I.	The Goblinesh Gathers
-- 1. Facts in Brief
i.	Goblinesh are savage not evil. What this means is that even though they may at times seem savage a goblinesh is just as honorable as any human, sometimes more so. In many goblinesh gathers honor is the most important aspect of society with the observation of clan customs taking a close second.
ii.	Gathers are more of a social organization than a human town. This means that to be part of a gather is to be part something bigger than youself. Thusly as gather is something that you would lay down your life to protect. Each gather member relies on the other to form a strong bond of individuals. Goblinesh gathers are socialist places with each clan owning an equal share and members seen as individuals. 
iii.	Goblinesh are not stupid contrary to the popular belief they are as varied as humans with regards to intelligence and creativity. This also means that they are just as devious and many goblins are rightly feared for their vindictive ways in handling feuds. 
iv.	Goblinesh gathers are overseen by a leader called a Gather Chief who is advised by the gather’s Spirit Whisperer. In particularly large gathers a Gather Chief sometimes has others who he calls Seconds. The position of Chief is akin to being a steward of a town and thus the power of Gather Chief changes depending on the particular situation. 
v.	Goblinesh are honorable and will always honor any oath they are sworn to even goblins though that race tends to honor oaths deviously if they feel they’ve been misled.
--- a. GM-to-GM - Sean
-- 2. Historical Overview _Chrystyne
-- 3. Society
Overview: Since they fled the yoke of slavery at the hands of the Kalanar Empire and fought off the purifiers of the Prelacy of Camon the savage races of Shaintar prefer to live in social communities with large numbers and many defenses. It is in these communities that orcs, goblins, and ogres, collectively referred to as goblinesh, spend most of their lives. 

First to understand the goblinesh one must realize that orcs, goblins, and ogres are not evil but they do live very savage lives compared to those of their human counterparts. Goblinesh are true idealists and pragmatists believing that all should have equal say at challenge in the making of a community. They live in social communities found mostly in the north in the Prelacy of Camon and in northern Olara but can be found elsewhere all over Shaintar and even in some of the islands of the Pirate Archipelagos. 

They live in villages and cities made up of hundreds of goblinesh called Gathers. These communities in which clans form the basic building block much like districts do in human cities are among the most advanced achievements that the goblinesh have made. No longer content with living in small tribes or clans scattered throughout Shaintar they have formed a truly socialistic society of clans and clan leaders. It is the first step towards truly becoming a unified people and one that the goblinesh are taking with fevered although slippery steps. 

Due to their recent achievements at civilization over the past century the goblinesh are being recognized by the free peoples of Shaintar as valuable allies.  

Goblinesh gathers are social communes organized into different tribes with each having a distinct hierarchy of hunters/gatherers, workers, warriors, and shamans. It should be noted that goblinesh categorize themselves by their titles within each gather and never along specific racial hierarchies. That being said most goblinesh see themselves as part of a larger whole with the total value of one’s individual life equal to the lowest rung in the society.  Just like with any socialist society the means of production are owned by the workers and not strata of wealthy politicians thus all goblinesh must contribute to the gather to be considered valued members of society. 

Unfortunately this means that when a goblinesh gets ill for a long period of time and cannot contribute to society any longer they must rely on either luck or the kindness of the Spirit Whisperer to nurse them back to good health. Even with the society having the belief of sharing equally the goblinesh are still a savage culture and feuds between the clans are common. Thus it is easy to see why large socialist gathers are very rare. 

When mentioning the savage customs of goblinesh versus their desire to live in a social utopia it should also be noted that when it comes to selecting the leader of a Gather called, a Gather Chief, all socialistic customs are thrown right out the proverbial window. 

During the trial by combat in which goblinesh will mete steel against steel and wits against wits to claim the coveted position of Gather Chief the mentality of the participants is usually more Nietzscheian. Meaning that during the trial participants view themselves as the most important and will do whatever they need to do in order to win the trials including bribing, stealing, and fighting. The Gather Chief now little more than a town overseer in ancient times was the ultimate authority and depending on specific situations in some ways still is. The Gather Chief acts as mentor, mediator, war monger, overlord, and mayor. He is the penultimate top dog in the gather as far as he is concerned and the other goblinesh tend to agree.

