Goblins

"Filthy Greenback!"

Small, swift, and clever, the Goblins are a people born of vibrant jungle empires and cursed by history to live as outcasts. Once rulers of the eastern rainforests that stretched from Everwealth to the far reaches of what is now Kibonoji, Goblins lived among colossal ziggurats and lush canopies, practicing magickal rites and communal rituals in harmony with the land. But The Great Schism shattered more than kingdoms, it annihilated entire cultures, and few suffered as cruelly or as lastingly as the Goblin folk. Their ancestral lands were buried, torched, and forgotten, their people scattered like trash in the wind. Now, they survive on the fringes of Everwealth society, treated as vermin, denied work, and criminalized for simply existing. Where once stood proud, storied jungle folk, there now stands fear, parody, and stereotype. Yet despite it all, the Goblins endure, crafty, bitter, and fiercely protective of what little they are allowed to keep. Goblin culture is one of wounds and defiance. Long ago, they ruled colorful, spiritually rich empires marked by music, astronomy, and intricate magickal rituals. They were stewards of jungle temples, cultivators of rare plants, and fierce defenders of their gods. But they lacked allies during the Schism. Both Elfese and Humans trampled over Goblin territory in their war for supremacy, every tribe that resisted was deemed savage, dangerous, or expendable, one-and-all helpless to stop the onslaught. The Goblins would never truly recover. Their past is treated as myth, their traditions mocked, their people barred from most professions. Today, they are second-class citizens in most of Everwealth, rarely allowed to own land or earn honest work. Entire districts of cities like Opulence or Wardsea treat Goblins like disease, locked out, scapegoated, then blamed for turning to theft or smuggling so survive. Even so, pockets of Goblin pride remain. In the frontier town of Landsbridge, a settlement far to the west, Goblins gather annually to celebrate the old rites, to share food, crafts, and stories no one else will remember for them. Here, at least, they are people again.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

• Amoxtli.
• Cuali.
• Eztli.
• Tenoch.

Masculine names

• Atzi.
• Huitzilin.
• Omacatl.
• Yaotl.

Unisex names

• Citlalic.
• Coaxoch.
• Ichtacha.
• Ohtli.

Family names

The Goblin do not have surnames typically, their birth name the only one they are referred to. Goblins with a last name are typically orphaned Goblins brought up in Everwealthy orphanages or raised by a parent who is not a Goblin, typically human.

Other names

“Greenbacks” (slur), “Cindersouls”, “Lostkin”, “Woundborn”.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Goblins speak Goblish, a deeply syllabic, highly contextual language with a lilting cadence and breathy emphasis. Most non-Goblins cannot speak it fluently without years of practice.

• Pialli - "Hello".
• Tlazocamati - "Thank you".
• NimitztlaTlauhtia - "Please".

Goblish also incorporates a unique whistling dialect used in dense jungles or crowded cities, many assume it's nonsense until caught stealing by a Goblin child who was warned three alleys away.

Culture and cultural heritage

Goblin heritage is a tapestry of perseverance stitched with grief. Once rulers of a vibrant jungle expanse that spanned from modern Everwealth into what is now Kibonoji, the Goblins were astronomers, herbalists, and magick-wielders, stewards of lush temple-cities, their rituals woven into the canopy, the stars, and the soil. Their societies thrived on collaboration with nature and the unseen world, hosting seasonal rites under vine-strung ziggurats and nurturing crops now thought extinct. But they stood alone during the Great Schism. Neither Human nor Elfese forces saw value in their survival. Their temples were razed, their gods mocked, and entire bloodlines deemed savage, then wiped out in the name of “civilization.” What little survived was twisted by the victors into caricature. In modern Everwealth, Goblin traditions are viewed as superstition, their history dismissed as myth. Most are denied land rights, locked out of trade guilds, and scapegoated for crime born of forced poverty.

Shared customary codes and values

Far gone from the treetop homes and towering stone ziggurats their kind once ruled amid the eastern rainforests of Kibonoji; Claimed by the Elfese in their exile from Everwealth, the Goblins would seemingly know little but trouble since. Left without alliances as the Schism broke out from their past isolationist ways, left without homes not ransacked by Elfese invaders, left to struggle alone as their culture was deemed 'savage' by most standards of the time. Goblins for almost five centuries have been neglected, ostracized, outcast and brutalized; Everwealth is cruel to most, but to Goblins perhaps more than most, many of their folk knowing lives of fear, discrimination, and hatred no one can really explain why. This leads many Everwealthy Goblins to be jaded, fearfully introverted, sarcastic, only wanting to get through the day and blend in without causing any trouble; Much-like most folk of the land, if-only they'd take a step back to see it before burning down another Goblin family home.

Average technological level

Though most of their cities were destroyed or stolen, Goblins were once masters of natural magicks, primitive electricity, ritual binding, and hand-carved instruments tuned to leyline frequencies. Their signature weapon, the macuahuitl, remains a symbol of resistance. Even now, Goblin artificers and smugglers build brilliant things in the dark, hidden, illegal, and breathtaking.

