To strategize

With the door to my room closed behind me, I made my way downstairs to the hall where my uncle and chief Hardalgmar were conversing, their hands stretched out in a handshake. They lingered on their feet as they spoke, though a table with chairs stood ready to be sat on. This hall had always been the place for chiefs to argue matters of law and state, and its very design reflected that purpose.

“High chief,” Hardalgmar faced me, “chief Aremfrid has explained to us your ambition of conquest. War chief Frakaldhelm, the other chiefs, and myself, we all vow to support you in whichever way you deem necessary.”

“I don’t want to conquer anyone, Hardalgmar. That’d be coercion. Diplomacy will be the name of the game, not war.”

“With all respect, my nephew, it is solely for their own good to be a measured amongst your subjects, and our kind is known to be lacking in comprehension of higher purposes,” my uncle said.

“Right… Anyway, that’s not relevant right now. What I need from you two is a briefing on the current political state of Gobland. Whether we force others into submission, or convince them to join us in our endeavor for greater prosperity, is not the point I want to focus on.”

“Very well,” Hardalgmar responded, “since you two have been absent for many cycles, I shall detail to you our tribe’s current condition.”

Hence I was brought up to the date on the five major tribes of Gobland. I had already heard tales relating to the Bugretanii, Laiesyces, and Toretanii before, but the fifth and final tribe came to me as a surprise.

Located all the way in the south of the Illgrum peninsula, was the Turacetae. They bordered all goblin tribes with the exception of the Ausmulii. Boasting the largest population, the highest development, and the greatest urbanization, the Turacetae were a considerable force to be reckoned with. Their lands stretched across the entire southern coast, their fields well-tilled, and their settlements swollen into proto-cities unlike anything else in Illgrum.

The Turacetae were heavily influenced by the human Hadashtinian empire, which once owned colonies and cities on their shores. Though the foreign rulers had long since withdrawn out to sea and back to their continent of origin, their mark endured. Institutions, technology, and even political culture seeped into the Turacetae, reshaping them into a people apart from their northern cousins—a people who knew the art of centralized rule.

This semi-monarchical tribe was ruled not by a loose council or a high chief, but by a crown-like chieftainship backed by codified law and tradition. Heavy taxes weighed on the common goblins, levies were drawn in great numbers, and whole classes were bound to the soil in serfdom. Thereby creating a system whereby the populace was actively discouraged from ascending, in order for the elites to maintain sway over the masses through their Edekrags—which, if one recalls, works more effectively on those who lack intelligence—the unascended.

“Nonetheless,” my uncle forewarned, “it is folly for one to compare it to a human kingdom, for it is more akin to a swollen chieftaincy than a true monarchy—misguided in their ways, yet closest to the ideal thus far. The key to success will be vigilance.”

“Success?” I mumbled to myself. “Well, I guess they’re more than a tribe but less than a kingdom, so you could call them a semi-kingdom, right?”

My uncle raised his chin to the right.

“One might find themselves wondering why these five tribes expand not into each other’s territory…” my uncle continued.

Apparently, there are a few reasons as to why Gobland has yet to be consolidated under a single ruler, but the most important one is the ceiling rulers reach once they attain a certain amount of vassals. The way how governance functions among goblins is through the Edekrag—a passive power that a higher ascendant stage of goblin possesses, prompting submission and deference in their lower-tiered brethren. When a leader has too many subjects, his Edekrag wears thin and loses sway. A natural cap.

Though not always required as plenty of goblins remain loyal through tribal bonds or much the same reasons humans would, it is particularly useful for maintaining sway over those in the boonies who have little incentive to keep in touch with the rest of the tribe.

Because the Gnobbles are not capable of managing any more than their tribe current size, they don’t go out of their way to expand their realm; they’d suffer from overextension otherwise. It explains why the Ausmulii are the smallest of the five tribes, seeing as it was until recently ruled by Highgoblins who wield weaker Edekrags, and why the Laiesyces maintain the position as second largest tribe with their two Gnobbles. How the Turacetae manage to be the largest, neither me nor my uncle are sure. I would assume that high centralization makes the Edekrag more efficient, while the Laiesyces internal strife hampers their true potential in terms of realm size.

Either way, because of this deficiency in the Gnobble’s ability to manage more land, there exist an abundance of small, spread-out, independent clans, all ripe for the picking. If I were to focus on these smaller clans first, I can quickly make the Ausmulii into one of the larger tribes.

According to my uncle—though anyone with reason could deduce the same—my Edekrag is supposedly much, much stronger because I’m a Goblin King, which hopefully meant I’d be able to manage all of Gobland. I like to imagine my Edekrag being so powerful that I bring an atmosphere of pure dominance whenever I might go, but who knows. I never purposefully made use of it, after all.

