Goblin
Goblins within NOVUS are a heavily persecuted race that were believed to be monsters due to a misunderstanding during the 1000 Year Blood War. Whilst recent efforts elect to aid in the growth and reduce hunting of Goblins, many still believe Goblins are mindless monsters that are on the weaker side, and so many still hunt them. The Adventurers Guild also still has various stations that reward the slaying of Goblins, despite protest from humanitarian and pro-Goblin groups. Despite the hardships Goblins face, they are a notoriously kind and helpful race; their naive nature often being the reason why they are so easily hunted.
Biology
Class
NeutralDiet
OmnivoreLife Span
50 yearsAverage life span
25 yearsAverage alignment
Chaotic Good, True GoodMale to Female ratio
65/35Status
StableNature
Friendly, NaiveDanger
MinimalAffinity
NeutralMain Languages
Common, Gorgob
Appearance
Goblins are a shorter race that stand at around 4’5ft, with big eyes, messy thick hair and large hands and feet. There are 3 different types of Goblins that exists within NOVUS; the Green Goblins, Grey Goblins and Deep Goblins. Whilst each Goblin sub-race is unique in terms of appearance, the culture and general personalities of each different Goblin is relatively the same. The only major difference between these 3 Goblin races are their clothing and their way of survival.
Green Goblins are by far the most common Goblin race. They are found all around Narvaie, L’Taure Eska and in The Red Desert; though often as refugees as Goblins in the Red Desert don’t have any settlements. The largest of settlements are located in Narvaie and are spread far from human settlements to avoid contact. Often however, Goblins will be found and hunted, often resulting in them getting injured. Green and Grey Goblins scar a white-creme colour, with burn and magic scars often leaving their skin completely white and mangled. Green Goblins have the highest and most saturated skin pigment and have similarly bright eyes to match their skin. The green of these Goblins eyes and skin whilst always being ‘green’, can have a wide variety of shades and tones, allowing for some Goblins to have more unique looks compared to others. Their white hair however, is always white and whilst sometimes a rare red haired Goblin may be born, this is exceedingly rare.
Grey Goblins are very similar to Green Goblins in their appearance, save for less saturated pigments in their skin and more vibrant blue eyes. There had not been a recoreded case of a Grey Goblin having a different hair colour other than white, however heterochromia is not unheard of in rare instances, and some Grey Goblins can have both green and blue eyes. Occasionally the green-grey tone of their skin can become very pale and almost completely colourless, in some rare cases a Grey Goblin can be born with no pigment in their skin at all; though usually Goblins born this way are completely blind and may suffer from other deformities. Alongside this, whilst not too notable of a difference, Grey Goblins have slightly thicker skin than the other Goblin races and this is theorised to be due to them building up resistance to the colder climates they reside in.
Deep Goblins are the rarer and most noticeably different of the Goblin races. Whilst they have the same builds and properties of other Goblins they have wildly different skin, hair, pigments and eyes. Firstly, Deep Goblins have fluorescent skin, where their ‘freckles’ and neon-patterned skin light up in the dark. Their aqua skin also does not reflect light, and so they gain a natural camouflage in the Deep Tunnels far below the earth around fluorescent rocks where they reside. Their unique eyes also allow for complete night vision to an impressive degree; able to see perfectly clear in complete darkness. Unfortunately this means that they are completely blind above ground and require special goggles to see. As well as the eyes and skin, the hair is also different; electing for a tar black colour over the usual soft white the other Goblins have.
One trait all the Goblin races share is the ability to become a Hobgoblin and Goblin Sage. Hobgoblins are Goblins that believed in themselves enough that their god Gob granted them better physicality and skill. Hobgoblins appear taller and more human-like than other Goblins and have greater proficiency in physical skill and magic. Goblin Sages on the other hand are Goblins specially chosen by Gob to become Goblins with no limits. A Goblin Sage will look like whatever the Goblin was before becoming a Sage; be that a Hobgoblin or otherwise and will only be different in appearance based on their eyes. They will always have a deep uniquely coloured glow in the centre of their pupils.
