THE HOBGOBLIN #1

On this Issue:
A Short History of the World
A Short History of Goblins
Goblins Today
A World of Truths and Lies
The Ogre and his Orcs
Orag Magic

A Short History of the World

In the beginning, there was chaos. A revolving mass of matter crushed onto itself,
following no pattern, respecting no rules. The world was a simple place. But then, the
first whispers were heard. Seemingly incoherent babble sprung forth from the chaos,
and from then on, everything changed. Order emerged. Structures were born. The world
started to make sense as the whispers became stronger. The words melded with matter
in a union that changed the very nature of existence, because for the very first time,
everything had a name.

The nature of true names isn’t very well understood, even by today’s wisest sages. The
meaning of the whispers themselves, which can still be heard as echoes of times long
gone in the most remote areas of the world, is, to be truthful, unknown. Sages don’t
even know if the whispers have true names themselves, even if they quarrel about it
every time they get together. What everyone agrees on, however, is that true names
made consciousness possible.

The first sentient beings known to have existed were the elementals, the rulers of the
First Age. They were (and still are, some say) the embodiments of the elements. They
represented material concepts and forms as archetypes. Very little is known about
elementals, except that as their forms crystallised and they merged with one another,
they gave birth to giants, which heralded the dawn of the Second Age. Many believe
that elementals live on, hidden from today’s sentient populations. Great lakes, great
forests, great volcanoes, all of these are said to harbour elementals.

The Second Age was the Age of Giants. Their bones litter the world and the stories of
their battles and wars are a source of amazement even today. They were the first to truly
harness the power of true names, developing a system of writing that enabled them to
capture the essence of true names and use them to shape reality to their whims. The
runes they used are their legacy, as are the dwarves, their cousins, the only known
survivors of the Giant Wars.

The Age of Giants was an age of constant strife. The forces of order were still young,
and the Giants were still bastard children of chaos. Dominated by emotion and instinct,
driven by boiling blood and an unquenchable thirst for power, the giants soaked the
earth with their blood. The most powerful giants could speak the true names, not just
write them, wielding power beyond this age’s wildest dreams. The giants’ fury
consumed itself in one final battle, a battle that eliminated giants from the face of the
world.

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The Third Age dawned when the Moon was born and the last remaining giants
disappeared to dwellings unknown. It is believed that the Moon is the result of giant
magic, a rock thrown onto the sky by the mighty strength of the mightiest of giants. Its
purpose is unknown, though many believe it was used by some giants to escape the
shattered world they knew. The dwarves are said to know the true story, but they have
not shared it with anyone outside their race for times immemorial.

The Third Age differed wildly from the Second. It was the Age of Humans, beings born
from runic magic combining all the known elements. Although unable to speak the true
names, a secret known only to dwarves, they perfected their written forms to such
heights that they could almost emulate the spoken word. A great deal is known about
humans. They left a great deal behind, from magical tomes to ruins of once mighty
citadels. But unlike elementals and giants, we know that they all died. Their ghosts still
haunt the world, echoes of an age where Technology and Magic clashed.

Now, as the Fourth Age dawns, it is time for the Goblins to make the world their oyster.
But can they do it? That is for others to decide.

A History of Goblins

In the beginning, there was never-ending grassland, surrounded by trees on all sides and
great lake surrounding the trees, and the world was mostly silent. Only the winds,
making their way through the world, broke the silence with their constant whispers.

At first, these whispers were nothing but gibberish. Eventually, words began to emerge,
and these words merged with the world around them. This merger was the source of life
in the world, and it was at this time that Ulgath, the First Goblin, was born, in the
forestry realms on the outskirts of the grassland.

Ulgath was a most curious fellow, and he explored the forest to his heart’s content. In
his journeys, he met a great many beings, he explored a great many lands, and he made
a great many friends and enemies; but most of all, he learned. He learned about the Sun
and the Moon, the land and the water and all the animals in the world. This was the First
Voyage.