Gather Topography: Clans form the meat of a goblinesh society and it no different with their cities. Gathers are arranged by districts called domins which is basically short speak for domains. Each domin has a Clanned that is in charge of the domin. A Clanned is the leader of their particular clan and thusly gets the best seat in the domin as well as best spoils of clan feuds. 

Within a Gather are multiple domins each forming a circle with a particular clan’s Clanned house in the middle and other clan huts circling the Clanned’s. Each clan’s huts and houses are arranged this way to form a greater circle that then surrounds the Gather Chief, Spirit Whisperer, and municipal houses such as meeting halls, guild houses, and sometimes watch towers and military barracks. Sometimes gathers have walls or light fortifications but they always have at least palisades around Temples devoted to Ceynara and any military buildings such as barracks. 

Transportation within the gather is usually swift with roads made for convenience more than esoteric value. There are normally four paved main roads leading into and away from the gather itself and multiple smaller avenues of hard packed dirt that wind and snake through each clan’s domin forming a very complex but efficient roadway. Most of the gathers stables are situated within the center of each clan’s domin next to a blacksmith or stable master house. Supply wagons have trouble navigating the bumpy domin roads and so tend to stay on the main roads as do ox carts and the occasional merchant cart.

Situated within the main circle a goblinesh marketplace is a veritable cornucopia of trinkets, baubles, tools, food items, and weapons. Being a savage culture the goblinesh prefer the barter system and tend towards that when engaging in trade rather than dealing with human coin. The exact value of something is dependant on need however and occasionally fights break out in marketplaces due to disagreements of value. These are quickly quieted though by the Enforcers who normally make a judgment on value of a particular item on the spot and business returns to normal quickly. If a value cannot be agreed upon it is then taken to the Barterer where a short trial will be held and both the plaintiff and defendant can argue their side. In the end though it is the Barterer who will decide what the value of the trade good is to be and that value is then posted in the marketplace until such time as supply and demand changes.

Clan domins normally are communal living quarters with several huts together in a full circle on the outside of the larger buildings roads bisecting the huts to provide ample walkways within the domin. Many domains have individual walls normally constructed of wood and guarded by warriors from the clan. Each clan has a specific section of the gather that belongs to them where the clans individual customs must be observed overseen by their Clanned and secondly the Gather Chief. The only members of the gather who are able to supersede in clan customs are Barterers, the Gather Chief, the Second, and the Spirit Whisperer

Gather Customs: Gather customs are as varied as the individual clans themselves with each custom being adopted or dismissed into a gather as new clans join or leave the gather. In many gathers it is common practice for a Clanned to slice the palm of their hand to signify a blood-alliance with the gather though this practice is observed more in the north where civilization tends to be more savage.

When they come of age; fifteen for an orc, thirteen for a goblin, and eighteen for an ogre, Goblinesh have to go on a spirit quest to become full members of a gather. This is very much a coming of age trial rife with danger and mystery. The goblinesh’s Clanned and the Gather Chief prepare the vision quest with their closest advisors including the Sprit Whisperer, the most powerful shaman in the Gather. The trial itself normally consists of three parts; the first part is called The Journey in which a young goblinesh must travel a great distance from their home gather to a far off location, normally the cave or woods in which they believe gather’s ancestors live. 

During The Journey the young goblinesh is only able to bring one weapon and one change of clothing. They are not allowed to bring food of any kind nor are they allowed to bring any other item save a strange brew called balae. The Journey normally takes one week in which time the young goblinesh must hunt, make shelter, and fend for themselves in a hostile environment. It is said that The Journey teaches each goblinesh how to be a productive member of society and how to live with Shaintar rather than on it.

