Goblins

Also Known As	The Green Plague
Organization Type	Race and Group
Leadership	Goblin Emperor
Membership
Associated With	Orc Keishing; Ogres.
Related To	Largias Continent

Goblins are a race of scavengers, traders and generally considered a pest in the Largias Continent.

History

Goblins made their first appearance along the same time as the rest of the great races, but unlike them, didn't make a splash. In fact, they've been spending their entire existence 'under the radar', as it were, attempting to pass off as harmless at times but formidable when attacked. It hasn't worked quite that well. Most races equate Goblins to a plague, or vermin. They are not well liked, and most of their efforts to get involved in society, limites as they were, were met with derision and oft-times hatred. So Goblins built their homes away from other races and stole from them for ages, being a nuisance and a threat for adventurers to deal with.
Then came the Empire of Man. This changed everything for the Goblins. With them developing roads and taxing their use, travelers attempted to avoid them, and fell prey to Goblins. While the countries were at war, Goblins, as characteristic of them, hid, scavenged and stole from both sides. It was a golden age, but the main reason for that was that they found many, many buyers from the Imperials, for the junk they'd collected over time, from all types of travelers. That's when the Goblin Merchants started coming to the fore, and the future of the Goblins was assured.
For the rest of their existence, Goblins continued as-is, being like a pest which did pest-control for travelers who chose to take unwise shortcuts, bringing merchandise from all over the world to various spots where their always more powerful Merchants' Guild found new and better clients, expanding their use to the world, and insuring that no one would go out of their way to hunt down the disturbing, gross, and yes, dangerous, but ultimately more useful than harmful Goblins.. and that's how they liked it.
Certain countries have made trade with Goblins illegal, others have gone to war with them, and the Dwarves and Halflings hate then rather decisively, refusing to trade with them and sometimes even with those who are known to deal with the Goblin Merchants' guild, but most Humans think this is due to the competition from the little green ones. Dwarves are characteristically quiet about that, and Halflings just get a disgusted look and walk away.

Organization

The Goblins may seem disorganized and a little stupid, which isn't exactly accurate, but it's true that the majority of them are uneducated and brutal. They are primarily scavengers, surviving on whatever they can find. This isn't to say they don't have hunters or agriculture, but generally speaking, they get by from surviving off the labors of others. They are prone to violence and sadism, and are generally a lazy species, in the way that others view laziness. Goblins would rather wait and steal than put up with the hard labour and patience, which is the Goblins' greatest weakness. They lack the foresight and patience to work, which is what the Goblin Emperor, self-styled, has been trying to solve.
However, Goblins are survivors. Unlike practically every race, despite geographical and lifestyle differences, Goblins do not fight and are all, at the core, the same. They do not break out into petty infighting over territory, they do not wage war against Goblins. This seems less a decision or thought out process, but an instinctive thing. Goblins will fight and even kill.. and yes, eat each other, but only for survival. They will instinctively move to do what's best for their species, and that is, and has always been cooperation. Goblins are fiercely competitive, but they will only do so for survival, not for gaining over one another, or for no reason. Even Goblins merchants which make massive amounts of money will generally share the wealth with the race.. if they have to. But they are greedy, selfish and generally frugal, they will place the survival of their race above their personal interests.. eventually.
Recently, Goblins have begun organizing into a more coherent force, albeit still disparate, and still living in isolated pockets of 'Goblinism' as it were, there have been persistent rumors of a 'Goblin Emperor', who is an actual Hobgoblin which has decided to set down guidelines and rules for the Goblin race to follow in order to grow. It seems that he had been inspired by the Orcs' Keishig, Goblins come in three forms, though only two are generally seen, and one is exceedingly rare. The most common, and generally the 'true' form of the Goblins is just called that, Goblins. Their other more common form are those which are generally the leader of Goblin raiding parties, those that become warriors, and generally the overall leaders of the Goblin communities, the Hobgoblins. The third and rarest type of Goblin is generally born from Hobgoblins only, and has no actual name, though some have called them Bugbears, they refer to themselves as Hurgoblins, and are characterized for their low intellect and freakish strength.

