Goblins of Golarion
H ace tiempo, no existían los goblin
La mayoría de los goblin coinciden en que ésta
era una situación inaceptable.
Los primeros goblin surgieron de la sangre derramada por
cuatro barghests que Lamashtu robó de la perrera de
Asmodeo, bestias que ella inicialmente liberó eones atrás para
aprovecharse de los nativos aún-primitivos de la tierra.
Los barghests hallaron que, cuando derramaron sangre
humana, ésta se convirtió en raras creaturas parecidas a
versiones más pequeñas de ellos mismos—los goblin.
Mientras los barghests crecían en poder, parían camada tras
camada de jóvenes. Con sus hijos a rastras, los cuatro
barghests atacaron reinos en construcción para sí
mismos—éstos relatos se cuentan en lo que los goblin llaman
las Primeras Canciones.
Hadregash fue el más poderoso de los barghest. Le dio a sus
seguidores el don de la tribu, mostrándole a los goblin que
unidos, podrían ser poderosos. Mientras sus hijos se reunían
a su lado, sintieron su fuerza crecer, y a la sombra de su dios
viviente se volvieron no sólo más fuertes sino más astutos.
Venkelvore les dio a sus hijos el hambre. Su dominio pronto
se convirtió en un erial, y envió a sus jóvenes al mundo para
traerle comida de todos los rincones del mundo. Por tanto ella
les dio a los goblin el don del saqueo.
Zarongel, bendecido con cabello de fuego, era el más lobuno
de los barghests. Mandó a sus hijos a cazar y recolectar, pero
perros salvajes pronto percibieron su aroma, quienes les
cazaron casi hasta el último de ellos. Solo huyendo a espaldas
de lobos escaparon de la tierra, y así Zarongel le dio a sus hijos
el don de montar.
Finalmente Zogmugot trató de controlar su dominio por mar,
pero pronto descubrió que sus hijos, al igual que ella, no
podían respirar agua. Encontraron al mar rico en comida y sal,
y aprendieron a usar ambos para saciar su hambre. Más
importante, las olas les traían dádivas, llevando a la costa toda
clase de herramientas, armas y presas. Zogmugot envió a sus
hijos a rebuscar en las playas diariamente por nuevos tesoros,
y así actuando le dio a sus hijos el don de la hurga.
Countless verses of the First Songs exist, each detailing
different events, such as the time when Hadreg ash’s blood
spilled onto a worm and turned it into a goblin snake,or
how Zarongel tamed the king of the goblin dogs by
overwhelming it with his own dander and parasites. But
the time of these first goblins eventually drew to an end,
for Lamashtu saw how humanity was growing more and
more powerful. And so she called the barghests back to
serve her and rewarded them for bringing goblins into
the world. She created a place for them near her realm in
the Abyss, calling it Basalfeyst. Goblin heroes believe thatit
is to this realm that they go to serve their masters whenthey
die. Or, if they’re failures, to feed them.
Today, Golarion’s goblins have strayed far from their
ancestral homes. The largest concentrations of goblins
exist along the coastline of Varisia, where it is said
Zogmugot first walked into the sea, and Isger, where
Venkelvore’s far-reaching children rode wolves into the
mountains. Yet still the First Songs go on, and new verses
are added every year as goblins endure new triumphs and
tragedies—for each of these has to have a meaning that
can be traced back to the beginning of it all.
Goblins are commonly found throughout Golarion, but
in the Inner Sea region, they are most prevalent around
coastlines and along rivers in Varisia, or in the higher
mountains and foothills of Isger where they thrive.
Scavengers, they like to remain as close as they dare to
settlements and roads to enable them to mount frequent
raids, if only on junkyards. This close proximity to more
civilized regions is often their undoing. Trapped by their
need to feed off others, they invariably bring destruction
and mayhem upon themselves by over-harassing the
very neighbors they scavenge from to survive. Goblin
settlements therefore tend to be small, well defended,
and extremely well hidden. Some goblins have developed
cunning ways to live nomadic lives, able to raid and move
on, thus lessening the likelihood of serious reprisals.
Life as a Goblin
Everyone who encounters goblins—including most
goblins—agrees that goblins are short and very ugly.
They have bloated heads crammed with pointed teeth in
overlarge mouths that seem perpetually locked in wide
grins. Goblins stand about 3 feet tall when fully grown,
with skin tones in various colors—usually green, gray,
or blue, depending upon the predominant landscape
around them. Blue goblins tend to be encountered by
the shores of warmer seas, while those with gray skin are
usually found on more temperate coasts. Green goblins
are more common in forests. Some reports suggest that
over time, goblins absorb the color of their surroundings;
pallid goblins certainly live in the north, while pitch-
black goblins have been found in deep mines.
Goblins have huge mouths filled with needle-sharp
teeth and piggy red eyes. Their heads have been likened
to balloons waiting to burst, and enormous pointed ears
hang from the sides. These ears are generally rigid, but in
old age or great sadness, goblin ears hang flaccid. Males
tend not to have hair, a fact that makes many wear hoods to
keep their heads warm, while females often sport dark wiry
hair. Female goblins tend to be similar in build to males,
with smaller heads and larger eyes. Goblin young have even
more comically enormous heads, which they eventually
grow into. Newborns seem to be almost entirely head,
with flimsy dangling limbs—old dwarven jokes talk about
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