Goblin

Other than the kobold beastfolk, goblins are the only non-demihuman race with a major presence in Talirean society, though it is a complicated relationship. They were once seen as “illborn”, creatures who were shaped by Evil, though now it is clearer that they are perhaps not that innately, merely naturally mischievous creatures who love music, fire, disgusting things and hate books, dogs, and horses. The truth is, these beings of fey origin, who followed the gnomes much as the orcs followed the elves into Uskara, have found their niche at the ankles of “higher” races. They have for centuries been the natural servants of the powerful, and for many years that meant monsters, tyrants and warlords. Goblins seem to naturally adhere to a strength-based pecking order, which made them pliable servants of Evil, but in the Time of Faith, under the Pantokrator’s blessing, goblins have begun to be accepted in the more cosmopolitan and liberal corners of the Holy Lawful Empire, finding roles as miners, laborers, and servants… and yes, also criminals, pranksters, and scavengers.

Goblins average three feet tall, a little taller than halffoots but shorter than gnomes. They have very long torsos with scrawny limbs and pot bellies. They are completely hairless, and their huge maws of jagged teeth fall out and regrow constantly. Though not as voracious as ogres, they eat constantly and nap frequently. Their skin is universally green (though the shades and complexions can differ), and their eyes are uniformly a glossy red, with translucent eyelids called brille. They live much briefer lives than demihumans, spawning in litters and reaching adulthood within five years. Goblins have two sexes, but no visible sexual dimorphism. Goblins can live fifty years or more, but few reach such “old age.” They show their connection to the Feywild with diverse mutations and variances that are often seen as signs of great fortune or power by other goblins when manifest on a goblin whelp. While the definition of goblins as “illbred” was a dubious one (they are ultimately just another species like demihumans, not an artificial creation), their cousins the hobgoblin are absolutely illbred, formed by evil magic by a wicked cabal of sorcerer-kings who sought to create an army to resist the elvish crusaders, before the coming of the orcs. Bugbears used to be considered a goblinoid race as well, especially because so often a bugbear would dominate a tribe of goblins, but there’s little evidence of such a connection. Bugbears occupy however a frightful role in the goblin imaginary as bogeymen and predators, like how the gnomes and dwarves conceive of dero and duergar.

Goblins have infested nearly every corner of the world, but in Talingarde they are most accepted in Lucidor, Keshkevar and Gebroan. The great metropolises of the Keshkevar and the city-states of Gebroan provide large sewers for them to make their warrens in, and these “city goblins” soon adopt some of the culture of their surroundings. In Lucidor, the old nobility kept “house goblins” as servants in a pseudo-slavery up until recently when the kobold warlords mostly did away with the practice and have begun the process of rehabilitating them, mainly by finding them work in mines and quarries. The practice does persist secretly among the most decadent of the Keshkevarine and Lucidorean nobility but in this time of triumphant Good that is vanishingly rare. “Ship goblins” are another subset of “tame” goblin, as they are somewhat prized on ships because of their small size, willingness to obey orders, and penchant for things like tar and pitch, plus their ability to eat truly disgusting things (like weevil-infested hardtack). Because of old racial enmities, goblins are not accepted in Helveylyn or Skarria, though still live in both realms in some numbers, and in Myrcia they have begun to trouble the shires of the local halflings with their own warrens in the hills. The hobgoblin armies that attempted to conquer Attallissia settled on the other side of the River Laggun in the eastern foothills of the Skerradas, and the cliff fortress of Laggunsea has a huge goblin population in thrall to the hobgoblins.

Goblins don’t have a concept of “family” like demihumans do. They are born mostly fully-formed, and goblin mothers do not nurse (not being mammals) or even raise their children. Instead, the only kind of family a goblin has is an adopted one, what they call their “tribe”, which can range from a local gang of ruffians to an adventuring party, and they can be fiercely loyal to it. While they may adopt names and surnames from a Culture, they often end up preferring short, descriptive names that sound more like weird sounds you’d make with your mouth to gross someone out. Interestingly, goblins do not seem to have their own language, instead adopting the language of others.