HIFRIZA (GOBLINS)
Hifriza, or Goblins in the Common Tongue, are one of the five fingers of Orckind (with Orcs, Ogres, Onibao, and Trolls) residing on the main continent of Crodecca, and have spread to inhabit many of the continental archipelago’s sister-islands. Goblins stand shorter than Dwarves when fully erect, but usually lope about with a forward-leaning gait & often employ their long forearms as well to cover ground at alarming speeds. They are intelligent, at least as intelligent as an average human child, with a deep fascination with fire & toolmaking. Their hands are small but startlingly dextrous, and their musculature is lean and well-insulated against cold desert nights with a fine layer of hairs for trapping heat, and another layer of coarser, sparser bristles for protection against insects. Goblins live active lives, siring relatively small batches of offspring at once; they mate & develop at an incredible rate to offset this hiccup.
Groups of Hifriza develop distinct traditions & modes of feeding themselves depending on environmental pressures—there has yet to be recorded, however, even a single Goblin society successfully cultivating crops, or developing agriculture beyond their natural proclivities towards wild seeds, fruits and ground-nuts which they dig from the earth or crudely harvest from trees. It is speculated among Councilarium anatomists that their bodyplan—with relatively narrow shoulder-span and a deep, hatchet-blade shaped chest similar to some canines that allow for swift quadrupedal movement—inhibits the use of complex tools & activities needed to domesticate animals or plant food. Evidence exists to the contrary, at least in regards to complex tool use; Goblin gangs living on the outskirts of settled areas or in close-enough proximity to metropolitan cities have been reported to mimic behavior observed on trade roads. One witness recalls several Hifriza attempting to yoke a docile Oxdrake to a ramshackle cart-and-wagon contraption.
Gangs can be differentiated through visual identifiers; Goblins are highly visual beings, and it’s theorized that some of their compulsive looting behavior may be drawn by this very visual fixation. Tightly organized raiding parties and their families will decorate themselves distinct hairstyles, with various degrees of grooming or plucking hairs at the root, which reinforces social bonds. Bright body paint & patterned scars along the arms, back, thighs and face can denote rank or familial affiliation. Conventional armor weighs down these agile fighters, and so in favor of mobility Goblins usually lean towards padding & carrying capacity. Ropes, twine, reeds, rough-hewn animal leathers, looted baubles and clothing, piercings and loose jewelry are all to be expected when facing down a Goblin gang. Raiding gangs have been known to charge into a fight from all angles, hurling flaming arrows & tossing fat-soaked torches on anything they can find to suffocate their quarry out of their homes. Looters scurry into any open crevice, and Knocks batter down resistant structures or more heavily-armored defenders.
Though not particularly widespread, sorcorial magic use has been observed among isolated Goblin bloodlines.