Common Etiquette rules

• Goblins bow by placing a closed fist to the heart.
• Spitting beside someone’s feet is a sign of kinship.
• Whistling before entering a room is polite.
• Eating in silence is a mark of disrespect, meals are meant to be shared, savored, and discussed aloud.

Common Dress code

Practical, flowing, and colorful when allowed, though most modern Goblins in Everwealth wear scavenged leathers, second-hand linens, or cloaks to conceal their identity. Traditional dress includes feathered sashes, obsidian jewelry, and earthen paints to mark kin, caste, or spiritual alignment.

Art & Architecture

Goblins once carved grand ziggurats of layered stone, their staircases aligned with celestial events. Their art uses vibrant colors, mosaic stones, and sweeping curves. Modern Goblin art, where it survives, often depicts jungle spirits, fire serpents, or exaggerated caricatures of Elfese and Human generals. Graffiti is a thriving form of cultural expression among urban Goblins, raw, pointed, and often written in Goblish only.

Foods & Cuisine

Goblin food is communal, complex, and ceremonial. Meals are an act of love and memory. Expect heavily spiced, grilled meats (particularly fowl and fish), fried fruits with cinnamon, and fermented drinks made from jungle roots and honey. Dishes are usually wrapped in palm or banana leaves, eaten with fingers or carved obsidian spoons.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

• Protect the hearth, whatever form it takes.
• Share your food, even with a stranger.
• Never betray your own, no matter what they've done.
• Don't let them see you cry, but never forget who made you.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Newborns are bathed in crushed flower petals and oils to invoke ancestral blessings. The child's name is whispered into both ears at sunrise and is never written down until the age of seven.

Coming of Age Rites

The Trial of the Knife Orchid sees youths sent into wilderness to retrieve a cutting of a dangerous, magickally volatile flower. Surviving and returning with it earns their adult name and place in the tribe, or what tribe remains.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Goblins do not bury their dead. The body is burned, the bones are crushed and scattered into rivers or wind, and the name is carved into stone. Sometimes, this stone is thrown at the feet of a palace or fortress, a quiet rebellion against the world that forgot them.

Common Taboos

• Calling a Goblin "greenback" is not just an insult, it is often met with violence.
• Mocking the old gods.
• Touching another Goblin’s mask, if worn.
• Eating alone, especially while others go hungry.

Common Myths and Legends

• The Serpent Who Weeps: A god of storms and sorrow who created the first Goblin from a vine and a drop of his own blood.
• The Ziggurat Below: A rumored underground city of pure gold and magick, where exiled kings wait to rise again.
• The Vine that Screams: A tale told to children of a cursed jungle vine that steals voices and names

Historical figures

• Itzpapaloc, the Last Priest-Queen: Slain during the first Elfese campaign into the jungles. Her bones are said to rest beneath the Blackroots, guarded by wrathful spirits.
• Tlacoyo the Blue-Handed: A Goblin general who defied both Elfese and Human armies with guerrilla tactics so effective the region was never truly reclaimed.
• Nameless, the first Goblin to reach Landsbridge. They say he carried only a cooking pot and a dog.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Goblins prize vibrancy, colorful skin (ranging from deep forest green to clay-red), intricate face-paint, strong features, and healthy scars. Hair is usually worn in mohawks, braids, or wild tufts.

Gender Ideals

Goblin culture has never placed value on gender roles. All are expected to fight, cook, protect, and mourn equally. Fertility and strength are praised across all identities.

Courtship Ideals

A Goblin shows love through offering food, telling stories, or weaving tokens from thread and feathers. There is no “proposal”, only shared survival.

Relationship Ideals

Companionship is a sacred pact. To love a Goblin is to share their burdens, their memories, and their ghosts.

Interesting Facts & Folklore:

• Ashmouth Trials: In the old ziggurat days, Goblin warriors would prove their worth by placing burning coals on their tongues without crying out, a practice now outlawed but still whispered about in gutter clans.
• Skyblooded Lore: Ancient Goblin sky-charts carved into jungle cave ceilings suggest they once tracked stars and seasons better than any modern nation, though few believe them now.
• Sunless Birthright: Goblins claim they were born from the shadow of the world itself, not the gods, thus explaining their comfort in darkness and mistrust of holy places.
• Blood of the Ziggurat: It’s said the great stone temples of old Kibonoji drank the blood of Goblin kings to stay standing, and that their ruins still whisper to those with true Goblin blood.
• Curse of the Smiling Moon: Folklore warns that a Goblin who laughs alone under a full moon invites misfortune. Many Goblins spit three times to ward off the omen when they hear laughter at night.

Metaphors & Idioms:

• "Choke on your own chain." A vicious retort aimed at someone seen as a collaborator or traitor, implying their submission will destroy them.
• "Skin ain't stone, but it hardens." A phrase used to describe resilience born from abuse or discrimination, rough lives forge tougher folk.
• "Climb crooked if the roots are rotten." Refers to survival by any means when born into broken circumstances; justifying crime or cunning.
• "Smell a smile before it cuts." Goblin warning that kindness is often a trap, especially from the tall-folk.
• "The quiet trap snaps hardest." A reminder that silence, stillness, or inaction from a Goblin usually means danger is moments away.