Lawful Evil

The Goblinoid Fleets of Atollon

Origin

The Tyrant hit Primordias like a meteor, punching right through the seafloor, creating an exit wound in the very fabric of reality. A chain of islands were thrust up by the trauma to the planet's crust, surrounding an eternal maelstrom that spirals down past the seafloor and into the Far Realm. The Far Realm is an upper plane that sits like an open wound in the multiverse. Interdimensional aether seeps and oozes through the endless ocean that falls away into infinite darkness.

It was from this darkness that the elder cephalid came, drawn to the light of the Maelstrom. The Tyrant reached out and encircled their alien intellects with its will, binding them to itself for all time. Through these aberrant entities, The Tyrant began to exert its power over the depths of the Far Realm and extend its influence into Primordias through the ocean trench at the heart of the Maelstrom. From the Elders, The Tyrant coaxed and shaped other forms of creatures to suit its needs.

Small, humanoid cephalids were born of the elders that were compatible with the reality of Primordias and capable of crossing into it. Then came the aboleths and seers, drawn from the unknowable psychies of the elders and turned to the task of expanding The Tyrant’s reach. As its power and influence grew, The Tyrant enslaved and corrupted the goblinoids, bending the mortals to serve its will. Fleets of goblin corsairs sail forth from the island chain of Atollon and carry the corrupting knowledge of the Far Realm with them.

Domain

Torn from the depths of the planet, the islands of Atollon are jagged spars of basalt, scoured by the stormy seas that surround the Maelstrom. The hurricane winds howl through the twisting towers of dark stone and tear at the thorn trees and saw grass that sink roots into the cracks and crevesses. Even through the constant clouds, the gas giant Orbis casts its light in the eastern sky, waxing and waning with each day.

Stretched across the spines of jagged rock are rope bridges and wooden piers, connecting the scraps of land as if holding them together against the ever raging tempest. Larger islands are steep and mountainous, nearly as inhospitable as the smaller ones. Pitted and porous, the islands are riddled with cave systems and underground tunnels, some hollowed to serve as fortresses for the servants of The Tyrant, connecting the world above the sea to the world below.

The kingdom of Atollon continues beneath the stormy waves. Many of the caverns and tunnels open into underwater caves and flooded passages. As the islands above are dressed with structures of stone and wood, the trenches below have been shaped into cities of coral. The merfolk and aboleth cluster on the sheltered side of the islands just as the goblin ports and sea fortresses above, protected from the violence of the Maelstrom.

Society

Atollonian society revolves around the cephalid. They are connected to each other and the elder cephalid through a hive mind that allows The Tyrant to manifest its will. The cephalid gather in great colonies suspended in the aetherial murk of the Far Realm. From here they cultivate the grand design of the elders and carry it into Primordias for execution. While in Primordias, the cephalid rule from the Acropolis Rocks, hallowed islands that connect the underwater world with the kingdom above through caverns and tunnels. With their denizens, the seers and aboleths, the cephalid orchestrate the activities of the merfolk schools and goblinoid fleets.

Though separated by fundamental natures, the goblinoids and the merfolk are unified in purpose. Below the waves, the merfolk swim in schools akin to tribes. On especially auspicious occasions, they coordinate with the goblinoids to serve their mutual masters. Above the waves, sail the Goblinoid Fleets, loose collectives of hobgoblin corsairs grouped around a circle of pirate princes. Each pirate prince controls a port within Atollon. Some are no more than harbors to hide their ships while others are sprawling sea cities or fortresses.

The pirate king sails from the grandport of Goregash on the largest island. Goregash serves as the capital of goblinoid affairs and as a center of black market trade for the whole of Primordias. The hobgoblins occupy the top of goblinoid society. They are not as big and strong as their cousins the bugbears or as cunning as the goblins but are a perfect mix of both. Most of the pirate princes are hobgoblins and despite tensions between the goblinoid sub races, they compliment each other to form an effective society that serves their masters well.

Paths

Rythmuse

Bard (College of Valor)

Life in Atollon is spent mostly at sea. The duty of coordinating the sailors and bolstering their spirits falls to the Rythmuses, bards that use drum and fife to lead the crew in chanties for work and leisure. Aspiring Rythmuses are carefully selected and trained by masters to ensure they are capable and qualified to shepherd ship moral.

