By "The Weaver" (weaver42@ix.netcom.com)
Goblins are the strange cousins of the Redcaps; weird creatures that thrive on the darkness, favoring morbid jokes and tales that would raise the neck-hairs of a Pooka in less time than you can say "Glamour."
Although not especially liked by the other Kith as "good company," the Goblins are by no means as cruel and randy as the Redcaps, or as twisted as the Sluagh. They are creatures of the Night, wearing their demented little senses of humour like a proud badge under the light of the Moon.
Despite the fact they're often looked badly upon, the Goblins really love to have social interaction; without it, they find themselves lonely, and talking to themselves. Very rarely will you find a Goblin without someone nearby; be it an annoyed passerby trying to avoid the Kith's macabre little tales, or another Goblin trying to outdo the other with a string of grotesque jokes. When you have made a friend of a Goblin (albeit grudgingly, it is assured), you have someone who, although they may not wish to leave you alone, they will provide unfaltering support as well as deep interest in the well-being of their friends.
Of course, it isn't hard to get away from the Goblins: Just walk out into the direct rays of the sun. They hate the sun, finding it harms their sunlight-senstive skin.
The only individuals that the Goblins have a hard time making friends with are the Trolls. The same holds for the reverse, as well. Both of these groups can quietly remember a time in the olden days of Arcadia where they warred with one another, bearing their swords against each other in a fight entailing nobility, commoners, and all in between. Although no solid memories are usually held by either side, both can recall the hatred in their blood from the days of the Goblin-Troll War.
As another note, Goblins often find themselves collecting all sorts of strange items. Anything from weird-shaped candles or bundles of fur from recent roadkills can be found in the disturbing and eclectic Goblin collections.
Appearance: Goblins in their fae seemings are rarely of the pretty sort; With mottled, thin grey flesh, you can see their veins through the facade of skin that they wear. Their overtly large, round heads almost always bear a large half-mooned grin (carrying a full set of ragged, gleaming white teeth), and are never without an unblinking set of green eyes that glow in the dark.
Seemings:
Childlings: Imagine to yourself the behaviors of young Eddie Munster, and there you have a typical Goblin child. Add a great deal of tittering giggles, an intense curiosity, and a dire need to be with others, and there you have the complete picture.
Wilders: Wilder Goblins can usually be found pestering someone, and thus getting themselves into trouble. They still carry with them that intuitive curiosity, as well as a need to tell everybody something horridly disgusting. They often latch onto others socially.
Grumps: Goblin Grumps often obtain their own independance away from needing others, having lived enough of an interesting life to learn they simply don't need it as much as the younger set. And, whether one likes it or not, a Grump of this type has amassed a wholly impressive collection of truly unnerving tales, jokes, and pranks. In fact, in the vein of pranks, a Goblin Grump cannot die until he has completed the ultimate (in his own eyes) of twisted pranks upon another. Then, they slip away, peacefully.
Lifestyles: Goblins often find themselves somewhere dark. Maybe as the bartender of a strange, underground night club, or the proprietor of a fine sewer-cleaning business. They favor the dark, and will dwell there as much as possible.
Affinity: Actor
Birthrights
Gift of the Twisted Tale: Being deeply fond of the fairy tales of the dark and grotesque (often just to see the looks on the faces of the listeners), the Goblins of course are, needless to say, rather good at what they do. The Goblin may tell a story, joke, or even perform a prank, and if its twisted enough, and a point of Glamour is invested in it, all individuals within the full hearing range of the story will either flee the scene, or uncontrollably vomit. The only individuals untouched by this power are those of the Goblin's oathcircle, who, to their disbelief, become eventually numb to the effect.
Hide and Seek: The Goblin, if able to find a sufficiently dark enough space (so no direct light shines upon him), he may hide from others with increased ability. This effect makes the Goblin nigh-invisible. If one is directly looking to find the hidden creature, one must succeed on a Perception-Investigation roll, difficulty 8. Also, it gives the Goblin power to see in utter darkness, to a fair degree.
Frailties
Curse of the White Light: As punishment after the Goblin-Troll War, the nobility applied a curse to the Goblin race as a whole, forcing them out of the direct light. Now, Goblins have an almost unnatural fear of strong light, be it from the sun, or from heavy ultraviolet lightings. When in the sunlight, their skin and eyes begin to hurt, increasing the difficulty to all rolls by 2. This is why they can rarely be found during the day, and almost always during the night.
Quote: "Hey! Hey, you! Wanna hear a story? No, really, this is a good one. See, it starts off with this dead baby in a burlap sack..."
Bean-Sidhe: They always stay away from us. Stay away from a lot of people, actually. They sure can sing, but they're all stuck-up, and stuff.
Boggans: Fat little guys who never wanna hear what we wanna say. Ptooey!
Eshu: They're hip. They have some of the greatest damn stories, and sometimes they even want to hear some of ours! Go figure, huh?
Nockers: They got bumblebees up their butts. Never appreciate a good joke.
Pooka: Their hearts are in the right places, they just don't go far enough. It's sad.
Redcaps: Good buddies, usually. They get stressed out and why, real quick, so watch out. But they usually like to hear our stories. Usually.
Satyrs: Wild, lusty, kind of useless. If you get 'em drunk enough, you can tell 'em a story, and watch them pass out. That's their only good quality.
Sidhe: Blech! #^%!@* nobility!
Sluagh: These Kith are groovy, even if they consider us creepy. I went out on a date with a Sluagh chick once, whoooeey...
Trolls: Stay away from the big bastards. Stubborn, mean, and hateful.