Once they get to their ancestors homeland they must find a safe quiet spot to sit and drink the balae it is then that begins the second part of the trial called “The Dreaming”. It is in The Dreaming that the young goblinesh will see what it is that the ancients would have them be. This is not their destiny rather more what the ancients feel that the goblinesh would be best at doing within the gather. It is unknown how long a goblinesh will remain in The Dreaming, some are only one day some take up to an entire week, because the effects of balae differ from goblinesh to goblinesh. The one thing that is known is that during The Dreaming the young goblinesh will have different visions from past, present, and future and after they awaken from the dreaming they are considered adults. After they emerge from the halls of their ancestors the goblinesh then makes their way back to the gather for the final trial.

The final and most difficult part of the trial is The Making in which a returning goblinesh is made a full member of a gather. The exact rituals associated with The Making differ from gather to gather depending on which clan’s Clanned is Gather Chief and what customs are being observed. In the south The Making is little more than a bit of hazing followed by a ruckus and wild party that normally lasts late into the next morning. In the savage north The Making is more dangerous, a fight between different clans using the blocking blade called Chuktar to first blood is the custom in the Mukdar Gather, home of the society of warrior/adepts known as the Bloodsoothers located deep within the Northern Fangs in the Prelacy of Camon.

--- a. Titles and Ranks
1.	Gather Chief – Leader of a gather. The Gather Chief can be of any goblinesh race but has to be both brutal and smart enough overcome adversaries. There have even been gathers that have had humans or dwarves for Gather Chiefs but those are very rare because of the savagery needed to hold this title is often not found in other races. Before one can become a Gather Chief they have to be a Clanned which requires a vote from their clan.
2.	Spirit Whisperer – Normally the most powerful shaman and head of all shamans in a gather. The Watch Shaman acts as both legal advisor and spiritual advisor to the Gather Chief.
3.	War Leader – The war leader is the fastest, strongest, smartest, and most tactful of all goblinesh in a gather. It also helps if they are good tacticians because the War Leader is the military advisor to the Gather Chief as well as head of the gather military.
4.	Clanned – The Clanned or Clan Head is the head of a particular clan living in a gather. Normally the most senior member of a clan or the most popular. The Gather Chief is always also the Clanned of their particular clan.
5.	Watch Shaman – The head shaman of a clan who acts as spiritual advisor to the Clanned and holds a special place among the clan.
6.	Enforcers – The police of the gather. They oversee trade and keep the peace between feuding clans.
7.	Barterer – Name given to the goblinesh judges who interpret the law and set values on trade goods.
--- b. Important Goblinesh Clans
1.	Orc clan names are normally represented by firstname-clanname such as Mik-Dorik or Dak-Tuale. An orc woman will replace her clan name with that of the husband she takes so it is vital that orc parents also produce male offspring in order to keep the clan name. It is considered a deadly insult to say to an orc “May your wife produce only females!” and many clan feuds have begun with such words. Let’s take a look at some of the larger orc clans.
a.	Clan Kralle is a clan of orcs who believe in true socialism and strive for perfection of that concept in any gather that they are in. The clan excels at producing talented warriors, many of whom become cavalrymen or elites. In addition recently many Kralle have been displaying a knack of adeptry. Best known among the adepts is Schul-Kralle, member of the Bloodsoothers the elite warrior/adepts of the Mokdor Gather.  An eye superimposed upon a black background with a chuktar is the clan banner. It symbolizes that the clan is always watching and ready to defend against any threat. Clan Kralle is foremost authority in the use of the blocking blade known as the chuktar.
b.	Clan Dorik’s members tend to be more pragmatic than other orcs and enjoy the social climb. Many excel at archery and are frequently seen within a gather as archers or members of a Gather Chief’s personal guard. The clan’s banner is a many notched arrow with a crecent moon below and a crown above. This symbolizes mastery of the night and of archery.
c.	Clan Tuale’s members excel at commerce and trade and it is no surprise that they are the social debutantes of the orcs. Gifted with agile tongues and even quicker hands clan Tuale tends to serve as skirmishers in the military and later work their way into the marketplace as merchants and Barterers. Clan Tuale’s banner is an orc hand out in a traditional welcoming gesture on a red background.
