Goblins
An Excerpt From The Diversity of Species
"There is a strange festival that has been held in the Cirethian city of Kopastad for several years now. They call it the Grand Assault. Every second Tilnan and precisely 2:00pm, armies of goblins come out of the Itchfoot mountains and assault the city.The rich cultural history of the goblin peoples is easy to miss for the uninitiated. Nonetheless, the small creatures' cultures are as varied and nuanced as those in Vebedevia or Alaria. Perhaps even more so, since goblin culture tends to shift dramatically from generation to generation. More than any other species in Aedeva, goblins tend to receive the short end of the cultural stick. Energetic and at least a little bit crazy, they tend to leave a trail of chaos wherever they go, whether for good or ill. To the taller species, goblins are seen as fire-obsessed pests. To the long lived they are mere specs in the timeline of the world, here and gone with the blooming of the flowers. Even to other small, short lived people the goblins' natural energy and madness are reason enough to keep their distance. When goblins are accepted into a society, it is usually for one of two reasons. First, is their value as expendable but dangerous foot soldiers. Second, is that the society is ruled by goblins (or by their cousins the bugbears or hobgoblins.) Occasionally a goblin civilian will find an accepted place in a given society, but this is a rare phenomenon and such goblins are usually viewed with distrust or disdain.Natives and travelers alike scramble to the city walls to watch as hundreds of goblins are fired out of makeshift catapults to explode against the city's granite walls. Nobody knows exactly why the goblins do this, and most suspect that the goblins themselves are not sure. But it is a spectacle that few travelers will want to miss.
Culture
Due to their naturally short life spans, goblin has a culture that is invariably fast paced and energetic. They are inquisitive, but lack the time required for that curiosity to ferment and become invention. They are incredibly clever and quick witted, able to build surprisingly durable structures and items out of whatever happens to be at hand. This quick wit permeates even their government, as it is often the most clever of goblins who manage to claw their way up the tribal hierarchy to the rank of Clan Chief. There is as much political intrigue among goblins as there is in any civilized culture, but their short lives necessitate that the betrayals, secret meetings, information leaks, and other social complexities happen at a much more rapid pace. It is not uncommon for a goblin tribe to go through three chiefs, a coup, and an assassination in only a matter of weeks. This seemingly constant upheaval of political structure has led many past anthropologists to believe that goblin culture is pure anarchy, with no true capacity for civilized leadership or organization. However, it is important to remember that for such short lived creatures, several weeks can be a very long time.Magic
Goblins as a rule are highly superstitious. Without the lifespan required to develop a true, deep understanding of the world's workings, most goblins view magic (and it's cousin science) with a large dose of suspicion. Most goblin tribes avoid written language, as they believe that the act of writing or reading words removes those words from one's mind. Interestingly, this superstition has little sway on the goblins' views of fire magic. Despite their short lives, rare is the goblin that cannot comprehend at least the basics of both magical and mundane flames. This propensity for flames shows in all goblin cultures, from the run-down hovels of the Itchfoots, to the impressive castles of the Fishvalleys.Adventurers
Rare is the goblin that is uninterested in adventure. Their society is full of stories of goblin adventurers, warriors, explorers, and conquerors. It is said that the Goblin King himself was once but a humble goblin, who earned his rank through countless adventures.
Lifespan
20 - 40 years
Average Height
2' - 3'6"
Related Ethnicities
