This week, we’re delving into the Goblins.
In Tinére, Goblins are often overlooked, but they have a lot to offer. In a game setting, Goblins are the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. They can do (almost) anything and are the most well-traveled of Tinére’s races. They are naturally diplomatic, take offense to nothing, and are able to see any side of an argument.
It would not be a stretch to call most Goblins technical savants. Because they view the world in such a different way and are not restricted by conventional limitations, they can take on any challenge, build any kind of contraption, and fix just about anything that would baffle anyone else. Many Goblins show an affinity for machinery that boggles even the most experienced Dwarven inventors. Goblins have collectively invented more devices and gizmos that have changed daily life in Tinére in the last 100 years than the Dwarves can claim in all their many centuries of technological advancement.
Historically, the Goblins have been seen as useless and something of an annoyance to the other races. They were duped by the Orc clans during the Dwarf Wars. Dragged into a war that they did not understand, Goblin troops were put on the front lines in front of Orc warriors just to fall victim to Dwarven firearms. The Orcs saw them as foolish and disposable. Humans, too, have treated Goblins with a measure of disdain. But with the new treaties and alliances, the Goblins’ worth is just becoming apparent. Most have a natural gift for strategy and tactics. They can lead troops into battles with the odds stacked against them and still find victory. It is easy to underestimate a platoon of Goblins, but the mistake can turn deadly when the Goblin’s best weapons are let loose. Explosives, traps, steam engines that power destructive machinery, and not least of all, the Goblins’ unexpected ferocity when it comes to melee combat. Beings that small are far harder to hit.
Goblins are not entire
ly embroiled in steam and gears and blueprints, however. They’re interests go far beyond the workshop. In fact, they originally lived in harmony with nature, taking up farming, fishing, and, most notably, husbandry. The Beastriders that now make up a formidable part of the allied armies were started in the rolling plains of the Goblins’ home territory where they raised and trained the giant Vizala insects and arachnids that inhabit the region. When the Humans, Orcs, and Dwarves saw the impressive control the Goblins displayed over their insect mounts, they were immediately intrigued and wondered at how such small creatures as Goblins could command the obedience of the massive, sometimes carnivorous creatures. Even the Elves were impressed by the Goblins’ methods of training. It was not dominance or conditioning that made the Vizalas such loyal mounts, but the bond that Goblins were able to forge with the insects that made their training so effective. Once trained, a Vizala can be ridden into battle, providing the Goblins with a method of righting the unbalance of their own small size.
Today, Goblins can be found in all corners of Tinére. They have been accepted, if not welcomed, into many different cultures of the Empire and Dwarven kingdoms. Even some Orc clans have taken to recruiting Goblins to help them shore up their settlements’ defenses. Elves still keep a friendly distance from most Goblins, but they have come to see the worth of adding Goblin intelligence and resourcefulness to the fight against S’h-Karath, Rhagai, and the demons.