Goblin
Goblins is smarter than silly longshanks who stand around and let baddies hit them. Longshanks call goblins cowards, but they is the ones needing potions after the fight
Found in every corner of The Shattered Continent despite all efforts to the contrary, goblins are nearly universally regarded as pests and irritants at best and vicious monsters at worst. While they might not get along with their neighbors some or even most of the time, goblins have become an essential thread in the tapestry of races which covers The Shattered Continent.
History
The goblins don't maintain written histories and their verbal traditions are incomplete and rarely available to outsiders, so much of goblin history is from the perspective of the races they have interacted with over the millenia, and has been colored by that.
Before the Serpentfolk
Even in the extremely limited historical records available of the time prior to the rise of the serpentfolk there is record of goblins, typically in records of notable raids or other conflicts, indicating that goblin culture has changed little over the millenia.
The Reign of the Serpentfolk
One of the few consistant facts to come out of the assorted goblin oral histories is that the serpentfolk detested them, and made a concerted effort to wipe them out. Fortunately for the goblins, the serpentfolk seem to have had little more luck at this endeavor than any of the others who have tried to do the same over the years. Goblin oral histories are full of tales of daring heroes tricking, frustrating, and generally making grief for the serpentfolk.
After the Cataclysm
One would have expected a rapidly breeding race like goblins to have exploded into the void caused by the removal of the serpentfolk, but the smaller, weaker goblins were quickly outcompeted by the assorted Orcs, Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and other humanoids. As the humans began warring with the so-called "monstrous races" and each other the goblins quickly settled back into the tribal lifestyle that they had enjoyed for millenia.
Modern Times
Today, goblins live in scattered tribes spread from edge to edge of The Shattered Continent, much as they appear to have lived since time immemorial, and are likely the race who has been changed the least by the dramatic events of the last few millenia. Now that the human nations have ended their wars of expansion and entered an era of peaceful diplomacy and trade, a number of goblin tribes have opened trade relationships with nearby settlements, and goblins have become a relatively common - if not always welcome - sight on the streets of human cities.
Goblin Society
If the massive, continent spanning events of the last few millenia have proven anything it is that goblin society is remarkably consistant and given the opportunity tends to return to a similar form, a surprising revelation given the generally chaotic nature of the short statured race. Goblins tend to live in small tribes alongside but distinctly outside of other societies, and the relationships between the goblins and outsiders tends to be shaped largely by how much tolerance the outsiders have for the goblins chaotic natures and general mischief making. Anyone seeking conflict with the goblins will surely get what they want, but at least some of the tribes have proven themselves willing to assume friendly trade relationships with their neighbors
Religion
Goblins are a flexible species, and goblins who leave the tribes are often quick to adopt the religions of the societies that they join. Their chaotic inclinations lend to their prefering to worship similarly aligned gods, but goblins can be found worshipping gods of all natures.
Ancestor Worship
While goblins may not have a strong tradition of oral or written history, most of what they do have comes from their tradion of ancestor worship. Tales of great goblin heroes and their great feats or at the very least amusing hijinks are passed down generation to generation, worshipped as examples for every goblin child to aspire to become. Most goblins engage in a more general form of ancestor worship, but some choose to venerate a particular hero god over the others, seeking to emulate them in all ways
Darker Gods
Most goblin tribes may worship their ancestors, but some have turned to darker gods in search of power over their enemies, salvation from some existential threat, influence from charismatic zealots, or having their tribes taken over by outsiders. Lamashtu is the most common of these gods, followed closely by the four barghest gods known as the "Goblin Hero-Gods" in mockery of traditional goblin ancestor worship.
Notable Tribes
The Strongkin Tribe
Residing deep in the hills of the borderlands between Fruchtbarland and Galacia, just to the south of The Valorous Dominion, The Strongkin Tribe has embraced Orcish culture to a remarkable degree. Somewhat larger and bolder than most goblins, they claim to have distant orcish ancestry and maintain close relations with a number of nearby tribes of orcs, even going so far as to emulate orcish social structure, albeit with a good bit of goblin flavor.
Goblins out in the world
As more and more communities have established trade relationships with local goblin tribes, goblins have become an increasingly common sight on the streets of the cities of The Shattered Continent. Tolerated if not exactly embraced by most people, goblins are often regarded with a certain level of distrust and distain in all but the most metropolitan cities. In areas further from the big cities or where there have been issues with local goblin tribes they may find themselves less welcome.
Goblins sometimes set up shop in cities as tinkers or merchants but their chaotic natures often lead to them having trouble following the rules, leading them down other paths. Goblins are used to living life on the edge of society, living by their skill and wits alone, leading to many goblins turning to careers in either adventuring or crime. Frequently modeling themselves after one of the ancestral goblin hero gods, goblins are rarely front line fighters, tending to lean towards stealth or support roles in adventuring parties, although this is by no means absolute.
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