Goblin Types

Goblins: Generally small in stature, Goblins are known for their survival skills and relative agility. Goblins are both creative and intelligent, but are plagued by a general laziness, and the nature of scavengers rather than agriculture or hunters. As a whole, Goblins prefer to work off the efforts of other races, either gathering slaves when they manage to overthrow a village, or, more likely, raiding rural communities, stealing cattle and crops, then living off those as long as they can. They are the ultimate survivors, however, able to adapt to any climate, and known to resort to despicable ways to keep themselves alive, including groveling and cannibalism.
While other races think poorly of Goblins, they don't care, and have made their mark in the Largias continent by making themselves the ultimate Black Market. No one would ever admit to trafficking with Goblins, but with how prolific they are, and their utter cooperation with one another, Goblins are literally the best way to get exotic goods and rare finds, and Goblin merchants are known far and wide as the best source of outside information and curio from other parts of the continent. Furthermore, the magic of Alchemy has long since been understood by Goblins, whose incredible digestive system is able to let them concoct and test potions and other such compounds, making them the best to get potions, poisons and other odd liquids from.. generally.
As a whole, the race is lazy, preferring to survive as described, not all Goblins feel like this. Several become adventurers in their own right, usually thieves or part of warrior bands, but many become spiritualists, a little like Orc Shaman, or priests of one of the Elemental Gods (usually Earth or Fire). These Goblins are rare and not regarded in any way differently than their race, and are subject to ridicule from any other race who sees them. As with the rest of their race, Goblins are basically uncaring of what other people think of them. By and large, Goblins have no sense of pride, or shame. The most commonly encountered Goblins other than the marauders are Goblin Merchants, which generally have a network among the Goblin Nations to get almost anything one can desire, and ofer rare goods to everyone, from potions to rare art from the Southern Continent or even the Rankai Lands; Goblin Chemists are also relatively frequent, establishing laboratories in whatever abandoned hole they can find and concocting cheap and efficient potions of all kinds. They are basically the most scholarly and well researched among Goblins, and will teach others with the patience to learn.
Hobgoblins: One out of about 500 Goblins born is a Hobgoblin, who grows up faster, smarter, and stronger than his brethren. Hobgoblins are generally more clever and are naturally born leaders, tend to be more 'civilized' to a degree than their scavenger cousins, and are over all much more competent. They even have a sense of pride, as it were. While Goblins are generally great at surviving as a whole, those who gather around one or many Hobgoblins are generally more efficient, building lasting villages and getting somewhat organized. The Goblins almost naturally listen to the Hobgoblins as their leaders, unless these Hobgoblins are suicidally or sacrificially minded, in which case, they rebel.
Most Hobgoblins end up being village leaders, or military commanders.. such as it were. While Goblin war parties have existed before, they are generally like a troupe of barbarian warriors. Armed, angry and willing to fight, but with basically no chain of command. Hobgoblins change that, establishing dominance based on strength or strategic ability, and generally being able to make the Goblins function better as a unified force.. somewhat. Most Humans, or Elves or Dwarves who have dealings with the Goblin nations are dealing with Hobgoblins, who are able to compromise and generally are able to think of more than their immediate and near-future survival only. They are also ambitious and less lazy than the rest of their race.
Hobgoblins which don't become leaders or commanders tend to live lives of adventure, able to even learn most types of Magic, as well as using weapons, religion and other abilities, able to act as Humans or Dwarves. These are rare, however, as the majority of them are better served by having a village or community of Goblins serving under them, getting first share of the kill, their choice of women, and being generally 'The Boss'. The Goblin Emperor is, unsurprisingly, a Hobgoblin, and may be the most ambitious of them all.
Hurgoblins: Mistakenly called Bugbears by some, they are no more and no less than giant Goblins. Some Goblin chemists suspect that the Hurgoblins come from some mingling between Hobgoblins and Ogres back in the ancient days, but most agree the logistics are at best, odd. Whatever the case, one in about 2000 Goblins are born as Hurgoblins, and the mother generally doesn't survive. Hurgoblins are dim-witted, but even at a young age, have the strength and size of a fully adult Goblin. Hurgoblins are the 'large dumb thug' of the Goblin race, gifted with super-human (or Super-Retard) strength, and a naturally leathery hide, able to use almost any weapon, and being used as dumb muscle for any Goblin defense or invasion effort.
While most Goblins lack in strength compared to Humans, and Hobgoblins are basically similar to them, the Hurgoblins tend to be over six feet tall, extremely large, and generally muscular rather than fat. They fit very poorly in most Goblin settlements, but are used as manual labor in peace time and front line warriors in war time. They have little in the way of self-preservation, unlike the rest of their race, and are seemingly fearless. This is mostly due to senselessness, being stronger and tougher than everyone their whole lives makes them essentially unable to tell when they bit off more than they can chew, so long as what they're fighting is of smaller or similar size to them. They will react to a Giant much the way any other would.
This isn't to say Hurgoblins are completely incapable of learning, but the established Goblin race has very little reason to help them do that. They ARE slower-witted than their cousins, but can learn to fight really well, as if they were gifted at it. Again, the Goblin Chemists feel that they exist to help protect the race, which is otherwise generally weaker and less physically impressive than others, and the Hurgoblins can help with intimidation and combat. They are unable to find the faith to use Religion, and are unable to manipulate any magic, but the Hurgoblins are physically about on par with most Orcs.

