The Jade Star
26-01-2007, 20:48
The Great Goblin Kingdom of Araugul
AKA: The Protectorate of Araugul, The Low Kingdom, Those Little Green Bastards
Population: 65,000,000
Language: Aldh Ghoblan, various imports
The Place:
Aragul is, as some military git put it a long time ago, "A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, filled with vicious little bastards who'll cut your feet off and make you eat them if the mood takes them."
Historical Araugul was, in fact, not Araugul. The 'state' consisted of roughly 30 smaller states (the number changed constantly), who were generally at war with each other and anybody else who came too close. A particularly powerful leader in the relativly new state of Araugul, however, managed to browbeat the Goblins into a respectable fighting force, which managed to hold off the Valgardians for many years, despite being some of their closest neighbors.
Most of Araugul is mountains, but Goblins generally prefer to establish their cities underground, housing themselves in vast caverns, natural or Goblin-made, which stretch throughout the entire area they inhabit, sometimes 'cities' interconnect so as to form huge underground highways many hundreds of miles long, with tunnels large enough for armies to march through.
The Capitol:
The most opulent and famous of the Goblin cities is the capitol at Gundabad, translated 'City of Polished Stones'. Its massive halls are supported by pillars of fine marble, its floors sheathed in brightly polished iron and steel (A common misconception is that Goblins love Gold. In fact, they love iron. Gold is simply the pathway to more iron.), magical lamps imported from distant lands provide light bright enough for even humans to be comfortable.
The city is also home to the famed 'Iron Guards' of the Goblin King, fearless warriors of the highest class, skilled in the use of pretty much any weapon you care to name, fanatically loyal to King and Country above all else.
It is said that a poor Goblin in Gundabad often eats better (by Goblin standards) than a merchant of modest means just about anywhere else. Of course, Goblin standards would revolt just about any other species, since the best Goblin fare consists of live insects.
Gundabad situated so as to be unreachable from above ground, instead one must travel to one of the three nearby cities and venture the journy through the veritable maze of tunnels to the city, where one wrong turn will often dump you into the lair of an irritated denizen of the Underground, usually resulting in Death by Tentacles. The most used of these is the 'Wide Way' from Kergorad, a pathway large enough to let carts and other large cargo past.
Most of the tunnels contain extensive underground fortifications and bunkers.
These systems are by no means unique to Gundabad, but the capitol possess the most extensive and effective collection of defences.
Society:
Goblin society is, quite simply put, a controlled anarchy. Goblins basically do what they want for the most part, and in the end it somehow contributes to the good of the whole...most of the time. A few 'jobs' are more stable, politicians and priests have specific tasks, and are often viewed as somewhat odd by other Goblins for it. Of course, the easiest way to obtain the position of a higher ranking Goblin is to challenge him to a duel.
The concepts of racism and sexism are almost totaly unknown to Goblins. The former because, while Goblins come in different colours, ones tribe is far more imporant that ones hide. The latter because it is virtually impossible to tell a non-pregnant female Goblin from a male without a rather intrusive anatomical inspection. As such, there has been speculation that Goblins split down the middle like amoebas, spawn, and go through a variety of other rather silly and complex methods of reproduction.
Goblins favorite activities are, in order, Drinking, Fighting, and Blowing Things Up or, rather, Drinkin', Fite'n, and blowin' fing's up!
In any case, almost all Goblins live in tribes, which in turn report to the local city lord, who takes his orders from the King in Gundabad.
Religion:
Goblins are not terribly religious, but they do hold strong beliefs. That is to say, they think that their Gods are big enough and old enough to take care of themselves, and that a bunch of mortals bothering them with prayers and silly dancing and stuff is only going to bother them. The Priesthood is, however, a very respected position amoung Goblin society, particularly because the Priesthood will usually pay for the Goblin in question, quite well.
Currency:
Goblins employ many forms of currency, but mostly prefer the barter system. 'Governments come and go, but a chicken is still a chicken', as they say.
Military:
Goblinkind is somewhat unique in that most of the population is, in fact, the military. While in theory this provides them with a massive and unstoppable army, only once in history has a Goblin King united every Goblin tribe into an army capable of fighting more enemies than itself, and he managed to take over a nice chunk of the continient before dying of, as the history books say, 'rocks'.
As it is, the Goblin King can assemble a coherent force of some 750,000 at any one time with about the same speed as another nation can muster their army, and keep most of it in one place for long enough to get it where its going without losing half of it.
Goblin arms are not standardized except in a few units. However, there are some prefrences in terms of equipment. Most goblins prefer to carry a scimitar or small ax into battle, the more long-range inclined use the famed Goblin shortbow or blowpipes, often with poisoned arrows. Goblin tactics are quite sophisticated, utilizing hit and run guerilla strikes, attacking of supply lines, and generally making life hell for anybody who ventures into their territory. Usually a Goblin campaign culminates with a single pitched battle where, by the time the Goblin army strikes, they have superior numbers. Moral is seldom an issue with Goblin armies as 1) Theyre already dead (see Religion) and 2) Goblins second favorite activity is fighting. (see Society)
The Goblins 'Sun Corps' is organized on a more 'civilized' basis, they often utilize pikes and standardized plate armour to appear as a single unit. They, and most other organized Goblin forces, utilize battlefield bands along with the much-feared Goblin War Drums to terrify their enemies and boost the fighting spirit of their allies.
