Origin Type: Dumped / Rift-Altered
Known Regions: Urban warzones, sealed sublevels, fractured metro-hives
Affiliation: Scavenger Clans, Boomcults, Cannibal Tribes

Overview

Goblins are feral, rift-mutated scavengers that manifest in fractured zones—particularly in warped apartment blocks, broken housing sectors, and industrial ruins. While once theorized to be the degenerate remnants of an exiled race, most Diver logs now consider Goblins to be dimensional parasites—lifeforms that adapt, infest, and weaponize whatever ecosystem they breach.

Small, fast, and violently unpredictable, they are more dangerous in swarms than alone. Goblins display rudimentary tactics, use scavenged weaponry (including firearms), and have no regard for safety—their only goal is survival and destruction by any means.

“They don’t think. They remember. Somewhere, somehow, they were taught to burn.”

Physical Traits

• Small humanoid stature: 3–5 feet tall
• Mottled skin in shades of green, gray, or rusted brown
• Oversized eyes adapted to dim light or flickering static
• Sharp teeth, thin limbs, and clawed hands
• Often wear scavenged clothes, armor scraps, or improvised gear
• Some exhibit mutation: extra limbs, mismatched eyes, or twisted bone growths

Abilities

• Swarm Tactics – Prefer ambush and overwhelm. One Goblin is a nuisance. Ten are a problem. Twenty are a nightmare.
• Explosive Instinct – Some Goblins carry makeshift explosives or suicide-triggered devices. These are often unstable and deadly.
• Adaptive Aggression – Able to use human or Diver equipment, including firearms, blades, and traps
• Pain Ignorance – Will continue fighting through injury or limb loss unless completely disabled

Society and Role

Goblins organize in hives or mobs, led by the strongest, loudest, or most insane of their kind. Their social structure is simple and brutal—built on power, speed, and fear.

• Boomcults – Worship explosions and fire; their shamans are bomb-makers
• Flesh Bands – Known to wear skin as trophies, even from fallen kin
• Staticborn – Emerging from cursed TVs or zones tainted by signal anomalies

They don’t farm. They don’t build. They take, twist, and defile.

Culture

Goblins have no known formal culture, but do express themselves through:

• Chaotic war paint or body marks
• Shrieking songs or rhythm-based speech
• Primal graffiti: symbols drawn in blood, paint, or whatever burns best

Some researchers believe Goblins share a collective, fractured memory of war—echoes of other collapsed worlds. Others believe they are simply Genesis's immune response to the idea of peace.

Threat Notes

• Unpredictable: Cannot be reasoned with.
• Dangerous in closed spaces: Best avoided in apartment-level structures or industrial tunnels.
• May be drawn to energy fluctuations, static anomalies, or fear spikes.
• Do not attempt to negotiate. Goblins interpret hesitation as weakness.

Related Notes

• Goblins were encountered by Vestige during a static event in Chapter 5
• Some carry salvaged grenades and pipe bombs marked with symbols or teeth
• Multiple Diver squads report being overrun after misjudging Goblin numbers
• Unconfirmed reports describe a Goblin Leader who speaks fluent human dialect—possibly a mimic or parasitic host