As well as the large-scale consumption of their surroundings,

hobgoblins make huge changes on a local level; their fortifications

are second to none. Upon occupying a new area, every hobgoblin
and slave’s efforts will be focused on digging lines of trenches,
clearing surrounding forest to remove cover and provide wood for
lines of stakes, and serviceable stockades can spring up in a matter
of a few days. Over time, if the hobgoblins remain, this wooden
skeleton will be reinforced with clay or mud or, in some cases,
replaced piece by piece with stonework if they are able.
Roleplaying Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins are hard, unrelenting and uncompromising, but they
are not fools. It is not unheard of for them to cooperate with other
races if their aims overlap, or even for a tribe to be employed
as a large scale mercenary force if the reward is good enough,
regardless of the ideals of their employer. Pragmatic and cold,
hobgoblins are not the world’s best conversationalists; small talk
is more or less unheard of, and an outsider can only realistically
expect to hear boasts, war stories, and impassioned discussion of
preferred combat tactics.
Most hobgoblins take the view that other races are needlessly
decadent and that theirs is a superior and purer way of life,
making little effort to hide these views in mixed company. This
understandably leads to some ill will from others, and a few
hobgoblins take joy in goading others to the point that weapons
are drawn as a demonstration of their own restraint and their
opponent’s lack of discipline.
Language and Common Names
Hobgoblins speak plainly, and their language reflects this. It is
less clipped and chattering than basal Goblin, but still favors hard
consonants. It is rare for a word to have more than one meaning,
and existing words are clumped together to
describe new concepts.
Hobgoblins bear short, sharp names, easy to bark
orders to and differentiate in battle, multisyllabic names
are rare, and generally only found amongst high ranking officers.
Hobgoblin Names: Borkol, Daksh, Garl, Gorshk, Grak, Karsh,
Korb, Krach, Rachka, Rakst, Skaal, Stol, Trosk, Zask
Combat Tactics
Hobgoblins excel at fighting as an efficient unit and maintain
their discipline in the face of all but the most unusually fierce
opposition. They coordinate their varied skills to best suit the
situation, most commonly using an advancing line of shields to
allow ranged troops to keep up a constant volley or to force foes
together for more lightly-equipped skirmishers to harry. If their
formations are broken up, they will attempt to make the best of the
situation by flanking their enemy with two smaller units.
In large scale combat, their most common formations are Kraana,
(‘the teeth’, where seemingly weak areas of the front line are
presented to draw in an attack; when the enemy drives these areas
back, the stronger units to either side close in and envelope them)
Jaashk (‘the spear’, where the strongest and most heavily armored
units are concentrated in a spear point to force an opening in
enemy lines), and Jaakja (‘the hedgehog’, where the infamous pikewalls
are used to drive enemies towards unfavorable terrain).
If their losses begin to mount up, or the chances of victory begin
to slim, hobgoblins are not too proud to withdraw to fight another
day. It is incredibly rare for this to take the form of a disorganized
rout as with most races; hobgoblin battle-plans usually account for
a chance of failure, so there will be provisions in place to fall back
to a defensible position in an orderly fashion once things start to
turn against them. Slaves are the true measure of an individual’s worth in hobgoblin
culture, and exist in two distinct castes; schett personal slaves, and
schaaf the lower, public slaves.
Personal slaves are the property of the officer who captured them,
and are expected to carry out tasks unbefitting of a warrior, such
as writing and carrying missives, stitching clothes, tending to fires
and carrying supplies. While treatment of personal slaves differs
from officer to officer, it is uncommon for them to be treated any
better than cattle. Some enjoy doling out severe beatings for minor
(or invented) offenses, others like to organize gladiatorial games,
and some show little interest in their property. While the latter
may seem optimal for the slaves in question, disinterest can prove
deadly if the master doesn’t bother to apply for their food rations.
Public slaves vastly outnumber hobgoblins in any settlement, and
occupy every non-military role needed; they tend to livestock,
work the mines, and carry out the bulk of the hard labor needed to
maintain defenses. They lead miserable lives, and the hobgoblins
do all they can to stamp out any spark of resistance. It is common,
for example, for a slave to have a set number of beatings a month,
regardless of wrongdoing, and even to ‘declare war’ for a few days
each year, during which time no hobgoblin will face punishment
for killing a slave.
Hobgoblin females of high rank generally see it as their duty to
pass on their evidently strong genes to the next generation and the
difficulties of fighting whilst pregnant usually keep them out of
active service. Unlike most non-combatants though, high-ranking
females are still awarded a great deal of respect (dependent on their
previous martial reputation). Wars have been fought and kingdoms
have been sacked as dowries for particularly desirable females.
Children are raised communally, often becoming the responsibility
of a lower ranking individual angling for a promotion, until they
are five years of age. At this point they are segregated from other
members of society and undergo a brutal system of training known
as Kraachka; ‘the forging’. Youngsters are divided into units of ten,
grouping together strangers where possible. These units go through
the forging together, swearing loyalty as one, and answerable as
one. Soldiers-in-training are intentionally underfed to acclimate
them to the possibility of starvation while on campaign, and to
encourage them to use their cunning if they want a full belly.
Stealing is expected, but any caught doing so will be punished
severely along with the rest of the unit. They are trained to take
these beatings without showing pain or weakness.
After ten years of drilling, and spending winters out in the
wilderness with only their wits to warm themselves, the students
take the final test Graat, ‘the anvil’; a militia is raised from the
strongest slaves and, armed, armored and commanded by their
masters, a war is declared against the young hobgoblins. Given
basic supplies and a day’s head start, they must emerge victorious,
or the survivors must take their place among the slaves.
Environment
Hobgoblins have a profound impact on their environment. Once
they establish a base, they will move outwards like a plague of
ravenous insects, stripping all resources from the land if given
the opportunity. After months or years, the army will depart with
its spoils, leaving in its wake desolate fields and dry riverbeds;
wastelands to be picked over by feral dogs, carrion birds, and the
desperate few survivors not marched away in chains.