Goblin

Considered nothing more than murderous pests by most, goblins dwell on the fringes of other societies, scavenging amongst their waste and building their society in squalor. Though weak on their own, goblins often gather in huge numbers to overwhelm their enemies.

## Appearance

Goblins aren't much larger than the pigs they like to chase.

A goblin is a short, emaciated-seeming goblinoid, about the size of a halfling. They tend to be around three feet tall with large, flat heads and long ears. Their skin tends to be leathery and grey, often wrinkled and covered in tiny scars, warts, and scabs. Goblins grow little, if any, hair, relying on their thick skin and huddling together in groups to keep warm. They have small, beady red eyes set close together over a little pug nose, above a hideously wide mouth lined with sharp little teeth. Goblins often dress in rags and scraps cast off by other humanoids and bear coarsely cobbled-together equipment.

Many humans and similar races find it hard to distinguish goblin genders, though they do possess reproductive organs. Excessive weight is considered a sign of beauty among female goblins, with the ideal of goblin sexuality being an obese female barghest.

## Ecology

Goblins mature rapidly, reaching adulthood in five years and living up to fifty (though most goblins are violently killed before the age of 20). Goblins' extremely high level of energy comes from both their accelerated metabolism and dangerous lifestyles. Their fast metabolisms make goblins eating machines stricken with almost constant hunger; fortunately, goblins can subsist on almost anything organic. They love salty foods, especially pickled food of all types.

## Habitat and society

Goblins rarely build their own structures; they prefer to use terrain and natural defenses to their advantage, often settling in areas of heavy undergrowth, easily defensible caves, and ruins. They rely on scavenging for most of their sustenance and are gifted at surviving in even the most hostile climes. Goblins gather in tribes of up to a few dozen, led by a chieftain and sub-chiefs who are simply the toughest individuals in the group. They keep numerous mounts in their settlements, typically wolves, worgs, and goblin dogs, but never ponies, horses, or dogs, as they have an intense fear and hatred of these animals.

### Strange hatreds

Goblins have an near-pathological fear and hatred of horses and dogs, most likely due to the mutual hatred displayed by these animals. Goblins are, in many ways, defined by their fears—not just of dogs and horses but also of humans, and even their religion is based on fear of their gods. Religion holds an important place in most tribes, with complex (and, to outside ears, ridiculous) myths and legends, often fixating on odd-shaped natural features.

### Goblin games

When not at war, goblins amuse themselves with sadistic games, inane but catchy songs, and arson. Goblins have an irrational fear of writing, however, believed by some to stem from the contracts used by Asmodeus to bind their barghest forebears in the mists of time. They believe that the mere act of writing words steals them from one's head.

### Love of treasure

Goblins love to collect treasure, but value appearance over utility. Thus, a shiny but worthless trinket is valued over a powerful but ugly magic item. The exception is goblin chieftains, who often possess the wits to make use of such items—if they can remember where they've been stashed. Their love of shiny treasure means that goblins are also a common sight in the refuse pits and junkyards of non-goblin settlements throughout the Inner Sea region, where they scavenge for items they can craft into weapons and other interesting tools, a task they are unusually proficient in.

### Religion

Goblins conduct their worship in simple, bloody rituals filled with howls, animal sacrifice, and ecstatic dancing. They craft fetishes from the bones of their enemies, particularly dogs and humanoids. The four Goblin Hero-Gods (Hadregash, Venkelvore, Zarongel, and Zogmugot) are common objects of worship among goblins, but they revere Lamashtu above all else, because she freed the hero-gods from Asmodeus. Goblin tribes that worship one hero-god to the exclusion of others are considered heretics.

## History

According to the First Songs, the goblin creation myths, goblins were created from human blood spilled by the four Goblin Hero-Gods. From the most powerful barghest-god, Hadregash, goblins gained the gift of the tribe, giving them strength in numbers. From his mate Venkelvore, they gained the gift of raiding and learned to steal from other races. From Zarongel, they gained the gift of riding, learning to master wolves and other animals. Finally, from Zogmugot, they gained the gift of scavenging, harvesting the bounty of the sea's flotsam and jetsam. The goblins have since spread across the Inner Sea region, especially in Varisia, where they say Zogmugot first walked into the sea, and Isger, where they were taken by Venkelvore's wolves.

Though they usually remain beneath other races' notice, legions of goblins under the command of hobgoblin leaders wreaked havoc in Isger and neighboring realms in the Goblinblood Wars, a conflict that lasted four years starting in4697 AR. Though the goblinoids were defeated, there were huge losses of life on both sides.