Goblins¶
The Goblins are a numerous, short-lived and adaptable people of the Underdark, "a blight to the Dwarro" in the oldest tales (S525) and "agents of the Hollows" in the Fifth Age (S327). They are cousins to the Silek, the goblin-demons bred from them by Bhaal, and the two are easily confused by outsiders (S025).1
Origins¶
The newest account makes the Goblins children of the Fae: "Gnomes and Goblins are natural descendants of Faerie creatures", able to "harness and gather Fae energy from their terrestrial surroundings" (S208). The study of Fae magic lists them among the Faeborn, beings with souls whose "physical forms are tied to Fae energy" (S279). The compiled lists of the gods name Necatus, Lord of the Night, as "Creator of Dark Elves, Goblins, Shade-Demons and various non-corporeal Undead" (S429).
Earlier accounts tell it as an accident. "Legend tells that the first goblins were the result of some Dwarro technology gone terribly wrong. Leaving them nearly hairless, twisted and deformed, with some impaired brain function, while at the same time greatly increasing their reproduction rates. Goblins became a blight to the Dwarro and a common foe as recorded in the few remaining histories of that era" (S525). See Lineages of the Humanoid Races.
Biology¶
"The average lifespan of a normal Goblin (non-Silek) in the absence of violence is between 30 and 50 years." Like their Silek cousins they are omnivores "capable of eating just about anything, including rotten and decomposing foods" (S025). The 2014 and 2015 lore drafts open a "Goblin Ethnicities" heading and leave it empty (S387, S384).
Gap
No source describes goblin appearance beyond the legend of their making, their society, their language or their gods before the Hollows. The ethnicities heading was never filled.
History¶
The Age of Magic¶
The Goblins were among the races that "seemed better able to manage the transitions" after the Shattering (S386). "The Orcs and Goblins multiplied very rapidly and thrived in the early conflict", and in 541 MA they followed the orc warlord Uta-Bek in the Goblin Wars that overran several dwarf holds. The dwarves lost nearly half their people; "the losses to the Orcs and Goblins were even more severe. Some estimates put the loss of their populations at 90%. By 617 MA, the Orcs and Goblins had been largely exterminated and pushed into the wild lands and deep passages of the Underdark" (S386, S384). They returned as allies of the dragons and the dark elves: goblins marched in Pravustiratel's forces in the Second Dragon War, held much of the fallen Great Dwarven Kingdom afterwards, and joined the Moradrim in the War of the Moradrim (S386, S384). In the north-east the demoncaller Drez'okmal "unites Orcs, Goblins and Ogres of Ghanari and overthrows the Mountain Giants" (S429). Goblins threaten the tunnels of Dru'Bazan, serve as "less-useful slaves" in Pherox, and in Rhovun "Orc and Goblin clans" vie for survival after the Draconians' retreat (S384). On far Markhan "primitive humans, goblins and orcs" first worshipped the fragment called the Earth-Heart, and when the crystal woke again its new priesthood came "from among humans, goblins and other creatures" rather than the orcs who had destroyed its temple (S522).
The Fifth Age¶
The Hollowing suited them. "Goblins are an underdark race that have done surprisingly well. They adapt easily and can handle miserable conditions better than most. They have taken up witchcraft wholeheartedly and built a mutually beneficial relationship with Devils and their Hollows. Goblins are now seen by most other races as agents of the Hollows" (S327). The witch-coven that rules Alghert in secret keeps "almost two dozen goblins in its service" (S181), and "Infernal Goblins" serve the archdemon Belphegor's Hollow and its machines among the lost dwarfholds of the deep (S199). Goblins are a Confederate caste within the Silek nations, "friendly" non-Silek who may rise to any caste but the ruling one (S025).
In the north-east the first Proturan settlers "were resisted by several goblin tribes" living in the tunnels around Proturas; "most of these tribes were completely wiped out", and "the great goblin horde was decisively defeated by the early Proturan settlers in 644 AL in a great volcanic cavern about 15 miles north of current Proturas city" (S107). Two centuries later goblins are one of the five peoples of the Urok'gar Confederation of orcs, ogres, goblins, half-orcs and humans, free and enslaved alike, and live in its tiered stone city of Agor'haem (S057, S059).