Khal-Aguuch v1.3 (Hobgoblin Refluff)

THE HORSEMAN GLANCES AT THE HORIZON, THE yellow sun staining red and darkening by an unending flurry of sand. Sweeping to the mass of cavalry, soldiers, and banners marching behind him, the rider peered at his trusted retainer, the hobgoblin's yellow eyes crusted with earth.

"The sandstorm is too thick, Sher! We must turn back, lest we face defeat by the earth itself!"

Grasping his reins, Sher Olug, warchief and coming scourge of the green realms, drinks in the sun's complexion, a sign of favor from on high.

"I see no defeat, Tuul; only victory. Horde of Ulaan, we march!"

-Legend of the Ulaan's First Ambush





Amid the biting sands, windswept dunes, and rocky plains dividing nations and continents churns a sea of outcasts. However, ask any seasoned traveller, weary merchant, or cautious adventurer the color over these lands, and the answer resounds the same: red.

The Khal-Aguuchi

Like the endless blue above their heads, only one people of the world beneath the heavens claim mastery of the frigid steppe and endless desert. To themselves, they are the khal-aguuchi; to others, they are the hobgoblins. Red skinned with yellow and orange eyes, khal-aguuchi stand slightly shorter than a human but with a thicker frame. Though humanoid, their lion-like nose, wide ears, and stern stare separate-them from other races such as humans or elves. Khal-aguuchi often sports jet black hair that greys slightly with age and rarely grow facial features.

For their stature, a khal-aguuch carry themself with an innate pride to boot, always standing tall among friend or enemy alike. Despite their rough lifestyle, the khal-aguuchi's codified society places stringent rules on entitlement, speech, and even dress. Only a depraved khal-aguuch dares to scar their honor and abandon their assigned role within a tribe.

When the Sky Bled Iron

To the khal-aguuchi, there is one beginning and one alone. When the world was green and new, her mountains unclimbed and her cavern pools untasted, an upheaval in heaven ousted a plethora of gods. One of these gods, a war god named Dan Zoogch, stole a yellow bone spear from the hall of pearl and jade before being banished for his crimes against divine order: an order, khal-aguuchi argue, that allowed chaos to fester, thus legitimizing his claim to rebel. Dan Zoogch cut the sky, and from her endless blue dripped blood and blazing metal that scorched the land. It is from this earth the khal-aguuchi emerged: the stars of the sky became iron weapons, the gusts of wind mixing with earth to become mounts of terrifying repute, and the blood staining their skin red and marking them for war; or so say their priests.

Whatever the truth, the first generations of khal-aguuch society cemented their ranks, codified their laws, and set their fate in a never-ending tug of dominance with their neighbors. What they could not make, they impressed from their subjects. Decisive battles cemented the khal-aguuch as

a premiere mortal threat, but their territories have stabilized in the advent of their success, the khal-aguuch resembling their neighbors more and more.

As the years passed, the momentum of their military fervor stalled as they nestled into now familiar lands. The khal-aguuchi's established kingdoms, clans, and warlords now struggle for supremacy within while also aiming their spears against the nations on their border. Some khal-aguuch clans still meander about the expansive wilderness of their birthplace chaff under these tumultuous and often lofty rulers. Owing little allegiance to a distant soul who traded in the comforts of a saddle for the splendor of a palace, these clans continue the old ways in fierce pastoral fashion.

A Nation of Stone

Behind each helmet, tucked in each saddle, and strung on each bow resides an innate symbol of impending doom among the dunes and plains, for each hobgoblin is trained from birth to their role in a grand order.

Amid turmoil, the inelastic laws that govern khal-aguuchi inched along across the eras. In times of war, their ability to recruit, train, and march have led to the brink of nations long thought unconquerable. However with their inflexible customs come abusable cases, auspicious signs, and, above all, fear of failure to live up to their own destiny. When the stars are not right, the bones of dragons untelling, and the rain too early, khal-aguuchi busy themselves with preparing for their next chance to march in war. During this time, they forge alliances, send traders and envoys, and adopt, to what extent khal-aguuch society allows, rules and customs of their neighbors as a token of acceptance for their soon-to-be-conquered neighbors.

This strategy, only as effective as their courts are sly, more often than not mugs their ambitions in frivolous regality. These efforts invite constant ridicule from would-be rivals, turning the khal-aguuch kingdoms into a mess of revolting usurpers and underhanded coups.

The steppe clans on the other hand, highly effective combatants but limited by number and industry, rarely offer these decrees and rule with an iron fist, maintaining order and peace (as far as khal-aguuch governance is concerned).

Khal-Aguuch Names

All khal-aguuchi share a common naming structure of a family name, clan, or warband followed by their own birth name assigned by the clan leaders or priests. The chosen common name mirrors their heritage: nomadic khal-aguuchi have fierce names while sedentary khal-aguuchi feature austere and civil ones.