Goblins

Goblins, a race of green skin shorties with big ears. They live south-east of Villjord behind a dangerous range of mountain. They have little to no magic in general, except few individuals who are born with very powerful aptitudes. They are short, humanoid, with heavy bones. They're terrible swimers in general, but they can dig quite efficiently. What they lack in magic they make for in ingenuity and curiosity, they are by far the most technologically advanced species on Terebim.
AUTHOR NOTE : Inside this spoiler is my view on the link between Goblins and antisemitic propaganda.
TL;DR : Fuck antisemites, they don't deserve Goblins and I'll do my best to reclaim them.

Show spoiler

I love Goblins, and I have loved them for a few years. I always saw them as the embodiment of curiosity, efficiency, and cooperation. I see them as a community that value knowledge and tinkering, that believes functionnality trumps aesthetic, and sees failures as learning opportunities.
It took me a few years and some reading to learn that the classical image of Goblins is very problematic and heavily tied to antisemitic propaganda. Elements like their greediness and big nose are often link to jewish in nazi documents, and once the link is made every other elements of classical goblins (like "they're dumb", "they're dirty", "they're ugly") becomes direct insult toward Jewish communities.
Some author and artists have tried to break that image of Goblins, like Terry Pratchett. Others ... not so much (looking at you J.K. Rowling. Not proud of you either, Blizzard).
Knowing that Goblins are a touchy subject, the logical choice would be to stay away from them and not include them in new works. But I hate nazi too much to leave them Goblins. Beside, that would mean leaving them with yet another weapon to insult others, so I will try to reclaim Goblins in my work!
I tried to get away from the negative perception of Goblins. First of all : Greediness. To me, that's a human trait. My Goblins have little to no greediness, if there is one thing they seek to amass it is knowledge, and they seek to share it just as much. Beside, hoarding money or precious thing would almost always go against their religion.
I kept the big nose for one reason only : I think big noses can be beautiful. I hate that society only aknowledge one type of nose (small, thin and perky, which are juvenile attribute that tend to disappear once the bones of the face settles in. It is yet another sign of the rampant pedophilia in society, but that's another discourse entirely), to the point that nose plastic surgery is in the top 3 of all plastic surgeries. Every time artists try to draw "beautiful goblins", the first thing they do is get rid of the big nose, and I think that's both cowardly and participate in enforcing the stigmas on big noses.
If there is one thing specifically jewish I would like my Goblins to have, it is the "Question everything" attitude. That relation toward religion, where everything can and should be discussed until a consensus is found that respects both religion and people, I think that is great and healthy.
Though Goblin's religion isn't nearly as precise and exhaustive as Jewish sacred texts (or at least what I know of it), they would debate upon any question, trying to know what solution would best fit the five Pillars and allow everyone to live together in a healthy environment.
All that being said, I am not an expert on Jewish culture. I might make mistakes or include problematic elements. If you know more about the subject and feel that I am doing something wrong, please don't hesitate to tell me. Nothing I do is set in stone, it can always be discussed to find a better way of portraying Goblins as a big "Fuck you" to every antisemite that as ever walked the earth.

/* Misc :

At the university of Magi-Science, with the Elsketts, they made a sail that can catch physical and/or magical winds. The two are mostly independent (except when the wind have been created by magic), so this sail allows to use a regular magic wind during storms, or to use calm physical wind in the middle of magical storms. Problems are : it costs an awful lot, and it makes the ship extremely vulnerable to Empora's wrath.

The most skillful Goblin weavers can make a fabrics with mixed fibers, with some fiber reacting to heat. This creates blue shimmering patterns only visible to goblins when the wearer's heat spreads through the fabric.

*/

Basic Information

Anatomy

Goblins are bipedal humanoïds. They have two arms, no tail, big ears and usually big nose. Their adult size range from 1m to 1m60, they can weight up to 100kg though : they have big, dense bones and can be very muscular.
Their skin tone is always green, but the green vary from almost blue to almost yellow. Their hair can be straight or a bit curly, most of the time in shades of blue, though a minority have red hair. Some very rare have purple hair. Goblins ears are large and mobile, most are pointed with a single round lobe, but some are rounded, and some have two, or even three lobes.
They have sexual dimorphism in size and appendage :

• males are smaller than females and have tiny horns.
• Beta females are a bit taller than males, but not by much. They don't have horns, they have more fat in general, with a bit more on the hips, and they have breast to feed the newborns.
• Alpha are even taller than beta female, sometimes reaching 1m60. They also have a bit more of fat than average males, but it's more evenly distributed, with small breast. they are extremely strong and resistant for Goblins. Alpha females have 2 short tusks in place of their lower canines.

