Hobgoblins

Hobgoblins, also called hoch jebline (“high goblins”), are stocky humanoids with hairy, dark red to dark gray hides. The typical hobgoblin is 6½ feet tall, has yellow or dark brown eyes, and sharp yellow teeth. They favor brightly colored garments, especially outfits of blood red.

This fierce race wages a perpetual war against other humanoid races. They exist in a military society, proud of their status, their fighting prowess, their battle standards, and the quality of their weapons. War is their way of life, and to be a warrior is the highest calling a hobgoblin can have. Even when different tribes of hobgoblins meet, there will likely be verbal abuse or open warfare unless a strong leader is present.

Most hobgoblins dwell in subterranean complexes. A few tribes build fortified surface villages. Larger and more disciplined than orcs, Hobgoblins consider themselves superior to the "lesser races," lording over goblins and orcs whenever possible. Always fighting to determine dominance, once this order has been established the tribes frequently work together. The lesser races have only one good purpose to the hobgoblin mindset - they make decent battle fodder. In mixed groups, hobgoblins often serve as officers in units of goblins or ores.

Some of the most successful tribes are the Rippers, the Leg Breakers, the Skull Smashers, the Flesh Renders, the Marrow Suckers, the Flayers, and the Slow Killers. A great many hobgoblins live in the western part of the Iuz, and some in Bone March.

Hobgoblins have an extreme hatred of elves. When their opponents consist of mixed races, they always seek to destroy elves first.

Among the Civilized

To hobgoblins, war is almost a religious experience. They fight for the glory of battle and to cause carnage, not to expand territory or right wrongs against them. Their outlook on war is much more pure than that. Conflict and strife are their meat and drink.

Hobgoblin deserters are rare in the extreme, but those that do take up the life of travelers usually fall into one of two patterns. The first is the hobgoblin pacifist. These individuals detest war, though they may be extremely good at its brutal arts. Having grown tired of the constant fighting, they leave their tribes and seek to find a new life somewhere away from their people. Of course, as battle is what they do best, they often find themselves using their militaristic arts to earn a living. However, at least as a sellsword they only have to fight when absolutely necessary. These types will often wait until the last minute before entering a fray - not because they are cowards, but because they grow sick and tired of shedding blood.

The second pattern of hobgoblins are those who turn away from the evil of their society. They reject the hobgoblin gods and perhaps even discover the faith of a non-evil deity. These goblinoids seek to make amends for their old lifestyles, trying to repair the damage the hobgoblins have done and continue to do in the name of glorious war.

Even the best hobgoblins find it hard to overcome all of their natural tendencies. Brutality, stoicism, courage, and cold-bloodedness are always with them, like dark cloaks they can never shed.