Goblin Warchief

The most cunning, brutal and most importantly, lucky of goblins manage to excel through the pecking order of the rabble. From the outside you may believe that in order to reach those higher echelons you would just have to slit enough throats but the goblin military and social structure is far more complex.    

Moving Up Ranks

  Many things could warrant a promotion. Even the wimpiest of runts can have a taste of power if they stumble into the right situation or have that situation inflicted upon them.   A loose and by no means exhaustive outline of the ranks in ascending order:




In order to progress from one rank to another, without just being born a certain way, you will need to prove yourself capable of handling the increased responsibility. If you’re lucky, you might be able to hop up a rank or two without dying to the new set of threats. However, in the case of dung herders, death actually moves you up the social ladder immediately.   The majority of the time, a natural progression occurs. Especially for the fighter of goblinkind. There is always another face to smash or stomach to stab and doing so enough times consecutively can quickly raise your standing.    

Becoming a Warchief

  Obtaining the title of warchief requires a number of additional steps. Firstly, the most trivial requirement is that there must be a war going on. Secondly, the existing warchief must have been demoted to deceased and be without offspring. Thirdly, the council must also have been relegated to the status of dead in one way or another. Once they are out of the way, the struggle begins. The undefeated, gladiators and champions all take part in an event called “The Scrabble” whereby each contender “scrabbles” to the death in an arena of combat. No weapons are permitted unless you manage to sneak it through the initial pat down by concealment, intimidation or bribery. Usually, this combat takes place in the warchief’s throne room. The goal is to kill, subdue or have your opponents submit to your leadership by any means possible and to sit on the throne unchallenged. When there are no more challengers, you have successfully claimed the highest rank that goblinkind can offer.    

A Warchief’s Duty

  Leading the pack can be difficult at times. Between the continual challenges to claim your role and the tough decision making of directing war efforts, you’re also expected to raise the morale of your clan through fierce motivational speeches, the hosting of grand feasts and by continual victories on the battlefields within your territory.   A warchief is seen as a celebrity amongst goblinkind. Almost everyone in the lower rungs aspires to one day rise to a level where they can win the scrabble, take their seat atop the throne and finally look down upon everyone else.  

This is a submission for my second Summer Camp - I hope you enjoy the world I am building!