Post by Lorpius Prime on Dec 28, 2010 23:47:16 GMT -5
Wretched products of genetic engineering, goblins owe their existence to the first Empire of Man. They may very well be the most visible and enduring element of that civilization's legacy. The original goblins were conceived during the Empire's attempts to design a breed of enhanced humans for its armies. Ultimately the super-soldier projects were abandoned as failures. But the goblins, who were viewed as little more than laboratory waste-products, proved far more resilient.
Goblins are stereotyped as appearing much like the ghoulish monsters for whom they are named. The reality is not quite so simple. Many goblins would be considered hideously deformed by human standards. They may sport dramatically asymmetrical features, misshapen limbs, and numerous superficial tumors. Still, many goblins do not exhibit these characteristics, and can easily pass as ordinary humans, though they are usually of below-average height.
Genetically, goblins are similar enough to ordinary humans to allow cross-breeding, though the offspring are often sterile. Goblin genetic code is unusually unstable by design, leading to a high rate of mutation among children, and severely curtailed lifespan by human standards. A high birth rate helps overcome the challenges of large numbers of unviable offspring, and many goblins avail themselves of technological augmentation to extend their life expectancy.
Among citizens of the Integrated Systems, goblins are the second-largest population group after humans, though the gap is significant. They are most visible on space stations and habitats. Although they exist in roughly equal proportions on most IS planets as well, most surface goblins tend to live in isolated enclaves. Such is the degree of separation that, on many inner worlds, quite a few human residents are not even aware of their presence at all. Goblins are a more common sight on lesser developed fringe worlds; but overall, the species has earned a reputation as almost exclusively spaceborne.
Legally equal in the Integrated Systems, goblins are still usually viewed as somewhat savage and inferior cousins by the human population. Before the rise of the second Empire of Man, a handful of independent polities dominated by goblins managed to briefly assert themselves before being once again picked apart or simply crushed by the Empire. Today, there are a few single-world goblin nations beyond the IS fringe, but nothing approaching the strength of even those weak pre-second Empire states.
As individuals, goblins tend to think and behave much like typical humans, though the repression of their species by humans, both real and perceived, has had a psychological impact on most. Many goblins bitterly resent humans, many resort to outwardly subservient behaviors to survive, and many would simply rather just not think about their racial status at all.
Goblins are stereotyped as appearing much like the ghoulish monsters for whom they are named. The reality is not quite so simple. Many goblins would be considered hideously deformed by human standards. They may sport dramatically asymmetrical features, misshapen limbs, and numerous superficial tumors. Still, many goblins do not exhibit these characteristics, and can easily pass as ordinary humans, though they are usually of below-average height.
Genetically, goblins are similar enough to ordinary humans to allow cross-breeding, though the offspring are often sterile. Goblin genetic code is unusually unstable by design, leading to a high rate of mutation among children, and severely curtailed lifespan by human standards. A high birth rate helps overcome the challenges of large numbers of unviable offspring, and many goblins avail themselves of technological augmentation to extend their life expectancy.
Among citizens of the Integrated Systems, goblins are the second-largest population group after humans, though the gap is significant. They are most visible on space stations and habitats. Although they exist in roughly equal proportions on most IS planets as well, most surface goblins tend to live in isolated enclaves. Such is the degree of separation that, on many inner worlds, quite a few human residents are not even aware of their presence at all. Goblins are a more common sight on lesser developed fringe worlds; but overall, the species has earned a reputation as almost exclusively spaceborne.
Legally equal in the Integrated Systems, goblins are still usually viewed as somewhat savage and inferior cousins by the human population. Before the rise of the second Empire of Man, a handful of independent polities dominated by goblins managed to briefly assert themselves before being once again picked apart or simply crushed by the Empire. Today, there are a few single-world goblin nations beyond the IS fringe, but nothing approaching the strength of even those weak pre-second Empire states.
As individuals, goblins tend to think and behave much like typical humans, though the repression of their species by humans, both real and perceived, has had a psychological impact on most. Many goblins bitterly resent humans, many resort to outwardly subservient behaviors to survive, and many would simply rather just not think about their racial status at all.