Goblins employ extensive gunpowder weapons, pretty much anything that explodes, makes a loud noise or causes OTHER things to explode will be put to good use. Almost every Goblin carries a selection of custom-made 'Goblin Bombs' into battle. These highly unstable devices are usually a few inches across and packed with an assortment of gunpowder, scrap metal and nails. They also use rockets and various burning arrows, firebombs, and similar.
Goblin War Drums are perhaps one of the most feared aspects of the Goblin fighting forces, they are generally drums perhaps six feet in diameter (although in cities they are much larger, sometimes up to twenty feet, or, in Gundabads case, fourty and operated by machine), and are used on the battlefield to send signals. They also operate as a moral-sapping device against an enemy force, a sort of universal 'Were coming and were going to hack anything in our way to bits' message. The drums sound can be heard several miles away in the right conditions, as most of them are magically enhanced. Many have described the feeling of a nearby Goblin drum as 'like having a stomach full of live worms', as each beat unleashes a massive wave of low-frequency sound. Some less disciplined forces have been known to break before even seeing the Goblin army.
While many are of the opinion that Goblin smiths are inferior because they lack a sense of asthetics, Goblin iron and steel is some of the best in the world. Goblin armour is seldom ornate in any sense of the word, but it is frequently very practical, providing a nice range of movement and good protection. Few Goblins wear full plate armour to battle though, prefering mobility and hitting power, thus the prefered protection is leather or chain mail, with partial plate sometimes. 'Heavy Goblins' are usually the taller and larger members of the species, with the muscle needed to move swiftly in plate, often suprising their enemies with the speed and ferocity of their attacks.
Few Goblins are magically skilled, but those that are can go head to head with the best of other species and expect to at least stalemate them. While not particularly good summoners, a Goblin Shaman can, with a bit of assistance from other mages of his kind, turn a decent sized city into a firestorm in a few minutes. In peacetime Shamen are expected to help out around their city, usually providing medical assistance to the Goblin 'medical' personel (who are generally though to be a population control method by non-Goblins).
Goblin mages only serious problem is that they will occasional explode. One mage attempting to channel too much magic puts himself at serious risk of 'Spontanious Cerebral Discharge' or 'Glowy 'ead', whereby beams of various coloured light shoot from the orifices of that Goblins head, followed by a messy explosion.
There is, of course, no known cure.
AKA: The Protectorate of Araugul, The Low Kingdom, Those Little Green Bastards
Population: 65,000,000
Language: Aldh Ghoblan, various imports
The Place:
Aragul is, as some military git put it a long time ago, "A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, filled with vicious little bastards who'll cut your feet off and make you eat them if the mood takes them."
Historical Araugul was, in fact, not Araugul. The 'state' consisted of roughly 30 smaller states (the number changed constantly), who were generally at war with each other and anybody else who came too close. A particularly powerful leader in the relativly new state of Araugul, however, managed to browbeat the Goblins into a respectable fighting force, which managed to hold off the Valgardians for many years, despite being some of their closest neighbors.
Most of Araugul is mountains, but Goblins generally prefer to establish their cities underground, housing themselves in vast caverns, natural or Goblin-made, which stretch throughout the entire area they inhabit, sometimes 'cities' interconnect so as to form huge underground highways many hundreds of miles long, with tunnels large enough for armies to march through.
The Capitol:
The most opulent and famous of the Goblin cities is the capitol at Gundabad, translated 'City of Polished Stones'. Its massive halls are supported by pillars of fine marble, its floors sheathed in brightly polished iron and steel (A common misconception is that Goblins love Gold. In fact, they love iron. Gold is simply the pathway to more iron.), magical lamps imported from distant lands provide light bright enough for even humans to be comfortable.
The city is also home to the famed 'Iron Guards' of the Goblin King, fearless warriors of the highest class, skilled in the use of pretty much any weapon you care to name, fanatically loyal to King and Country above all else.
It is said that a poor Goblin in Gundabad often eats better (by Goblin standards) than a merchant of modest means just about anywhere else. Of course, Goblin standards would revolt just about any other species, since the best Goblin fare consists of live insects.
Gundabad situated so as to be unreachable from above ground, instead one must travel to one of the three nearby cities and venture the journy through the veritable maze of tunnels to the city, where one wrong turn will often dump you into the lair of an irritated denizen of the Underground, usually resulting in Death by Tentacles. The most used of these is the 'Wide Way' from Kergorad, a pathway large enough to let carts and other large cargo past.
Most of the tunnels contain extensive underground fortifications and bunkers.
These systems are by no means unique to Gundabad, but the capitol possess the most extensive and effective collection of defences.
Society:
Goblin society is, quite simply put, a controlled anarchy. Goblins basically do what they want for the most part, and in the end it somehow contributes to the good of the whole...most of the time. A few 'jobs' are more stable, politicians and priests have specific tasks, and are often viewed as somewhat odd by other Goblins for it. Of course, the easiest way to obtain the position of a higher ranking Goblin is to challenge him to a duel.
