Goblin

Summary

The reclusive goblins of Darilach a the foremost inventors of transportation and weaponry. They have inborn magical powers like gnomes but favor making things that utilize mundane methods prior to magical augmentation. Goblins are very intelligent, calm and collected individuals. Having survived the deserts of Darilach they learned how to bore into mountains and became dwellers of the deep. Their homes extend into the ground protected from the elements and prying eyes of the surface world.

Personality

Goblins are a straight to the point, little nonsense type of people. This is not to say they don't kick back and enjoy the simple things. There is simply a time and place for each. They like to analyze a problem before they tackle it to ensure minimum risk and maximum results. They like to focus on details and delight at debating concepts and philosophies. Many goblins study cultures and theology as well, striving to gain a better understanding of the races in Saratta. As a result of these studies, they are often privy to accepting stereotypes of cultures until proven wrong.

Goblins are cautious about opening up to others until their trust has been proven. They have very few superstitions and try to take a logical perspective of events before jumping to any conclusions. Right and wrong make a fine line are experts at treading the legal gray space in between (thin though it may be). They enjoy strategy games and logic puzzles and are most at home while tinkering on mechanical equipment or with specialized crafts. Very few goblins are prone to seek adventure and those who do try that road usually settle into the roles of traveling tradesmen. They are shrewd negotiators and will work a deal so that it favors themselves.

Goblins see no problems with slavery, but do strive to treat their slaves well, providing food, adequate shelter and clothing. They are very task oriented and like to see their directives carried out to the letter with few complains. Most goblins are extremely patient and rarely give in to the needling of others.

Goblins will put on a front of smooth, business savvy individuals to the other races of the world. Their short stature seems to boost this need to come across as confident and never wrong. A goblin will not accept that they are in the wrong and often try to move the conversation away from any failure until they have a good answer making them come across as bullheaded and difficult to work with. They are generally regarded as workaholics.

Physical Description

Goblins are one of the short races, standing between 3 and 3 ½ feet tall. On average they weigh between 60 and 70 pounds and are usually masses of muscle. Both men and women have stocky figures and well toned muscle. Their bodies are chiseled from climbing, lifting and other exercises that they perform to stay in shape. They have long pointing hawk-like noses, and jagged pointing ears that grow longer as a goblin ages (reaching an average length of 5 ½ inches).

Goblins have dark brown hair that is usually wild and unkempt. They try to keep their hair at manageable lengths based upon the tasks they perform but it can prove to be a challenge as their hair grows at a rapid pace (about twice as fast as a humans') and refuses to take any shapes beyond its natural wild style despite years of trying. Their hair is quite strong and is used as thread for sewing. Seamsters (both male and female) will grow their hair out in excess of double their body length and longer to have long strands of thread.

Many goblins dye their hair using natural mixtures of their own invention (sold worldwide, especially to the human regions and in the isles). The dyes have a dizzying array of color and the goblins are quite tight lipped about what makes it work so well. Alchemists who have tried to crack the mix have only been able to determine that it has several compounds common in clay and settles on the roots of hair for lasting effect.

Most goblin males have well trimmed facial hair.

Goblins have small teardrop olive eyes, and their Sclera (white of the eye) is black or red like an orc. Iris color has little variation beyond yellow, orange and gold. In rare instances a goblin will have emerald green eyes (goblin genealogists have been unable to determine if this is a bloodline trait). These goblins are no different than others of their race but do have a greater chance of wandering off in search of adventure.

The average goblin will live to be 75 years old. Goblin records state the oldest lived goblin was 108 years old.

Relations

Goblins tend to get along with themselves the best, followed closely by orcs. Goblin to goblin interactions are well structured, their day to day lives following strict patterns that most prefer not to deviate from. They like to organize themselves simply for the sake of staying organized, though not necessarily tidy. Goblins have established a ranking system among themselves to help determine the skill levels of those within a Hive (a goblin city).

At the top of the ranks are the Master Tinkers, well versed in their trade. In human lands a Master Tinker would be considered a Philosopher of an Art. They are responsible for the oversight of the goblin Hive and community as a whole and act as judges when not performing their trade. Most Master Tinkers are also successful inventors within the goblin realm creating everything from machines to medicines.

Disputes in goblin society are dealt with quickly and a Master Tinker ensures that the punishment is befitting of the crime. They are called upon by goblin society to be impartial during a proceeding and any attempts to subvert this ideal could mean being sent to the Surface. Being Surfaced is a punishment typically considered equal to death in goblin society as it entails being left in the desert without food or water. Of the other criminal punishments the most common include serving as labor for the offended party for a duration matching the crime or being sold into slavery.

