On the Origin of Goblins
By Plinius Masser 3E 431

Goblin. The word is enough to generate a feeling of mild distaste amongst even the most tolerant of men.
But what are Goblins, and where did they come from? "Notes For Redguard History" by Destri Melarg suggests that
Goblins (not to be confused with the "giant Goblins", which I will discuss in more detail later) simply appeared
in our world one day, seemingly from another dimension.

Some scholars suggest that this so-called "gate to Oblivion" was a result of Trinimac's transformation into
the Daedra Malacath, which has in turn sparked a slew of theories, including that Goblins are the creation of
Malacath (despite not being Daedra, perhaps filling a similar niche to Hircine's were-creatures and Molag Bal's
vampires), or that the gate in question was an unfortunately up-close view of Boethiah "corrupting"
Trinimac into Malacath, and that these Goblins weren't actually Goblins at all, but rather Orcs.

However, there are some holes in this theory. Destri Melarg himself makes a mention of "giant Goblins"
warring with the ancient Redguards long before this gate even opened, and my humble interpretation is that
these "giant Goblins" were in fact Orcs, and that the Oblivion-based Goblins in question were simply Scamps,
a breed of lesser Daedra, which do happen to look an awful lot like Goblins.

So, if the giant Goblins were in fact Orcs, and the interdimensional Goblins were Scamps, where does that leave
the actual Goblins?

Anybody who has spent time with an Altmer will have surely heard something of Summerset Isles' "domestication"
of Goblins, which the elves use in battle the way a man might use a dog or even a summoned Daedra (although the
Altmer use those, too). However, the Altmer that I approached in the course of researching this book were not
willing to elaborate on where these Goblins came from.

If I may, I would now like to discuss the writings of a rather controversial figure, one Eric of Guis, Reman II's
ambassador to the Summerset Isles.
In one of his journals, Guis writes "High elves consider themselves to be the only perfect race. Over hundreds
of generations they have bred themselves into a racially pure line, and are now almost identical to one another
in appearance. The theory that the High Elves do not reproduce as quickly or as often as humans is false.
Rather, and to my horror, they kill nine out of ten babies born to them in their obsession for purity."

An interesting read, to say the least! However, if these accusations of eugenics are to be believed (every Altmer
I asked on the topic either refused to comment, threatened me with violence or actually performed violence on me!)
It's well-known that Goblins are common in lands that have been home to the Altmer (for example, the Direnni
in High Rock and Hammerfell, the Ayleids in Cyrodiil and perhaps even the island of Solstheim, which is plagued
by Rieklings, variously believed to be a breed of snow Goblin or even the descendants of the now-extinct Falmer,
or "snow elves"), so it's entirely likely that the high elves' domestication of our ugly, greenish-yellow friends
has lead to more than a few Goblins escaping from their former masters and turning feral, which is why so many
Goblins are found living in the wild, away from elven society.

However, why would a race so committed to beauty in all its forms, domesticate such an ugly creature? I propose
that the answer lies in the secretive elven practice of eugenics.
If you study a Goblin (not something that I'd recommend with a live specimen!), you'll find that they are
often yellow-skinned (or at least green with a yellowish tinge), pointy-eared, and gifted with a rudimentary grasp of language
(on my travels abroad, I had an opportunity to converse, briefly, with a Riekling by the name of Dulk, whom I found to
be remarkably bright, if a little unfriendly). They are also capable tool-users, and understand the value of currency
and cooked food (if rat meat can be considered food, anyway).
So, if high elven parents are so obsessed with having perfect-looking children, what do they do with the imperfect
ones? It's possible many are put to death, as Guis suggested, but is it not also possible, if not probable that
many of these children are simply cast aside and disowned by their families, and left to occupy a lower caste
of elven society?
Yes, you read that correctly. I am suggesting that Goblins are not the children of Malacath (although being
outcasts they are protected by him), but rather the children of the high elves, who after generations of
interbreeding with likewise imperfect elves, have become something of a new race of mer; "low elves", if you
will. A similar process can be concluded to have occured to the former Falmer of Solstheim, who now exist
as the Rieklings.

[Publisher's note: the opinions raised by Mr. Masser are not the opinions of we, the publishers, and would like to
take note of the fact that Plinius Masser is currently serving a jail sentence of twenty-five years to life for heresy,
and has been forbidden from setting foot on the Summerset Isles should he be released, under pain of death.]

Raises a good theory into altmer society and the origin of gobbos. I like it :goodjob:

As far as lore goes, so far it looks to be pretty sound. I'd suggest that the author also had some jail time, beatings, disciplinary action, and/or expunged from Summerset for daring to raise such questions and come to such conclusions.

