Goblinoid
The goblinoid species—including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears—were once the dominant civilization in Khorvaire . The goblinoid Empire of Dhakaan ruled most of Khorvaire for thousands of years. It was crippled by a long and bitter conflict with the daelkyr and their aberrant armies; even though the daelkyr were defeated, the seeds of madness took root in the empire and tore it apart.
Goblins can be found in most of the major cities of Khorvaire. When the humans first came to Khorvaire from Sarlona, they enslaved and marginalised the native goblins, and built their cities on the foundations of Dhakaani ruins. The Kingdom of Galifar ended the practice of slavery, and these goblins are now citizens of the Five Nations. Goblins served in the armies of all of the Five Nations during the Last War.
The Ghaal'dar, which is also the Dhakaani word for hobgoblins specifically, are a group of tribes that arose from the remnants of the Dhakaani Empire. Their history is long and full of conflict, when they weren't fighting Galifar or Zilargo, they were fighting each other. The Last War brought an end to the infighting, with House Deneith hiring Ghaal'dar mercenaries. This gave the Ghaal'dar focus, and this was exploited by the brilliant hobgoblin Haruuc Shaarat'kor, who united the Ghaal'dar and seized control of the region that is now Darguun.
The Marguul separated from the Ghaal'dar long ago, seizing the Seawall Mountains in Darguun. They are a martial culture, and infamous raiders.
The Heirs of Dhakaan are Dhakaani clans that isolated themselves to prevent the spread of the Kapaa'vola, and have just now begun to re-emerge.
All of these groups have dramatic cultural differences, but they are all goblinoids and share some basic traits that differentiate them from humans, elves, and the other races. They all have darkvision, and are comfortable living underground. They don't have the same fear of the night, or the dark, that many creatures do. They don't need light in the same way that other races do, their buildings have fewer windows and no need for casual lighting.
They are all inherently lawful, they gravitate towards hierarchical societies and if left alone will quickly establish social orders and hold to them. They are most comfortable when they feel like they are part of a greater whole. The Ghaal'dar aren't even close to being as organised as the Dhakaani are, but they still hold to a clear hierarchy and structure. Tied to this, they are also inherently rational, they are pragmatic and find the concept of faith to be alien. The empire of Dhakaan never had clerics, they don't believe in forces they can't see influencing reality. Their spiritual leaders were bards and historians, and their cultural stories are history, not fiction.
This is partly why the Dhakaani needed the orc Gatekeepers to help them fight the Daelkyr. It wasn't that the goblins couldn't be bothered to have their own druids, they fundamentally couldn't grasp the kind of faith required to become a druid. This is generally true of the modern goblins, though the daelkyr curse eroded this in them and modern goblins are capable of such faith, whilst the Dhakaani remain pragmatic and atheistic.
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