest and wealthiest Grip in Acroshia, easily able to import enough food and water to support its citizens without any supplementary farms. The current General of Drumhold is a fierce warrior known as Hookheart. He has only lead the Grip for a few years, and if almost never to be found in the Lawhold, preferring to actively lead his Banner as they fulfill contracts and win glory.

Daggerkeep

The Grip which counts Al-Jaran within its hunting ground is built against, and partially into, the base of a mesa half a day's journey from the city. It is less than half the size of Drumhold, but the General who has lead it for nearly forty years, Soruukh Jhave, is arguably the most famous and well-respected Hobgoblin in Acroshia. She rarely leaves the Grip, but under her guidance the Hobgoblins of Daggerkeep have developed a proud reputation among the other races as the most skilled, efficient, and professional mercenaries to be found anywhere in the Deadlands.

Diplomacy & Geopolitics

Goblinoids first arrived in the Acroshian Empire nearly 500 years ago as part of a Conquering Host gathered by Maglubiyet. Though the Host numbered over five thousand goblinoids, attempts to take the towers of Seth were abject failures, and the Five Kings' counterattack, a rare moment of cooperation between the oligarchs, remains one of the greatest recorded victories against a Host of such a size. It was scattered to the winds, and Maglubiyet turned his attention from the scarce remainder. Some Goblinoids in Shar believe in Maglubiyet's Doom: that the Hobgoblins and Goblins of the South of have been abandoned by their god, never again to be called to conquest, doomed to live and die for endless generations in the hot desert.
After the breaking of the Host, the goblins proved insufficiently organized to establish a stable society in Acroshia, apart from the short-lived city of Wezzel Wazzorik (before the tragic-but-nearly-inevitable conflagration which smeared it irretrievably into the dunes). They became tribal desert scavengers for over a century before tensions had cooled sufficiently for the goblins to begin their slow but remarkably successful assimilation into Acroshian cities.
The bugbears retreated to the comfort, shelter, and resources of the forests to the North of the desert almost immediately, desperate to quit the region as soon as Maglubiyet's terrible voice withdrew from their heads. The hobgoblins, however, did what they'd always done: found a few safe spots, circled up the legion, and began to build.

Relationship with Humankind

Hobgoblins and Humans have never enjoyed a comfortable or friendly relationship, but over the centuries, the Hobgoblin legions have established an unusual form of symbiosis with the human cities of Acroshia. Their natural hardiness and martial prowess combine to make them peerless desert warriors, especially in territory that they know well.
They leverage this advantage by offering their services as mercenaries to well-capitalized entities, and their focus on order and courtesy in the service of honoring Suffer nor Give Insult eases the otherwise-tense interactions considerably. Hobgoblins play an important role in keeping the region traversable while enjoying a sizable income for their efforts, and the Acroshians have made their peace with this arrangement, so long as the Hobgoblins continue in their adherence to one simple rule: Desert work only.

Mercenaries & Demon-Hunters

The Deadlands are vast and untamed, crawling with bandits, Hollows, monsters and demons, but a Hobgoblin Banner fears none of these things. In fact, by the time a child is old enough to take the rank of Fist, they are trained in multiple strategies for handling each of theses foes. Banners use tactics, numbers, and unflinching brutality to overwhelm mercenary, harpy, and Capra alike, with many fewer fatalities than a human force of similar number might suffer. Hobgoblins take particular joy in hunting demons, exalting in the satisfaction of bringing Order to Chaos. It is even said that the elite Banners of Daggerkeep have strategies for felling the great sandworms of the deeper Desert.

Fatal Axes - Peerless Bounty Hunters

A hobgoblin who proves themselves both steadfast and deadly may be raised to the rank of Fatal Axe by their General and be allowed to take on solo work. These elite bounty hunters usually take on contracts to hunt or kill individuals who hope to escape justice, suspicion, or enforcement by fleeing into the desert. There is a saying: "If a Fatal Axe can't catch them, it's because the desert caught them first." Many Fatal Axes will take assassination work, but they must often exercise great patience, waiting tirelessly for days or weeks for their mark to leave the city before striking.

