Hobgoblin

Hobgoblins are a race of goblinoids native to the Crestfallen region of Gulgund. The hobgoblins are traditionally known for their martial culture and expertise in military tactics, which they previously used to establish themselves as the oppressive ruling caste of all goblinkind.

Appearance

Of the three goblinoid races, hobgoblins are perhaps the most human-like in appearance, typically standing between 5-6 feet in height and weighing anywhere between 150-200 pounds. Hobgoblins have straight black hair and broad noses, and their skin tones usually favor deep red or burgundy tones.

Traits and Abilities

Hobgoblins are similar to humans in many ways, including both physical prowess and lifespan. Where they differ, however, is their cultural veneration of martial prowess and combat; so much so, in fact, that many hobgoblin societies treat weapons training and military practice as essential to the education of their children as literacy and mathematics.
As a result, most hobgoblins, regardless of vocation, are trained in the use of at least one weapon, with many hobgoblins being proficient in two or three types of weaponry. Additionally, many hobgoblin cultures employ mandatory military service whenever a new generation comes of age, with young hobgoblins serving a minimum of 1 year in their respective militias regardless of gender. Because of this, many hobgoblins develop a naturally ingrained sense of tactics and battlefield cooperation, allowing groups of hobgoblins to dominate combat with a synergistic efficiency.

Civilization and Culture

History

Hobgoblins, along with their other goblinoid relatives, are believed to have first arrived on Crestfall after crossing a land-bridge from the South, bringing with them many other species including domesticated dinosaurs. During this period in Crestfall's prehistory, the hobgoblins established themselves in what would later be known as Gulgund, establishing the first major empire on the continent, predating the arrival of the elves centuries later. Early goblinoid civilization was dividied into a strict caste system, with the military-minded hobgoblins ruling over their bugbear and goblin cousins. During the arrival of the elves and the ensuing Millennium War, the militaristic hobgoblins attempted to curry favor with the side of the Drow, even going as far as to enlist themselves and their subjugated lower-caste kin as mercenary soldiers in the war itself.
It wasn't until the dissolution of the Millennium War that the goblinoid caste system was similarly dissolved, catalyzed by disenfranchised goblins and bugbears revolting against their leaders' treatment of them as cheap labor and cannon fodder. Since then, the goblinoid races have enjoyed an ostensibly equal coesistance, both within Gulgund and throughout the rest of Teranuz; however, there are still some hobgoblin factions which yearn to return to the "old ways" of the prewar era, with many of these hobgoblins having embellished and unfairly glorified their oppressive ancestors over countless generations.
While not the military superpower they once were in Crestfall's prehistory, martial prowess and honor are still major cornerstones of hobgoblin society. For many hobgoblin societies, mercenary work is a major export, although there are some that would rather cut out the middleman and instead employ their abilities for banditry. Others choose a third possible vocation, taking up the comparatively more individualistic life of a wandering adventurer-for-hire.
In the jungles and swamps of Gulgund, the once-ruling hobgoblins still maintain a sizeable population. Tallon Bane, the current general-king of the Gulgundan hobgoblins, is currently in a tenuous alliance with the Drow Queen Razelle of Deepscar; the general-king frequently loans out his mercenary soldiers to assist in enforcing Razelle's rule over Crestfall's Underdark.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Goblinoids

Lifespan

>100 years

Average Height

5-6 feet

Average Weight

150-200 lbs.