Goblins
In Longfall, it’s said that you’re never more than three meters away from the nearest goblin. Indeed, the small, gray-green, pointy-eared creatures scurry through the streets everywhere. But anyone who dismisses them as a pesky, easily controlled nuisance makes a grave mistake. The goblins are a powerful faction on Leonera and have learned to compensate for their physical weaknesses with tireless ingenuity.
Goblins know well that bullets and shrapnel are just as deadly, even if the finger on the trigger is thin and green. And when brute force is required, they have a few orcs at their side, who provide the necessary muscle to defend goblin interests.
Goblins have shared the world with humans since time immemorial. Well, shared is relative, as they spent much of their history enslaved by humans due to their smaller stature. But a few decades ago, an orc washed ashore and taught the goblins to fight. While the humans were preoccupied with their own conflicts, the goblins seized the opportunity and won their freedom through an empire-wide uprising.
In Longfall, a chaotic melting pot, this uprising was especially successful. The goblins managed to conquer an entire district of the city, which they still control to this day. This area, which they proudly call Goblinopolis, shines as a beacon of hope for all goblins throughout the empire still grappling with their newfound freedom.
Goblins can change their gender at will and are usually genderless unless the situation calls for otherwise. Some, however, develop a preference for certain forms and keep them permanently. Goblins therefore tend to have a shapeless, lively appearance with individual, distinct accents.
In terms of clothing, goblins wear whatever they can find. Some still wear the uniforms from their time as slaves, while others, fresh out of the jungle, might only have a single piece of clothing. Many goblins, prone to a certain cowardice, rely on anything that can protect their precious skin—from crab shells to half a shark or even a wooden barrel.
Goblins are often cowardly and physically weak, which explains the high proportion of peg legs among them. Yet they compensate for these weaknesses with boundless creativity and a love for explosions. Their arsenal is as colorful as they are: rockets, mobile battering rams, bombs, armed octopuses, and other exotic devices fill their ranks.
Of course, goblins also use conventional weapons, though these often amount to little more than rust with a metal core. And then there’s the legendary Paddle of Doom...
You’ll usually find goblins in large groups, compensating for their individual weaknesses and cowardice through sheer numbers. But it’s not just their numbers that make them dangerous—their exotic weaponry and unpredictable equipment make them highly varied and difficult for opponents to predict.
The true strength of a goblin crew lies in their numerical superiority and their creative wonder weapons, occasionally backed by orc muscle. This approach may not always work reliably, but it’s always entertaining. Anyone who likes to be surprised by fate and wants to have fun along the way should gather a horde of goblins around them.