A subtle magic underlies the chanties passed down from master to apprentice amongst the Rythmuses. They must be able to charm and assuage, embolden and intimidate, all through song and tune. In addition to the magic of their music, the Rythmuses hold the rank of officers and must be exemplary sailors and leaders, capable of leading work or battle during a crisis.

Stormborn

Cleric (Tempest Domain)

Stormborn have an inherent connection to The Tyrant, and through it, the Maelstrom. They often rise to the rank of captain because of their abilities to shape and navigate weather as well as the ease with which they command others. Through their link to the Maelstrom, Stormborn are able to harness storm and sea as weapons to fight their enemies.

The most powerful stormborn become terrible scourges of the sea, their ships born forth atop cresting tidal waves and heralding the arrival of violent typhoons wherever they go. Those that balance their inner tempest with the dominating powers of The Tyrant become pirate princes, leading infamous fleets, while some are lost entirely to the storm and become forces of nature, bringing nothing but destruction in their wakes.

Kuma

Fighter (Battle Master)

Bugbears are an integral part of goblinoid society. They are not as smart or fast as their smaller cousins but are needed as tireless laborers and ferocious fighters. The most skilled fighters among them are called Kumas. They are not simply large blunderous oafs with big weapons but skilled fighters that have been trained their whole lives. The Kuma style of martial arts was developed by hobgoblins specifically for bugbears and tailors the progression to their style of learning.

Kumas are taught a series of katas that build upon each other to develop triggered responses and instinctive reactions. This style capitalizes on the bugbear’s muscle memory and allows them to become extremely skilled and adept fighters without needing a tactical or strategic approach to combat. Many opponents have payed the ultimate price for underestimating a Kuma by assuming they are simple brutes.

Corsair

Ranger (Hunter)

Corsairs are skilled fighters and sailors that depend on their agility and dexterity in combat and at sea. They are proficient with sword and bow but usually specialize in sniping their targets at range or facing them with a weapon in each hand, creating a storm of blades. Though every hobgoblin sailor is trained and raised to fight only the very best are called Corsairs.

Corsairs embody the highest ideals of hobgoblin society; Peerless sailors and navigators, expert fighters, and ruthless commanders, but more than these skills, Corsairs are set apart by their awareness. This is their true power, as they are able to take in entire conflicts and assess where they are needed most or appraise an enemy and instantly discern their weakness.

Klepto

Rogue (Thief)

Goblins are exploited and abused by the rest of goblinoid society because of their small size and physical weakness. In order to survive, a goblin must either endure this treatment or utilize their natural talents to make their own way. Many goblins turn to crime in the face of their position and form gangs that vie for the scraps of the fleets. The most cunning and resourceful become Kleptos, stealing from the captains and princes, living off the bounty of the fleets.

Kleptos are rare goblins because they have the courage and ambition to stand up to a society that oppresses and neglects them. The majority of goblins prefer safety in numbers and the ease of scavenging for their needs. Kleptos hone their natural speed and agility to become deadly shadows, capable of taking what they want, even in a world dominated by their larger cousins. The most ambitious Kleptos have become so successful that they create their own fleets and the greatest of their number is even counted among the pirate princes.

Seeker

Warlock (The Great Old One)

Seekers are seekers of knowledge. In a society bereft of academic pursuit they are left but a single course to satisfy their hunger. The cephalid can taste their desire for knowledge and are always waiting and watching for their emergence among the goblinoids of Atollon. There is a special fate awaiting those they find as the elder cephalid seek conduits of influence into the wider world and offer forbidden knowledge of the most terrible kind.

Seekers are manipulated and lured by the cephalid, tempted and tutored with morsels of knowledge that prime them for their futures. When they are considered ripe, they are brought through the vortex into the Far Realm, where they commune with the great and terrible elders that lurk in the depths. A link is formed that opens the Seeker’s mind to truths from beyond the universe. This knowledge allows the elder cephalid to act and perceive through the Seeker but also drives them steadily insane, turning their mind and soul to aetherial sludge.