Ages ago, long before the fall of the mighty Auslang Empire, before the Elven Doctrine and their rule, before even the humans had an empire to call their own, their existed a terrifically fearsome race of small unsightly creatures known as goblins.

These tiny unsightly creatures were known throughout the early world for their depravity, their cruelty, their lust for gold, and most of all their evil. Towns and villages alike would suffer under a horde of goblins. This was a time before magic, when early iron and bronze ruled. It was a cruel world, where unsuspecting children would fall prey to the terrors that walk in the night.

There was a small boy who lived in an unnamed village on the plans of Austra, near the swaps of the Frell. Like most boys he would the village side in search of adventure and wonder, exploring his world. One day the small boy came across an equally small goblin.

“Do not be afraid of me small boy. I will not hurt you.”

But the small boy was smart and did not believe the small goblin.

“I do not trust you. Your people steal from us. Your people even eat my people.”

“This is true. Many of us do eat humans, and do steal from humans. But I am not like those other goblins.”

The small boy remained warry of the small goblin, but spent the day speaking with them from the distance. Eventually the small goblin collapsed.

“Are you injured?”

“Of a sort. I have not eaten in days. The other goblins refused to share with me and those like me.”

At his side the boy had a lunch of bread and meat.

“I will share my food with you, if you promise not to eat me or steal from.”

The small goblin gave his word, and the small boy kept his and feed the goblin.”

A glint of light at the boys hip caught the greed of the small goblin.

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“Small boy, if you give me that trinket at your hip. I will protect you and your village.”

The boy felt at his hip, there was a silver cross made by his father.

“I cannot give this to you. The cross was my father’s a sign of the gods who protects us.”

But goblins are envious creatures, lusting for what is not theirs. The small goblin followed the small boy as he made his way home. From the night shadows the small goblin did watch the small boy. But something else in the night stirred and chased the small goblin off.

For it was a group of hob goblins, led by the goblin king. They had come to plunder the village.

The goblin king, a hob goblin that had grown beyond its pitiful stature stood behind the village as its hobs chased the villagers out of their homes.

All of them were captured, and many put before the flames to be stew and meat. The house was plundered and lit in flame.

The small boy and his father were tied and left for next in the pot. The small goblin, remembering his promise came back. But also remembering his own nature asked for more.

“Small boy. I can save you if you give me that silver at your hip.”

“As I said, I can not give you my silver. But we can give you all the food you can eat and carry. Enough for days, and more.”

So, the deal was struck. The small goblin freed the boy and the man. But they were captured before they could leave. The hob goblins held them down and the goblin king stopped the small goblin before he could leave.

“Small goblin. You are not of us. But drive that dagger into that man’s chest and you will be one of us. We will feed you and give you all the gold you can horde.”

The small goblin considered the offer, knowing he was twice beholden the humans already.

The small goblin took the man's iron dagger from his belt and plunged it into the unsuspecting goblin kings’ heart.

With no king left, the hob goblins grew disorganized, and, in the confusion, the remaining humans stood to them. They were not enough to stand to the goblin horde.

Seeing no the small goblin smartly ran from the danger. Leaving the humans to fight. So, they fought. All seemed lost, but the small goblin did return with other goblins like him in tow.

Together the smaller, greater goblins, and the mightier humans fought back the lesser hob goblins.

So, they did win.

“As I promised you human. I saved you. Will you keep your end of the deal and feed us?”

With no place to go, and no home to return, the young goblins swore an oath to the humans in the town.

The humans agreed, and the greater goblins no longer threatened them.

As one last act of humility and promise, the small boy and the small goblin hugged each in truce. But, goblin fingers are slippery and the silver cross the small boy did wear was lifted from him.

True to their word, they did not harm humans. But false to their word they still stole, for in a goblins eye all that is shiny is there's. So, while you can trust the high goblin not to slay you in your sleep, and even to fight beside you, know it will come at a price, and that price will be gold.

Because despite the High Goblin's better nature, it is still a goblin.