Cute Goblins as character PCs
by Marc Saindon(Inspired by Ginny Di's cosplay as various goblins)
Maybe in those uncharted lands north of Hule, Nyx and Hel made a deal a long time ago, with Nyx receiving a batch of goblins as a servitor race. For Nyx, undead are fine servitors, but require that the living die before they are created, and thus are dependent on the breeding cycles of the living, so having a batch of living minions avoids putting all her eggs in the same basket. The second goal is to advance the Sphere of Entropy against the Sphere of Thought by destroying the idea that Goblins are merely spear-fodder by creating an advanced, magically-inclined society. A rather abstract way to keep her rank among other Entropy immortals, and subtile enough to avoid retribution.
By providing the Goblins with a valley with ample resources to grow healthy (and nudging their development into better looking specimens), they develop a society, guided by Nyx under the guise (minor incarnation) of the goblin witch 'Shady Lady' (these goblins are all about rhyming in their magics), who help the Goblins develop the mystical know-how to graduate from Goblins-with-an-option-as-Wokans (lesser monster magic-users) to full-fledged Wizards (favoring the school of necromancy, of course). Surprisingly, Nyx doesn't encourage them to become Nyx Clerics (to keep things from registering on the other immortals' radar), so the more spiritual Goblins turn to Druidism instead, learning to increase life energies in the valley to balance out necrotic energies. A few, with mad genius inspiration, become Artificers, and develop various time-saving technologies (like windmills), crafting strange brews (pumpkin spice beer) and advanced weaponry.
They become a civilized society, having a few villages, inns, farms, workshops. They are literate. They engage in commerce (silver coins called 'moons' and 'half-moons'). Society is matrilineal (last from the mother, like early scotland), but not matriarchal (both genders do as they please). The Goblins govern themselves with town council reminescent of the Five Shires. Their culture is a bit 'Halloweentown' or 'Sleepy Hollow', spooky but not exactly menacing. Zombies and skeletons (including animal versions, such as mules and horses) indulge in a lot of menial labor (pumpkin farming, apple-picking), allowing the goblins leisure time to study, and socialize, as well as providing a first of defence against marauding humans from the north (allowing Nyx to achieving a goal of breaking the cliché of gentle human farmers attacked by raiding goblins by flipping the script).
Eventually, some Goblins are curious about the outside world. They begin to encounter misshapen goblins. And then humans that are not dangerous, but view them as dangerous. People with prejudice against necromancy or their emo style.
(art from: https://www.deviantart.com/zyannarts/art/Cute-Goblin-girl-smiling-843425440)