Genetics and Reproduction

The alpha female is the only one who can get pregnant. When she's not pregnant, she goes through a several month long cycle menstrual/heat cycle. Heat lasts for 3 to 5 days. If she doesn't get pregnant, she will have menstruations two to three weeks later, then she will have to wait 3 months befaore the next heat. Goblins give birth to litters of 1 to 4 Greenlings.
The alpha have to get pregnant on a regular basis, if she goes a few years without bearing a child she will lose her tusks and another one will take her place as the Alpha.
Every adult goblins in a pack can mate any time they want and with any one they wants, but the alpha gets priority with males.

Growth Rate & Stages

On average, Goblins live up to 60 years. Goblins aren't considered true Goblin before they reach the age of 6 and name themselves. Then, when they're ready, they move out of their pack to find a new one where they'll be able to serve and mate. They are free to go find another pack whenever they want, but most of the time they stay like that their whole life.
more details in this article : Life and Death of a Goblin

Dietary Needs and Habits

• Goblins are very omnivorous and very resistant to deseases. They can eat nearly anything. They're famous for their gastronomie, as they have discovered spices long before others and can cook nearly anything. They're so resilient (and a bit reckless) that they never hesitate to try to eat every new thing they encounter, and usually quickly find a recipe to do with it.


• They're also known for their alcohol. Having discover fruit fermentation quite early in their history, and being the adventurous, curious little creachers that they are, they have honed their skill and can produce alcohol from every fruit and vegetable they know.
  The most infamous are fungi alcohol. One pint of fungi beer can send most sentient species under the table. Fungi spirits are straight up lethal to most non-goblin and is considered a weapon to be declared upon arrival in any Elskett's port.


• Goblins have domesticated equivalents of deer, sheep, goats and chickens. Deer-like creatures have been select-breeded into 2 different race : one very tall and strong to help in the fields, and on much shorter, very agile and quick that they use a steed in the plains and forests. They use domesticated goats in the mountains. Sheep are farmed for their wool, milk, and meat. That is one of the most available meat on the market.


• Goblins can farm many plants, like cereals and vegetables, but they really shine at farming fungi. They have at least 15 different type of edible fungi, a few strands of fungi with a lot of fiber (one of them is famous for making strands of fiber with magical minerals, allowing to create silk like fiber with extremely potent power). They also have some mushrooms used to dye materials, they can make every color in vivid tones. Their fabrics are known for their impressive colors. Lastly, they have dozens of type of poisonous fungi that they have studied for centuries. Thanks to that, they have very advanced medicine (though surgery isn't their forte, that's more of an Elskett's domain. Their use of magic and perfect coordination of four arms helps quite a bit) and even more advanced poisons.

Biological Cycle

On a daily basis, Goblins are Crepuscular creatures with a preference toward the night. They are most active at dawn and dusk. they sleep during most of the day and nap for 3 to 4 hours in the middle of the night.
They don't have any differences around the year, they work all the time and have few holidays

Additional Information

Social Structure

Goblins have a matriarchal society with Alpha females and polygamy. They form packs, a pack is composed of :

an alpha female

0 to 4 beta females

1 to 4 males

Elders (Goblins too old to mate, usually above 40)

Greenlings (children under the age of 14)

Goblins live in cities of hundreds of inhabitant, grouped in packs.
The alpha female is the only one with tusks, which is a sign of social status and a pride. the country is entirely run by tusked women. It is considered a democracy but only the alpha can vote. the High Consul make the laws, it is composed entirely of alpha females, elected by the voices of every Alphas.
They are supposed to be the voice of their pack, but not all of them consult their pack before voting. Usually though, if an Alpha gets too emotionally distant from their pack and conflicts starts to emerge, she might lose her status.
Once an alpha has lost her tusks, no matter the reason, her lower canins will never regrow and she becomes an elder. She will never be an alpha again.
There is no explanation yet as to how one becomes an alpha, a beta, or a male. Religion says it's the result of debates between Mootah and Tsuka, but scientists tend to believe it is a matter of complex subconscience exchange. Some think it's a matter of sounds, some think it's undetectable scents emitted by each member of the pack (except elders and Greenlings, who seems to have no effect on the composition of a pack).
The Betas and males are approximatively equals, though social convention says that Betas are supposed to do the physical work (calling the alpha whenever something requires even more strength) and males are supposed to work in more delicate fields with their nimble fingers.
The elders usually take care of the Greenlings, except for the breastfeeding part that only Betas can do. But It's becoming less of a constraint now that artificial milk is getting popular (It's made of powdered fungi and water)
There is some social pressure on those roles. A male trying to do grunt work will probably get scoffed at, or downright putdown by others, while a beta trying to work in a delicate field will most probably be mocked.
Society is slowly progressing on that, mostly thanks to Elsketts agendered influence, but it's still a work in progress.
The Alphas can work anywhere, but usually get a role in management. Every job in decisive roles are taken by Alphas. There is a huge double standard between alphas and others. For a non-alpha to get a job an alpha's field, they have to prove twice their value on every thing. Most of the time, those non alpha Ascend as soon a their pack's alpha loses her status, proving once and for all that they always had the potential for this job but were unable to get their tusks because their pack's alpha was too strong.

