ORCS & GOBLINS

ORIGINS

The goblins of Ignus are not what one might expect them to be based on common lore and old wives’ tales. For starters, they’re not native to Ignus. They are, in fact, a creation of Araxatheus. He snuck them through the barrier but lost control of them. The Watcher seems to do her best to guide them but, since she cannot directly interfere, she apparently doesn’t have any real control over them. Additionally, they are so radically different from Ignusian species in both biology and thought processes that they’re nearly incomprehensible to other species. Consequently, they tend to live outside of the bounds of society and are often at odds with the “civilized” species of Ignus.

ORCS VS. GOBLINS

While most people may only encounter the nearly feral Skirmisher goblins if they encounter a goblin at all, their society is deeply complex, with many castes and roles assigned to the different types of goblin. This is because goblins are a hive species with each member of the hive being born with certain physical and mental traits that determine its caste and role within the hive.

Generally speaking, the higher up the caste list an individual is, the more humanoid they are with the highest castes (Queens, Consorts, and Successors) often being considered downright attractive to other species. This has led to some confusion with many people believing that these upper castes (called Orcs) are not even the same species as the goblins that tend to raid farms and villages. This is where half-orcs come from, in fact. They are the offspring of a humanoid and one of the higher caste goblins who, being the breeding castes of the goblin hives, are capable of interbreeding.

Lower caste goblins, though coming in both female and male varieties, are sterile and incapable of producing offspring. That’s really what distinguishes an “orc” from a “goblin” – whether or not they can make more goblins.

GOBLINS & THE TITANS

Goblins don’t revere the Titan pantheons like most of ignus. Instead, they hold The Watcher in high regard. They call her Ring Keeper, Watcher, Mistress of Sixes, or Voidcaller and revere the number 6 in her honor. To a lot of ingusians, this all seems like silly, superstitious nonsense. But the goblins, like you now, dear reader, know that she’s real. Some of the queens and consorts are said to speak with her directly, even.

GOBLIN CASTES

THE RULING CASTES: ORCS
QUEENS

Goblin hives are ruled by either a single queen (for smaller hives) or a queen triumvirate (for larger hives). While it’s possible for outside goblins to be given the right to join the hive, these female goblins (or orcs) are the mothers of the majority of the lower caste individuals in the hive. They are also the voice of the hive, making all the leadership decisions for the hive.

Queens give birth in litters of up to 10 goblins at a time. Their gestation time is a mere 3 months and goblin pups generally reach adulthood within three years (this varies from caste to caste with the upper castes maturing more slowly than the lower castes) so a new queen can build her hive fairly quickly.

CONSORTS

Each queen has between one and three Consorts, mature male orcs, with whom they produce offspring. These consorts are smart, strong, and fast. Their job is to protect their queen and carry out her will.

SUCCESSORS

Successors are female and male orcs who are not yet sexually mature and capable of starting a hive of their own. A successor female who is in a hive with a queen triumvirate will not mature into a queen unless a queen dies or they leave the hive permanently. Successor males require exposure to a specific quickening hormone produced by queens to become Consorts.

The successors’ job is to care for the queens and consorts as well as execute administrative tasks for the hive.

The vast majority of the orcs that most people see in ignusian society are actually Successors that have left the hive for some reason or other. Oftentimes, queens will quicken male successors before they leave home to allow them the chance to integrate into society and maybe start their own hive one day. Female successors that leave the hive will naturally mature on their own once outside of a queen’s influence.

THE MENTAL CASTES: GOBLINS
MENTALISTS

Biological computers, mentally fortified and impossibly smart. Capable of incredible feats of mental manipulation but physically weak and slow.

SHAMANS

Powerful magic users specializing in battlefield control, buffing/debuffing, and support. They wield the elemental magics of Ignus but there are rumors that they have, at times, called upon the titanic power of their progenitor, Araxatheus. These claims are, as yet, unsubstantiated.

BEAST MASTERS

Does what it says on the tin. Breeders, tamers, and users of beasts and monsters. Goblin beastmasters are capable of producing a wide variety of hormones and pheromones to manipulate beasts and even humanoids.

THE PHYSICAL CASTES: GOBLINS
WARLORDS

Battlefield controllers for the hives, they manage their troops with an iron fist via a combination of behavioral training, social pressures, and biological mechanisms. They have a wide pheromone aura that makes it nearly impossible for other goblins within the aura to disobey their directives. The aura also protects any goblin within it from being charmed, frightened, or mentally manipulated by others.

CHAMPIONS

Independent fighters, kings of the one-on-one challenge, these goblins are large, fast, and dangerous. There have been exactly zero reports of a goblin champion ever backing down from a fight, regardless of how injured or outnumbered they are.

JUGGERNAUTS

The juggers are the biggest of the goblins, more like trolls or ogres, really. Legitimately huge, impossibly strong, and damnably hard to take down. But they’re not very smart and generally require a warlord to tell them what to do. If a jugger’s warlord is killed, they tend to go berserk, flying into a rage and attacking everything around them, including their own allies. They’re a bit of a liability that way, honestly.

BUILDERS

Tough but clever in their lane, these are the guys that build the hives. They don’t generally fight and are almost never seen outside of their hives but, like all goblins, are more than willing and able to step into a scrap to defend their hives and queens.

SHADOWS

Assassins, spies, and thieves, shadow goblins use a combination of physical and magical stealth to remain unseen and hard to hit. There have only been a few reports of this caste and it’s to be assumed that their numbers are relatively small.

HUNTERS

Barely humanoid, the hunters are the trackers of the hive. What they lack in intelligence, they more than make up for in perception and tenacity. One ranger once told me, “they can smell a fart in a whirlwind ten miles away and track it back to the cheeks that blew it before you can say excuse me.” If a goblin hunter is on your trail, you might as well give up on getting away and prepare to fight.

SKIRMISHERS

The least humanoid, smallest, and most common of the goblin castes, skirmishers are the grunts of the hive. But don’t let their lack of intelligence fool you. They’re wickedly fast, incredibly vicious, and have no concept of “mercy” in what passes for their souls. And they always come in packs.