Slavery in the goblin world is very different than in Surface societies. The master of the slave is expected to provide for their basic needs included opportunities for paying their way to freedom. Slaves usually have to do grunt work and dangerous tasks that the general population would be uncomfortable performing. Buying ones way to freedom is a set price, 5 times the purchasing price. Slaves can be found of all races, including goblins. Punishment of slaves is at the discretion of the master, but too sever of a punishment could find the master at the mercy of a Master Tinker.

Beneath the Master Tinkers are the Head Tinkers, commonly referred to as Widgets. A Widget is responsible for seeing the plans of a Master Tinker through, typically requiring them to ensure that the laborers beneath them have been trained properly and brought up to any new codes that may have been decided upon by a Master Tinker. The are required to observe safety measure and draft concepts for better practices if a fault is brought to their attention by those beneath them.

Following Widgets are Gearheads who are the guardians of goblin Hives. It is their duty to ensure that the Laws of the Master Tinkers are observed and to bring any individual breaking the law before the Master Tinker. Gearheads are well respected in goblin society, but like those above them are not exempt from the law. Within a Hive, any failure to follow the rules could spell a future disaster and collapse of the system.

Next are the Gadgets. A Gadget is a skill worker in goblin society. They make up the bulk of the people in the Hive, serving as the operators of trade houses and general day to day tasks. Without the Gadgets a Hive is without life as they are the driving force behind new ideas for their own needs and the needs of society.

Goblins work hard to ensure their way of life is preserved. Many find their proceeding tedious and slow but the organized nature of the Hives have kept the goblins in operation for thousands of years.

Goblins are most receptive to the orcs who they view as kindred thanks to several physical similarities; namely eyes and skin. The orcs have needs for the creations the goblins make and the goblins require resources that they are incapable of getting from the deserts of their homeland. Orcs and goblins have been known to banter and joke in each-others company and many of the orcs in Kaztonar will lay claim that goblins have an excellent sense of humor. Most who have come in contact with a goblin remain skeptical of these claims.

Goblins are not particularly fond of gnomes. They see the bulk of them as a potential danger to the tinkering world because of their inability for restrain and control. Gnomes who are proven inventors are viewed as equal rivals. Goblins try their best to keep their cool and ignore the persistent pestering that gnomes like to employ against them. They will usually break their cool if the subject of crafting is brought up, especially if the craft is one they focus on. The resulting frenzy of inventing, name calling and general bickering have been known to drive those unfortunate enough to be nearby insane (perhaps an exaggeration but not detracting from the point).

Homeland

The goblins make their home beneath the sands of Darilach. The surface is a harsh and inhospitable climate to all but the native creatures of the land. The desert stretches hundreds of miles north from the scalding coast and is home to dragons, lizardfolk, and many other creatures that scuttle the sands. In the Eastern sea lie many small strings of volcanic islands that have been used as resources by the goblins in the past but have been abandoned since the Stygian Mists settled upon them.

In order to survive the harsh conditions the goblins burrowed under the sand to where it was cool and began to expand. According to goblin histories the first Hive was made at Mechan Deep but their need for resources drove them further south were the founded the Overcity (a city built above ground, exposed to the desert elements) of Nirabaz allowing them to trade beyond their countries borders.

To assure additional access to goods the goblins bore through the mountains need the countries border and stretched a trade line to the ancient Seat of the Warlord (now Kaztonar) in Omgarr. In the many years that have followed the trade route grew and was laid with rail track for the mighty Goliath, a steam train that travels from the goblin stronghold at Crater Station to Kaztonar where the goblins can secure the goods that they lack. Goblins move trade goods and supplies between their Hives by camel caravans.

The far southern reaches of Darilach contain a large population of Iron Root trees that are bountiful in Omgarr as well. These trees break through the hardened clay ground to get at water deep beneath the surface. The water runs up through the tree and serves as nourishment to a variety of other plants that are fed by the excess water that falls from the trees leaves. The forests are difficult to harvest as they are home to several giant spider species, most of which are poisonous, along with the Araena, an intelligent species of spiders that move between the Pool of Thoughts and the Tangled Tower. The goblins tend to get most of their lumber supply by transporting it from Omgarr on the Goliath.

According to the histories kept by the goblins there is a lost island that vanished from the Eastern chains after being shrouded in the Stygian Mists that linger upon the islands. It held a place of great wonder that harnesses the volatile power of molten earth and reformed it into endless energy. The city was called Nymyth. When the gnomes heard of the mystical city they sent several of their ambassadors to investigate. The ambassadors were allowed to bear witness to the city where they learned of the Mightstone, a container great magical energy gathered from Saratta itself. After several attempts and failures to take the city the gnomes sent Thymblewyn, an infiltrator, to break in and capture the stone. The goblins struck back at the gnomes before Thymblewyn was successful but their fighting cracked open the Steaming Mountain and unleashed the Stygian Mists. The city and its priceless knowledge were lost and the two races signed a treaty to stop the fighting between each other before their actions could destroy the world.

