Nine Fist

Claiming most of the northern Grimme, the Clan's home is the city of Kurst.  In power for the last 550 years, they enjoy having the long lineage of the Goblin King being from the Nine Fist ranks, and being host to the Forbidden City of their living gods, the D'Vahli.  Although on average not the strongest physically of the Clans, they tend towards being the most intellectual and arguably the smartest.  Their leaders are perfect specimens of strength, ferocity and might, utterly dominating lesser Clan goblins, and their D'Vahli Mystics wield the "Power of the Gods" (and all the superstitious leverage which goes with that claim.) 

Only the Blood Hand is numerically equal to the Nine Fist, but the ruling Clan makes certain their rivals see plenty of war in order to keep their numbers in check.  Nine Fist warlords and garrisons ("Fist Clusters") can be found in every goblin city and theatre of war throughout the Grimme.

The Mastifs (Great Houses) or goblin nobility within Kurst wield tremendous power, and create the mightiest warlords of the Grimme.  Of particular prominence is Mastif Septius, the premiere house.  Although the current Dench is of Mastif Has, the Nine Fist Pah is of MAstif Septius, and is easily a rival for the throne.  Their top warlord in the field is "Stahl," first-born of Mastif Septius (his father is Pah.)  Ther prominent houses include Mastif Headcutter;  it was Borok Headcutter who sent the message to the human empire in 1161 which said, "Your children will speak goblin."  Another is Mastif Spleene;  Sabbat Spleene was the Nine Fist warlord who retook Hax at the end of the 4th Crusade in 1376... he died only 5 years ago, a venerated warlord.

This Clan rules, and they know it.  They are arrogant and proud, utterly ruthless, and determined to hold onto their power.

TERRITORY
Theirs is the largest geographical region in the Grimme, from the Steppes of the Boarsbach Mountains to their southern borders with the Bloodhand and Hack Sling Clans, and east to west between the "Deep Waters."  The terrain is that of northern prarie;  hills and grasslands, with raging rivers and stands of pine and fir.  Densely populated with game and rich with wild grains, there is no shortage of food.
            The City of Kurst is the "Jewel of the Grimme," a stone city built in rising concentric circles, heavily fortified.  The Goblin King's palace is on the 2nd highest level, and the top is reserved for the high walls of the mysterious Forbidden City, where a golden spire rises high above all.
To the extreme north is the fortified mining town of Mite, isolated by snow for much of the year.  It is responsible for the Grimme's mithril and considered vital to the war effort, and every soul in the city is dedicated to the mining of this precious metal.
Outside city walls, Nine Fist Clan goblins live in thousands of tribal villages scattered over a vast area roughly the size of Texas.

CELEBRATIONS
In addition to the festivals noted for all goblins, Nine Fist has (2) other major holidays;

• Running of the Worgs:  Held in mid-May, this one day event involves hundreds of young goblin Bulls stripped naked, careening through blocked-off streets, running before packs of Worgs which are starved for a week before the event.  This is a demonstration of courage and manhood, and has a high mortality rate.
• The Sounding:  A two day event in August, this involves musical competitions of all types, culminating on the evening of the second day, when the Blood Hand Pipe & Drum Corps puts on a display at the gates of the Forbidden City, to honor the D'Vahli.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU
In addition to fare noted previously, some Nine Fist regional cuisine includes the following;  Antelope, bison, goat and hyena.  Crayfish, turtle and fish.  "Blut Bread" (loaves soaked in blood, then dried until rock-hard.)  Snakes, emu, cranes and a common gruel called "Wattish."

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Nine Fist goblins brain their mithril wealth into their hair as opposed to using it in piercings.  They are the only Clan which seems to grasp and appreciate theatre, and great plays are a source of intellectual recreation.  They are the most religious of the Clans (proximity to their gods and the ever-watchful D'Vahli Mystics tends to make them so.)  More mithril edged, tipped or solid weapons will be found among the Nine Fist than any other Clan.  The court of the Goblin King, made up of warlords and mystics from the prominent Mastifs, is so full of intrigue and treachery as to put to shame anything the Empire or the Church could imagine.  No one works more angles, or his harder to surprise, than a Nine Fist Warlord.  Nine Fist dead are buried in immense barrows marked with cairn stones.

