The Clark Ashton Smithian Ecology of The Hobgoblins in Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea With Help From Dragon Issue #63

Hobgoblin artwork by LadyofHats

The Wangliang  have been a part of 'Old Earth' & Hyperborea since before humans first appeared beyond the 'fourth wind'. These beings constructed some of the earliest civilizations & cities in the wake of the 'Green Death'.

AD&D first edition Hobgoblin

It is speculated  that there there were millions of Hob warriors pulled from the Underworld & natural world by Hyperborean wizards during the events of Ragnarok. The spirits of dead warriors & other unnatural semi devil like humanoid armies were raised from within the Earth itself . These Wangliang were bred for generations in the fissure worlds & hidden valleys of the inner Earth awaiting the time when they would be summoned back to the surface. Efficient & highly effective these warriors commanded millions of gobelin warriors at the whims of their Hyperborean masters.

Goblin artwork by LadyofHats

These  Wangliang tribes forged their tribes into nation states upon 'Old Earth' & established a foothold on Hyperborea when the black miracle of the crossing happened. But there are only two or three of Hobic nations on Hyperborea. They have moved into several abandoned Hyperborean cities & began the upward climb toward civilization. But two key events have prevented these Wangliang from gaining any serious foot hold upon Hyperborea. The first is the war of  instinctual genocide waged by several tribes of chaotic humans who worship the dark gods of the Outer void. The second thing is the wraith of a Jotunn wizard who has made it his life's mission to extinguish every last  Wangliang Hobic warrior from the face of the world. This is due to a blood debt but the nation state of Ha'rai near the frozen edge of Hyperborea continues to flourish. Carved out of the solid rock outcropping this community have come to inherit some of the alchemical knowledge of the Elder Ones. They have raised army of gobelin warriors but they are still vulnerable to attack by several tribes of local human warriors. 

The Atlanteans took several tribes of the Wangliang Hobic warriors & alchemically modified them into their koalinth or dark waves. These warriors were used in extensive campaigns against the Deep Ones but eventually the Atlanteans fell. The koalinth barbarian warriors remain with a deep hatred against the Deep One with whom they have a 'war inheritence'. These tribes of warriors worship a particularly nasty aspect of the hunter god Nodens. Known as the 'One In Between the Waves' this aspect of the god takes & revels in the destruction caused by the seas. 


 The koalinth barbarians hunt & destroy human settlements by summoning  horrors from the depths as sacrificial rites to their inhuman god. The koalinth barbarians use the human remains for reproduction & foul magical rites of empowerment of the darkest magicks. Several tribes of  koalinth barbarian tribes  work for the aquatic serpent men elders  who dwell in the sunken remains of the Atleantean cities  just off the River Oceanus. They often come into human waters to raid any passing ships. They have a history with the Amazon nations of blood & warfare going back generations.

The desert dwelling   Wangliang Hobic warriors of Zothique retain many of their 'Old Earth' counterparts retaining the worship of the god Maglubiyet. They dwell in many of the former human city's ruins & remains. The raid many locals & murder anyone who gets in their way. These are a dangerous series of nation states & they boast many dark wizards among their ranks. The Hobs of this epoch are murderous & utterly vindictive routinely going to war with the local hyena men tribes for both sport & blood count. They will kill & murder any humans they come across unless they can ransom them for a good profit. 


About 12 percent of this I exploited from Roger E. Moore (July 1982). “Point of View: The Humanoids - Goals and gods of the kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins & gnolls”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #63 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 25–32.