An Uneasy Alliance

Despite the monstrous forms and martial dispositions of their residents, the Grips have managed to earn the begrudging respect of the Acroshian government and its people by being extremely reliable and professional providers of a critical service. Most humans still fear Hobgoblins, but the Priests of Bargrivyek and Fatal Axes who come to the cities also enjoy a healthy respect, both because it is common knowledge that Hobgoblins do not perform jobs inside settlements, and because most people understand that to insult a Hobgoblin means death. Some wealthy parents buy stuffed hobgoblin dolls for their children, in the hopes of staving off a potentially-fatal faux-pas by making the face seem friendly.
This delicate relationship allows Hobgoblins to pass into and out of Acroshian cities with few problems, in large part because they typically enter with a purpose that serves society, and leave as soon as their business is concluded. Indeed, because of the importance of maintaining professional relationships with the Grips, Hobgoblins in Acroshian settlements enjoy many of the same rights as Citizens. Ironically, the murder of a Hobgoblin in an Acroshian settlement is likely to result in a vigorous investigation in the hopes of locating the perpetrator and turning them over to the visitor's Grip as a show of good faith.
Conversely, if a Hobgoblin is insulted or attacked and ends up murdering a resident in retaliationt, the Hobgoblin is typically extradited back to their home Grip to face justice. Typically that justice is swift and severe, but even when a rare pardon is granted, Acroshia's Emirs prefer to let a murderer walk free than face the anger of the Mhim should relations with the Hobgoblins deteriorate over such a trifling matter.
Humans and other Folk are rarely allowed inside a Grip without the personal invitation of a Captain or General.

Relationship with Goblinkind

When not answering a Call to Conquest, the Goblinoid races often treat each other ambivalently, but in Acroshia this ambivalence frequently boils over into outright hostility. Hobgoblins resent Goblins for their willingness to live with humankind, for their distractible and Chaotic natures, and for the bigotry against Goblinoids that Hobgoblins frequently blame on the smaller species. Some Grips begrudginly tolerate the Goblin camps that seem to crop up instinctively around their walls, while others will actively hunt down and kill any Goblins they come across in the execution of their duties.

Rank in Hobgoblin Society

Hobgoblins legions employ a system whereby every member of the society has a Rank and Title. Their rank signifies their social status, while their title is tied to the job or function performed within the Grip. The system looks much like a caste system, but features much more social mobility, as Hobgoblins who demonstrate excellence are regularly promoted to higher ranks.

• Warlord – A temporary position created only when multiple legions come together to form a March.
• General – The leader of a Grip.
• Captain – An individual who occupies a critical administrative role in a Grip.
• Fatal Axe – A battle-proven Hobgoblin authorized by a General to operate independently of a Banner, typically an elite bounty hunter.
• Spear - The leader of a Banner or Crew, responsible for the unity and success of the group they lead.
• Fist – A member of a Banner, a specialized team of Hobgoblins warriors who take on contracts and bounties.
• Soldier – A member of a Crew, a group of Hobgoblins responsible for maintaining the integrity or health of a Grip. A team of masons, the staff of a temple, or the laborers that that run a farm are all examples of different kinds of Crews. About 60% of all Hobgoblins in an average Grip hold this rank.

Institutions of the Grip

In addition to these institutions, Grips contain a number of barracks sufficient to house all their occupants, as well as enough farms to supplement the income received through the successful completion of contracts and bounties. The number of farms required to support a Grip is inversely proportional to the prestige that Grip enjoys, and it is always the goal of a Grip to bring in enough income to eliminate the need for farming entirely. Currently, only Drumhold is successful enough to enjoy this status.

• The Lawhold – This building, typically the best-defended and most fortified in the Grip, serves as a barracks and court for the Grip’s General and Captains. From the Lawhold, a General rules their Grip, administering punishments and promotions, devising strategies, and occasionally giving audiences to privileged outsiders.

• Temple of the Elders – Now, almost every Grip has a temple to the two surviving Hobgoblin deities, Nomog-Geaya and Bargrivyek. The temple has a dedicated Crew of templekeepers and acolytes who keep the Honorflame perpetually fed and who act as healers and sages. Some Grips also include one or more temples dedicated to Maglubiyet or other Lawful or Evil-aligned deities which that legion may have a connection to, including Helm, Hoar, Jergal, Azuth, Bhaal, Loviatar, and Bane. The highest-ranking priest in a Grip is the Captain-Archcleric.

• The Armory – This compound comprises forges and smithies that produce weapons, armor, and tools for the Grip’s Banners and Crews. Additionally the Armory contains a hall and several fields for training and drilling Fists and Spears, complete with a small Library to support the production of battlemages. The Armory is led by the Captain-Forgemaster, who is often, though not always, a hardened battlemage.

• The Storehouse – This warehouse and distribution center is typically the largest structure in the Grip. From this building, the Captain-Quartermaster receives and allocates all the Grip’s resources according to the needs of each member of the legion. Food and life-necessities are distributed to members in proportion to their rank, but the allocation of these resources remains very egalitarian, with a General receiving just under double the share allocated to the lowest ranking Soldiers.

• Way to Glory - Hobgoblin Grips always feature a road leading from the primary entrance to the Lawhold called the Way to Glory, where the honored dead are interred and their name, Rank, and deeds are recorded for all to see.