Goblins
Overview
Goblins, also Luchorpan (Feyspeak [1] for '), are a Fey species native to Arcadia. They are the sole species of The Gilded Court, ruled by The Bloated King. Among the Fey, Goblins are the most overtly transactional beings, defining identity, power, and even survival through possession and accumulated value.
To mortal observers, Goblins appear to confirm every ugly stereotype associated with greed. Within Arcadia, however, they are understood as a rigorous philosophical experiment: what happens when Strange Meaning is derived entirely from ownership.
History
Dark Age
Goblins came into existence in the middle Shattered Age, circa NIR 1520, with the founding of The Gilded Court. The Court asserted that Strange Meaning arose through possession, that to own something was to validate its importance, and that accumulation itself was proof of worth.
From this doctrine emerged the Goblins, beings whose bodies were designed to internalize value literally, making wealth inseparable from self.
Dawn Age
In the current era, Goblins remain one of the most visible and influential Fey species, due less to numbers than to their control over Arcadian trade, debt, and exchange.
Cosmology
The Gilded Court holds that Strange Meaning is created through ownership. To possess is to matter; to be possessed is to be diminished.
Goblins embody this belief perfectly. Their bodies do not merely display wealth, they consume it, incorporate it, and reshape themselves around it. As a Goblin grows richer, it grows larger, stronger, and more socially dominant, until its body itself becomes a vault.
Their reproductive cycle ensures that wealth is never destroyed, only redistributed. Even death is converted into liquidity.
Society
Goblin society is entirely structured around possession and leverage. Status is measured by hoard size, liquidity, and the ability to enforce debt.
Younger, smaller Goblins operate as:
- Thieves, pickpockets, and scavengers.
- Merchants and middlemen.
- Loan sharks offering ruinous bargains.
As Goblins grow wealthier and more massive, mobility decreases. These elder Goblins become stationary power centers: crime bosses, vault-lords, and financial anchors whose influence extends far beyond their physical reach.
Trust does not exist in Goblin society, only collateral.
Ecology
At their smallest, Goblins resemble short, vicious elves, with wiry muscles, fanged teeth, and sharp, predatory movements. Their eyes are golden, turning red when enraged. Even young Goblins decorate themselves with visible wealth: rings, piercings, chains, and talismans.
As Goblins accumulate riches, their bodies expand to accommodate them. Jewels are embedded into flesh, teeth are gilded, and skin is pierced or plated with precious metals. At the height of their accumulation, Goblins become ogrish in size, swollen with both mass and authority.
Goblins possess several distinctive abilities:
They can ingest valuables, incorporating them directly into their bodies to increase strength and durability.
They can smell valuables with uncanny precision, tracking wealth like blood in water.
Their reproduction is explosive rather than generative. When a large Goblin is slain, it does not fade into dream as most Fey do. Instead, its body ruptures into many smaller Goblins. The larger and richer the original Goblin, the more offspring are produced.
These newly formed Goblins immediately scramble to reclaim as much spilled wealth as possible before fleeing to establish their own hoards. In this way, Goblin society ensures perpetual growth, fragmentation, and redistribution without ever abandoning its core doctrine.