When the First Voyage came to an end, so too did Ulgath come back to the place where
he had been born, and in that place, he passed on the gift of life unto a mixture of all the
elements. Thus, the goblins, or kobolds, as they are known in Eastern realms, were born,
and Ulgath rejoiced at his creation, to which he taught all that he had learned during his
travels.

Thus did the goblins learn how to manipulate the elements and bend them to their
whims, using physical crafts, and thus did the goblins learn the use of words and runes,
a knowledge Ulgath had obtained from the dwarfs, or duergar. The goblins used this
knowledge to tame the lands and rivers around them, and they prospered as they did so.
Accomplished farmers and fishermen, the goblins were led by Ulgath himself, who
ruled wisely and justly and brought much happiness to all.

There came a time, however, when Ulgath decided to once again travel, this time to
learn about what was beyond the world. He taught the goblins the rules of leadership

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and he left his Chosen in charge, the Hobgoblins. Hobgoblin rule followed Ulgath’s
very closely, and this period is considered to be the Golden Age of Goblins.

The Golden Age was not to last, however. During the Second Voyage, Ulgath met the
ogre Orag, and at that time, peace and tranquillity abandoned the goblin world. The orcs
arrived, in a massive army that covered the entire forest, destroying it in its wrath. And
yet, the reason for the goblins’ defeat was treachery, not superior forces, it is said.
Shortly thereafter, Ulgath disappeared, as goblin priests ceased to receive visions from
their god. The orcs say Ulgath was slain by Orag, the goblins say he fled, disgusted to
see his Creation fall because of treachery.

Having lost the war, goblins became slaves to the orcs, treated as property and
abandoned by the rest of the world. The hobgoblins vanished, and took with them the
ability to wield magic, but goblins still hold hope to see the hobgoblins return, along
with Ulgath, so they can break their shackles and be free once more.

Goblins Today

Being a goblin is not easy. They are too small to be the strong, their god has
disappeared, and hobgoblins are a myth right now. They are bullied around by orcs, who
do what merrily crush their bodies and their spirits. Yet they never lose hope, and they
remain humble and kind. They never lose sight of the possibility that Ulgath will return,
that Hobgoblins will, once again, save the day. The Golden Age may be History, but it is
still fresh in all goblins’ minds.

They do not differentiate males and females in terms of importance. Both genders are
treated with respect. Differentiation of tasks is done based on skill, not simply gender,
and both males and females may become leaders. Ulgath is said, by some, to have been
genderless, while others assert that Ulgath was both male and female at the same time.
Hobgoblins are thought to have been like Ulgath in this respect, as a sign of their
perfection.

Goblins are fiercely religious, even if their faith is no longer as unified as it once was.
Each priest has a great deal of power within goblin communities, and also a great deal
of control over the religious message that those communities receive. There is little
internal organisation within goblin religious circles, and the various views are respected,
and subjected to thorough debate and examination every time two priests meet. This is a
rare occurrence, much like any two goblins meeting, seeing as though goblin
communities are very much dispersed throughout the realms.

Even so, however, their organisation is very similar, probably because goblin villages
are typically subjected to many of the same issues as other goblin villages. There is a
Leader, assisted in his task by the town’s Priest, and selected through a vote by all
members of the community. The Leader is responsible for solving disputes and creating
rules to settle these disputes, though most are solved through various oral customs that
have been passed down throughout the generations.

There are no “families”, in the sense that a goblin child is seen as a child of the
community as a whole, not just of his or her mother and father. The whole community is
responsible for a child’s education, chief among them the Ulgathi Priest. This is done by

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slowly incorporating the child into the community’s routine activities. Reading and
writing are reserved for the Ulgathi clergy, and even then, not all of them know how to
read and write. Goblins use dwarven runes, when they know how to write.

Ulgathi clergy is selected in the following way. The Ulgathi Priest selects someone,
anyone, from the village, and that goblin becomes his, or her, Disciple. When the Priest
or Shaman dies, the Disciple takes his or her place and chooses a Disciple of his or her
own. Before Ulgath disappeared, priests and shamans received messages from Ulgath in
their dreams, but that has ceased to happen since the time the goblins became enslaved.

