Green-skin

Throughout the centuries, when goblin warlords conquered other goblin tribes, goblins were taught to fear cruelty and bow in sniveling obeisance to greater authority, only to then turn their impotent wrath upon others, becoming petty tyrants. When Archgoblins emerged into the world, they granted their subjects great power and crafted the hobgoblins. From the Goblin Kings of centuries past, hobgoblins learned discipline, and thus they became the natural leaders among all green-skins.

Archgoblins

Archgoblins are large, hulking, swollen, mutated forms of their smaller goblin cousins. Leyline Magic flows through their veins, enabling them to be frightfully adept with magic and granting them tremendous lifespans. Some Archgoblins have lived to be at least two centuries old.
Archgoblins have conquered their way to the top of goblin society for at least five hundred years, beginning with Bruxx the Benevolent, a powerful goblin war-boss who discovered this source of magical power deep beneath the earth. Stumbling upon a geode-like cave filled with glowing crystals imbued with leyline magic, he touched the shiny mineral formations. The magical power surged through his body as he absorbed every ounce of it, going through a ferocious transformation. He grew three times the size of a normal goblin and gained unnatural strength, wits, and cunning. He returned to goblin society as the first Archgoblin.
All goblin tribes, regardless of where in the world they might call home, are commanded by a single Archgoblin. The Archgoblin often comes to power through betrayal, aggression, or sheer accumulated wealth and power before declaring themselves King or 'Boss', rather than by more peaceful and moral means. All green-skins; goblins and hobgoblins alike; worship the Archgoblin as an all-conquering God-king and frequently create shrines and demand offerings to their divine monarch from enslaved races.

Hopefuls for this status as an Archgoblin must always pass a trial by combat against the previous Archgoblin. More often than not, these trials never truly result in honorable combat; there are no rules and goblins have little sense of honor. Typically, these trials turn into games of who can discretely assassinate or brutalize the other before the fight.
Regardless of the outcome, the last goblin left standing is the victor and, thus, the new 'Goblin King'. 'King' or 'Boss' are both titles that are used interchangeably and leaders often choose self-styled titles for themselves, regardless of whether or not the title is accurate or earned. Most recognize the title of Goblin King.
Along with the status of Goblin King, the powers of the previous Archgoblin are handed down through the line of leadership. This is usually taken by force by the victor upon the murder of a previous ruler. These powers twist the form of the victor into the new Archgoblin. The current Archgoblin is the longest-ruling in history; Gangar, the Magnanimous.
Certain goblins are given a fraction of the Goblin King's power, turning them into Hobgoblins, a position from which they can enforce the will of the Goblin King, creating some form of order in green-skin society. Hobgoblins can also turn other goblins into hobgoblins as a means to craft legions during recruitment.

Will of the Goblin King

The green-skins are bound together by the Goblin King's subjugation. Both types rightly fear the Goblin King's wrath, but each carries out the mighty God-King's will differently. Goblins typically flee from obvious threats, and hobgoblins often have to round up and threaten them before they can make use of them. Hobgoblins operating on their own will remain in their forts, content to deal with internal politics of rank and matters of defense, but when they encounter or seek out goblins, it is viewed by all as a divine sign. The Goblin King has called them together to do his bidding on a grand scale.

Call to War: Formation of the Host

When green-skins coalesce into a host, this new societal and military arrangement fundamentally changes how virtually every individual behaves.

