Origins: Unknown
Languages: Urroush (or Urrouch), and Common
Life Expectancy: 85 years
Religion: Ji'ar
Status: Unknown
Age of Adulthood: 13 years
Adult Height: 3.0 feet to 4.0 feet (Approx. 0.9 - 1.2 meters)
Adult Weight: 50 to 90 pounds (Approx. 23 - 41 kilograms)
Goblins are a small people, with long, wiry limbs and lean, agile bodies. Their skin is thick, and usually a pasty or dull green in coloration, though for those that live further south, this often takes a deep, sea-blue cast. This is occasionally accompanied by slightly increased size. Some largely bear dark complexions and tend to be of above average height. Goblins usually sport dark hair in either the thick and lustrous variety, or as thin and sparse curls usually confined to the peak and rear of the skull. Goblins tend to have broad, flat features, with wide foreheads and noses yet sharp chins and cheekbones. Their ears possess a mild point. Goblin eyes tend toward deep browns or greys or, rarely, a very dark - almost black - blue. Facial hair is highly uncommon. The unimposing musculature of Goblins belies a great physical prowess; they are generally fit and athletic and, though not known for their strength, capable of significant feats of agility. They are considered a tough, hardy people, who can endure extended exertion and harsh climes.
Goblins are presumed to have come into existence at about the same time as the other prominent races, yet were not for centuries recognized as a people unto themselves. Instead, goblins were considered to be little more than beasts, one often killed or driven away with violence if it approached a farmer's crops or homestead. It was not until what historians often dub the Age of Discovery - within the last thousand years before the Founding - that popular civilization began to understand that Goblins were, in fact, fully sentient beings. These millenia of isolation shaped Goblin society into a highly unique organism, such that, even after centuries of contact with other civilizations, Goblin culture maintains its distinct manner.
Classic Goblin social organization seems sparse at first glance. Their ancient tribes were nomadic, following the herds and favorable weather. As time passed certain groups settled in the livable mean: where food was never too scarce, and the seasons not too harsh, establishing small villages that acted as waypoints - centers of trade and congregation - for those that still journeyed. There ultimately arose a pattern of travel wherein numerous nomadic tribes would gather at select villages at points in the year when the conditions were best, staying for several weeks in temporary or rented structures. At such times, individual hamlets' populations would swell, and periods of tremendous commerce and celebration would ensue. Often, younger members of the village populations would follow the traveling tribes, each of which voyaged along different routes toward the next destination, to the subsequent gathering, returning home at its close. These annual events served as the foundation of the ancient Goblin calendar, considered today to have been significantly more accurate than the original Halfling and Human versions. Additionally, this marriage of economics and festivities produced a comparatively blithe attitude toward fiscal affairs that persists to this day, much to the consternation of many non-Goblin trading partners. This last legacy has granted Goblins a reputation of capable businessmen, yet ones who garner more pleasure from the haggling than from the profits of sale. The upshot of the great tradition was that these largely nomadic and some settled Goblins now had not no-home, nor one home, but many, scattered all across the land.
The familial classification of the Goblins was often as vague as their residence. Though they tended to be organized in basic 'tribes,' these were not restrictive arrangements, but rather simply represented the company with whom an individual traveled. Mingling of blood was not uncommon between tribes, and it was not unheard of for a Goblin to change his or her tribe - even multiple times - in the course of their life. As such, Goblins were never particularly attached to surnames, and tribal designations were not generally carried outside of tribal interactions. Goblins were instead content to employ a single name, the diversity of their alphabet and language acting to decrease repetition. In present times, the names of the old tribes are borne by the footpaths and byways that cross the worlds, so called for the groups that first walked them long ago.
Contemporary Goblin society is split along an ever-widening divide, characterised as the conflict between traditional and modern values. The set that envisions itself pursuing "modernisation" are often those that take up residence in the fortified cities. They prefer fashionable dress, dynamic economics, and speak a dialect accented by pronunciations drawn heavily from the Common tongue. Members of this group often look with pity upon their rural cousins, seeing them as backward or reactionary. The traditionalists, on the other hand, insist that it is necessary to hold fast to the Goblin ethos and ways of old, considering their ways to be just as valid now as ever. Folk of this sect often view their urban relatives with sadness or disgust, seeing in their practices, like taking last names (a trend since the founding of the cities) and conducting business in foreign languages, fearful departure from the old ways and an unnecessary submission to alien standards. To date, the gap has not been bridged, and the two groups live as nations apart.
The most prominent religion among Goblins, practiced by over eight-tenths of the Goblin population, is Ji'ar, a tradition that originated in the Goblin culture. It is appreciated throughout the worlds by many who, like the Goblins, acknowledge and accept the cyclical and balanced way of the world. The Ji'arite faith is one of the few common bonds between the two feuding sects of Goblins, though it is much more popular in the cities, where they also have begun to relax another long held Goblin tenet: the traditional mistrust of magic.
Able of body, Goblins are perhaps best known for being even more nimble of mind. The ingenuity of the Goblins is the hallmark trait of their people; their crafty solutions to problems and resulting advancements - in every field from architecture to irrigation to alchemy - have earned them a reputation of keen intelligence - stark contrast to the feral presumptions held about them in the past. It is said that before a Goblin approaches a task, they will have thought of a hundred ways to do it. The Goblins' innate resourcefulness allowed their society to catch up to the modern standard in leaps and bounds, and lets them use it as a further jumping-off point for future progress.
The Goblin language developed in the closed world of the ancient Goblins; thus, its immediate predecessors are nearly completely different from every other spoken language in the known universe. In addition, the constant contact allowed the tongue to remain relatively unchanged for hundreds of years. With the opening of relations between Goblins and other societies, a few centuries before the Founding, Urroush began to be molded into its current form, which, while relying largely on its ancient foundations, incorporates grammatical elements and words from the Human and Halfling tongues, and even includes some Gnomish. The Goblin alphabet is complex and extensive, including forty-six consonants and fourteen vowels, capable of producing an astounding array of sounds and syllables. This capacity allowed it to adapt easily to the influences of the other languages, and it has remained in its standardized form for approximately five hundred years.
Despite the harsh treatment that they received from the rest of civilization for centuries, the Goblins are content to let the distant past be, and focus in the present era to stay productive and prosperous. The unusual general devaluation of material goods, coupled with their natural dexterity, has helped Goblins be saddled with a reputation as thieves and rogues and they are almost universally discriminated against when traveling alone in Drow, Dwarven, Elven, and Human territories. Many in these areas are not so certain that Goblins are not truly animals and will not hesitate to treat them as such. There is an odd comraderie between Goblin and Halfling cultures and people, though whether it draws from their location, their shared appreciation of the simple life, or their common larcenous reputation is uncertain. Goblins classically have a mistrust of unusually large creatures, so tend to stay equally clear of Trolls and Ogres as they do of wizards and spells. The appropriate modern adjective for aspects pertaining to the race is "Goblin." "Goblinoid," once in common use, is now generally regarded as derogatory.
Thanks to Cristlefir for this information.