Attributes
Goblins are a notoriously weak race that struggle to become powerful warriors or mages. It takes them a relatively long time to learn anything academic due to their middle to low intelligence, and as they have a short life span many Goblins chose not to learn magic and rather focus on physical arts. A Goblins physicality is also lacking however, and their ability to learn sword play is the same as their ability to learn magic. Many Goblins chose to opt for a more wild, unlearned approach to battle, flinging what they can and relying on instinct above all else. Some rare Goblins may rise up however by becoming Hobgoblins or Goblins Sages, however, even as these more advanced sub-races, they are still inherently weaker than a human, elf or otherwise and need to work extremely hard to keep up. What Goblins lack in innate talent they more than make up for in their survival skills, passion and community friendship. Whilst it may take them twice has much effort to learn a simple fire spell compared to a human, Goblins have the drive to get better, and are well known for their ability to fight on and never give up. Their drive to go on may be seen as silly at times, but Goblins don’t really care about legacy or how others remember them. For a Goblin, it’s all about the present and what you want to do, so often Goblins will choose a path and stick to it— becoming extremely good at something before their short life is over.
The only real benefit Goblins have over other races is their extreme resistance to Black Blood and corruption. Whilst Black Blood can kill Goblins like any other race, Goblins have the unique advantage of being able to overcome the corruption. Once infected, one of three things can happen.
1. The Goblin succumbs to the corruption and becomes a mindless monster much like any other race.
2. The Goblin overcomes the corruption and maintains a permanent deformity within their eyes (the sclera becomes black) as well as a permanent resistance to Black Blood and other corruption; unable to ever be infected again.
3. The Goblin synthesises with the Black Blood and is transformed into a demonic creature; a Gremlin.
In the case of the third possibility, Gremlins are Goblins with short horns, short tails and demonic eyes that are considered a minor demonic race. When a Goblin becomes a Gremlin they maintain their sanity, memories and skills, only gaining new proficiencies and becoming a different more powerful race. Whilst a Gremlin may be considered an ‘upgrade’ from a Goblin, many disagree as now as a demonic creature, Gremlins are easily killed by divine magic and are outcasted from most of NOVUS.
Relating to their extreme corruption resistance, when a Goblin becomes infected with Black Blood, unlike other races who become deformed monstrosities, Goblins will maintain their forms with the only noticeable difference being black sclera signifying corruption. Deep Goblins unfortunately as a result have no way to tell if a Goblin is corrupted or not from a glance, which is why they where forced deep underground during the 1000 Year Blood War. On top of this, Goblins are one of the only races that have the ability to have children whilst corrupted; their children maintaining the corruption. This made the Goblins an easy tool for Demons to use in the past; where Goblins where used to create enormous armies for their demonic masters. Unfortunately, even several thousands of years later, remnants of these corrupted Goblins are still around in NOVUS and so many normal Goblins are mistaken (often otherwise killed for no reason also) for corrupted monsters.
Due to the rampant death of Goblins and the fact that you could be killed at any moment; Goblins devised a unique breeding system where the concept of romance, love and family didn’t exist. Goblins would instead, during the breeding seasons breed with whomever they wished and lay their eggs in a ‘Breeding Pit’ where all children will be hatched and raised together. As no one knew who was related to who in this system, theoretically no one would be as sad with others dying. Goblins also don’t get named, and instead choose to name themselves when they are able. At the time of this system being created, Goblins only had a life expectancy of 5-10 years, and whilst that is no longer the case, Goblins still use this system as it is tradition. Without that system in the past, Goblins would have been extinct long ago. Goblin women can lay up to 3 eggs at a time, and only need a few weeks between egg laying to be physically ready to lay more eggs. After insemination, a Goblin woman would only take 1-3 days to develop the eggs inside of her depending on how many she was producing at that time before laying them. Once eggs where laid, Goblin children took about a week to hatch, with hatching times having some wiggle room of 1-3 weeks as some children prefer to hatch sooner rather than later. Goblins born skip the baby stage and are able to fight as soon as they hatch; appearing to have the physicality, mind and general appearance of a pre-teen human. As Goblins have children in eggs rather than a womb, having mixed race children is a more complex matter; as whilst it is easier for a Goblin male to have a mixed child, a Goblin female will often have to take extra care in ensuring a mixed baby grows properly.
Goblins have the unique potential to become the strongest race in all of NOVUS. A Goblin Sage has the unique potential to learn any ability and skill, with Goblin Sages not having a limit on what they can learn; their memories becoming infinite. Alongside this, Goblin Sages also do not age and thus can theoretically live forever. Whilst a Goblin Sage can become extremely powerful, Goblin Sages unfortunately are still normal Goblins and must slowly gain skills and abilities. Unfortunately as a result, to this day no Goblin Sage has gained enough skills to be recognised by others outside of the Goblin race.
