Goblins (also known as
lesser goblins) are the smallest and the most meek of the
goblinoid race.
Physiology
The common goblin is around 4 feet tall, with a wiry, agile build. They have flat noses and faces, sharp fangs, and their pointy ears are large and flappy. Their skin color varies from olive green to tan. They have short and sturdy claws, which they use in combination with their ratlike feet for digging and climbing. They have thin whiplike tails which end in a tuft of hair, though these tend to be lost to predators and environmental hazards like fire. Due to their diminutive size and character, they prefer to live in seclusion, in the relative safety of dark forests and cave systems.
Society
Goblins generally live in tribal societies, lead by a chieftain and/or a shaman. The role of a shaman is to memorize and pass on the collective wisdom of the tribe, inherited as oral tradition. They also act as the word-bringers of the goblin gods, and are often capable of divine magic.
Goblin tribes generally sustain themselves by foraging, fishing and trapping. They are cowardly but curious by nature, and will sometimes venture out to steal food and valuables from outlying settlements. They are fascinated by jewelry and gemstones in specific.
When found in societies of other goblinoid races, they are almost always in a position of forced subservience. They rarely exist outside of goblinoid societies, as most other races view them with distrust, considering them thieving pests. Because of this stigma, city goblins often end up working in the criminal underworld. In the rare situations where they are the top dog, some goblins can show childlike cruelty, especially towards animals and other creatures smaller than them.
Culture
Most goblin tribes worship
Kikanuti, the goblin goddess of protection and fertility, with some outliers paying tribute to more warlike deities worshipped by their larger cousins, such as
Maglubiyet.
Like most goblinoids, they speak the
Ghukliak language, though few are literate.
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