Facial characteristics

Males : pair of short horns
Beta females : none
Alpha females : pair of short, curved tusks

Average Intelligence

High

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Goblins have a very good earing. They can hear very faint noises and have access to a larger range of soundwaves than both humans and Fae. Their ears are also very mobile and can be oriented toward sounds. They're also nyctalops, they can see in very dim light, almost dark. The range and precision of colors they can see is larger than most species, they have cylinders of infrared attached to half of their blue cones, which means that in pitch black dark, they see infrared as pure blue. In normal lighting, every hot surface is more blue to them.

Fun fact : since a goblin's blood is red, when they blushes their face becomes more red to humans and Elsketts viewer. But to a goblin it becomes more purple, because of the local rise in heat.
Same goes for a Human, but for Elsketts it's different. Their blue blood makes their blushes a bright, glowing blue to goblin eyes. Which is something they find extremely cute and amusing to no end.

Civilization and Culture

Common Myths and Legends

The creation of Goblins
It is now believed that Mootah was actually an Elskett that met some of the first Goblins.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

They know of humans and don't like them, they make sur they all have "terrible accident" whenever a group tries to go through the mountains or to follow the coast by boat.
In Goblin language, "Goblin" means "Small One", the term comes from both a general observation of their size compared to other animals, and an opposition to their God Mootah, who's said to be as big as a mountain. In human language, Goblin means "mean and ugly little creature", but the Goblin wear it with pride because they despise humans.
They are good friends with the Elsketts and have some political agreements with them : whenever a Goblin shows magical ability, they are granted a place in an Elsketts school to learn how to control their power. In exchange, the Goblins share their knowledge on science and technology and welcome the Elsketts who wants to learn and research on any subject.
There are some goblins living in Elsketts clans and some Elsketts livings in Goblin's cities, but not many because of several geographic hindrances. For exemple :

Goblins lives in packs, they can go a few years without a pack, but more than that might have an impact on their health.

Elsketts need magic winds to live, and most goblin cities are in Magiurkens

Most goblins hate water if it's too deep for them to walk in. Elsketts are sailors living mostly in an archipelago in the North and nearly anywhere with a coast and not too much danger. All of their town are centered around a Port, some don't even have road leading inland.

All this led to the creation of an Island dedicated to both Elsketts and Goblins, on which they made their Academy of Magiscience.

Trivia

• Goblin's skin tone is always green, but the green vary from almost blue to almost yellow. There used to be a system of caste with three seperates colors : the blue where a low caste, the green were median, and the yellow were a ruling elite. This system has been destroyed during a civil war, now there is a whole range of colors. But there's still some lingering racism between blues or against yellows, depending where you go.
• Goblins are naturally curious and happy. A shiny rock discovered under some leaves can make their day. They despise conflict in general and could go to great etxtends to avoid war. That being said, they're very aware of human's blood-thirst and what they did to the Fae. Because of that, they have researched and produced a lot of weapons and defensive technology. Some are even cross project with Fay to create technomagic. Though the vast majority is intended to heal and defend their kind, they have enough fire power to wipe any human army that would come their way.
• Goblins are majoritarely right-handed or ambidextrous. They write top to bottom and left to right. Their language has become the language of science and technology, every Moot working in research in any field speaks fluent Goblin (Or "Grunkin" as they call it). Just like Moot's language has become the language of magic, so any Goblin learning magic or researching technomagic speaks fluently Elskett.
• Because their god of gods is hermaphrodite and their kind cannot physiologically be both male and female at the same time (they can be one and the other in their lives in few cases, but they're never both. During transition, they are considered as neither), they are fascinated by Elsketts. They love them very much. Though their religions are very different, Goblins are quite endeared with Elskett's religion. They tend to think that it's a bit optimistic and not down to earth enough, but they think it's cute and positive. Elsketts loves Goblins too, though they don't quite understand the complexity of their society. But they're fond of their curiosity and generally upbeat mentality. Elsketts and Goblins have a strange relation, they each consider the others like soft puppies that need to be protected. (The Elsketts because they're too soft and pacific, the Goblins because they're tiny and precious and don't live long) Because of that, the Goblins hold a deep grudge against humans. They couldn't be here to protect their Fae friends, they took the oath to never let it happen again. The only reason they aren't in full war with humans is because they promised the Moots not to attack first.
• Goblin's ears are extremely sensitive and can be very erogenous. Thus it's very rude, offensive even, to touch someone's ears without consent and it's improper to do it in public even with consent. Rubbing someone's ear without their consent is a sexual harassement just as bad as gropping.

Lifespan

60 years

Average Height

Males : 100 - 120cm
Beta females : 115 - 135cm
Alpha females : 130 - 160cm

Average Weight

Males : 30 - 50kg
Beta females : 40 - 65kg
Alpha females : 60 - 100kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Green skin, ranging from almost yellow to almost blue

Related Myths

• The creation of Goblins