Leaders in Word and Deed. Hobgoblins form the backbone of the new culture, taking up most leadership roles and acting as the strong center in any military action. Hobgoblins that are called to lead a host become fired with purpose, overtaken by a fanaticism that lends new urgency to their every action.
When multiple legions gather into a host, each of those legions has a separate status, just as each banner in a legion does. The legion of the host's warlord has the highest status, and warlords of lower status are demoted to the title of general. A member of the lowest-ranked banner in the warlord's legion has a higher status than those of other legions who share the same rank, but a general at the head of another legion still outranks everyone in the warlord's legion except for the warlord.
Hobgoblins in a legion set aside their animosity for other legions when a host forms. The warlords of rival legions don't seek to depose the leader of the host uless the fortunes of war create the opportunity. Each legion records all the insults directed toward it while a member of a host, and when the host disbands, those grudges again come to the forefront.
Stealthy Shock Troops. Certain groups of green-skins that are subsumed into a host can function as spies, assassins, and bodyguards, answering to the senior leader-ship of the host rather than others of their own kind.
On occasion, hobgoblin leaders will see fit to equip these forces with improved equipment, such as metal-tipped javelins in place of stone-tipped ones, or chain shirts instead of the usual hide armor. Bugbears are never outfitted with ranged weapons or with heavy armor. If some demonstrate a particular talent for some facet of combat or subterfuge, hobgoblins might separate them into squads that employ those skills to best effect.

Reluctant Little Tyrants. One of the first steps hobgoblins takes when a tribe of goblins joins the host is to train gatherers and the pariahs as soldiers, effectively elevating those goblins' status to that of hunters and reducing the number of castes in the host to two. Leaders and religious figures of the tribe still maintain some of their authority, but the lowliest hobgoblin can give an order to a goblin chief, and that chief must leap to obey or, as is often the case, immediately yell orders for other goblins to do it.
Goblins that are conscripted into a host resign themselves to their fate, which could well be to have their lives expended for the glory of the Goblin King. Thus reconciled, they become humorless and show no pity toward whatever meager victims fall under their dominion, usually enslaved laborers or monsters that are pressed into service as battle beasts. When the need arises, they also work as scouts, sappers during sieges, and skirmishers on the battlefront.
Auxiliary Units. A host rarely consists of nothing but green-skins, especially if it has been on the move for a while. In addition to wolf, worg, and spider mounts and flocks of squawking ravens, a host might attract or press into service many kinds of creatures. Some possibilities:

• A low, two-wheeled pushcart loaded with small wooden cages containing cockatrices.
• A hydra with goblins riding on each head directing the beast by controlling the view of its blinkered eyes.
• Former slaves, often soldiers who once fought against the host, who now fight alongside the host to gain better treatment and protect loved ones held captive.
• A carrion crawler ridden by several goblins in a row and directed by a lead goblin using a long pole to suspend a lantern just out of reach of its tentacles.
• Ogres lead by the promise of a good fight and good food.

The Host on the March

A green-skin host that is prepared for war doesn't wait for the enemy to approach its doorstep. In pursuit of ever greater glory for the Goblin King, the host's leaders keep the army on the move, occasionally breaking off small garrisons to guard territory that needs to be held.
A host usually marches at night, with outriders, who carry messenger ravens, traveling ahead, behind, and on both sides of the main group. The ravens can distinguish between individuals from a great height and navigate over long distances. Thus, a raven can fly back to the main body when it is released by someone remote from the group, and it can be sent out again to look for the individual that released it in order to deliver a response.
Most of the army travels on foot, and wolf-riding goblins and worg-riding hobgoblins also make up a significant portion of the force. Hobgoblins might ride horses or other mounts they could obtain, such as hippogriffs, giant spiders, axe beaks, or giant vultures. If the host has slaves, they pull wagons or sleds in the center of the army, dragging along the equipment of war while surrounded by its users. If slaves have yet to be acquired, goblins and beasts of burden perform this function.

Conquest and Occupation

Warfare in the name of the Goblin King is a practice of claiming territory and subjugation. Those who surrender to the host with little or no resistance get fair and honest treatment. If they offer proper tribute, they can even look forward to avoiding goblin whips and chains. Warriors among the conquered people might be accepted as auxiliary units in the host if they prove to be capable and trustworthy.
Typically, a green-skin host seeks to retain enough of the population in a conquered settlement for the community to continue to produce goods and services. The labor

force likely includes more youngsters and elderly than before the green-skin's conquest, with a corresponding drop-off in production. In any case, a group of conquered people serves the host best when it continues to produce resources that the green-skins can use. Only when a settlement offers stiff resistance or has no lasting value to the host do the green-skins resort to slaughter and slavery to empty it of enemies.
A host that gains many victories might end up claiming vast amounts of territory and eventually become a true nation. Such an empire might last for generations if the military can continue achieving new conquests or at least claim victories when the green-skins defend the territory they previously took over. If triumphs don't keep coming, the bonds of allegiance among the green-skins eventually fray. Legions of hobgoblins begin infighting, and goblins shirk their duties while the hobgoblins are distracted. Then, seeing the disarray of the host as a sign that the Goblin King is no longer looking, the hobgoblins' superiors turn on their lessers, take a few of their heads as fresh trophies, and leave.

