Goblins
| Master is indeed strong and noble, the best of all who commands me. But it is pride, the weakness in himself, he cannot master. Goblins are the vermin of the humanoid world. They are very adaptable and can be found anywhere there is a survival opportunity. Almost like the domesticated dogs of peoples in all realms they have carved out a niche of servitude and quiet subjugation as a means to prosper. It is not so simple as that, though. Like humans goblin individuals and goblin groups are quite varied, mostly depending upon the environment. Some solitary groups who are the primary predators in the area do develop a kind of independence from the idea of being a kept people, but these groups, of course, do end up working harder than those who accept domination. Generally speaking, though, the rule that is followed by and large by goblins all over is that the strong rule the weak and the strong give direction to the weak. From this vantage, goblins always assume the weak role and accept domination readily because it is assumed that through the relationship food and supplies are passed down to them for consumption. Though goblins do often serve humans, they are less likely to respect them. Civilization has made humans soft and kind and to goblins this is weakness. A proper leader beats and criticizes. The harsh, no nonsense, lifestyle of most humanoids engenders cruel behavior which goblins see as necessary in any culture. So, quite literally, if you do not beat your goblin messenger he or she will not trust your leadership ability and will seek to destroy you or find a more stable leadership. But this certainly only goes so far. After all, the beatings are meant to show dominance, not to please the leader. Torturing and beating others for sheer pleasure is a sign of enmity and such behavior will make adversaries of the most stalwart goblin servants. Goblins tend to be slovenly while free and very fastidious while employed. More or less they will see what the standard is under their leadership and emulate it as best they can, but usually only in their public presentations. If the master is slovenly, then you can expect the goblin servants to be equally filthy. If the master is clean and ordered then the goblin servants will likewise be immaculate in their presentations, but usually their quarters are always wretched. It is only the occasional goblin that understands cleanliness as a virtue of its own. If left to their own devices, however, goblins are crafty and resourceful. A pecking order is still established, with the goblin leader at the top defining social norms. If ever the goblin leader becomes affiliated with other peoples, he will take on the accepted behavior and then his people will follow. Goblins cluster in units most closely translated as "fiefs" and each fief has a "lord". By and large, goblin fiefs are completely patriarchal with women being little more than possessions. But the women are vastly more important to the men of any fief than any treasure that can be had. Because of their lesser durability, goblins depend upon rapid reproduction to keep the fief healthy. A goblin fief with less than 1.5 women per man is in decline unless the fief is somehow protected from the hazards of living. Goblins live a hard and tenuous existence. Goblins are natural craftsmen, though they tend to gravitate toward the softer crafts, like sewing, embroidering, potting, woodcarving, pictorial artistry, and constant doodling. They are not often ironworkers or stoneworkers or even jewelers. Their homes are festooned with fabric wall hangings, crockery, and carved wooden trinkets all usually quite filthy, chipped, or broken. Behind the wear and tear are usually some intricate designs and patterns, which is all the more interesting that goblins don't value their work enough to preserve it, but their fatalistic beliefs tell them that all things come and go. There is no sense in becoming too attached to any piece of art and you might as well use it up before it goes away. What stabilizes these people philosophically is a sense of containment within life. The "circle of life" is itself a container and it is most natural to be within it. In a way being dominated is like being contained. But what all goblins know is that all things exist inside their own "clay pot" even the masters. Most often in their pride masters do not realize how they are in actuality contained by their very existence and this is the secret security that strengthens the resolve of all goblins. It is better to know that you are contained than struggle against this inevitable fact. Once you accept this, you can enjoy your life, and losing control isn't really so important. The philosophy of containment is reflected in their art and culture. The symbol of the circle is very common for goblins. It represents the uselessness of process and methodology as traveling its circuit brings you back where you started. Progress and change are illusion. However, the circle also represents the containment vessel, clay pots are a common poetic reference, and all things are within their own circle. Goblins who are wise know that the center of the circle is most stable, it is best to be there as things that approach the rim cause the vessel to tip, as would an apple rolling around in a thin metal bowl. If the bowl spills then like the precious contents of most bowls, you are wasted or less appealing and often it is a metaphor for an ignoble death. So in political or power struggles with goblins, they try to remain centered while attempting to knock their opponent off center, not physically, but mentally and emotionally. It is not uncommon for a goblin to present an irresistable opportunity for a foe to take advantage of a situation, but such a desire threatens containment, and the act of seeking control or power is them approaching the rim. They invite pride and rash behavior in others to cause the fateful spill and they sit and wait for fools to make their own mistakes that lead to their inevitable doom. Goblins praise their masters, they make their masters proud and make them feel strong thereby creating a dissolving weakness that brings about failure. Thus in their own way goblins remain quietly dominant, centered, and intent on completing the circle through the unwise behavior of those who approach the rim. Goblins perform their belief by wearing tight sewn, buttoned, or tied collars and cuffs on their shirts and pants. They are contained within their clothing. Goblins can play complex conversation games wherein they strategically finish a thought with the same word that they started with. Others who play will begin a statement with a word from the original statement and then end it likewise and the game will continue like this until eventually the chain is linked back to a word used in the original statement. Also, their music tends to be looped flute and drum rhythms with the most expressive music placing another sound in the center of the loop. Marching chants are rounds. Like most of the hard races to the more civilized ones, goblin relationships to humans, elves, dwarves, etc. are characterized mostly by jealousy. Trapped between a cultural identity and belief system which holds them back and a yearning to participate in the global community, they settle for blaming and name calling and declining the invitation to join civilized communities, as most goblin scholars claim, out of fear that they might actually be held accountable for something. Still too immature as a culture to accept any responsibility of any kind they wallow in their ethics of non-culpability as the world is built up around them. But goblin culture is so tied to this servile and spineless essence that for them to join the civilized races in the world they would have to abandon that which makes them goblins. Truly, if they compromise this, they will be destroyed. |
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