2.	The goblins do not adopt their clan names into their names preferring to keep things simple and have just one name. Nevertheless the goblins do have a few notable clans. Goblin clans are the largest of all clans in a gather and are normally the core infantry of a gather’s military.
a.	Clan Grum is the largest by far of all the goblin clans and most goblins tend to hail from this clan. Clan Grum hails from the northern mountains and were chased out by the dwarves over millennia ago. Goblins from this clan tend to be opportunists taking their share in a gather and then maybe a bit more when no one is looking. Members of Clan Grum tend to serve as skirmishers in the infantry in a gather before moving onto more devious work such as travel guides and cobblers. The clan’s banner is a simple goblin face grinning. It displays the Grum Grin as it is called by other members of the gathers.
b.	Clan Felhart’s members tend to be quite the opposite of Clan Grum and most look forward to serving in the military to prove their worth to their larger cousins. It is because of this that many of Clan Felhart’s members serve as artillery men and later alchemists in a gather. Clan Felhart’s banner is a black snake coiled around a willow tree and a broken heart at the bottom of the tree. 
3.	Ogres do not organize into clans as their smaller cousins do but they do live in large family groups called clada. An ogre clada can be as big as thity members. Ogres tend to live within a gather as Enforcers and serve in the military in a variety of roles appropriate to their individual merits. Many ogres are adept at sorcery and it is because of this that they are looked upon as advisors and many serve as the Spirit Whisperer.
a.	-- 4. Of Special Interest
--- a. The Goblinesh Military
The goblinesh military is broken up into several categories the infantry, the cavalry, and the elites. Regardless when they become an adult all individuals are required to serve at least four years of their lives in the military of a gather before moving on to other trades, women are the only exception to this though in the north even women are expected to serve in many gathers due to proximity of the Prelacy of Camon.
1.	The goblinesh infantry is comprised up of many units each divided by clan with the Clanned as the head of any particular fighting unit. Depending on the clan’s specialty the infantry unit can be skirmishers, front line fighters, artillery men, or archers. Units are normally between twenty and thirty goblinesh but in the case of larger clans units can swell as big as fifty goblinesh. If a clan has more than fifty members then another unit is formed of the clan and so on and so forth with a unit commander appointed by the Clanned who reports to the Clanned. Each Clanned then reports directly to the War Leader who is considered the Commander and Chief of the military. 
2.	Because not every goblinesh displays a desire or a skill with riding a horse a gather pulls from all clans for members of a cavalry unit. The best, brightest, and most deserving member of a cavalry unit is then named the cavalry leader and reports directly to the War Leader on matters of war and their unit. Because of their closeness to one another a gather’s cavalry units normally form social links between clans and a sort of society or club, many even have special names such as the feared Riders of the Long Horn of the Ruda Gather in Olara.
3.	Similar to the cavalry units the elites are formed from various clans. Also much like a cavalry unit the elites are a sort of society or club although one swears a life oath to the society. The name of the elite unit is different depending on the gather for instance the Elite warrior/adepts known as the Bloodsoothers guard the Mukdar Gather. The elites are formed of the most battle hardened individuals of a gather who are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the gather. The elites are the best of the best and have cunning tactics and supreme battle prowess on the battlefield. The elites report directly to the War Leader and Gather Chief with the former superseding the latter in times of war. 

--- b. Goblinesh Shamans
a.	Goblinesh Shamans prey to Ceynara, the Goddess of War and consult the spirits of nature. It is the shamans who will through intervention with the goddess tell if the years harvest will be a good one or if a particular enemy will be defeated in the next war. It is also the Shaman who will mix the balae for a young goblinesh to take on their Trial.
--- c. The Church of Ceynara, Goddess of War
-- 5. Goblinesh Towns, Cities, and Strongholds

Muk-Dar Gather

LOCATION: Muk-Dar is located within the Gorgon Mountains deep within Prelacy of Camon between Stonefinger and Honespear within a small river wash that provides ample food and water for the large gather.