Also, gobbos seem to appear in a more greenish than a yellow-green, as seen in http://images.uesp.net//1/1d/TR-creature-Goblin.jpg and http://images.uesp.net//b/bc/OBCreature-goblin.jpg, as opposed to yellow, which was only seen in http://images.uesp.net//a/a0/ArenaGoblin.gif, but this just may be semantics (disregard if you wish). In addition, there are no gobbos in DF, which leads me to believe they're absent in Daggerfall and High Rock. Thus, only Summerset and Cyrodiil seem to have any gobbos. This, I find, can make sense, because the Aleyids are Heartland High Elves, so they may have been similarly close to the altmer of Summerset. As for the rieklings, their origins are left up in the air, but you could raise the issue they may be degraded falmer (evidence by the nord's superstition)

Good stuff Jara of the Black Wind!

But what I want to know is....how can Goblins be both native to Summerset Isle AND Akavir? Not exactly related to your theory, but a question none-the-less.

Good stuff Jara of the Black Wind!

But what I want to know is....how can Goblins be both native to Summerset Isle AND Akavir? Not exactly related to your theory, but a question none-the-less.

I found two minor mistakes, both in the same line of paragraph seven:
...
Other then that it was an enjoyable read, well done.

On the Origin of Goblins- Addendum
By Plinius Masser 3E 432

Greetings again, gentle readers! Since we last met, I have been imprisioned against my will in an Altmeri prison, high in the mountains of Cloudrest, for a crime I did not commit! Psh, "heresy!" One of my captors even went as far as to call my text "flagrant human weener-wagging"! Ironically, I strongly suspect the guard may not have even been an elf, but rather a shaved Imga! How ironic, criticism of beastfolk, by beastfolk! No matter.

Thankfully, I have been fortunate to be visited by my colleagues at the Imperial Library, rare though these visits may be. These occasional bursts of human contact prolong my sanity, and make my homemade shrine to my Lord and Patron Sheogorath that I made from toenail clippings and fecal matter (not my own, of course!) seem more and more preposterous.
One visitor, an elderly Argonian whose name escapes me was kind enough to leave me with a copy of "Mysterious Akavir" (which the guards have since confiscated) and a brand-new 3rd edition of "A Pocket Guide to The Empire", which has been published since my incarceration.
Interestingly, the chapter on the Summersets has no mention of the practice of elven eugenics I discussed in my last text. I don't know what to make of this new development, but I can only theorise that my elven aggressors have censored the Pocket Guide in an attempt to discredit me! May Sheogorath strike them down and cause their favorite extremities to drop off!

Ahem.

Naturally, being that this is "On the Origin of Goblins", I would, of course, like to discuss the origin of Goblins, taking into account what I have learned from "Mysterious Akavir. I would also like to discuss the Tsaesci creation myth, "And we ate it to become it", which I found as a loose scrap of parchment lodged into the dust cover of "Mysterious Akavir".
The parchment it is written on is much older and finer than that used to print "Mysterious Akavir", so it is my belief that it is not part of the original book, but rather found its way there by mistake. Nonetheless, "And we ate it to become it" is, in my opinion, a vital companion text to "Mysterious Akavir". Thankfully, I managed to hide it in my shrine to The Madgod when the guards confiscated my books.

Firstly, "Mysterious Akavir" says, on the topic of the Tsaesci, "they enslave the Goblins of the surrounding isles, who provide labor and fresh blood." This is the only mention of Goblins I could find in either text, but it is my belief that this one sentence speaks volumes.
The Potentate Versidue-Shaie was born in Akavir during the First Era, and it is from him and his contemporaries that most of our information on Akavir comes. It is also known that the Tsaesci are the hated enemies of the Ka Po' Tun, or tiger-dragons. It is said in "Mysterious Akavir" that the Tsaesci "ate" the men of Akavir, which appears to suggest that they themselves "became" human in some way. But why would a human race keep Goblins? The answer lies in their feud with the Ka Po' Tun, whom I believe are more similar to the elves of Tamriel than their apparent appearance would suggest. After all, if Akavir is home to a race of men (of sorts, the Tsaesci), who's to say that it's not also home to a race of elves (again, of sorts)?

The Ka Po' Tun, like the elves of Tamriel, strive to regain their immortality lost in the creation of the Mundus. Elven heroes such as Phynaster and his extension of the elven lifespan attest to this, as does the fact that the high elves believe themselves to be directly descended from Auri-El, whom we know as Akatosh. The Ka Po' Tun, in their struggle to become immortal have apparently been trying to "become dragons" for millenia. The first (and only known) to do so is their king, one "Tosh Raka". Now, maybe it's the madness gnawing at the back of my mind, but if you ask me, this Tosh Raka has somehow managed to achieve godhood, by becoming either Akatosh himself, or an avatar thereof.

"But what about the Goblins?" I hear you say. Patience, my toenailey Lord! I'm getting to that.

If the Ka Po' Tun aim for immortality like the elves do, why shouldn't they also have similar customs and habits? It is my belief, that the Ka Po' Tun, like the Altmer of Summerset, also practice a sort of eugenics, and that the Goblins of Akavir are in fact none other than a degenerate offshoot of the tiger-dragons, and the Tsaesci have simply enslaved the Goblins much the same as one would enslave any other prisoner of war.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my cellmate is clipping his toenails, and I need to finish my shrine so that I can pray to get out of this godsforsaken place. It's starting to smell kind of funny in here.