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On 1 of the Thousand Worlds of the Titans, a race of diminutive Fey were created. At first they were largely thought of as a failed species. These Fey were small, weak and cowardly, not fit for combat or even the most meanial jobs the Titans could imagine. However, they had a knack for hiding under furniture, picking up things that didn't belong to them and carrying them away.
At first this was seen as thievery and harshly punished. The Fey were treated worse than the Titan's pets. At least the dogs were fed and given a soft bed near the home fires. The Fey were neither fed nor given beds, nor clothing. The dogs were bathed by the Titan children. The Fey were not allowed to waste water on their bodies. They were named the Gobi or the Unwashed.
Then a clever Titan discovered that their talents could be put to a good use. The Gobi were encouraged to clean the homes and castles of the mighty Titans. They were scolded to remain unseen and unheard. They were rewarded, with an absence of beatings or death, if they could pick up the garbage that accumulated on the floor and under couches. They cleaned up the scraps of food that fell from the Titan's mouths at mealtimes. These meager bits and crumbs were the Fey's only food or source of cloth for clothing and beds. The Gobi carried them into holes in the walls and cellars, where they could live out of sight of the Titans. It was seen as an added benefit that the Gobi were able to keep the population of other vermin down, simply from competition.
Over the centuries, the Gobi became experts at following the Titan's directives to remain unseen and unheard. They lived their lives and multiplied in their warrens. As more time passed, many of the elder Titans seemed to forget all about the Gobi, who did their jobs without need for direction or thought from their masters. The Titans simply lived in perfectly clean homes that were free of vermin. In fact, entire generations of Titans were born, grew old and died without ever seeing their Gobi caretakers. The Gobi became something of a joke to the later generations of Titans, for some even doubted their existence at all. The Gobi received neither praise nor recognition for their eons of hard work.
The Gobi lived short lives, compared to the Titans. 50 Gobi generations would pass within a single Titan's lifetime. Mutation and evolution work quickly with so many rolls of the dice. The Gobi's existence was a harsh one, predicated on survival of the most adaptable. The Gobi lived in crowded warrens and had to regularly defend themselves against giant rats, spiders and the over-playful pets of the Titans. The Gobi's intelligence grew as did their cruelty and hatred for their complacent masters.
The Gobi Revolution was not won on a single night or even by a single generation. No, that was not the Gobi way - remain unseen, unheard. The Gobi Revolution took 1000s of generations. It was the most sacred teaching passed down from shaman to chief, father to son. The Gobi knew that they had to begin small: with the children of the Titans.
The Gobi would go about their jobs, scavenging under furniture, hiding. But when they had the chance to pop out, they would scare the Titan children when no adults were watching. The Gobi favored places and times when they could find the children alone, like in their bedrooms late at night. The Gobi hid under their beds and in their closets. It didn't take much to scare the children, just a rustling noise, a quick dart of movement in the dark, a toy falling off a shelf.
Like a child that mis-pronounces animal as aminal, the Gobi were called Bogi by the children. The Bogi-men instilled fear in generation after generation of Titan child. After several such generations, one night the Gobi heard an elder Titan telling children around a hearth that if they misbehaved, the Bogi would get them. This was the first stage of success in the Gobi Revolution. The Gobi were no longer the janitors of the Titans, they were a cultural phantom.
Phase 2 was destroy the quality of life for the Titans, to weaken them. The Gobi stopped cleaning for their masters. In fact, rotten meat found its way into the Titan's food stores. The Titan children were kept awake at night with scary sounds and spooky encounters. The Gobi learned the value of disguise and would dress themselves as the dolls and toys of the Titans. The Gobi discovered that clown disguises seemed particularly effective at illiciting an extreme response. As any parent knows.... if the children don't sleep, the parents don't sleep. The children would cry out in terror, night after night. The adults would get woken up from their sleep, night after night. Without good sleep and eating contaminated food and now living in unclean houses, the health and vitality of the Titans began to decline.
The Gobi shamen nurtured and grew all manner of fungi in their underground warrens. Many of these had a toxic effect on the Titans. Not all toxins have to kill the body, some kill the mind, slowly... unseen, unheard in the Gobi way. When the Gobi finally revealed themselves, an army of tens of thousands, painted like clowns and harlequins the long toll of hallucinagenic toxins, lack of sleep, poisoned food and stress had already taken its deadly toll. The Titans went mad from fear and fled their homes and castles at the sight of their toys and childhood nightmares come to life.
The Gobi do not know where the Titans went, nor do they care. But they remain vigilant for their return. The Gobi are ready to again be unseen and unheard.
