History of the Hobgoblin Diaspora
“A nation lost. A people unbroken.”
The Kingdom of Varkuun
For nearly a century, the hobgoblins maintained a small but fiercely disciplined nation known as Varkuun, nestled between rugged hills and thick pine forests. Though modest in size, Varkuun was respected for:
- Its strictly organized legions
- Efficient ironworks and forges
- Its network of fortified towns
- Its culture of honor, structure, and duty
Varkuun was not an expansionist empire.
It existed as a proud, tightly run homeland where hobgoblins could live by their own laws, not those imposed by fearful neighbors.
Their cities combined regimented order with geometric beauty:
barracks, training squares, communal forges, and shrines to martial ancestors.
The Fall — Conquest by Thay
Varkuun’s end came swiftly.
The Red Wizards of Thay, seeking new resources, labor, and strategic territory, saw the hobgoblin nation as an easy target — a small, isolated state with no allies.
Their attack was overwhelming:
- Waves of conscripted undead
- Devastating evocation magic
- Summoned fiends
- Assassination strikes against hobgoblin commanders
The hobgoblin legions fought with their legendary discipline, but the Red Wizards’ arcane supremacy shattered their defenses. Fortresses were reduced to rubble. Training grounds became mass graves. Entire cohorts were annihilated or turned into undead soldiers forced to fight their own kin.
Varkuun fell in under two months.
Its survivors were scattered.
The Diaspora
With their homeland destroyed, hobgoblins fled in scattered groups across Faerûn, traveling:
- Across the Moonsea
- Into the Dalelands
- South toward Amn and Tethyr
- West toward the Sword Coast
- Even into the Underdark in desperation
Some joined mercenary companies.
Some were enslaved.
Some tried to assimilate into cities that would never fully accept them.
But one group — roughly the size of a small town — stayed together.
Bound by shared grief and the instinctive unity of hobgoblin culture, they formed a refugee caravan that crossed mountains, plains, and wilderness in search of sanctuary.
Among them were:
- Former commanders
- Legion veterans
- Engineers
- Tanners
- Smiths
- March-cobblers
- Children who had only known war
This community was led by Bogaz and other key figures you’ve developed.
Arrival in Lygos
After months on the road, facing starvation, disease, and prejudice, the caravan found its way to Lygos.
Lygos, wealthy and growing, needed laborers and craftsmen.
But more importantly—it needed people willing to do the hard work required to fuel its expanding industry.
Though suspicious at first, the city eventually admitted the refugees and posted them in a district outside the walls, which grew over time into a vibrant cultural enclave.
The Hobgoblins of Lygos Today
They have:
- Integrated into the city’s workforce
- Founded artisan shops and martial schools
- Earned respect from locals (slowly and not without prejudice)
- Maintained their rigid traditions
- Become known for their discipline and craftsmanship
- Raised a second generation that considers Lygos home
Some hobgoblins hold deep resentment toward the world.
Others believe Lygos is their chance to rebuild something better.
This is the community that now plays key roles in your campaign — including Bogaz and his sister Varha, the Grey Mist connection, and the cultural tensions that make the refugee story so compelling.
Potential Story Hooks
- Vengeance: A group wants revenge on Thay for the destruction of Varkuun.
- Legacy: Someone finds a relic from Varkuun believed lost forever.
- Political Tension: Lygos nobles fear the organized, disciplined hobgoblins might form a political bloc.
- Lost Legion: Undead hobgoblin soldiers from the war appear near Lygos — controlled by a Red Wizard.
- A New Homeland: Younger hobgoblins debate whether Lygos is home or if they must build a true nation again.