Deepling

Deeplings are an off-shoot species of Goblin. They are a young race and have only come into existence within the last few hundred years. Most creatures of the world barely know of their existence; as their name suggests, deeplings exist within the deepest, darkest places in the world. While they are related to goblins and possess a number of similar traits, their biology differs drastically from their green-skin cousins. As such, most would not consider them to be green-skins.

Their skin is rough, scaly, and hard. It is tinted a rocky grey which enables them to masterfully camouflage themselves amidst rocky cave walls. Their eyes are large, black orbs. and much like deep-sea fish, this enables them to see far better in dark environments than most other creatures. However, their large eyes are ill-suited to bright light, and most deeplings would prefer to scurry away to the safety of darkness rather than exist under the oppressive light of the sun. Deeplings tend to be shorter than their goblin counterparts, but much like dwarves, deeplings are stocky and hardy, able to survive deep underground in dangerous environments and among the denizens that hide within. One particular adaptation they possess is their uncanny resistance to heat. Whereas molten lava may burn a man should he get too close to it, a deepling will feel merely an uncomfortable heat.
Stranger still, deeplings turn to stone upon death. Some poetically explain this as a form of life force mixed with the energies of earthen Ley-lines. Some say that when their life is no more, then all that is left is stone and earth.
Those who have had rare experiences with deeplings consider them to be strange folk with stranger customs and traditions. Deeplings tend to be wary if not outright suspicious of outsiders and the surface world. While not as foul-tempered and prone to mischief, and raiding as their goblin cousins, they will nonetheless seek to defend their territory, violently if necessary. Once trust is established, deeplings can be amicable and even friendly, if a bit quirky. They will often trade with other subterranean races such as the rodent-folk and the arachis, and may even create great totemic sculptures of stone and marble; a form of artistry that fascinates even the arachis. Despite these relations with other races, many deeplings share a deep-seated resentment towards green-skins, specifically those who serve the Goblin King, Gangar, to whom they once served as a slave caste long ago.

Origins

For centuries, goblin caste systems included what would one day become the deeplings. These pariahs were considered the runts of the goblin hierarchy; mistreated goblin families who were considered the lowest of the low. They were the least educated, and the weakest among their species, and they had the worst jobs: mucking out animal pens, cleaning up after other goblins, and working away in the mines of Undertown for valuable minerals and ores. If Undertown had slaves to do some of this work, the pariah families worked alongside them.

Gex, the Wise

Goblin record-keeping is near nonexistent, but according to modern deeplings, a figure emerged among the goblin pariahs approximately three-hundred years ago called Gex, an unusual for a member of the pariah caste. He was a storyteller and gave comfort to the suffering and vulnerable. He told the down-trodden goblins of the Deep-Fires: the warmth deep in the earth and the light in the darkness that frightened away

the vicious creatures of the deep-dark. Over time, he gained followers and titles. To the goblins of the pariah caste, he was "Gex, the Wise", and "Gex, the Good-Teller". It is not known how he gained his knowledge. Some deeplings today believe he was granted visions by the spirits of Fire and Earth.
Gex's Promise. Later in his life, he told stories of a place where the land shimmered, and where subterranean streams of water and fire would draw great numbers of exotic creatures to tame and hunt. It was a place where rich fungi and mushrooms could grow tall and strong, and a place of perpetual night where the bioluminescent grubs upon the cavern ceilings would glisten like many points of light. He inspired and emboldened his followers and his people with these stories. With hope in their hearts, they knew they were numerous, and their slavers were few. One particular goblin, named Drezza, took his affections, and she eventually bore his child as the two formed a lifelong bond. She spread the word of Gex the Wise, and whispers of a grand exodus deep into the darkness to find this promised land met the ears of every miner.
Gex's Death. News of Gex met the ears of the Goblin King, Gangar the Magnanimous. He was a brutal and cunning goblin who had newly risen to power by killing and absorbing the power of the previous ruler. Gex was brought to Gangar, where he was pulled limb from limb by the monstrous creature in front of his most loyal followers. This was Gangar's first true display of brutality—brutality that would define his rule for decades to come.

