Hobgoblin

Hobgoblins are large and intelligent goblinoids that can primarily be found on the continents of Faerol, Naysur, and Arda'narr. Hobgolins have a strict military hierarchy that is driven by war. Throughout history, hobgoblin armies have been the plague of civilizations everywhere, coming down from high mountains and deep forests to make war on the rest of the world.

Attributes
Hobgoblin characters have the following racial traits.


 * Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
 * Age. Hobgoblins mature at the same rate as humans and have lifespans similar in length to theirs.
 * Alignment. Hobgoblin society is built on fidelity to a rigid, unforgiving code of conduct. As such, they tend toward lawful evil.
 * Size. Hobgoblins are between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.
 * Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as though it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
 * Martial Training. You are proficient with two martial weapons of your choice and with light armor.
 * Saving Face. Hobgoblins are careful not to show weakness in front of their allies, for fear of losing status. If you miss with an attack roll or fail an ability check or saving throw, you can gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies you can see within 30 feet of you (maximum bonus of +5). Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or a long rest.
 * Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Physiology
Hobgoblins typically stand between 5 and 6 feet tall, and generally weigh between 150 - 200 lbs. The hobgoblins of Faerol and Naysur have a orange skin color, while those native to Arda'narr have more of a ruddy, reddish-brown color. They are the most "man-like" of the goblinoids, being similar in size and stature to humans, but are generally a bit stronger than the average human.

Like other goblinoids, hobgoblins have wickedly sharp teeth, pointed ears, and their skin is often described as being rough, having a texture similar to sand paper.

History
According to legend, hobgoblins were created by their god, Blûgund, and were set upon the world to plunder and despoil it. The Alethi have a slightly different legend concerning the hobgoblins origin, that they were creatures brought from another realm to torment races of man alongside the rest of the goblinoids by an ancient enemy of the Alethi: a powerful entity known as Shaytan-al'Hajar. However, the Alethi have come to recognize Blûgund and Shaytan-al'Hajar as being the same entity.

In the years after their awakening, the hobgoblins did not immediately war with man, but rather spent years preparing and planning. When they finally launched their invasion, in what the hobgoblins call "The First War", they are said to have destroyed entire kingdoms, and for a very brief time ruled over large swathes of territory and land. It wasn't until mankind's draconic masters became involved in the war that it did eventually turn, and the hobgoblins were driven back into the mountains from where they came.

The Conquest of Meridia and the Kingdom of Ahlatân
Around 250 SE, hobgoblin armies poured out of the mountains in central Faerol and conquered much of the lands south of the Mediane. This land, which would eventually come to be known as Meridia, was full of fractured human kingdoms at the time which were barely able to resist the organized hobgoblin horde. The horde, lead by Warchief Durbzhag, consolidated their territories and formed a new hobgoblin kingdom ruled by the newly crowned King Durbzhag, who declared himself King of the newly formed kingdom of Ahlatân.

Struggle for Independence
The various human tribes and remnant kingdoms attempted throughout the next few decades to wage a hidden war against the Ahlatânu, fighting a guerilla war against the larger and better equipped hobgoblin horde. This lead to a series of brutal retaliations against the Meridians, as the Ahlatânu implemented their infamous "tax of hands", a requirement that every village and settlement that was suspected of harboring rebel sympathizers were required to give a number of human hands that was based on a percentage of their population. Settlements and villages that refused to pay this tax were put to the sword and destroyed in a brutal fashion.

The Arrival of the Ghost Elves
In the year 339 SE, Ghost Elf ships landed on the eastern coast of Abfälle, and began marching west across the plains towards Ahlatân. King Durbzhag marched east to meet them, fighting the Ghost Elf armies at Ostlücke. The resulting battle was a slaughter, with the Ahlatân army easily destroying the Ghost Elves. However, the battle was little more than a diversionary attack, with the bulk of the Ghost Elf forces sailing up the Südbucht to attack the soft underbelly of Ahlatân. However, the Ahlatânu had anticipated this tactic, and were quick to march a force south to meet the elves.