Life in a Slave State

When a host conquers a settlement or a community, the surviving victims quickly learn to adapt to life under the green-skin's rule. The hobgoblins bring their own legal code down upon the vassals, and it is liable to be harsher than that to which the inhabitants were accustomed. Yet the host will also respect traditions of law and custom among those they conquer, as an aid to maintaining order by pacifying the population. Some surviving civilian leaders are allowed to retain their positions, often gaining more privilege and power than they previously possessed by serving as agents of the green-skins, helping to identify any who are disloyal to the host.

In matters of religion, there is little or no flexibility. The host eliminates any spiritual leaders or temple servants who offer any resistance. Clergy of gods that are deemed harmless, such as a deity of the harvest, can escape this fate. When the host encounters priests of deities of battle or conquest, they offer them a simple choice: Turn to the worship of the Goblin King, or prove the superiority of your god in combat. Any such priest who remains faithful to some other god rarely lasts long because the priest will face a succession of foes; as many as it takes for the priest to succumb and for others to see that resistance is pointless. The Goblin King ultimately offers only two options: submit or die.
If the settlement has holy sites dedicated to conquered gods, these are converted into shrines to the Archgoblin. All representations of the defeated gods are thrown down, ruined, or marred. Mosaics are broken apart. Stained glass is shattered. Flags and pennants are soaked in blood. Statues are put in chains. Altars become chopping blocks where the Goblin King's bloody axe is used to decapitate all who refuse to bow to him.

No Other King Shall Stand!

Green-skins are indoctrinated from a young age to consider all sovereigns and gods but the Goblin King as lesser, false entities. The Goblin King is the only true god-king, they learn, and the world will be wracked by chaos and despair until he one day conquers all. Goblinoids harbor a special hatred for clerics of enemy deities, focusing on them in battle and desecrating their temples whenever they have the chance. Whether a deity is good, evil, or neutral is immaterial. Any entities worshipped other than the Goblin King and his servants are false and must be destroyed.

Warborn

While a host pursues conquest, it is taboo for its members to copulate. Such proclivities must be suppressed so that all effort is focused on the task at hand. Breach of the taboo can bring summary execution, so it is rare for offspring to be born among the host even when it successfully campaigns for years. The taboo doesn't extend to female goblinoids that come into the host already pregnant and give birth while on the campaign. Such offspring are called Warborn, a title they keep for life. The Warborn are thought to be blessed by the Goblin King, and as a result, these young goblinoids are carried into battle like a standard and used to rally troops.

Green-skin Speech

Most green-skins are ill-tempered and quick to anger when interacting with other races, particularly those who they deem lesser, such as humans, halflings, and especially dwarves. As such, much of the goblin language manifests in strange ways during furious, angry tirades. The goblin tongue will inadvertently weave its way into slurs and insults, creating new and even nonsensical words. Other times, the language may seep into declarations of admiration and skill. Some examples are as follows:

• Grot: A general slur for non-green-skins, or anyone deemed to be at the bottom of any given pecking order. Eg: "Shut it, you Grot!"
• Grop/Groppin': The act of complaining. "The dwarf's groppin' about his cage size again."
• Nobbin: A noun to describe someone who is particularly smart in a condescending way. "Look! The humin think's he's a posh nobbin!"
• Bludmusher: A noun to positively describe a ruthless and bloody warrior. "Guzzix is a right Bludmusher."
• Nash/Nashin': The act of eating messily. "We put the halfling on the fire for nashin' later.