Boardung Booyahg the Nilbog

When Maglubiyet conquered the goblin gods, he intended to leave only Khurgorbaeyag alive as a harsh overseer who would keep the goblins under heel. But the goblins’ pantheon included a trickster deity who was determined to get the last laugh. Although its essence was shattered by Maglubiyet, this trickster god survives in splintered form as a possessing spirit that arises when goblinoids form a host, causing disorder in the ranks unless it is appeased. Goblins have no name for this deity and dare not give it one, lest Maglubiyet use its name to ensnare and crush it as he did their other deities. They call the possessing spirit, and the goblin possessed by it, a nilbog (“goblin” spelled backward), and they revel in the fear that a nilbog sows among the ranks of the bugbears and hobgoblins in the host.

Goblins’ Revenge. When goblinoids form a host, there is a chance that a goblin will become possessed by a nilbog, particularly if the goblin has been mistreated by its betters. This possession turns the goblin into a wisecracking, impish creature fearless of reprisal. It gives the goblin strange powers that drive others to do the opposite of what they desire. Attacking a goblin possessed by a nilbog is foolhardy, and killing the creature just prompts the spirit to possess another goblin. The only way to keep a nilbog from wreaking havoc is to treat it well and give it respect and praise.

No Joking Matter. The possible presence of a nilbog in a host has given rise to a practice among goblinoids that each host include at least one goblin jester. This jester is allowed to go anywhere and do whatever it pleases. The position of jester is a much sought-after one among the goblins, because even if the jester is obviously not a nilbog, hobgoblins and bugbears indulge its manic behavior.