AFFILIATION: Independent, Other Gathers

POPULATION: 1800 Goblinesh

RACIAL MIX: Mostly goblin with a mixture of orcs and ogres.

ECONOMY: Good; mostly agricultural and fishing with an emphasis on goblin-raised pigs and orc plowed fields. There is also a small but burgeoning steel trade from the recently discovered iron mine near the gather. Since its discovery the mine has attracted more weapon makers, blacksmiths, and forgers to the gather.

STRENGTH: The military of the Muk-Dar gather is both tactical and efficient with the Bloodsoothers making up the elite ranks. Law is kept within the gather itself by the Enforcers who are very good at what they do. Crime is virtually unknown as every clan tends to share with one another using an advanced system of barter and favors. 

LEADERSHIP: Gather Chief Rua-Kralle is a beautiful orc in her prime and is considered to be an excellent tactician as well as a true believer in socialism. Her second Guatirn is a rather charming goblin from the Felhart clan and he assists her with the job of keeping peace in the gather, preparing youths for The Trial, and works with the War Leader a very intelligent Ogre named Torvak who has shown a remarkable talent for sorcery. Gumduak a half-goblin is the gather’s Spirit Whisperer. Older than Rua-Kralle, Gumduak tends to be listened to when he speaks and many in the gather wait patiently for him to finish speaking before speaking themselves.

NOTES: Notable buildings within the gather are the Bloodsoother’s Tower, a massive ten story structure made of stone and brick. From the top of the structure one can see every mountain pass and virtually every mountain trail. The massive building is home to the elite of the gather, The Bloodsoothers. These individuals literally hate the Prelacy of Camon and swear a blood-oath to protect their gather from the likes of the Prelacy’s more inhuman residents. In addition to the Bloodsoother’s Tower the gather also has a large smithy located within the center of the gather called simply enough “Metal House” that is run by the nephew of the clan Gumark’s Clanned an orc by the name of Qual-Gumark. Recently out of military service the young orc is both enterprising and talented and promises to bring many good things to the gather.

-----------------------------

Lindoar Gather

LOCATION: Lindoar is a week south of Arkk in the Black Mountains among the high craggy peaks of the range.

AFFILIATION: Independent, Other Gathers

POPULATION: 800 Goblinesh, 20 Avanar

RACIAL MIX: Mostly ogres and orcs though recent refugees of Avanars have been arriving due to the recent eruption of a volcano near their homeland. 

ECONOMY: Fair; the Gather mostly exports precious gems taken from the mountains and herds mountain goats.

STRENGTH: The Gather’s greatest strength is its very ability to withstand tremendous opposition. Since the exodus of the goblinesh from the Empire of Kalanar these goblinesh have put down roots and have no intention of leaving, having battled dwarves and other not-so-friendly intruders the hearty people of the Lindoar Gather seem insistent on staying put. Crime is a problem though with the recent demise of the war leader and the Gather Chief the visionary ogre by the name of Ugarath has taken over both positions. Enforcers of the Gather have been rather busy of late rounding up criminals who would see Ugarath replaced with a more brutal leader but the industrious Ugarath has other ideas and dreams of one day becoming a leading gem producing area. As such he has made peace and trade treaties with the local Dwarven and Alacar populations.

LEADERSHIP: Gather Chief Ugarath keeps a firm grip on his people’s more savage instincts while allowing them the freedom to conduct trade and barter. Ugarath commands respect from his followers but he gives peace of mind and true freedom. Fighting is outlawed and the penalty is a week in prision. Differences must be carried before a court and then judged accordingly. Fights are still held though they are more social affairs with Enforcers on hand to keep the blood shed from a minimum. Ugarath sees his utopia as the beginning of the new age of sophisticated goblinesh.

NOTES: There have been several plots to overthrow the Gather Chief Ugarath but all have been uncovered and their conspirators eliminated or reprimanded. Trade is going well with a nearby Dwarven forge and the recent arrival of the Avanar has added more cultural diversity to the Gather which promises to be both a stop over point for adventurers and a haven for the downtrodden of society.