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So I was lying awake at 5am one morning (quite a while ago now) and my muse decided to get stuck into the fact that most fantasy races have the same sexual binary as humans, despite in a world with magic and elementals and active gods and so forth the options are far broader. This is the fourth in a short series.
These are written with a lot of D&Disms but the principles should hold elsewhere.
Possible trigger warning for child abuse themes.
~~~
"Goblinoid" in regular D&D games usually refers to one of actual goblins (small, uncivilised and sneaky), hobgoblins (medium size, civilised and militaristic) or bugbears (bigger and tougher again but mostly uncivilised). My personal take is that bugbears are simply to hobgoblins what barbarian tribes are to humans. The smaller "true" goblins though bear a closer look. These beings are usually considered physically weak but cunning and political, often found in service to bigger races and often also secretly manipulating them. They also produce a good number of arcane spellcasters.
The goblin secret is that theirs is a bloodline (strong and fair if you believe them) which was divinely cursed for their sins (or beauty) to become barren and die out in a time long forgotten by the other races. Although unable to break the curse the mages of this line banded together and researched a way around it - a ritual which polymorphs a babe of another race into a goblin babe cloned from the caster, instilling in the still-malleable infant's mind the knowledge and ideals of what it means to be goblin, and of how to perform the ritual so as to continue and propagate the race.
However over the centuries it was inevitable that every so often the ritual would be miscast - not necessarily fail but result in an imperfect transformation. Perhaps the transformed babe would retain some trait of it's original parentage later passed on, perhaps the knowledge required to cast the ritual or be goblin would be passed on imperfectly - enough to alter the outcome slightly.
Whatever the reason, whatever good qualities they may once have possessed, however much they once had in common the goblins of today are a mismatched, quarrelsome, bitter lot united only in the shared drive to continue their race, where their race is defined by "goblins who match me as closely as possible". Although innately selfish and not particularly concerned with reproducing in great numbers they understand all too well that maintaining a certain population level is essential to surviving whatever the world may throw at them.
Currying favour with other races serves the goblins in multiple ways. Firstly it reduces the number of threats to their survival by one, while simultaneously providing some level of protection against other threats. Secondly it provides useful patsies who can be manipulated into serving the goblins' ends. Most importantly it provides access to a supply of babes from which the goblins can breed. The other uncivilised and barbaric humanoid races are ideal for this as they are often unconcerned with what happens to their weaker young, or keep slaves whom will occasionally give birth.
For the same reason goblins pressed into the service of an army will often negotiate first-pick of any captives, or that younger captives be handed over to them.
Only one goblin (and one babe) is required to complete the ritual, but it is a drawn out process involving much of the goblin's own blood as a material component (CON damage often 50% or more). For this reason it often occurs in a well secluded location, guarded by those the goblin trusts (as much as they can) not to turn around and kill them in their weakened state. In a goblin tribe with access to a regular supply of "raw material" most members of the tribe take turns at being warriors and mothers.
Although goblins have no functional gender among themselves they modify the appearance of gender to gain best advantage from any non-goblins with whom they are dealing.
~~~
I originally wrote this article thinking of goblins, then it occurred to me that it made very similar sense for halflings, those carefree and likeable folk who get to make their way through human society at will, generally well liked and generally also overlooked ....
The halfling tale is maybe not so dissimilar to the goblin one, except that the halflings have retained a more cooperative social structure and the ritual may still require the involvement of two different-sex parents, with the child being a melding of the traits of both parents and the babe. (How many sexes the race may actually have is a notion for another time.) Halflings are less concerned about the "purity" of the race than goblins, since their own origins are hazy to them.
Although the young of any humanoid, intelligent race will do it is human babes which make the transition easiest. For this reason the halflings have taken great care to integrate themselves into human cultures in as many useful ways as possible, especially those which get to deal with many people and in the role of carers.
Less scrupulous travelling groups of halflings may outright abduct newborns, leaving fey or nearby humanoid tribes to take the blame. It is a curious facet of halfling culture though that they will always leave something in exchange, although this may be eg a large cabbage or a young animal stolen from a nearby well-off farm where "it won't be missed". Living babes on whom the ritual fails to take properly may also be returned, equally stealthily, inevitably traumatised or otherwise altered by the experience.
These are written with a lot of D&Disms but the principles should hold elsewhere.
Possible trigger warning for child abuse themes.