Since it’s a passive ability, however, it might help to explain why my tribe already knew I was stronger than the rest prior to beating up Gazmul, Rekmun, and the late Baldrenraz. Most likely, my Edekrag emitted some domineering aura. Also explains why everyone immediately liked me as soon as I started providing value to the tribe.

That all said and done, I don’t really know where to start with a plan. My head is filled to the brim. I excused myself, and headed outside for some fresh. Clear my mind, and then build a strategy.

***

“JAH!”

My spear struck the deer, the light in its four eyes extinguishing into a dark void. In my experience, there was something calming about hunting. It might sound psychotic that killing animals is relaxing, but it makes sense, no? It’s physical exertion with a clear marker of success or failure. It takes skill and cunning, you test your patience, and if done well, you are rewarded with a fresh meal. It’s quite simple. Intuitive as well.

I brought the game to the lodge, and handed it to Wergnar, the only person out hunting today. Since the destruction of the lynx den back at the mine, the remaining strays and stragglers have been hunted down by the Narzakii, yielding them a hefty boon in wealth. Apparently, the public phobia of dread lynxes had evaporated, condensed into fascination, and precipitated as newfound demand for coats made from lynx pelt. Wergnar himself was clothed to the brim with pelts of the highest quality. He amassed enough wealth to commission a swordsmith to make him a falcata—a weapon that could usually only be afforded by Highgoblins and high-ranking Crawgoblins. He commissioned the grip separately from an artisan, who made him a dread lynx-inspired grip, directly inspired from the alpha whose head I carried into town that victorious morning.

“Hey, big cheese. Thanks for your work,” Wergnar waved as I marched into the lodge.

“You know it. Ready for training?” I replied.

“You betcha,” Wergnar grabbed his falcata and darted to the door, ready to practice swordsmanship with me. Seeing as he’s decently trained already, and we goblins heal relatively fast, we train with our real blades rather than wooden training swords.

We switched between our drills and sparring every ten minutes. My body moved by itself as my mind was allowed to take a hike, and was at liberty to think concretely about my plan of action.

First up is definitely the smaller clans. Not only would they be easy to conquer, even if I wanted to avoid that, but they would surely be inclined to join me if I offered them a certain service. Well, I can offer them protection from raids, whether by human or goblin hands. Since my people no longer feel dread in the face of dread lynxes, I could offer them protection from those beasts as well. Combined with my Edekrag, if mine indeed works passively, they’ll fall at my feet to join me. Of course, they wouldn’t actually have to do that. If they don’t wanna be a part of my gang, that’s their problem. Consent to be ruled will be the name of the game.

Next up, the Bugretanii. They’re in dire need of help against the humans who continue to transgress on their lands, threatening to raze it to the ground. Once again, if I help them out, they might see the benefit in joining me. If not, my uncle will be able to deliver a speech or two to convince them of the value of my help.

After that we have the Laiesyces, for sure. My mother is apparently the daughter of one of their Gnobbles, so that man would be one of my grandparents. Or if that man died, then it’d be my uncle on the seat of power. Either way, if I utilize my family bonds, they might feel comfortable in submitting to me. Alternatively, I could try and solve the internal strife within the dual-tribe. Much like my previous plan, it might enlighten them to the worth in joining me.

The matter of the Toretanii and Turacetae is complicated. I don’t really have anything to help them with or tie them to me, so I lack leverage. Maybe if the Toretanii are discontented with their overlords, I could wage a war or two to free them and win their favor? For now, I’ll just focus on my other goals.

What’ll also have to wait is devising a functioning system by which the kingdom ought to be ruled. We’ll see about that later.

Wergnar and I finish up our training, and go back home. I enter my Great Hall, as I trademarked the building as, and greeted two elderly Crawgoblins who were waiting for me. Village chiefs of some kind?

“Welcome, noble chiefs. What brings yourselves to my Great Hall™?”

“High chief Albaric, we are chieftains from the clans to the north of your domain. My companion here is from Ilertun, and I hail from Sigobriga. We have come here to swear our clans’ allegiance to you.”

“You honor me,” I replied with a shocked but amused expression. “Erm, very well. If you allow me but a second, gentlemen.”

“Certainly, high chief.”

“Please, make yourselves at home,” I said as I gestured towards the empty chairs.

In need of counsel, I hurried to my uncle. I knew what vassals were, but I forgot to ask about them in detail this morning! Should I charge them taxes or levies, or should we, I don’t know, require a monthly visit to pay me homage? Should I make them kiss my feet or provide me with concubine—wait… hold on. Am I onto something with that last point?

For now, let’s summarize my kingly to-do list:

1. Unify smaller clans

2. Help the Bugretanii

3. Recruit the Laiesyces

4. Something something Toretanii & Turacetae

5. Make a lasting system

6. Acquiring one, large, Ottoman-styled harem

7. See beyond the meaningless pursuit of carnal desires

8. Build a second harem