Goblinoids

Goblinoids of Wakodia

(Children of the Jealous Flame)  

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Overview

Goblinoids are a trio of closely related humanoid species — goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears — who share a mythic origin under a single chaotic creator: the trickster god Sinvok. Once a unified people, they have since fractured into distinct forms, cultures, and paths, shaped by their environment and roles in the mortal world.   Though often misunderstood or reviled, goblinoids are more than raiders and scavengers. They are survivors — clever, adaptive, and deeply tribal. Some serve in organized warbands, others live in isolation or underground clans. Their societies can be brutal, but they are also vibrant with cunning, loyalty, and strange beauty.  

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Origins & Mythology

The Jealous Flame: According to goblinoid legend, Sinvok — a god born from envy and fire — created the goblinoids in a fit of rage. Jealous of the beauty of Aelindara’s elves, the strength of Sinbog’s orcs, and the intellect of Theris’s gnomes, Sinvok sought to prove he could make a people superior to them all.   He shaped bugbears from the fearsome shadows of the orcs, hobgoblins from the disciplined flame of elven ambition, and goblins from the flickering sparks of gnomish cleverness. Each was made to rival the children of the other gods — but also to reflect Sinvok’s chaos and contradiction.   The goblinoids were not gifted a homeland, only instincts. Sinvok hurled them into the world and challenged them to survive — and they did.  

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Shared Traits

While goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears vary widely in build and behavior, they share certain cultural tendencies:
– Clan Loyalty: Goblinoids are fiercely tribal, often placing clan or warband above personal ambition.
– Pragmatism: Survival is key. They will adapt, deceive, flee, or fight depending on what the moment demands.
– Cunning over Honor: Honor is a luxury. Trickery, boldness, and timing are more respected than rigid ideals.
– Oral Tradition: Myths, names, and victories are passed down by word, not writing. Their history shifts with the telling.  

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Faith and Belief

Most goblinoids do not worship in structured temples. They offer shrines, sacrifices, and oaths to Sinvok — their chaotic creator — or ignore him entirely. Some clans interpret Sinvok as a test, others as a joke, and a few seek to outwit or defy him altogether.   In rare cases, goblinoids have adopted foreign gods or merged Sinvok with regional spirits. The faith is fractured, like the people.  

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