Questions about the workings of Gobbotopia

[CaDzilla]

1) Are other religions allowed by the state?
2) Have any other disenfranchised humanoids come yet?
3) Do bugbears worship Big Violet? They tend more towards chaos
4) How do human traders from Cliffport not get kidnapped on sight when they enter Gobbotopia's borders? Is there an honorary goblinoid certificate for non-good humans like Tsukiko?
5) How did those undead that Tsukiko made assimilate into regular Goblinoid society.
6) Does that blue that Redcloak hired to mind-probe O-Chul still live in Gobbotopia?
7) Are the environmental guys druids and rangers? If so, then what do they worship, does Big Violet have nature as part of his portfolio

[Fitzclowningham]

Regarding #4, I believe it was stated in-comic that the city is not self-sustaining in terms of food. RC needed to get them some trading partners or Gobbotopia wouldn't make it. They'd be suicidal not to observe (semi-) civilized trading protocols.

What I'd like to know is what they trade in return for the food, etc.

[Zrak]

1) Given that OotS takes place in a world where the deities are essentially known to be factually real, I think the issue is less with religion than with worldview. That said, worship of the Dark One reflects a different worldview than most other religions, since most deities seem to at least tacitly accept goblins as easy XP for their clerics and nothing more. If other religions are tolerated, it's probably only specific religions and the tolerance is uneasy.

2) Hard to say. The other main group of disenfranchised humanoids would seem to be half-orcs, since lizardfolk seem relatively integrated into civilization and whole-orcs seem relatively isolated from them, and they seem fairly rare.

3) Their appearance on the flag indicates an affiliation with goblinoids, so probably at least some of them do.

4) There are probably trade agreements that guarantee merchants can move through Gobbotopia relatively unmolested. I'd imagine humans who are willing to accept goblinoids as their peers are uneasily tolerated. I doubt they'd ever be regarded as "honorary goblinoids" or fully accepted into the society.

5) Redcloaks view that the undead, even intelligent undead, are essentially tools or weapons is similar to the prevailing opinion.

6) I wouldn't see any reason to assume he doesn't.

7) Doubtful. For one, it's likely that Redcloak's reference was entirely facetious. Secondly, PC classes seem rare enough that the "environmental people" are more likely to have levels of expert, if they have class levels at all.

[Zmeoaice]

1) Given that OotS takes place in a world where the deities are essentially known to be factually real, I think the issue is less with religion than with worldview. That said, worship of the Dark One reflects a different worldview than most other religions, since most deities seem to at least tacitly accept goblins as easy XP for their clerics and nothing more. If other religions are tolerated, it's probably only specific religions and the tolerance is uneasy.


IIRC Rat and Tiamat are working with the Dark One.

[DaggerPen]

1) Are other religions allowed by the state?

I feel like it's probably technically permitted for other disenfranchised humanoids to worship their own gods, but they may have to be comparatively discreet about it. Allies of the Dark One are probably given official permission, though.


2) Have any other disenfranchised humanoids come yet?

I don't think we've seen any on screen, so donno.


3) Do bugbears worship Big Violet? They tend more towards chaos

I forget, do we know that the Dark One is Lawful vs. Neutral? There may just be a racial exemption thing, though, since the whole "one alignment block removed" rule is only for clerics, and even then isn't hard and fast.


4) How do human traders from Cliffport not get kidnapped on sight when they enter Gobbotopia's borders? Is there an honorary goblinoid certificate for non-good humans like Tsukiko? They probably have papers or something, like a passport.


5) How did those undead that Tsukiko made assimilate into regular Goblinoid society. I think they just kind of hung around the tower.


6) Does that blue that Redcloak hired to mind-probe O-Chul still live in Gobbotopia? If he has no particular attachment to another location, quite possibly.


7) Are the environmental guys druids and rangers? If so, then what do they worship, does Big Violet have nature as part of his portfolio

Don't know enough about druids and rangers to answer.

[ReaderAt2046]

1) Are other religions allowed by the state?
2) Have any other disenfranchised humanoids come yet?
3) Do bugbears worship Big Violet? They tend more towards chaos
4) How do human traders from Cliffport not get kidnapped on sight when they enter Gobbotopia's borders? Is there an honorary goblinoid certificate for non-good humans like Tsukiko?
5) How did those undead that Tsukiko made assimilate into regular Goblinoid society.
6) Does that blue that Redcloak hired to mind-probe O-Chul still live in Gobbotopia?
7) Are the environmental guys druids and rangers? If so, then what do they worship, does Big Violet have nature as part of his portfolio

1) Probably gods that are at least somewhat allied with Evil (Rat, Tiamat, possibly Marduk and Nergal) are allowed, if their followers show up. Good gods are strictly a thing of cults and secret societies.

2) Probably trace amounts of lizardfolk, orcs, and half-orcs, with even tracier amounts of sentient trolls, vamps, etc.

3) Probably.

4) Presumably traders have papers identifying them as a citizen of another polity. I think the rule is that ordinary races can't become citizens of Gobbotopia, not that they can't enter its borders.

Also, in answer to Fitzclowningham, Gobbotopia has access to both most of the original Azure City trade goods (including silk and spices (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html), both of which are big money-makers) and its new exports (such as slaves, highly trained mercenaries, and Goblin Dan's franchises). If Azure City can keep a profit as a trading port, Gobbotopia should be able to at least manage to trade for the necessities.

5) Presumably as labor and government muscle.

6) Quite likely.

[Chronos]

Quoth DaggerPen:

I forget, do we know that the Dark One is Lawful vs. Neutral? There may just be a racial exemption thing, though, since the whole "one alignment block removed" rule is only for clerics, and even then isn't hard and fast.
Redcloak has the Law domain, and deities only give access for alignment domains that match their own alignment.