A World of Truths and Lies

Goblins believe that Hobgoblins are their saviours, and they believe Ulgath is alive. Is
that true, though? No one knows for sure. Not just that, conflicting theories exist as to
whom the Hobgoblins really were, and what they truly represented.

Ancient dwarven tomes speak of no Golden Age; the words for “hobgoblin” and “orc”
are used interchangeably. It is said that Ulgath inadvertently set Orag free from a prison
where he had been bound for eons, and that Orag repaid him by turning his own
Creation against him. Several goblins, tempted by the power that Orag offered, turned
their backs on Ulgath and imposed their will on other goblins. Ulgath himself was
imprisoned where Orag used to be.

Orcs claim that Ulgath is dead, killed by Orag during the Great War that ended with
goblins being enslaved. Most of them claim that they are not hobgoblins, and they will
slay whoever says otherwise. A few, older orcs, however, tell a different tale. They say
that Orag did not kill Ulgath – he consumed him and became one with him. At this
point, Orag re-created worthy goblins in his own image, condemning others to slavery.

Those who believe that Ulgath is alive do not agree with one another, either. There are
myriad different versions, but two main theories have emerged. The first one states that
Ulgath is punishing the goblins for their betrayal, and that he will return once this
penance has been served. Orag is a servant of Ulgath, in charge of ensuring that the
goblins pay their dues for failing the test Ulgath had set for them in the form of Orag’s
offers of power.

Others, however, believe that Ulgath has been imprisoned. A worthy goblin must
embark on a journey to find him, so that this goblin can become a hobgoblin and, with
Ulgath guiding him, lead goblins to victory against their oppressors.

The Ogre and his Orcs

Orag is an ogre, and there is much debate over whether there are more ogres or he is the
only ogre in existence. Most goblins view him as a terrible demon, excluding some who
believe he is doing Ulgath’s bidding. He has no material form abd makes his presence
known through manipulating one’s emotions, or through gentle whispers in one’s ear,
seemingly coming from nowhere.
There are many theories as to his origin. Those who say that he is Ulgath’s servant
claim that he was created from the souls of wicked goblins, bound into a single being by

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Ulgath’s will so they could perform the horrific task of enslaving their own people. Orcs
would be physical manifestations of these wicked souls.

Some orcs claim that Orag is Ulgath, or that Orag consumed Ulgath. They say that orcs
are the true Chosen Ones. They ignore Hobgoblins, deny their existence, or brag about
having destroyed them. The older the orc, the higher the probability that he will adhere
to this theory, and a very small minority even states that orcs are nothing more than
“true” hobgoblins.

Orcs, whatever they may be, are very tall, muscular and feral. Their eyes are bright red
and, in sharp contrast with the humble goblins, they are arrogant beasts. They have
divided the world into several fiefdoms, which are ruled by the Orcish nobility. Dukes,
barons, marquises abound, all of them squabbling among themselves for power, which
is, seemingly, the sole purpose for their existence.

Females are considered to be inferior to males, and children are subjected to a very
harsh childhood. Eugenics is commonly practiced and the death penalty abounds for all
sorts of crimes and misdemeanours. Extended families are dominated by the strongest
male, who has to face off harsh competition from others. It is a dog-eat-dog world.

Shamans and nobles share leadership responsibilities in an uneasy peace. Shamans are
in charge of the spiritual side, while nobles are responsible for the temporal side. It is
not always clear who is in charge, and if often varies from fiefdom to fiefdom,
depending on the abilities of who the shaman or most important noble is. Succession for
both shamans and the most important noble houses is hereditary, going from father to
first born son.

Orag Magic

Orag magic is a form of blood magic. It is based on sacrificing the vital forces in one’s
body in order to manipulate reality as a whole. All spells require blood, or some sort of
sacrifice, as part of their preparation. Various types of blood are linked to different
magical effects, and studying blood and its properties keeps shamans busy.

Another form of magical effect that Orag has granted orcs is the ability to move in and
out of the Ethereal Plane at will. Orcs can also become semi-ethereal, a state where they
are “caught between planes” and therefore have no form whatsoever, even if their mind
is still able to function. Only the most powerful shamans have access to this ability.