Days of Slaver-Smashing and the Exodus

This action spurred the fury of Gex's followers into a great and bloody revolution. Gex's martyrdom at the hands of the Goblin King earned him his final title: "Gex the Chain-Smasher". The three days that followed after the death of Gex is referred to today as the "Days of Slaver-Smashing". Most of the pariah caste was freed, but the only thing they had left of Gex was his tales of their promised land. For three long months, Drezza led an exodus underground, escaping from the clutches of Gangar and the rest of goblin society.
Transformation. Throughout their journey, pockets of luminescent orange and green crystals lit the way for these goblins. Drezza took this as a sign from Gex and followed them. These glowing ley-lines were suffused with the elemental Magics of earth and fire, which transformed them through proximity. The journey shaped the goblins into something different. They soon found torches to be blinding as their vision adapted to the darkness. They grew more dextrous, able to climb and squeeze through the tightest of spaces without issue. Their skin became hard, durable, and cracked like stone. Underground they flourished.
The Glimmerlands. Gex's promise of a new life rang true at the transformation, and a new sense of hope blossomed. Eventually, they found the Glimmerlands, a network of glistening network of underground caves filled with beautiful crystal ley-lines of green and orange, all of which led to a vast lava cavern. Within this cavern were a subterranean freshwater lake which filtered from the surface world, a great lavafall, and a cloak of steam that would hide their existence. In the cavern's center, an island protruded from the lake, upon which sat a gargantuan plateau of crystal.

Deep-top. After many years, the deeplings integrated themselves into the Glimmerland's ecosystem, and small hamlets of stone were built along the shores of the lake. Eventually, the town of Deeptop was founded atop the plateau, which grew into a bustling trade hub where many races of the subterranean world met to exchange goods and services. After some time, the goblins called themselves "Deep-dwellers", or "Deeplings".

Deepling Society

Deeplings are few in number, with a total population only in the tens of thousands. Compared to the empires of humanity and the holds of dwarvenkind, deepling society is young and still blooming. Rejecting the caste-based society under which their people were enslaved for centuries, deepling society is instead ordered into clans, many of which have gathered power, respect, and influence among the deepling people over decades. The most valued of these clans fill unique niches and provide services to the wider populace that make their existences invaluable.
Deepling Society is overseen by a

gathering of elders who each represent their clan. This gathering is called the Deeptop Committee, and it is their role to unite the clans and interpret the will of Gex. There are five seats at the Committee's table in total, though the fifth seat is symbolically reserved for Gex himself, or any of his descendants. None have been found so far, but should one be discovered, they would sit at the head of the Deeptop Committee.
Clan Stonescritcher. A gathering of the most erudite of historians and intellectuals, clan Stonescritcher, under the discerning gaze of Stonescritcher Kozzlik, archives and records history and events that pertain to the deepling people. Working with the Tunnel Scouts of clan Deepdelver, clan Stonescritcher even records events that transpire upon the surface world. Most within deepling society would consider Stonescritchers to be obsessed with the passage of time. Every single thing must be recorded upon the great stone tablet that sits within the center of Deeptop. They choose not to etch history upon the great tablet with chisel and hammer, but with their own claws; they see history as sacred, and to inscribe history into stone with cold utensils is to recollect history without soul or personal sacrifice.
To the Stonescritchers, working with stone is an art form, even while not recording history. They are artists at heart and have created great stone temples to Gex all throughout the Glimmerlands. They are as much builders as they are historians and scholars, and many Stonescritchers will aid in the construction and expansion of tunnel networks and mines
Clan Deepdelver. Clan Deepdelver is led by the bold Scout Leader, Flizz, who also leads the Tunnel Scouts. Clan Deepdelver is an adventurous lot; skilled and fearless by nature, it was clan Deepdelver that first explored the Glimmerlands. When the first deepling settled there, it was clan Deepdelver that protected them as they were harried by the deep-dark's vicious denizens.
They lead the Tunnel Scout militia, a large band of intrepid explorers that venture into tunnels and cave systems to ward off entities that would otherwise pose a threat to the deepling people. The most prominent of these threats are the Deep-dwarves of clan Ashbight, whose armies will often be hindered or redirected by the genius tactics of the Scouts. Clan Deepdelver and the Tunnel Scouts are the largest comparable thing to a military that deepling society has. They are trained not in direct melee or hand-to-hand combat, but rather guerilla warfare, traps, and evasion tactics. They approach combat with creativity rather than blunt force
Deepdelvers are scavengers by heart. They venture out into the world to find unused and thrown-away scrap, weapons, armor, and other interesting-looking trinkets to bring back to the Glimmerlands. The Tunnel Scouts have even made expeditions up to the surface and returned with fascinating stories to share with clan Stonescritcher.
Clan Firespeaker. Clan Firespeaker is perhaps the oldest clan among the Committee. Known officially as the Priesthood of the Flamesoul, clan Firespeaker comes from a long line of some of Gex's first followers. Founded centuries ago by Drezza after discovering the Glimmerlands, it is the main religious organization of the deepling people. Its members are known as Firespeakers, prophets the Deep-Fires. This religious order consists of a maximum of 150 official Firespeakers, and their leader, the venerable High Shaman Gazmix.
The Firespeakers are both an elusive and secretive group while also wielding tremendous influence in deepling society. As such, these prophets act as ambassadors, envoys, intermediaries, and priests for the Deep-Fires towards the Deeptop Committee concerning matters on the movements of the natural elements and the reverence of Gex's lineage and memory. It is their belief that Gex was granted his visions from the Deep-Fires, which granted him great power; enough to do battle with Gangar before he was torn apart by the Goblin King. To Clan Firespeaker, Gex was a "Flamesoul", an individual gifted with the power of the Deep-Fires to safeguard the deepling people against Gangar and his green-skins.