In what would become known as the War of Despoils, hobgoblin and elvish armies fought for a decade for control of Meridia, with the native Meridians caught in the middle of the conflict. Initially, the Meridians saw the Ghost Elves as liberators, remembering the friendship between humankind and elvenkind during the first era. Wide-scale rebellions began in northern Ahlatân as the Meridians hoped to help the elves in their war and achieve liberation. These rebellions played a critical role in destabilizing the Ahlatânu war machine, and the Ghost Elves gained the upper-hand against the hobgoblins as the rebellions continued to grow.

Around 350 SE, King Durbzhag gave the command for all Ahlatânu troops to begin withdrawing into the mountains, burning all the lands behind them as they retreated into the mountains and left the Meridians to their fate.

The Death of Durbzhag
As Durbzhag's forces retreated into the mountains, they were ambushed by Meridian rebels with war mages among their number. Though the fighting was bloody, the Meridians claimed a pyrrhic victory over the Ahlatânu forces, and Durbzhag was killed in the fighting. According to legend, a mysterious warrior wielding magic and sword met Durbzhag in single-combat and beheaded him.

The Hobgoblin Incursion of Faerol
In the year 540 TA, hobgoblins of the Iron Hand warband began uniting the warbands within the Mediane under their banner. Lead by a war mage named Azhag, the Iron Hand spent the next 20 years preparing for an invasion of the Faeril Empire. These preparations included the taming of many warbeasts, the building of great siege engines, and enslaving various ogre clans. In the year 567 TA, the Alliance of Dinethos declared war against the Faeril Empire, sparking the beginning of what would become known as the Great War. As the Imperial Legions began to move south to combat the Allied invasion force landing at Abfälle, the Iron Hand descended from the Mediane into the province of Amorium.

The Siege of Amorium
The province was largely undefended and unprepared for an invasion from the Mediane, having been left with a reservist force after sending the 6th Legion to contest the Allied invasion. Governor Allectus gave the order for the countryside to be abandoned and for all citizens to take refuge within the city of Amorium, however by the time the order was relayed to the country-side it was largely too late. The Iron Hand armies put dozens of villages and settlements to the sword, taking no prisoners. The Iron Hand reached Amorium after only twelve days and assaulted the city.

The garrison at Amorium was outnumbered 3 : 1, and was quickly overwhelmed by the Iron Hand horde. Civilians were made to retreat by taking ships, fishing boats, and rafts across Lake Etiam, however the refugee fleet was attacked by Azhag and his Hellkite cavalry. Thousands of civilians died in the massacre, which is now remembered as the "Day of Bloody Waters".

The city itself was sacked and looted, with much of the city's riches and valuables being taken south and into the mountains.

March on the Capital
After looting the city of Amorium, the Iron Hand grew confident enough to march on the Imperial Isle. As they marched along the coast of Lake Etiam, they were met by the 13th Legion, led by Quintus Allectus. Allectus had hoped to stall the Iron Hand long enough to receive aid from the 17th and 21st legions, however he had underestimated the speed at which the Iron Hand could mobilize and deploy. Allectus, having built a fort blocking the Iron Hand's path east, had dug himself into a fairly immobile position. This allowed the Iron Hand to outmaneuver and surround the 13th before the 17th and 21st could arrive. Azhag forced a battle between his army and the 13th. The battle initially was in favor of the 13th Legion, whose troops were better trained and better disciplined, however the Iron Hand's beast cavalry proved to be too much for the 6th Legion to deal with, especially the Iron Hand's Hellkite cavalry. As the battle raged, the cavalry advantage proved to be decisive, and the 13th Legion was wiped out.

The Iron Hand spared no momentum and continued their march on the Capitol, hoping to catch it undefended. The 21st Legion, which had been routed to relieve the 13th, was sent to the Capital instead, where it would meet the Iron Hand in battle.