Goblin Merchants' Guild

The Goblin Merchants' Guild is the most important part of the entire Goblin race's tools for survival. They are the most well connected and distributed network of purveyors of goods and services that frankly, no one else in Largias can. All Goblins who wish to become Merchants have to apprentice under a successful Merchant, and if they succeed at passing their employer's test, they can open their own stores, away from their mentors'. This is to diminish competition, or so outsiders think, and to make more products available to more travelers from other races more easily. There is no actual competition between the Goblins. While some are more greedy and selfish than others, and would rather have clients come to them, the fact is that the reason the Merchants' Guild is so important is that all members of the Guild give back at least 40% of their earnings to the Goblin community they work near, most giving back 50-60%. The Goblin race believes in survival as a whole, not as individuals.
Most Goblin Merchants learn the art of haggling, trying to get the best price for the best item, and most specialize in one of two things. Either they are importers of rare and exotic goods, or they are able to get more common items at a much appreciated discount.. usually due to theft. This is a known fact to any who deal with a Goblin Merchant, but sometimes you just need something quick and you don't have the money for it. That's what they're there for, an international black market.
Most Merchants keep a Hobgoblin or Hurgoblin (rarely) as a guard, in case someone tries to rob them, because of how valuable their wares can be. However, this is exceedingly rare, as more often than not, the Goblins have patrons which will get incredibly upset if their little green provider is suddenly out of stock every time they need something exotic and they claim they can't work due to the stress of having been robbed. This means whoever attacks them is being hunted by the Merchant's clientele and his Goblin allies, making this a risky proposition at best.
They are also the main source for buying explosives, potions and other chemical compounds made by the Goblin Chemist associations, who are generally more scientifically and less marketing minded.

Goblin Thieves Guild

A bit of a misnomer, as all Goblins are thieves, but those who specialize in it get special training, to be pickpockets, break in specialists, and assassins. Generally using Potions and Poisons, these Goblins exist to take some valuables that would be impossible to get by raiding, and then selling it. They are basically a subdivision of the Merchants' Guild, in charge of acquisitions. As sometimes it's impossible to get an item with its owner still alive, Goblin Thieves are also assassins, and will be trained to take out targets without their knowledge. These Goblins tend to focus on stealth and guile, as trying brute force almost never works. It is called a Thieves Guild because of the similarity, but in truth, it's more of a training ground for Merchants' envoys.

Goblin Chemists

The scholarly caste, as it were, among the Goblins. These are Goblins and Hobgoblins more interested in knowledge and developing their minds than their more physical survival skills. While originally ridiculed due to the Goblins' traditional laziness, the Hobgoblins realized rapidly that the best survivors had brains and brawn, and since the Goblins tended to work as a whole.. it was just one more skill to cultivate, and most derision went away. These are researchers, scholars, intellectuals, with all the qualities and survival instincts of other Goblins. They are called Chemists because that's what most people associate with them, but engineers, sappers, explorers and generally any Goblin with an academic or scholarly pursuit is considered part of the Goblin Chemists.
Goblins were the first race to develop Alchemy without the use of magic. Their incredible ability to eat anything and survive made Goblins particularly adept at concoctions, brewing potions and discovering which were poisons and which were beneficial, which compounds could explode and which would have other effects. As such, Goblins became a rather effective group of potions masters. The first use of non-magical explosives in Largias came from Goblins, during the Imperial Wars, and they have been a sought-after commodity since.
This led to the creation of the Goblin Sappers. Goblins who were born without the characteristic fear of death, or, as some suspect, Goblins who were actually affected by potions while very young and have become mutated. These are explosive experts who handle demolitions. For a price, they will risk their lives to blow up something strategically.. or run at an opponent and try to blow them up without dying. Goblin Sappers have become a massive source of income for almost any other race who wishes to use high explosives (except Dwarves), so they are treated incredibly well by their peers, since 100% of the money goes back into the general Goblin community. They have the power, money and fame one would expect of a celebrity, able to have many women (or men), the first share of the kill and other advantages, until they inevitably blow up.
Goblin scholars and explorers are exactly as it seems, usually working with Chemists to bring their discoveries to them and further their knowledge. They are the least encountered of Goblins, but adventurers who have met them say there's more to the race than is known otherwise, due to their being knowledgeable and even somewhat pleasant to talk to. These Goblins tend to adopt Human or Elven fashion and mannerisms, which is not very well seen among other Goblins, but they treat it as eccentricities.

Goblin Jackal Riders

Goblins have been raising and breeding Coyotes, Jackals, Hyenas and other dangerous canines for years. They take to them like dogs have taken to humans. They too are scavengers and while this could breed competition, Goblins and Jackals take together very well. As such, a special group of Goblins who raise, ride and train Jackals are called Jackal Riders. They are swift on their feet and are great to harass travelers and enemies alike, and are a great strategic tool in any situation. There is not much to say about them, except that when the snickering of Hyenas or the growls of Jackals and Coyotes are heard, people insitinctively look for the Goblins, as there is a much higher chance of them being around all the sudden.

Goblin Imperial Guard

The Goblin Emperor's personal guard, comprised almost entirely of Hobgoblins and Hurgoblins. These are the most highly trained and disciplined.. as it was.. of the Goblin Warriors. They are loyal to the Goblin Emperor and believe in his goal to unify the Goblin Nation under one banner, in one territory, and will supposedly die to defend him. Since Hobgoblins have honor and pride, and Hurgoblins are essentially lacking survival skills, they can be counted on to fight for him. While nowhere near as skilled or well oiled as most other royal guards, they can be counted on to fight for the Emperor, lead their Goblin soldiers well, and be a surprisingly fierce foe to almost any adventurers who would try to kill the Emperor.

Known Members

Goblin Emperor: The self-proclaimed ruler of all Goblins, he is a diminutive Hobgoblin with grandiose dreams and more intelligence than normally ascribed to his kind.