Clan Soilturner. Clan Soilturner is the largest and most numerous clan among the deepling people. Lead by elder Sporeweaver Tuxie, they are the backbone of deepling society; the common working folk, the farmers, the traders, the merchants, and the carpenters. Soilturners across the Glimmerlands gather in small hamlets lead by village elders. These village elders are unique among Soilturners, as many are Sporeweavers; shamans, and druids with the ability to manipulate the energies of earthen leylines and fungal essences. The myconid people often share territories with Soilturners, as Sporeweavers will nurture friendly relations with local myconid colonies. In return for the protection of their colonies, myconids will aid Sporeweavers in the growth of subterranean mushrooms to stunning heights, which the deeplings will cut down for building material or clothing.
Soilturners will overwhelmingly populate the streets of Deeptop's market districts, selling strange produce found only in the deep-dark; Basking Gulper fish, Lavagrubs, Giant fire beetles, stirge meat, and darkmantle leather to name a few. With the cooperation and expertise of local myconid populations, Soilturners will also harvest various fungi for food. Masters of agriculture, Soilturners will also tame creatures for their meat, hide, or other resources. Flail snails are prized for their slime, which, when left to harden, can be cut to make a glass-like substance.
One mushroom that is infamous among the Soilturners is "Vampire's Delight", a type of small, white mushroom with blood-red boils. It purportedly has a very appealing taste and its scent is irresistible, but when consumed, the after-effects are deadly. Approximately an hour after consumption, blood will leak from every orifice and the victim will spasm until death from blood loss. The mushroom typically grows in clusters near blood-soaked battlefields.

Deepling Life

While goblins see family as second-most to the tribe and something to be thrown to the wayside, to deeplings, family is an important aspect of life and is the fundamental unit of deepling society. The family unit is vital for the continuation of deepling society, and immediate family members hold each other close to their hearts. While a deepling would fight for their clan, they would die for their family. In this aspect, deeplings are not too dissimilar to dwarves, and some suspect these values could be a form of parallel cultural evolution.
The community comes after the immediate family. Deeplings care greatly about local communities and will seek to preserve peace within them. They will usually have shared values and purposes, whether hidden beneath a lavafall or squirreled away high up near a cavern ceiling. To a deepling, a mother doesn't raise a child alone, but an entire village. This philosophy extends to how deeplings raise their young. Deeplings are born in large, communal houses made from elaborately carved stone and chitin, where new mothers and elders will discuss how to raise the next generation. Deepling children are also taught in communal temples where they learn of Gex's sacrifice, the dangers of the deep-dark, and the histories of the clans.

Keepsakes and Knick-knacks

If there's one thing that a deepling loves more than anything else, it's trinkets, shiny things. Deeplings enjoy gathering small personal possessions throughout their lives. Sometimes this is motivated by greed, and a deepling may risk venturing to the surface world to steal the odd keepsake from a human town to sell at the Deeptop market. Other times this is motivated by the story behind the item. A large pincer of an ankheg may remind a deepling of when he and a patrol of his fellow Tunnel Scouts stumbled upon one skulking the outskirts of the Glimmerlands, and a smooth pebble may harken back to the time when Mother Moggrik threw that very same stone at a giant fire beetle, to which it promptly exploded.

