Goblins

  Goblins

To the untraveled a goblin is a goblin, but this could not be further from the truth. Goblins are a diverse breed of creature with their own social structure and value system. Through the ages the various families of goblins associated less and less with one another and have become more anti social toward other goblin clans, or any non-goblin creature. In some cases violent conflicts have broken out over territory or in some cases, pride. Goblins generally consider humans to be vial and disgusting creatures and rarely associate openly with them. In some cases goblins have co-existed with humans for the sake of commerce, but rarely are there any instances of true trust or friendship. The origin of the goblin is unknown, but legend has the first groups appearing in the eastern mountain regions. Today there are three major goblin clans, or species. Since goblins neither trust nor associate with humans there remain many unknowns concerning goblins. Listed below are the known facts concerning goblins, limited as it may be. This information is a collection of facts obtained from various scrolls and historical writings. The primary source being the Scroll of Account, of which the only remaining copy is said to reside in the High Plains Monastery of the Cloaken Monks.

Types of Goblins

Goblin – Stand no more than five feet in height, normally a little shorter. Their noses are long and pointed and resemble a carrot. They have no eyebrows and the few teeth they have appear more like fangs than actual teeth. They have only three fingers and a thumb on each hand and the knuckles of their hands appear deformed or swollen. They generally dress rather poorly, and humans consider their odor to be somewhat foul. The goblin is the least aggressive of the three but is a very prideful creature and will defend itself from insults. They will not however enter into a conflict in a blind rage, they are calculating and have reasonable intelligence and problem-solving abilities. Goblins are known to make the finest daggers in the world. These weapons are sought out as prized possessions by many.

Hob-Goblin – The Hob-Goblin is closely related to the goblin but will never admit to this fact. Hob-Goblins see themselves as superior to goblins and rarely if ever associate with them. It some rare

instances, Hob-Goblins may form an alliance with Goblins, but only as their leaders, not as an equal. Hob-goblins are intelligent creatures with a strong regard for history and tradition. Many Hob-Goblins have the ability to read and write. They are normally much cleaner than goblins and their language skills are far superior. While they consider themselves superior to goblins, Hob-goblins do not associate with humans, considering them dirty and untrustworthy. Due to a better diet and better living conditions, Hob-goblins grow to be slightly taller than goblins with some reaching heights of nearly six feet. The other distinction between the two is that hob-goblins have thick eyebrows and some have additional facial hair, but most will trim this away. 

Cave Goblin – The cave goblins are burrowers but will most often move into an abandoned mine shaft or other subterranean opening. They will then expand on these and create entire communities which will have little or no contact outside of their clan. In many instances cave goblins have lived their entire lives without ever having ventured above ground. Only in the event of a massive cave in, a lack of water or food will the clan relocate. When this happens they send out scouts to find a new location for the clan to move. In rare instances one clan will attempt to take over another clan's burrow. This results in bloody battles as the clans will refuse to co-exist in the same burrow. Cave goblins are short, normally standing no more than four feet in height. They are thin and have no body hair at all. Their diet consists of burrowing rodents, insects, and roots. If given the opportunity a cave goblin will flee from a fight, but when forced to fight they are a formidable opponent. Cave Goblins mine various minerals, ore’s and jewels to trade with humans for better food such as honey, pork, or Ale. Cave Goblins can be found in almost any region, but they are predominantly in the Canyon area where the mining is good and the food supply plentiful.

Goblins Diet

There are many mis-conceptions concerning the diet of the average goblin. Many myths and horror stories have been told concerning goblins. These stories tell of how goblins will eat almost anything, including human flesh. It is true the goblin digestive system can handle nearly any type of food, including spoiled meat, raw meat and almost any natural vegetation, even those which are considered poisonous to other species. The fact it is almost impossible to poison a goblin has spawned many myths and misconceptions concerning goblins.

While it is true a starving goblin will eat nearly anything, including human flesh, this is also true of

humans. There are numerous recorded accounts of starving humans stooping to cannibalism. Goblins, when not starving, actually have a very sophisticated diet. Goblins love roasted pork and they enjoy it when it is aggressively seasoned with a variety of spices and herbs. They also enjoy a hearty mug of ale and have been known to drink to excess.

Goblins also have a sweet tooth and enjoy almost any sweet item and especially honey. Some goblin families, known as clans, have been known to have a nearly one hundred percent vegetarian diet. While goblins will cultivate small gardens, they generally do so on an individual clan basis and do not have large community farms. Goblins do not raise any type of livestock but will hunt wild game in the form of rabbits, deer, elk, and wild boar. Goblins will also preserve some fruits and vegetables but will only rarely dry meat, preferring their meat fresh rather than dried.

Goblin - Bladesmith

Goblins do forge some of their own tools and cooking utensils. They generally are not known as bladesmiths but they are known for crafting some of the finest daggers in the kingdom. A goblin dagger is of such high quality they are sought after throughout the kingdom and carried by many of the King's Knights.     

The hardest substance known to the kingdom is a dragon's scale. Dragon's do not shed their scales and due to a chemical reaction in the dragon's blood, the skeleton and scales of a dragon disintegrate rapidly after the dragon dies. There are very rare instances when a dragon will lose a scale. This generally only happens when two large dragons fight during mating season and a scale is ripped free. For reasons unknown, a scale lost during battle will not disintegrate.

There is a legend which tells of a goblin, Donais, who recovered a dragon's scale. In most versions of the story the scale came from a Giant Red dragon. The scale was taken to a goblin bladesmith who forged the scale into a fine dagger. The dagger, known as the Dragon Dagger, is considered the rarest and most sought-after blade in the kingdom. Where it is kept, or who owns it is unknown.