ELITE MILITARY
In addition to basic line infantry, the Nine Fist boasts several elite units.  These are tougher and much more disciplined and organized than basic units.

• Worgruhn Regiment:  Worg riders, light cavalry & scouting.
• Night Boars:  Heavy boar cavalry, specially trained for nocturnal warfare.
• 1st Guards:  Elite heavy infantry, also used for guarding the Clan city and the Goblin King, as well as ceremonial parade.  Known as the "Kurts First."  (Among hardcore Bloodhand Raketooth Brigade troopers, these "pretty boys" are referred-to as the "Kurst Worst."
• Children of D'Vahli:  Elite light infantry backed by D'Vahli Mystics, zealots driven by religious fervor, capable of suicide attacks upon command.  They bear the scars of self-flagellation and are feared & avoided by all.  The "Children" guard the Forbidden City, and always accompany the Mystics in  the field.  When the great goblin God Wagons roll, battalions of the "Children" follow in formation, chanting.

THE "5TH CLAN"
The Steppes which run east-west across the base of the Boarsbach Mountains are  a hard, snowy, windy place, but not uninhabited by any means.  Seeing no natural resources in the region, it has been largely ignored by the Nine Fist.  This lack of Clan attention has allowed the tribes of this region to grow in strength, skill and numbers.  Where there were once scattered tribes hacking an existence out of the wilderness, is now an organized tribal network.  All the tribes of the Steppes have united under a single banner, and for decades have been calling themselves a Clan.

The STEPPESKRIEG Clan;  a hard, somewhat nomadic culture of tribal goblins dominated by strong female warriors.  In the Steppeskrieg, it is the females who hunt, fight and rule with absolute authority.  The males tend the young (special attention is given to nurturing female young).  Called "Diggers," they also are engaged in hundreds of small mining opertions across the Steppes, tunneling down and extracting mithril from the same massive vein which feeds the Mite operation.  These independent mines are unknown to the Nine Fist.  As a result, the Steppeskrieg are rich in mithril beyond imagination.

The tribes keep a low profile and do not send troops to the war effort (female warriors would be unwelcome at the least.)  Each tribe is ruled by a strong female "Khana," and the entire Clan – equal in numbers to the Hack Sling – is ruled by a huge, violent female called the "Great Khana."  Worg-mounted, the Steppeskrieg females are terrifying in battle;  highly organized, skilled and savage.  They take no prisoners, and leave no one left alive to tell tales.  They dress in furs and armor adorned with mithril, wield mithril weapons, and are deadly with the shortbow and lance.  In hand-to-hand their axes are twice as lethal.

The Nine Fist have heard rumors for many years about a developing, female-dominated Clan, but their male-based culture simply won't allow them to contemplate this seriously.  Most likely the drunken ravings of a snow-blind drover.  Besides, nothing can live in the harsh Steppes except the most hearty of monsters.

In late 1427, the Great Khana plans to make her presence known to the goblin powers with a display of war.  Her forces will capture Mite, seize the mines and turn off the flow of mithril to the Grimme.  Then she will close the northern road and launch simultaneous strikes on all Nine Fist northern outposts and villages.  Afterwards she will announce herself to the Goblin King and demand full Clan status and recognition for herself and her people.  Her timing is perfect.  She knows the goblin powers have their hands full with the new, 5th Crusade and with the defense of Hax, and would be hard-pressed to engage in a bloody civil war on its northern border while trying to repel the humans in the south.  The Goblin King must negotiate.  If it comes to war, however, she will be ready.  Her entire Clan is ramping up to a major war footing with each passing day.  The Great Khana will claim Clan territory from east to west across the Steppes, including Mite.  Taking control of the mining town will be just the leverage she needs.