The concepts of racism and sexism are almost totaly unknown to Goblins. The former because, while Goblins come in different colours, ones tribe is far more imporant that ones hide. The latter because it is virtually impossible to tell a non-pregnant female Goblin from a male without a rather intrusive anatomical inspection. As such, there has been speculation that Goblins split down the middle like amoebas, spawn, and go through a variety of other rather silly and complex methods of reproduction.
Goblins favorite activities are, in order, Drinking, Fighting, and Blowing Things Up or, rather, Drinkin', Fite'n, and blowin' fing's up!
In any case, almost all Goblins live in tribes, which in turn report to the local city lord, who takes his orders from the King in Gundabad.
Religion:
Goblins are not terribly religious, but they do hold strong beliefs. That is to say, they think that their Gods are big enough and old enough to take care of themselves, and that a bunch of mortals bothering them with prayers and silly dancing and stuff is only going to bother them. The Priesthood is, however, a very respected position amoung Goblin society, particularly because the Priesthood will usually pay for the Goblin in question, quite well.
Currency:
Goblins employ many forms of currency, but mostly prefer the barter system. 'Governments come and go, but a chicken is still a chicken', as they say.
Military:
Goblinkind is somewhat unique in that most of the population is, in fact, the military. While in theory this provides them with a massive and unstoppable army, only once in history has a Goblin King united every Goblin tribe into an army capable of fighting more enemies than itself, and he managed to take over a nice chunk of the continient before dying of, as the history books say, 'rocks'.
As it is, the Goblin King can assemble a coherent force of some 750,000 at any one time with about the same speed as another nation can muster their army, and keep most of it in one place for long enough to get it where its going without losing half of it.
Goblin arms are not standardized except in a few units. However, there are some prefrences in terms of equipment. Most goblins prefer to carry a scimitar or small ax into battle, the more long-range inclined use the famed Goblin shortbow or blowpipes, often with poisoned arrows. Goblin tactics are quite sophisticated, utilizing hit and run guerilla strikes, attacking of supply lines, and generally making life hell for anybody who ventures into their territory. Usually a Goblin campaign culminates with a single pitched battle where, by the time the Goblin army strikes, they have superior numbers. Moral is seldom an issue with Goblin armies as 1) Theyre already dead (see Religion) and 2) Goblins second favorite activity is fighting. (see Society)
The Goblins 'Sun Corps' is organized on a more 'civilized' basis, they often utilize pikes and standardized plate armour to appear as a single unit. They, and most other organized Goblin forces, utilize battlefield bands along with the much-feared Goblin War Drums to terrify their enemies and boost the fighting spirit of their allies.
Goblins employ extensive gunpowder weapons, pretty much anything that explodes, makes a loud noise or causes OTHER things to explode will be put to good use. Almost every Goblin carries a selection of custom-made 'Goblin Bombs' into battle. These highly unstable devices are usually a few inches across and packed with an assortment of gunpowder, scrap metal and nails. They also use rockets and various burning arrows, firebombs, and similar.
Goblin War Drums are perhaps one of the most feared aspects of the Goblin fighting forces, they are generally drums perhaps six feet in diameter (although in cities they are much larger, sometimes up to twenty feet, or, in Gundabads case, fourty and operated by machine), and are used on the battlefield to send signals. They also operate as a moral-sapping device against an enemy force, a sort of universal 'Were coming and were going to hack anything in our way to bits' message. The drums sound can be heard several miles away in the right conditions, as most of them are magically enhanced. Many have described the feeling of a nearby Goblin drum as 'like having a stomach full of live worms', as each beat unleashes a massive wave of low-frequency sound. Some less disciplined forces have been known to break before even seeing the Goblin army.
While many are of the opinion that Goblin smiths are inferior because they lack a sense of asthetics, Goblin iron and steel is some of the best in the world. Goblin armour is seldom ornate in any sense of the word, but it is frequently very practical, providing a nice range of movement and good protection. Few Goblins wear full plate armour to battle though, prefering mobility and hitting power, thus the prefered protection is leather or chain mail, with partial plate sometimes. 'Heavy Goblins' are usually the taller and larger members of the species, with the muscle needed to move swiftly in plate, often suprising their enemies with the speed and ferocity of their attacks.
Few Goblins are magically skilled, but those that are can go head to head with the best of other species and expect to at least stalemate them. While not particularly good summoners, a Goblin Shaman can, with a bit of assistance from other mages of his kind, turn a decent sized city into a firestorm in a few minutes. In peacetime Shamen are expected to help out around their city, usually providing medical assistance to the Goblin 'medical' personel (who are generally though to be a population control method by non-Goblins).
Goblin mages only serious problem is that they will occasional explode. One mage attempting to channel too much magic puts himself at serious risk of 'Spontanious Cerebral Discharge' or 'Glowy 'ead', whereby beams of various coloured light shoot from the orifices of that Goblins head, followed by a messy explosion.
There is, of course, no known cure.