Goblin

Goblins (Virnethan: green elves) are a subspecies of elf which has forsaken the gift of immortality in exchange for the ability to more easily bear children. Those children, however, are indistinguishable from traditional elves until the onset of puberty, at which point they are given a choice: forsake immortality and adopt the green-hued skin of their parents, or forsake their parents and rejoin the species of their more distant ancestors.

The fact that goblin children are indistinguishable from elven children has led to great conflict between the two species. Some elves believe it is their gods-given mission to “rescue” goblin children from their “evil” parents before the children can be corrupted as well. Others claim that there is no such thing as a goblin child, and that goblins simply steal the children of elves to pass off as their own. Still others hate the goblins for having a choice about immortality that no longer appears to be on offer.

Divine Evolution

The first goblins were Lowland Elves and members of the Church of the Sky. These individuals were deeply troubled by the High Council’s treatment of their planetary neighbors, the shapeshifting kíndalla. In accordance with the first agreement of the Sky Father’s Pact, which states that all people are equal in the eyes of God, these soon-to-be goblins protested and protested and protested some more. Gradually, they began to see the kíndallans’ mortal lives as a more pure form of existence.

They also grew envious of the bond between kíndallan parents and their children. It was such a dicey proposition for an elf to bear young that few had kids of their own. Maybe, the soon-to-be goblins decided, a deal could be struck with the Sky Father himself. If they would give up the gift of immortality in their quest to be more equal to their fellow sapient beings, perhaps they could have an easier go of it when it came to pregnancy.

At some point soon thereafter, the Father and his Children met upon the wide open plain of Virneth and reached an accord. And that was how the first goblins came to be.

Like, for real. That ain’t just the myth!

Anatomy

Goblins are green-skinned humanoids with pointy ears. Aside from differences in pigmentation, they are identical to their elven forebears. Speciesist propaganda would have us believe that they have protruding jaws, that their lower canines jut out of their mouths like a boar’s tusks, and that they have snouts instead of noses, but none of this is true.

Reproduction

Whereas every elven parent stands a 50-50 chance of dying the moment their child draws its first breath, this is a non-issue for goblins. A healthy goblin is able to bear children just the same as every other humanoid species in Eden and the larger Clarkwoods Literary Universe.