Chapter Text
Prologue
Something essential to know about Goblins, is that they are not inherently evil. This would seem a strange declaration. After all, to an outside perspective it would not seem irrational to say that the creatures must have been forged in nothing short of hellfire. This however is not so, for cruel they may seem Goblins are not inherently bad This does not mean that they inherently good either. They are instead, true agents of chaos. They all have a natural desire to cause mischief and mayhem which is unfortunately often at the expense of the humans they find so amusing to torment. Hence the perception of theirs as a vile race.
However, despite the Goblin races’ affinity for madness, their society itself (for Goblins are indeed organized enough to have one) is actually very orderly and defined by a number of rules and laws both written and assumed. For example; all goods and services must be paid for up front (could you imagine a Goblin using credit?), peaches are never to be handled or sold under any circumstance, and Goblins may ‘play’ with mortals but are never to engage one as doing so would endanger the species and the secrecy of their home. Goblins must serve in the army of their monarch (although the amount and quality of the training they receive, if any at all, depends on the their general at the time) and must always be ready to respond to a call to arms. Goblins may perform magic befitting their rank, and above all, Goblins must pay total respect and be completely obedient to their monarch.
Goblins have a social hierarchy with four major levels: Frea, Tri, Trom, and the Monarchy. The Frea are at the very bottom of the social order and often filled the roles of servants to the Trom and Monarchy, but primarily they are the guides and keepers of the Goblin Kings Labyrinth, giving their class a strange power by being the only Goblins that could successfully navigate the deadly maze. The Tri are mostly merchants or skilled tradesmen, creating and selling goods and services. They are beholden to no single master besides the King and make up the largest portion of Goblin society. They are the ones that steal up to the mortal world to cause mischief like starting fights or untying shoe laces, and are so quick and cunning that to even catch sight of one is nearly impossible. The Trom are the generals of the Kings army, setting themselves above the rest for being able to get any of the others to listen and obey them (no small feat). There were not many Goblins who could accomplish such a task and so of this group there are few. They are the ones who make sure the Kings orders are carried out, and for this reason, so are very essential. Then there is the King, with complete and total power, the title passed down from parent to child (though none can seem to recall the current Kings parents), and the most powerful of all the Goblins. The regular laws of Goblin society did not apply to the King: the monarch may give peaches to anyone they wished, they may take goods and services without paying, and they may interact with mortals. This interaction with humans by the monarch was allowed, it was encouraged, expected even, as it was tradition for a Goblin ruler to take a human bride.
Let it not be said that the Goblins’ monarch was a poor King. His temperament made him an excellent ruler of their race with his swinging moods and manic emotions, kept under the controlled façade of a relaxed and carefree being. He knew how to throw celebration and make the most of revelry in a way that kept his subjects in good humor. He was mischievous bordering on cruel, and so was the best trickster of them all, finding new ways to torment mortals. Perhaps most admirable to his subjects, he was the best at twisting his words to hide their true meanings. These talents made him an inspiration and something like a hero to all of Goblin-kind. He was also masterful at finding any way to achieve his desires. He was said to have sacrificed his eye for omnipotence, so well was he able to predict the movement and forces of the world around him and the motivations that drove it. He mapped it in his mind as though he were recording the constellations of the night sky. No, he led the Goblins well, better than perhaps any King before, but never had any King seemed as distant to his people as this one.
There were many stories about the current Goblin King. There were story’s that said that his father was the night sky and that it was Chaos herself that bore him. Another story said that his blood was made of liquid nightmares. One added that if you looked into the gaping hole where his left eye should have been under the triangular cloth that he hid it under, the terrors in his blood would spill into your mind and drive you mad. It was generally believed that his hair was made of woven gold carefully sewn into his skull. One story said that where his heart should have been (for Goblins do have them, strange and lopsided as they are) there was only a void, and woe unto any being foolish enough to seek mercy or compassion from what was not there. It was whispered that the King did not and could not truly care for anything or anyone other than himself. There were tales of how once the King had had a vision of fire and death raining down from the sky. It covering the worlds both above and below in black and grey despair, and when he had awoken from it he had laughed until the walls of the castle had trembled with the for of his cackles.
“How then”, the unhappy subjects who were the recipients of these stories would murmur to one another as they trembled, “could our King ever find a bride? Surely she would immediately die of sorrow and fear at belonging to one such as he. Our lives shall be thrown into horrible disorder should he somehow meet his end for he has no heirs and has named no successors. We may spiral into war over such matters and our blood will spill!” Then they would shake and weep openly in the face of their despair.
However, there was one rumor among the many stories of their King, which gave these fearful Goblins a semblance of hope. As it was said that their King had dreamt of destruction and cruelty and laughed, it was also said that he had once dreamt of a falling star. It had been dazzlingly beautiful and had filled the surrounding darkness with light and color. It was said that the King had reached out towards the star, filled with an overwhelming desire to catch it and hold it to his chest, but it had soared away from his eager fingers and came to rest at the top of a tall, sturdy evergreen. The bristles of the tree cradled the star at its top and the whispering wind blowing through its branches mingled with the soft chimes the star emitted. It stayed there twinkling happily and contentedly out of the Kings reach. He had ranted and raved, begged and sobbed, even attempted to burn the tree but every time he touched it the branched would swing at him and knock him down or the star at the top would scream so horribly it crippled him. He had yet to figure out how to get the star to come down and it gave him great discomfort to not be able to obtain what he desired even if only in a dream.
“It was a vision of his bride” the Goblins spoke to one another, “it was a prophesy of our salvation.”
In the end though, it was only a rumor and Goblins are known to be horrible gossips and certainly none of them had the courage (or stupidity) to ask the King about it, so they simply held on to their hope. A hope that one day a star might fall to them and give light to their fate and the fate of their world.