Gobla

Gobla are short, green-skinned tricksters and busybodies. They are known for their love of poisons, trade and morelbeer. The Wormwood is considered their home, but they can also be found in the wood’s surroundings. They don’t allow strangers onto their lands. Those who dare to even approach Wormwood can expect to be met with poisoned arrows, with no prior warning.

The Gobla don't have a single kingdom, as they are all divided into different clans, headed by chiefs and shamans. The most well-known clans are the Snakeskins, the Vagabonds and the Bloodsuckers. The Snakeskins, even among the other goblins, are considered masters of poisons. Every goblin in this clan must know 101 ways to poison a victim.

The Vagabonds have the best Rangers and Archers. They even have a special test. After passing it, a goblin is given a special tattoo on his cheek. This tattoo is well known among the other clans and is held very highly among Rangers.

The Bloodsuckers are often considered the most violent, ferocious and bloodthirsty fighters of all the clans. Of course, they are not as lethal as Orcs, but they are noted for their bravery and military skill. In order to intimidate their enemies (and the other goblin clans), they drink the blood of their defeated enemies. The clan chief gifts a golden earring with a blood-red stone to the most experienced warriors — a sign of belonging to the best soldiers of the clan. And therefore among all goblins.

The rule of clan chiefs is passed down by inheritance, but only if the heirs of the chief are strong and healthy. The title of chief is inherited not by the oldest heir, but by the most cunning and celebrated. It is for this reason that the chief's sons are very fond of raiding.

Skirmishes and wars sometimes break out between the different clans, but they often end quickly if a large-scale enemy intrusion is imminent. If this is the case, the chiefs of all the clans choose a main War Chief and they all unite into one colossal army under his command. Most goblins willingly join the militia because of the opportunity to plunder and kill along the way, and then boast about their exploits over a cold beer. The chiefs and their sons also have small detachments of professional fighters called “toorgaks''. These are considered the best bodyguards, fighters and rangers. 

Sorcerers, witch doctors and shamans help the clan chiefs run the administration. Their authority is of the highest level, so the chiefs listen to their advice very carefully. The supreme clan shamans never argue with each other, and among their circle they choose “the one who whispers in the dark ''. This is the new member of the Privy Council. The newly elected “Whisperer” will either conduct a ritual in which he transfers his position to his best student, fake his death or will simply go into the shadows, where he will wait until he is called upon by the Privy Council of Whisperers. After this, with the help of a special witchcraft ritual, he changes his appearance and chooses a new disguise: an old goblin, a one-legged veteran, a merry brewer or any other disguise that will fit the bill. He then starts to look for sedition and traitors among the goblins. The rampant overconsumption of morelbeer among the population certainly comes in handy, and, even though the Gobla have learnt to keep their mouths shut, they always end up blabbing something or other. Every Whisperer has an aide among the normal goblin population. These helpers are carefully selected and tested. It often happens that a Whisperer studies a given candidate for many years before recruiting him. The candidates always agree, otherwise death awaits. Some of these helpers spy among other species, pretending to be beer merchants or guards. If something serious looms, for example enemies are preparing an invasion or one of the chiefs has overstepped the mark and wants to become the sovereign ruler of all the goblins, then the Whisperers gather at the Privy Council and decide what to do next. In such cases, supremacy is held by the most senior among them, the “Arbiter of Destiny'' or “Ruler” who holds this title until death. The Whisperers choose a new Ruler according to a very complicated ritual (with the consumption of a considerable amount of morelbeer). It is pointless to try and capture and torture the Whisperers (even if someone does manage to do it). Being shamans, they can leave their bodies for a long time. If someone does torture them to death, then their soul can simply possess another creature, maybe even larger and more powerful, in order to take revenge on the wrongdoer.