Culture
Goblins have a unique perspective on community and life due to the horrors they have faced in the past. Most Goblins know they’re going to live short lives, and so they elect to have as much fun on earth as they can, leading to a unique system where Goblins can basically do whatever they want within their own society. The concept of money does not really exists in Goblin society, where instead a trade and barter system is utilised. Whilst currency can be traded between Goblins who interact with outside races and kingdoms, that is more on the rarer side as a whole.
Goblins when born are not given a purpose or direction to follow. Rather, as they are born with the minds of young teenagers, they go out and observe other Goblins, leave the settlement and/or find out any information they desire before choosing what they want to do with their lives. As Goblins are inherently friendly, most Goblin children find someone and choose to learn whatever that persons profession is— moving on from person to person until they discover something they can be passionate about. Whilst Goblins are able to do what they please, Chieftains determine the ultimate direction of the tribe as well as other important matters. Chieftains are chosen by an election system that takes place once a year. Any Goblin is able to sign up to be chosen as the Chief, and the only qualifications needed is the desire to lead the tribe. Unlike humans or demonic races, Goblins don’t view being in charge as an important feat or show of power. For a Goblin, it is the same as wanting to be a fisherman or basket weaver. Whilst the concept of election rigging is not unheard of, it is quite rare. Goblin Chiefs also get to wear unique clothing to distinguish themselves from others so other Goblins know who to follow, but besides this they get no other special treatment.
Goblin settlements often share all the food they have, and freely give out clothing and other supplies. The general idea is that all Goblins are entitled to shelter, food and resources as long as they also contribute to the tribe, be that in any way they wish. Whilst freeloaders aren’t entirely uncommon, there are often so many Goblins in a tribe at a time that supporting these lazy types is easy. Whilst all Goblins will get important resources if they ask for them, if a Goblin wanted a special item or apparel, they could trade items or services for it. Goblins view all members of their tribe, usually, as equally important, and so assisting each other is very common. In Goblin culture it is extremely difficult to have no or little friends and frequently Goblins will be known to be “close friends” with over 100 different people in the Tribe.
As Goblins have such short lives the concept of having a grudge is lost on them. To hate someone with such a passion to most Goblins is considered a complete waste of your time. Why should you waste precious seconds of your life in misery when you can be happy and joyous instead. This mentality is likely why Goblins have a more naive view of others. If a hunter where to enter a Goblin settlement, the Goblins would assume the hunter where a nice person and offer them supplies. Even if that hunter ended up killing several Goblins and ransack the tribe, the Goblins of that tribe would still welcome in the next stranger as if there where nothing to be wary of. Whilst this makes Goblins excellent hosts and people anyone could turn to for aid, it makes them easy targets. Whilst some Goblin Tribes have learned of their own faults and hide their settlements from other races, if a stranger where to approach they would likely revert to their old friendly ways.
As Goblins breed quickly, despite the rate of deaths that occur within a tribe, tribes will often have around 2k to 50k members, with numbers often heavily fluctuating based on birth rate and if their tribe got raided. Whilst each Goblin tribe may have a unique system or ideas, any Goblin generally is welcome into any settlement, with all Goblins viewed as being a member of all tribes. This meant if you wished to switch tribes as a Goblin you could easily do so, as long as you could locate another tribe.
Whilst it is uncommon, Goblins are also frequently integrated into other major societies. Despite the fact that most Goblins are from Narvaie, Goblins often choose not to integrate into Narvarian human society as they are heavily persecuted. Goblins also whilst welcome in L’Tuare Eska and The Red Desert, often choose to stay in their own settlements as merging into those more complex societies is a big and often scary change for a Goblin. Despite this Goblins, as there are so many of them, are a common sight in these places, and in rare instances will experience family, siblings and love. Goblins who are raised in different societies are not barred from re-entering into Goblin society, however more often than not they choose not to as Goblin society is extremely different from cultures and systems they would be used to.
If Peter Murphy were to write a song about these goblins, what would the lyrics be?
Ahaha I'm not too sure tbh, likely something depressing but mildly hopeful? Like "Lost in the desire, to become better than perception. Wake up, rise to the resurrection." Idk thats the best I've got ahaha