Assault on Bridge Town
The 21st Legion attempted to set up defenses in Bridge Town along the White Bridge to prevent the Iron Hand from stepping foot on the Imperial Isle. Iron Hand war mages set fire to the town in an effort to drive the legionnaires back, and strategically destroyed parts of the bridge to undo imperial fortifications. However, the 21st Legion held on, and used war magics of their own to drive any Iron Hand incursions back across the bridge. Azhag ordered the city besieged, and worked on finding away to get ships across the Etiam and bypass the bridge. The city was held under siege while these ships were constructed, however before they were completed the hobgoblin army received word of Allied forces marching through Nordpass. Azhag, not wanting his forces to be caught between Allied and Imperial forces, gave the order to retreat back to Amorium, and to continue their path of destruction by going along the coast.

The Mooring
During the Siege of the Imperial Isle, Archmage Gerhan Invictus, leader of the Arcanas Occulatas, summoned a massive portal to the Frozen Hells, and bade the dark god Malus to enter the world and claim it for his own. This began the event in history known as The Mooring, when the Frozen Hells invaded the mortal plane to conquer it. Though Malus was unable to enter the world due to the timely intervention of heroes and elements from the Allied army, portals from the Frozen Hells opened all across Arenam as members of the Arcanas Occulatas that worshipped Malus attempted to create other landing areas for the hellish armies. The Iron Hand, sensing opportunity for glory and plunder, allied themselves with the Occulatas and fought alongside the damned legions. Their leader, Azhag, was particularly blessed by Malus as a reward for his service, and he was given the blessing of undeath.

The Iron Hand continued to fight against the Allied forces in the Imperial Provinces alongside the Camibrae army. However, as the portals began to close and the Camibrae numbers dwindled, the remaining Camibrae with the Iron Hand among their number attempted to assault the Imperial Isle again. Much of the Capital was in ruins after the assault, however the Allied forces had held the line, defeated the last of the Camibrae, and slew Azhag. The remaining Iron Hand forces scattered, retreating back into the Mediane.

Culture
Hobgoblin culture is military oriented with a strict hierarchy. To a hobgoblin, prowess in battle is the most important thing in life. Hobgoblins are born without a name, and are generally only called by the order of their birth and the name of their father, such as "First Son of Graz". A hobgoblin does not earn their name until they face combat and return victorious, at which point they are given a name that denotes their achievements or their personality. They then adopt their birth name as a sort of honorific to denote their lineage, however hobgoblins that surpass their fathers' achievements are expected to drop the honorific in favor of a new one that denotes their status.

For example, the honorific "Zhag" has been used by hobgoblin warchiefs throughout history to denote their position of authority over great hordes. Some examples of these names include:


 * Bolg: Means "Bloody". Usually adopted by warpriests.
 * Damar: Means "Smith". Adopted by master hobgoblin smiths
 * Dorgu: Means "Master". Adopted by hobgoblin beastmasters.
 * Gûl: Means "Shadow". Adopted by hobgoblin spies.
 * Jutar: Means "Hunter". Only adopted by a hobgoblin that has proven themselves as a great hunter, usually by felling a great beast or monster.
 * Kulshod: Means "Dragon". Reserved for hobgoblins that have either killed or tamed a dragon.
 * Mau: Means "Warrior". Adopted by hobgoblins that have proven themselves in many battles.
 * Shakh: Means "Leader". Often adopted by hobgoblin warchiefs.
 * Shatar: Roughly translates to "Magic Sword". Adopted by hobgoblin battlemages.
 * Vrast: Means "Killer". Given to hobgoblin assassins.
 * Zidgu: Means "Mage". Adopted by hobgoblin war mages.
 * Zhag: Means "Conqueror". Adopted by only great hobgoblin leaders as adopting it generally invites other hobgoblins to try and prove them wrong.