*Despite the inherent risk of fighting on two fronts, the Goblin King and the Nine Fist will be outraged at this insolent treachery, and they will immediately launch themselves into civil war, dragging the other Clans with them.  This could be just the break the human Crusaders need to weaken Hax and allow it to be recaptured...

HOW THEY LIVE
Steppeskrieg goblin tribes live in low hide lodges to protect against the brutal winds, living in communal groups, with only the leaders enjoying private living quarters.  The Steppes are hard and cold, and there is safety and warmth in numbers.  Clan goblins dress in heavy furs, and have domesticated Yaks as beasts of burden.  They are a fast-moving culture of worg-riders, and no worgs are more fearsome than the dreaded Black Steppe Worg.

The goblins of the Steppeskrieg are leathery and windburnt, with flattened, Mongolian features and perpetual squints.  The gender rules of the rest of goblin culture do not apply here.  Although female young are preferred, male young are not given undue mistreatment.  The harsh environment of the Steppes keeps the mortality rate high among old and young alike, and quickly solves the problem of what to do with aging parents or weak children.  They do not keep slaves (too many extra mouths to feed, and slaves make fast relocation difficult.  The females do not have more than one litter per year (litters are smaller, generally 3-8) and if litter survival is high during a mild season, females will often skip a year of breeding (they still mate for pleasure, but ingest a particular herb which serves as an organic birth control.)

Steppeskrieg females have nothing but contempt and hatred for the males of other clans, and only scorn for their females.  Steppeskrieg males keep their heads down and their opinions to themselves.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU
Predominantly meat-eaters.  Caribou, Yaks (kept for milk as well), Mountain goat, Big River Salmon, wattish gruel, Dire Bear, Yeti meat and Rhemorhaz eggs (a hard-to-obtain delicacy.)

FESTIVALS
As imagined, Steppeskrieg goblins follow none of the holidays observed by the other Clans.  They have three of their own;

• Estrogus:  One day in December.  A quiet celebration to honor the dominant position of females within the Clan.
• C'Vach:  A one day event, marking the first day of Spring.
• Hunting of the Haz:  A week long event in late February, where each tribe sends its best warrior to a central gathering point.  These warriors are divided into teams (which operate on foot) and move into the Great Bachian Glacier Field to hunt Rhemorhaz.  No projectile weapons are permitted, only hand-held weapons.  This is a very dangerous hunt, with extreme loss of life, but great honor for surviving teammates.  The final day of the hunt is a celebration which lasts throughout the night.

RELIGION
Goblins of the Steppeskrieg have fallen away from the worship of The D'Vahli, and have instead reverted to a pagan pantheon of nature-based deities.  Priests of these pagan gods are Druidic and exclusively male, and are the only males in the culture given the same respect as the females (though they cannot rule, only advise the Khan or Khana.  Steppeskrieg dead are wrapped in shrouds and buried under stone cairns.

ELITE MILITARY
Nothing organized.  Each female is expected to follow orders from superiors and fight to the death, whether hunting Dire Bears or raiding Nine Fist caravans.  Tribal leaders and skilled warriors are much stronger, faster and generally more clever than the average goblin.  If there are any "elite," it is those warriors who are "Haz-Blooded," having faced a dreaded Rhemorhaz in melee combat and been victorious.  These are recognizable by an ice-blue armor breastplate made out of a Rhemorhaz head scale (giving them +5 to whatever armor they wear and bestowing the benefit of "Damage Reduction" / 5.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Steppeskrieg females pierce and tattoo in much the same way as males of other Clans (but never the breasts, which are considered sacred.)  Mated males wear a single mithril earring to show they are taken.  There are no "Pride-Wives."  Females pick their mates (who have the free will to accept or decline) and may have as many as they like so long as they can provide for them.  Females may also mate with single males (if there is consent) without taking them as a mate, leaving them their freedom.  Males spend their time evenly between hearth and mine.  They are poor combatants, and will only fight under the most extreme of circumstances.