Grablin

The Grablin is a distant relative of the goblin. It is similar in general shape, but larger, stockier and stronger.

Etymology

Grablin comes from goblin, but with the prefix of "gob" replaced instead with "grab", an Ancient English word meaning "to grip an opponent firmly and slam them", usually used in the context of wrestling matches. The word "grab" was later adapted into Middle Low Großtodeswalder, made to mean "to snap", and later watered down in Early Modern English to mean only "to suddenly grasp someone or something".

More information can be found about the etymology of goblin.

Physiology and Behaviour

Grablins generally have the same physical functions as goblins, but their muscle and skeletal structure are different, in that they are stockier and made specifically for wrestling an opponent. This physiological structure makes grablins have excellent strength, compared to that of ten gorillas in normal conditions. A starved grablin, however, will not develop the strong muscles and will only be as strong as two adult human males. Scholars speculate that a starved grablin, when properly trained, can regain the true grablin strength, but this has yet to be proven.

Grablins are aggressive creatures, generally preferring to absolutely defeat a threat rather than only scare it. They are about as intelligent as goblins, but are more feral, hence the aggression they feel towards others. The preferred method of a grablin's combat is wrestling, and for unknown reasons, a grablin can wrestle as well as a professional human wrestler once it reaches adulthood, without any prior training. Grablins are fierce wrestlers and prefer to kill their opponents while wrestling, except for battles between males of the same tribe. Male grablins wrestle each other for mating, territory or other reasons, sometimes purely for entertainment. A grablin's most favourite wrestling move is the Thousand Year Slam, wherein the grablin slams the opponent so fiercely, it feels as if the slam had lasted a thousand years, sometimes purported to be even more. Normal humans, generally, cannot survive this move.

Habitat and Range

Grablins live in the abundant forests of Finland, often constructing natural homes from the forest's materials. They prefer to live in natural environments. Recently, a fleet of grablins went to Burgburg in search of new homes. Reports have indicated that they have taken well to the enormous redwood trees of California.

Interaction with humans

Humans and grablins do not mesh well, as grablins are aggressive to all creatures not of their kind. However, a few intellectual grablins have overcome their feral nature for long enough to integrate themselves into human society. Among these is the famous Gumberdomp Slamingo Mäiskäyttää the Third, a grablin chieftain of the Paiskautuvista Yöllä tribe.