In Harmony with Nature

Deeplings also love to tinker and experiment, but unlike most other societies, deepling technology rarely uses forged metals and artificially-made materials. Deeplings prefer instead to use hides, mushroom fibers, and other naturally available resources found across the Glimmerlands. A shield or set of plate armor used by a Tunnel Scout may have once been the armored plate of a bulette. A shortsword may have once been the chitinous mandible of an ankheg. Where one might expect to find planks of wood is instead carved and cut from the stem of a giant mushroom. Lanterns that illuminate the streets and homes of deepling hamlets are in fact bioluminescent mushrooms or glow bugs captured in resin jars of hardened flail snail slime.
Deeplings, especially those of clan Soilturner, are heavily spiritual people and are deeply in touch with their natural ecosystem. They view themselves not as masters over their

environment, but as a small part of a greater cycle. To deeplings, giving back to nature is common sense in so far that nature can then return the favor. It is for this reason that deeplings have good relations with myconid colonies. This outlook is also reinforced by the location of Deeptop between a great convergence of ley-lines, which most scholars consider to be the magical lifeblood of the world. Imbued with fragments of Earth and Fire, these leylines maintain a huge diversity of life deep within the Glimmerlands, and it is through clan Firespeaker and clan Soilturner that the power of these ley-lines is respected.
Clan Tinkerton. Not all deeplings abide by this philosophy. Clan Tinkerton is a small upstart clan who has recently shown an unnerving promise and aptitude in creating force amplifiers for the Tunnel Scouts, who are often the ones who bring salvage to them to tinker with. Much like goblins, clan Tinkerton revels in taking scrap metal and broken machines salvaged from the surface and turning them into dangerous weapons, armor, munitions, and other explosively prone contraptions. Most of clan Soilturner would describe clan Tinkerton as reckless, mad, and ignorant tinkerers with a penchant for dangerous experiments.

Death of a Deepling

Death is considered a grievous loss for deeplings due to their few numbers. An entire clan may mourn the loss of one of their own for weeks, though most understand death to be a natural process, and in death, the memory of the deceased will carry on with them forever. In part, this philosophy stems from the fact that deeplings turn to stone upon death. As such many burial halls are filled with once-living statues of deeplings of high-regard long since passed. Typically, when a deepling dies, their petrified statue is waded out into a lake of lava where it melts over time. This is seen by clan Firespeaker as giving back to the Deep-Fires from which deeplings were born.
As members of a deeply spiritual clan, the priests of clan Firespeaker believe that the souls of the deceased are absorbed by the ley-lines of fire surrounding the Glimmerlands, wherein they last forever as echoes. Firespeakers will often carry out funeral rites and console and comfort grieving family members.

Deepling Names

Deepling names are almost always short and easy to remember. They will typically be comprised of one, two, or three syllables with hard consonants. Two deeplings will seldom share the same name, and despite their emphasis on family, deeplings will rarely possess a family name, as there are so few deeplings it is often not needed to identify one's self.
Male Names: Mush, Ghenk, Mub, Jib, Kobblokk, Gedzig, Kloush, Grunka, Migmox
Female Names: Flizz, Fizzi, Snaggletooth, Yunki, Blixxi, Neeka, Tweexe, Timvi

Deepling Traits

Deepling Traits

As a deepling, you have the following traits.


Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1
Age. Deeplings reach adulthood at age 5 and can live up to 100 years.
Alignment. Deeplings are typically neutral. They see the value in a well-ordered society, but some are prone to a chaotic lifestyle. Most tend to avoid evil, as few wish to replicate the evils that goblin society put them through.
Size. Deeplings are between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Death in Stone. If you die, your body begins to petrify over the course of 1 minute. At the end of 1 minute, your body turns to stone. If you are physically broken while petrified, you suffer from similar deformities if your body reverts to its original state by the use of a Greater Restoration or a Wish spell.
Craggy Camoflage. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by dim light or rocky terrain. In addition, when you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check under these conditions, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check.
Fury of the Small. When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage to the creature. The extra damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Hot Core. You have resistance to fire damage.
Nimble Escape. You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Trade-tongue , Goblin , and Under-tongue .

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Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Goblin

Lifespan

50

Average Height

3' 4"

Average Weight

55 lb.

Geographic Distribution

• Deep-dark
• Glimmerlands
• The Known World

Notable Deeplings

• Snaggletooth
• Migmox
• Gazmix
• Gex 
• Grunka
• Kozzlik
• Tuxie 
• Zizmok