Goblins and Dwarfs
Everyone on Other Place has to endure goblins and their constant pranks. Exploding outhouses, pie throwers, pit traps, horses dressed in ball gowns, it simply doesn’t end. But different races have their own way of dealing with goblins, some worse than others.
Dwarfs and Goblins
Dwarf society long ago drifted from its roots as dedicated craftsmen. The old system of related families ruled by clan lords and kings was replaced with an owner-employee relationship where large corporations rule tens of thousands of dwarfs. Dwarf corporations make and enforce the laws, with profit being the highest and only goal.
It’s not an easy system to live in. Dwarf corporations submit monthly profit reports, and woe to the dwarf who fails to meet expectations. The expression ‘hostile takeover’ takes on a new meaning when company security uses magic wands. Larger corporations like Industrial Magic Corporation and Consolidated Looting push around their smaller rivals, buying up promising upstarts while crushing rivals. Open warfare between corporations is rare after the five year conflict between Amalgamated Arm-twisting and Take-it-all Inc. Still, it’s not unheard of for CEOs to hire pirates and bandits to attack their business rivals.
Surviving this kind of environment is hard. Dwarf leaders have to exploit every resource they have to its fullest, be it property or personnel. The corporations devastate land they own or rent as they drain it of resources. This forces them to move on after they have taken everything of value, leaving it a wasteland behind. Employees are pushed hard and many leave for greener pastures. Some dwarfs even use convict labor, buying a prisoner’s sentence and putting him to work. Changes in leadership occur whenever profits drop.
In this cutthroat competition, goblins have been the downfall of many dwarf leaders. Goblins mess things up. It’s what they do. When they get inside a dwarf mine or factory, it doesn’t take much to bring it to a grinding halt. Even an hour’s lost work can cost a company a fortune in gold. As a result, dwarfs hate goblins nearly as much as elves.
Dwarfs deal harshly with goblins. Corporate security is tasked with rooting out goblins in dwarf territory with ruthless efficiency. They build impressive defenses using both magic and mundane means to keep out goblins. They patrol their property often to destroy any goblin settlements they find. Dwarfs will sweep through any new area they plan on moving into to rid it of every goblin before they start up business.
Ironically, goblins love dwarfs and always have. Getting into dwarf factories and mines is nearly impossible, but that only makes them more attractive targets. These heavy defenses force goblins to be even more inventive than normal. It’s common for goblins to spend months to get a single goblin passed dwarf patrols, but the resulting chaos and confusion makes it all worth it.
Another reason goblins love dwarfs is because dwarfs inadvertently make homes for their enemies. Dwarfs can strip mine a region of every speck of ore, leaving it a barren, blasted landscape little better than the surface of the moon. Dwarf factories are just as hard on the land. The energy and rare elements used to make dwarf magic items leaches into the soil, contaminating it and causing spontaneous bursts of magic (bring Instant Princess Frog Restorer when visiting dwarf lands). It takes decades for dwarfs to entirely gut a region, but when they do it is unlivable for nearly everyone.
Nearly everyone does not include goblins. Goblins are one of the few races that can thrive in such depleted environments. They can eat the toughest weeds and drink polluted water without ill effect. Dwarfs also leave abandoned buildings behind when they vacate a property, providing housing for incoming goblins. And since no other race can live in these wastelands, goblins can claim them without fear of attack. Many goblin communities sprang up from abandoned dwarf holdings, growing so large that there was no way to evict them by the time the land recovered and was considered worth having. Indeed, this is how the Kingdom of the Goblins originated, and it now boasts the largest concentration of goblins on Other Place.
Dwarfs and Goblins
Dwarf society long ago drifted from its roots as dedicated craftsmen. The old system of related families ruled by clan lords and kings was replaced with an owner-employee relationship where large corporations rule tens of thousands of dwarfs. Dwarf corporations make and enforce the laws, with profit being the highest and only goal.
It’s not an easy system to live in. Dwarf corporations submit monthly profit reports, and woe to the dwarf who fails to meet expectations. The expression ‘hostile takeover’ takes on a new meaning when company security uses magic wands. Larger corporations like Industrial Magic Corporation and Consolidated Looting push around their smaller rivals, buying up promising upstarts while crushing rivals. Open warfare between corporations is rare after the five year conflict between Amalgamated Arm-twisting and Take-it-all Inc. Still, it’s not unheard of for CEOs to hire pirates and bandits to attack their business rivals.
Surviving this kind of environment is hard. Dwarf leaders have to exploit every resource they have to its fullest, be it property or personnel. The corporations devastate land they own or rent as they drain it of resources. This forces them to move on after they have taken everything of value, leaving it a wasteland behind. Employees are pushed hard and many leave for greener pastures. Some dwarfs even use convict labor, buying a prisoner’s sentence and putting him to work. Changes in leadership occur whenever profits drop.
In this cutthroat competition, goblins have been the downfall of many dwarf leaders. Goblins mess things up. It’s what they do. When they get inside a dwarf mine or factory, it doesn’t take much to bring it to a grinding halt. Even an hour’s lost work can cost a company a fortune in gold. As a result, dwarfs hate goblins nearly as much as elves.
Dwarfs deal harshly with goblins. Corporate security is tasked with rooting out goblins in dwarf territory with ruthless efficiency. They build impressive defenses using both magic and mundane means to keep out goblins. They patrol their property often to destroy any goblin settlements they find. Dwarfs will sweep through any new area they plan on moving into to rid it of every goblin before they start up business.
Ironically, goblins love dwarfs and always have. Getting into dwarf factories and mines is nearly impossible, but that only makes them more attractive targets. These heavy defenses force goblins to be even more inventive than normal. It’s common for goblins to spend months to get a single goblin passed dwarf patrols, but the resulting chaos and confusion makes it all worth it.
Another reason goblins love dwarfs is because dwarfs inadvertently make homes for their enemies. Dwarfs can strip mine a region of every speck of ore, leaving it a barren, blasted landscape little better than the surface of the moon. Dwarf factories are just as hard on the land. The energy and rare elements used to make dwarf magic items leaches into the soil, contaminating it and causing spontaneous bursts of magic (bring Instant Princess Frog Restorer when visiting dwarf lands). It takes decades for dwarfs to entirely gut a region, but when they do it is unlivable for nearly everyone.
Nearly everyone does not include goblins. Goblins are one of the few races that can thrive in such depleted environments. They can eat the toughest weeds and drink polluted water without ill effect. Dwarfs also leave abandoned buildings behind when they vacate a property, providing housing for incoming goblins. And since no other race can live in these wastelands, goblins can claim them without fear of attack. Many goblin communities sprang up from abandoned dwarf holdings, growing so large that there was no way to evict them by the time the land recovered and was considered worth having. Indeed, this is how the Kingdom of the Goblins originated, and it now boasts the largest concentration of goblins on Other Place.
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