The descendants of Gobi-line Fey could have spawned many of the races like goblins, kobolds, halflings, gnomes, sprites, pixies, etc
At first this was seen as thievery and harshly punished. The Fey were treated worse than the Titan's pets. At least the dogs were fed and given a soft bed near the home fires. The Fey were neither fed nor given beds, nor clothing. The dogs were bathed by the Titan children. The Fey were not allowed to waste water on their bodies. They were named the Gobi or the Unwashed.
Then a clever Titan discovered that their talents could be put to a good use. The Gobi were encouraged to clean the homes and castles of the mighty Titans. They were scolded to remain unseen and unheard. They were rewarded, with an absence of beatings or death, if they could pick up the garbage that accumulated on the floor and under couches. They cleaned up the scraps of food that fell from the Titan's mouths at mealtimes. These meager bits and crumbs were the Fey's only food or source of cloth for clothing and beds. The Gobi carried them into holes in the walls and cellars, where they could live out of sight of the Titans. It was seen as an added benefit that the Gobi were able to keep the population of other vermin down, simply from competition.
Over the centuries, the Gobi became experts at following the Titan's directives to remain unseen and unheard. They lived their lives and multiplied in their warrens. As more time passed, many of the elder Titans seemed to forget all about the Gobi, who did their jobs without need for direction or thought from their masters. The Titans simply lived in perfectly clean homes that were free of vermin. In fact, entire generations of Titans were born, grew old and died without ever seeing their Gobi caretakers. The Gobi became something of a joke to the later generations of Titans, for some even doubted their existence at all. The Gobi received neither praise nor recognition for their eons of hard work.
The Gobi lived short lives, compared to the Titans. 50 Gobi generations would pass within a single Titan's lifetime. Mutation and evolution work quickly with so many rolls of the dice. The Gobi's existence was a harsh one, predicated on survival of the most adaptable. The Gobi lived in crowded warrens and had to regularly defend themselves against giant rats, spiders and the over-playful pets of the Titans. The Gobi's intelligence grew as did their cruelty and hatred for their complacent masters.
The Gobi Revolution was not won on a single night or even by a single generation. No, that was not the Gobi way - remain unseen, unheard. The Gobi Revolution took 1000s of generations. It was the most sacred teaching passed down from shaman to chief, father to son. The Gobi knew that they had to begin small: with the children of the Titans.
The Gobi would go about their jobs, scavenging under furniture, hiding. But when they had the chance to pop out, they would scare the Titan children when no adults were watching. The Gobi favored places and times when they could find the children alone, like in their bedrooms late at night. The Gobi hid under their beds and in their closets. It didn't take much to scare the children, just a rustling noise, a quick dart of movement in the dark, a toy falling off a shelf.
Like a child that mis-pronounces animal as aminal, the Gobi were called Bogi by the children. The Bogi-men instilled fear in generation after generation of Titan child. After several such generations, one night the Gobi heard an elder Titan telling children around a hearth that if they misbehaved, the Bogi would get them. This was the first stage of success in the Gobi Revolution. The Gobi were no longer the janitors of the Titans, they were a cultural phantom.
Phase 2 was destroy the quality of life for the Titans, to weaken them. The Gobi stopped cleaning for their masters. In fact, rotten meat found its way into the Titan's food stores. The Titan children were kept awake at night with scary sounds and spooky encounters. The Gobi learned the value of disguise and would dress themselves as the dolls and toys of the Titans. The Gobi discovered that clown disguises seemed particularly effective at illiciting an extreme response. As any parent knows.... if the children don't sleep, the parents don't sleep. The children would cry out in terror, night after night. The adults would get woken up from their sleep, night after night. Without good sleep and eating contaminated food and now living in unclean houses, the health and vitality of the Titans began to decline.
The Gobi shamen nurtured and grew all manner of fungi in their underground warrens. Many of these had a toxic effect on the Titans. Not all toxins have to kill the body, some kill the mind, slowly... unseen, unheard in the Gobi way. When the Gobi finally revealed themselves, an army of tens of thousands, painted like clowns and harlequins the long toll of hallucinagenic toxins, lack of sleep, poisoned food and stress had already taken its deadly toll. The Titans went mad from fear and fled their homes and castles at the sight of their toys and childhood nightmares come to life.
The Gobi do not know where the Titans went, nor do they care. But they remain vigilant for their return. The Gobi are ready to again be unseen and unheard.
The descendants of Gobi-line Fey could have spawned many of the races like goblins, kobolds, halflings, gnomes, sprites, pixies, etc
