Hobgoblins

Nobody is sure where the hobgoblins came from except for the hobgoblins themselves, and they are not telling. They arrived in a massive army from the south thirty years ago, crossing the lands to the south of the Algostam and immediately invading the ancient forest of Unuviel Belore, home of the elves and their city of Tira Luthien. Without explanation, challenge, or demands, the hobgoblins sacked the forest in the five-year-battle called by the elves "the War of Fading." The hobgoblins committed genocide on the elves, killing every one they could find -- they reduced the numbers of the race to a mere twenty thousand, and drove them completely out of the Spirit Wood. Atop the ruins of Tira Luthien, they built their new capital, the Umber Citadel of Kal Kathorn.

Then they stopped. Their empire settled itself. The hobgoblins marched no more against the other races of the Grand Confederation. An uneasy stalemate settled across the land: the hobgoblins did not press any more attacks, and their sheer numbers prevented the Confederation from attacking Kal Kathorn. For a quarter-century the hobgoblin empire has sat brooding, and the rest of the region has waited with a guarded anticipation for their next move.

Almost nothing is known about the hobgoblin culture aside from their warfare. The hobgoblins seem to be an incredibly militaristic people; they may not have a society outside of their armies, which are regimented, disciplined, and frighteningly coordinated. They do not seem to take pleasure in unnecessary cruelty, or wade into some kind of battle-lust; indeed, cold ruthlessness is their most obvious trait. They make no overtures of peace. They accept no attempts at armistice. No member of the Grand Confederation, in fact, has ever made peaceful contact with a hobgoblin; the only race that has ever communicated with them are their cousins the goblins, and their reports say only that the hobgoblins would enslave them instead of killing them, as they did the elves. Hobgoblins do accept the presence of bugbears within their ranks; indeed, these large goblinoids serve as the shock troops of their forces.

One oddity that has been noted is their races' almost total reliance on physical strength in combat; very few hobgoblin arcanists have ever been noticed (aside from the occasional war-bard, whose drumming and chanting stirs the spirits of the army), and no one has ever reported a goblin cleric, druid, or adept. Considering the threat the hobgoblins pose, their lack of magic may be the Grand Confederation's only real chance of defeating them.

Regions
Hobgoblins live within Unuviel Belore, mostly in camps around their fortress of Kal Kathorn.

Racial Traits

 * +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution: Hobgoblins are fast and hearty.
 * Darkvision: Hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
 * Sneaky: Hobgoblins gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.
 * Languages: All hobgoblins begin play speaking Common and Goblin. Hobgoblins with high Intelligence scores can choose any of the following bonus languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elvish, Infernal, Giant, Orc.