Religion

When the world was young the gods made a land whose earth shone as the setting sun. From the red earth, the Fire Bringer called Demuen formed the orcs. The clay scraps fell forgotten upon the ground, unwanted by all of the gods, save for one. The Wandering god, the Crafting Lord to whom even chaff has uses and untapped beauty. He scooped up what the others would call waste and brought it to the Great Workshop. There he reformed the clay and molded it until a small chiseled figure was set before him. Bearing a silver chisel the god gently tapped the figure until the its outer crust crumbled away and revealed its final form which he named Goblin.

The god took his tiny creation and taught it the ways of crafting, the value of working something with the hands and seeing that it worked without the assistance of magics. They learned quickly and grew in knowledge with each passing day, but their time in the Workshop was quickly nearing an end. Then came the fateful day when they discovered a rose colored orb, power swirling like a storm within. They cautiously approached, knowing the dangers of the objects in the Workshop, but the orb seemed to compel them nearer. Before they could stop themselves from handling the object it began to rise up, bringing a dozen of their hands with it. They seems to intermingle and bond together before breaking away. In the reflection of the orb they could see a race similar to them, but different in most every aspect.

When Sploron returned to the workshop he was saddened for he knew the time had come to return his creations to the world below the heavens. He placed them into a deep slumber and spoke with them in their dreams, showing them their new home. It was a place of thick jungles and a bounty of resources that they could use it their crafts.

They set about conquering the realm they were given to live in and grew a great city called Hanorhyme and stretched a tower into the heavens, building their way back to the Workshop. The taller the tower grew the more unstable it became and as rain fell it greater quantities from the heavens it threatened to pull the tower down. Still the goblins pressed on, heedless of the dangers of their actions. The days of rain subsided and the land began to dry, water from the pools evaporated and vanished but the jungle still supported their needs and the tower grew, leaning further with each passing day until the moment it collapsed.

Their creation tumbled, driving the goblins into the ground and casting up sand and dust creating a mighty storm that ravaged the land for 3 days and 3 nights. Only when the storm subsided did the goblins learn the error of their ways for the jungle they so relied on was gone and only dunes of sand remained.

Sploron did not abandon his children in their time of need, and so sent a mouse to the goblins to bring them a new lesson. As the day grew warmer and the mouse grew hot it burrowed beneath the sands showing the goblins how they could survive. They descended below the surface, determined heeding the lesson their god had provided – the heavens cannot be reached by mortals and any attempt to reach it will collapse and bring ruin and failing to oversee your creation will bring the world down around your ears. The depths beneath the sands are a constant reminder of the consequences of trying to reach the gods.

Language

Goblins speak Gniss. Gniss has roots in draconic and incorporates words from the orcish language as well.

Racial Traits

+2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma: Goblins are hardy and insightful but have few social graces. - Small: Goblins gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and to their CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. Small races have a space of 5 feet by 5 feet and a reach of 5 feet.

- Normal Speed: Goblins have a base speed of 30 feet.

- Darkvision: Goblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

- Goblin Magic: Goblins add +1 to the DC of any saving throws against spells of the shadow subschool that they cast. Goblins with Intelligence scores of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day – chameleon, ghost sound, ventriloquism. The caster level for these effects is equal to the gnome's level. The caster level for these spell-like abilities is equal to the caster's character level.

- Imbue with Power: Goblins are able to magically enhance their own creations with magic to get them to function in a manner that would be deemed impossible under normal circumstances (ie. perpetual motion, gears on a watch turning on their own, etc). Spells used to Imbued items must be known to the caster (or inscribed upon a scroll) and may only be 0-Level. At level 10, Goblins may imbue 1st-Level spells as well. Dispel Magic will end the effect of Imbue with Power, often at the expense of the machine. The DC to dispel Imbue with Power is 10 + character level + the characters Intelligence bonus.

- Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds Goblins for 1 round; on subsequent rounds they are Dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.

- Master Tinker: Goblins gain a +1 bonus on Disable Device and Knowledge (Goblin Engineering) checks. Goblins are also treated as proficient with any weapon they have personally crafted.

- Mechanical Aptitude: Goblins gain a +2 racial bonus to Craft (Goblin Engineering) checks.

- Skilled: Goblins gain an additional skill rank at 1st level and one additional skill rank whenever they gain a level.

Languages: Goblins begin play speaking Goblin. Goblins with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Common, Gnomish, and Orc.