Ash-Ears
The Ash-Ears are a notorious goblin clan of the Icy Wastes, infamous for their explosive ingenuity, reckless engineering, and ear-splitting battle tactics. Named for their charred, soot-blackened ears, said to be a mark of “divine noise,” the Ash-Ears view combustion and chaos not only as tools of survival—but as sacred expression.
They are the loudest, wildest, and often most dangerous goblin clan in the region, feared even by their own kin.
Structure
The clan is ruled not by strength or bloodline, but by volume and spectacle. The current chieftain is Kabblin Smoglash, a three-fingered madman who once launched himself over a chasm on a firework sled and lived.
Key leadership roles include:
- The Blackbellow – Voice of the clan and chief explosives master.
- Ashmaidens – Elite demolitionists who wield twin flame-spears and light the ceremonial fires.
- Boomtenders – Engineers responsible for keeping the sled-rigs running (and mostly not exploding).
Culture
The Ash-Ears believe that fire is a voice of the Snowthief, stolen from the thunder gods and meant to be screamed back into the world. They treat explosions as prayers, and their most honored rites involve detonations, roaring engines, or firework-laden sled chases.
- Rites of Ashing: Coming-of-age rituals where young goblins must “lose the quiet” by enduring an intentional, controlled explosion near their heads—often resulting in scorched ears and lifelong tinnitus. Survivors are celebrated as true Ash-Ears.
- Boomchanting: A rhythmic, stomping war hymn shouted before battle, often punctuated with small firecrackers or blackpowder bursts.
- Sootmarks: Status within the clan is shown by the placement and shape of soot-scars across the face and arms.
Assets
Ash-Ears are among the most mechanically inventive goblins, known for crafting:
- Boomsleds: Reinforced sleds powered by explosive propulsion or harnessed stormbeasts, used in high-speed raids across the frozen plains.
- Howlers: Crude, muzzle-loaded cannons strapped to their backs or sleds, often fired with reckless abandon.
- Crackle Bombs: Unstable, alchemical charges that explode with lightning, smoke, or burning oil.
- Earhowl Masks: Worn by elite raiders, these masks amplify their voices with metal tubes and shriek-like horns, disorienting foes before ambushes.
Foreign Relations
- Other Goblin Clans: Viewed with awe and caution. Some tribes trade for their weapons; others keep their distance for fear of being blown up accidentally.
- Orcs and Minotaurs: Usually tolerate them for their destructive prowess, but rarely trust them with anything flammable indoors.
- Frost Elves and Iceshard Dominion: Considered a dangerous nuisance and actively hunted in controlled territories.
- The Snowthief: Revered as their divine ancestor and patron of chaos, invention, and fire.
Mythology & Lore
Ash-Ears believe that the Snowthief gifted them fire by throwing a spark of her laughter into an oil vat. Since then, they claim to be her loudest children, and some even whisper that when a blast is big enough, her shadow dances in the smoke.
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