The Hahgi

Hahgi is a term for a collection of peoples native to the Kanik Peninsula, west of The Broken Spires, united by a shared language of the same name and, once, by a shared pantheon. These peoples can be broken down loosely into three: the ghoblins of the Kanik lowlands, the orkhs of the Broken Spires and the bugbirh of the eastern Bukwit. The term has grown more popular recently after Abahk Stuz and has gained additional meaning, as a united Kanikmen identity was born and became popular - in the modern day, many people of Kanik consider themselves Hahgi first and foremost, before even their own tribe or group.
The most populous peoples of the Hahgi are the ghoblins, or goblins, of the lowlands. They make up around 80-90% of the total Hahgi population. Traditionally, the ghoblins followed various gods from the Kanik pantheon, highest of these being Kral, a deity commonly represented by a black dragon, though most of this religion has since been replaced by Imperial faiths such as the Mylosian or Sidari churches. Before the Goblin Crusades, the lowland ghoblins were predominantly farmers, though piracy was also popular among some of the coastal groups. Goblins are recognisable from their relatively small size, green/yellow skin and yellow eyes. Famous groups among the ghoblins include the hobghoblins, a term used to refer to taller peoples who traditionally inhabited the lands just north of Haven and south of the Broken Spires; the akraghoblins who are descendants of the piratical raiders of yore and spiritual inheritors of the Crimson Fleet; and the fijjighoblins who descend from an ancient theocracy ruled from the northern reaches of central Kanik, and now pledge themselves to rediscovering the spiritual secrets of their past. The lowland ghoblins hold the only large settlements in Kanik, although populations in Kannera and Haven are much more mixed than they once were.
Orkhs, or orcs, make up a much smaller proportion of the Hahgi population. While less in number, they make up for it somewhat by being much larger and stronger, with grey skin and very little hair. It is generally held that orcs are less intelligent than their goblin cousins, though this is a generalisation. Orkhs are frequently more traditional and tribal and are known to commonly raid their lowland cousins from their mountain villages, especially their traditional enemies, the hobghoblins. Unlike the ghoblins, the orkhs have managed to maintain their own theology, though individual tribes tend to worship only one Vatikh, or patron god, rather than an entire pantheon, a fact considered to play a large role in their consistent disunity. Famous orkish groups include the Lator of the eastern mountains, a warrior tribe who have raided Thranish towns for centuries; the Melor of the north, a nomadic trading people who worship Rada, the Coinspinner, and believe the luckiest should be leaders; and the Makaor of the southern mountains, fiercest raiders in the Broken Spires. Orkhs are often denounced as savages by human members of the Empire of Nara Tok, due in part to their love of raiding, and history of threatening Thranish settlements.
Bugbears, or bugbirh as they refer to themselves, are the most visibly distinct of the Hahgi people, recognisable for their large size, clawed hands and feet and the thick coat of fur that covers them from head to toe. They are also the least populous among the Hahgi. Despite their fierce appearance, the bugbirh are generally pacifist, enjoying good relations with the gnomes of Lak Fip, the Radiant City. Their society is built around hunting the dangerous prey of the Bukwit forest, which they manage thanks to their expertise in stealth and climbing and their knowledge of poisons. They are, however, highly isolationist, often forming groups of small families rather than larger communities. They have also maintained their ancient theology, often worshipping the goddess Straian, a hunter often symbolised by a dripping arrowhead.
Information about the Hahgi pantheon, as well as records from the ancient Aoleirian Empire have allowed scholars to draw links connecting the Hahgi to ancient adversaries from The Warring Times. It is commonly accepted that the ghoblin pantheon and the gods of Zakhrim are one and the same, Kral being analogous to Khain, Lord of Ambition. Remnants of ancient Zakhri texts also indicate a clear linguistic link between the language of Zakhrim and Hahgi. These facts combined to provide ample theological cause for the Goblin Crusades, which inspired thousands of imperial citizens to war.
Little is known for sure about the Hahgi peoples during the millennia after the Warring Times and before the Goblin Crusades - the Hahgi themselves kept few written records and the Kanik Gnomes had little interest in their neighbours beyond a few trading relations with lowland ghoblins. It can be gleaned that the Hahgi had long been disunited and that no large empires formed over the millennia. Most lived in small tribal units and feuds between them were common. While some respectably sized towns did exist, especially at the sites of Kannera and Haven, these were not common. Trading relations were restricted to the peninsula, between the gnomes and some groups of Hahgi. It seems likely that the Volodarin and the Jarnishmen were aware of them, from their own trading links with the gnomes, but the existence of the Hahgi only entered into mainstream knowledge in the north after the founding of the colonial cities of Lucria and Selucia in 169 IF, and the Empire's subsequent expansion into the as-yet untamed Aelder Wood.
In 212 IF, a Thragean explorer by the name of Fragg Blaethwyn travelled through the Broken Spires, dodging groups of orcs in the process, before arriving in the region of modern day Minera. It was Fragg who first discovered the golden treasures of the orkhs. News of his discovery was slow to travel east, yet when it arrived it fuelled the greed of several noble houses, not least the Di Mari Family who had risen to prominence in Lucria. From 214 IF to 268 IF a series of invasions took place over the Kanik peninsula. The masses were spurred to anger by theological denouncements of the goblinoids, while the promise of gold brought large funds from many noble houses. Known as the Goblin Crusades, these invasions culminated in the expansion of the province of Lucrenia across both the Thranish and Kanik peninsula, and with this the subjugation of the Hahgi peoples. From 268 IF until 393 IF, the majority of the Hahgi would become subjects of the Empire of Nara Tok, and subjected to several integration efforts meant to remove their own theology and culture in an effort to enforce imperial values. While some Hahgi would go on to spread across the continent as Imperial citizens, the majority stayed in their ancestral homeland, subjects of the Di Mari family and the Minters, a guild formed by a coalition of the noble houses most heavily involved in the Crusades.
392 IF saw the first slackening of Redcloak presence in the lands of Kanik. The Thaerseimai left the Exarch in Lucria isolated, and as a result many garrisons were pulled back in an effort to consolidate the Thranish lands. In 393 IF, the first fires of rebellion were born, as Qaniva Linaren, the Dagger coordinated the decapitation of Imperial power on the peninsula through her destruction of the largest garrison in Kanik, in the town of Haven. This signalled the beginning of Abahk Stuz and allowed for the formation of the Hahgiahk government, the first united Hahgi government to exist. During this period the concept of a united Hahgi identity became popular and efforts to regain lost cultures from before the Goblin Crusasdes were made, pagan churches becoming more and more common. While the rebellion would ultimately fail and the Hahgiahk government fall just a decade later in 403 IF, it played an important role in bringing greater autonomy to the Hahgi.
The Hahgiahk's legacy remains in the mayorship of Gart Monjin in Kannera, the first Hahgi official in the Empire, and Lijrin Ghain's campaign in Lucria. While the struggle for equality and autonomy is barely begun, the people of Kanik now benefit from the greatest cultural and social freedoms since the Empire first stepped foot on the peninsula. Modern attempts at reclaiming their past have produced great fruits, as celebration of modern heroes such as Captain Debad Sliz and the Black Eagles has combined with celebration of the Crimson Fleet and other heroes of the Crusades, artistic depictions of the Exodus and the Freeing of Minera becoming commonplace.