Goblins of Aynnor

[Dia]

Goblins as they are known in Faerun are small, often pathetic humanoid creatures of little skill or strength. In Aynnor, when the word “Goblin” is spoken it is generally in reference to Hobgoblins, the larger cousins of goblins who are very common across the surface of Aynnor. While the typically small goblins of Faerun do exist in Aynnor, they are usually called “Cave Goblins,” and in fact seldom appear on the surface. Bugbears, the largest and most powerful of the goblinoid family, are for all intensive purposes regarded the same in Aynnor as they are in Faerun, however they live primarily in the northern regions of Aynnor, and are seldom seen outside those areas.

[Dia]

Cave Goblins, as their name suggests, dwell within the underground of Aynnor. Their skin is dark, and their bulging eyes suited to seeing in the pitch black subterranean world of Aynnor. They are agile and quick little humanoids, though they possess little physical strength. Their strength however is in their numbers. A small den of Cave Goblins usually ranges from 1,500-3,000 adults at any given time. Larger dens range usually from a population of 100,000 to 350,000 adults. The number of children often outweighs the number of adults vastly, however, due to the dangers of their underground world, only around 10% of cave goblins ever reach adulthood, which is around the age of five. The typical cave goblin dies by the age of ten, though their lifespan can go well into their twenties if they are not killed. Their societies are ruled by “Elders,” who generally are those who have lived to be fifteen years of age or older, and are veterans of combat, or have served as shamans in their lives. As such, a small den may only have a council of ten, while a larger den may have a council of a thousand. For this reason, their societies can become very disorderly, and larger dens often split up within a decade of reaching their capacity. Beneath the Elders in cave goblin society are the shamans. Some shamans are blessed with blood magic, while others worship Myrtorc to receive their powers. All cave goblins however do follow the “Teech’ka,” or “Horned One;” a totem of Myrtorc depicted by them as a large cave goblin with fangs and a pair of large horns, though other goblinoids depict Teech’ka differently. Ritual sacrifice in the name of Teech’ka is done frequently, and typically just as a means to dispose of the most worthless of cave goblin society – of which there are many to choose from. Beneath the shamans are the warriors in cave goblin society. The warriors are charged with defending dens, acquiring food, and mating within cave goblin society, the latter being in the hopes that only strong offspring will be born. The final, and most plentiful caste of cave goblin society are the workers; Charged with duties of construction, mushroom farming, digging, and being prepared at any time to be sacrificed, these cave goblins hold absolutely no power, and no control over their own fates.

Ultimately, cave goblins are of little direct threat to the surface world. However, they have access to large amounts of ore, and frequently do trade with other monstrous humanoid races, such as orcs, hobgoblins, and occasionally bugbears – though the bugbears more commonly maul cave goblins and take from them any of their belongings.

[Dia]

Hobgoblins, or as they are more commonly referred to on Aynnor as simply Goblins, are the most commonly encountered goblinoids on Aynnor. They stand typically just above six feet in height, with large bodies, though these bodies are commonly more flabby than muscular, but notable exceptions do exist. They are relatively agile despite their size, and even the chubbier of their kind are fairly strong. This, combined with their large numbers, makes them very dangerous threats in civilized areas. Hobgoblins are tribal creatures, but often a tribe is split into many small groups. While one tribe might have a population of over 1,000,000 hobgoblins, it’s very unlikely to find them living in settlements of over 1,000. A single tribe can stretch over a vast geographical area, with hundreds of settlements. At the heart of every tribe however will be one grand settlement, which may resemble a large human settlement, whereas most other settlements are crude at best. This grand settlement can contain anywhere from 5,000 hobgoblins, to 15,000, and is where the tribe’s Chieftan dwells. All settlements of hobgoblins tend to have both a presence on the surface, as well as the underground. The underground section is used for breeding, raising of children, training of young hobgoblins, and the forging of weapons and armor. Sometimes the underground section of a settlement is also used to house plunder and food, though this can vary. Each settlement contains a single Underchief, who serves the Chieftan directly. Beneath this Underchief there are two separate castes within hobgoblin society, Warriors and Shamans, though neither holds more power than the other. Warriors perform raids on other nearby humanoid settlements, as well as tend to hunting, construction, blacksmithing, and any other labor work that is needed. Shamans are the spiritual leaders of the hobgoblins, though they can both be practitioners of blood magic, or draw their power from the divine, for both are seen as blessings of Teech’ka, the goblinoid totem of Myrtorc. Hobgoblins depict Teech’ka as a demonic looking goblinoid, with large claws for finger tips, fangs for teeth, horns like those of a ram extending out of his skull, and a pair of bat-like wings extending from his back, coupled with a long, reptilian tail. Ritual sacrifice to Teech’ka is done once a season, using a captured humanoid from a recent raid. Hobgoblin females might be considered to be a caste, and if so, they are the lowest, for they exist only to breed and to raise the young, until they are taken away to be trained.

Their strength, agility, and numbers aside, the hobgoblins of Aynnor are a major threat for their affinity in poison use. Very few settlements are without access to some form of poison, and each tribe is known usually for one single poison which they put to great use.

[Dia]

Bugbears of Aynnor are among the simpler creatures to terrorize the world. They stand between six and seven feet tall, with massive and very muscular builds. Their bodies are coated in hair, which seems to mimic their ancestral habitats, being shades of green and brown for those who live in the northern forests, and shades of silver and white for those living in northern mountain ranges. These creatures are fueled by their eagerness to destroy, and kill. All members of bugbear society are hunters, for they enjoy their food uncooked, and fresh off living prey. They hunt in packs of five to ten bugbears, and typically wield crude weapons, though some packs have learned to fashion more sophisticated weaponry, or at least kill those who did wield such and adopt it from them. While bugbears are very fast runners, their primary weakness is their lack of agility. All their bulk makes them fairly slow creatures, and thusly easy to hit if not heavily armored. Their lack of affinity in craftsmanship leaves the vast majority of their kind unarmored, at that. Bugbears live in clans which consist of 50-100 grown adults, any time a clan grows over 100 it is split in half and both clans go their separate ways. As such they are nomadic, and any shelters they set up are purely temporary. Shamans are rare amongst bugbears, though they do exist. Unlike other goblinoids, there are no known blood mages among bugbear kind. Their shamans wield only divine magic, though some are said to form a connection with the land, and inherit the ability to transform themselves into bears. Like other goblinoids, bugbears still do follow the path of Teech’ka, the goblinoid totem of Myrtorc. Though bugbear society is completely lacking in art, and so Teech’ka is depicted only by roaring his name very loudly.