Goblins
Blood and Sinew
Introduction
The Goblins of Gero are far more advanced than their
counterparts on most other worlds. They are a militant race,
bent on wiping out their rivals, the Dwarves.
Physiology
Gero's Goblins are the basically the same, physically, as
those found in other AD&D worlds: Short (about 3'), dark green
skin, muddy brown hair, pointed ears and sharp teeth. In
addition, most "traditional" Goblins sport a variety of tattoos
and scar drawings on their hides, most of which serve as Tribal
signifiers or battle honors. Vegfiran Goblins, of course, will
have fewer such markings, if any, unless they are living in a
traditional Tribe.
Social Structure
Goblins live in Tribes, usually ruled by a triumverate:
Each Tribe will have a Warlord, a Chieftan, and a High Priest.
The Warlord is in charge of maintaining and directing the
Tribe's armies, including military spies and scouts. This is
the only one of the three positions which shows a gender-based
favoritism (most Warlords are male).
The Chieftan is in charge of economic policy (taxes, tarrifs
and trade), as well as "foriegn policy": Relations with other
tribes and with nearby non-Goblin settlements. While the
Warlord dictates how a particular war is to be fought, he must
first wait for his Chieftan to declare war.
The High Priest is always a Priest of the Goblem Totem,
Gorash (or Queen). In addition to being in charge of matters of
faith (such as which faiths may be worshipped), the HP is also
the primary determiner of "social policy", which basically
covers any internal tribal business of a non-economic nature.
This triumverate is designed to provide a system of checks
and balances, in which two of the leaders can combine forces if
the third should step out of line. For instance, a Warlord who
seeks to take control of the Tribe will find himself without
money to pay his troops, as well as being denounced from the
pulpit of every shrine in the Tribe's holdings.
At least, that's the theory. In practice, it is not
uncommon for a strong-willed member of the Triumverate to take
charge, at least until one of her peers is replaced.
Each post handles succession in its own way. Chieftans rule
for life, which means that many of them meet "untimely
accidents". Once the post is vacant, the Warlord and the High
Priest review a selection of nominations put forward by a
Council of Elders, and come to an agreement. As can be
imagined, politics plays a tremendous role. Since the
Chieftan's role is that of the Tribe's diplomat, this is viewed
as an advantage.
The Warlord can be challenged at any time, except during
battle. Should the current Warlord die, then any number of
applicants can seek to claim the post. Each claimant then takes
a small number of hand-picked followers (usually 5-10, depending
on the size of the Tribe), and a wargame, called the
Bloodchallenge, is held. A "team" is eliminated only when its
Captain is dead. Since part of the Warlord's job is to maintain
the loyalty of his troops, a Captain who is assassinated by one
of his own men is considered to have gotten a just reward.
The High Priest post is determined entirely by the
Priesthood of Gorash, and is the least contentious of the
successions.
Should all three posts be vacated simultaneously, then the
Triumverate is restored in the following order: High Priest,
Warlord, Chieftan. While such triple successions are rare, they
are not entirely unheard of.
Families & Names
Families within the Tribe are usually known for a few
skills, and trade secrets are typically passed from generation
to generation. Marriages are usually arranged by the families,
and the betrothed have little or no say in the matter. Indeed,
many adventuring Goblins are actually on the run from an
unwanted betrothal.
Goblin names are simple: Given name, Family name. A
newlywed couple always takes the family name of the stronger
family, and that name is carried by the children.
Vegfiro
Depending on the particular Tribe, the underground faith of
Vegfiro will be either suppressed or actively persecuted.
Vegfiran Wanderers are always careful to not congregate in
groups of more than three when in such territories.
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