~~~
"Goblinoid" in regular D&D games usually refers to one of actual goblins (small, uncivilised and sneaky), hobgoblins (medium size, civilised and militaristic) or bugbears (bigger and tougher again but mostly uncivilised). My personal take is that bugbears are simply to hobgoblins what barbarian tribes are to humans. The smaller "true" goblins though bear a closer look. These beings are usually considered physically weak but cunning and political, often found in service to bigger races and often also secretly manipulating them. They also produce a good number of arcane spellcasters.
The goblin secret is that theirs is a bloodline (strong and fair if you believe them) which was divinely cursed for their sins (or beauty) to become barren and die out in a time long forgotten by the other races. Although unable to break the curse the mages of this line banded together and researched a way around it - a ritual which polymorphs a babe of another race into a goblin babe cloned from the caster, instilling in the still-malleable infant's mind the knowledge and ideals of what it means to be goblin, and of how to perform the ritual so as to continue and propagate the race.
However over the centuries it was inevitable that every so often the ritual would be miscast - not necessarily fail but result in an imperfect transformation. Perhaps the transformed babe would retain some trait of it's original parentage later passed on, perhaps the knowledge required to cast the ritual or be goblin would be passed on imperfectly - enough to alter the outcome slightly.
There may still be the odd goblin lich holed away somewhere from the early time, having taken on undeath to gain time to complete the research or simply to ensure their own survival in some way). These liches might bear very little resemblance to the goblins of "today".
Whatever the reason, whatever good qualities they may once have possessed, however much they once had in common the goblins of today are a mismatched, quarrelsome, bitter lot united only in the shared drive to continue their race, where their race is defined by "goblins who match me as closely as possible". Although innately selfish and not particularly concerned with reproducing in great numbers they understand all too well that maintaining a certain population level is essential to surviving whatever the world may throw at them.
Currying favour with other races serves the goblins in multiple ways. Firstly it reduces the number of threats to their survival by one, while simultaneously providing some level of protection against other threats. Secondly it provides useful patsies who can be manipulated into serving the goblins' ends. Most importantly it provides access to a supply of babes from which the goblins can breed. The other uncivilised and barbaric humanoid races are ideal for this as they are often unconcerned with what happens to their weaker young, or keep slaves whom will occasionally give birth.
Goblins can sometimes be the best friends a slave enclave can have in a humanoid tribe; as it is to the goblin benefit to maintain a healthy breeding population.
For the same reason goblins pressed into the service of an army will often negotiate first-pick of any captives, or that younger captives be handed over to them.
Only one goblin (and one babe) is required to complete the ritual, but it is a drawn out process involving much of the goblin's own blood as a material component (CON damage often 50% or more). For this reason it often occurs in a well secluded location, guarded by those the goblin trusts (as much as they can) not to turn around and kill them in their weakened state. In a goblin tribe with access to a regular supply of "raw material" most members of the tribe take turns at being warriors and mothers.
Although goblins have no functional gender among themselves they modify the appearance of gender to gain best advantage from any non-goblins with whom they are dealing.
~~~
I originally wrote this article thinking of goblins, then it occurred to me that it made very similar sense for halflings, those carefree and likeable folk who get to make their way through human society at will, generally well liked and generally also overlooked ....
The halfling tale is maybe not so dissimilar to the goblin one, except that the halflings have retained a more cooperative social structure and the ritual may still require the involvement of two different-sex parents, with the child being a melding of the traits of both parents and the babe. (How many sexes the race may actually have is a notion for another time.) Halflings are less concerned about the "purity" of the race than goblins, since their own origins are hazy to them.
Although the young of any humanoid, intelligent race will do it is human babes which make the transition easiest. For this reason the halflings have taken great care to integrate themselves into human cultures in as many useful ways as possible, especially those which get to deal with many people and in the role of carers.
So if the infant mortality rate in an area with a halfling midwife might seem a bit higher (and medieval setting infant mortality rates are not low to start with the overall good health of the many surviving human and halfling youngsters is more likely to be remarked upon. And if a child goes missing in the town who would suspect the halfling barkeeper (who always has an ear for anyone's troubles) and the regularly visiting halfling trader (who just left town on their usual schedule) had anything to do with it?
Less scrupulous travelling groups of halflings may outright abduct newborns, leaving fey or nearby humanoid tribes to take the blame. It is a curious facet of halfling culture though that they will always leave something in exchange, although this may be eg a large cabbage or a young animal stolen from a nearby well-off farm where "it won't be missed". Living babes on whom the ritual fails to take properly may also be returned, equally stealthily, inevitably traumatised or otherwise altered by the experience.
