Hobgoblins were quietly integrated into the Harithman Republic in the waning days of the Infernia Crisis. Then-Senator Gallus Tretarian went on a diplomatic mission to the isolated hobgoblin lands, against the suggestions of his peers, and was able to unseat the isolationist ruler there, allowing a more sympathetic regime to take over.
Following the formal retiring of Morrow's Shield and the unpopular decision to secret away Gaius' Crown, several small bills were passed with little fanfare that allowed Hobgoblins to become full citizens and recognized them as non-hostile entities. Even some of the hobgoblins in their secluded mountain valley were themselves unaware of this change, until the Republic started focusing on trading with the city-state. Many still choose to hide away in their mountain valley communities, preferring a relatively simple life of isolation and discipline over the chaos and strife of more civilized areas.
Hobgoblins all follow the same religion: The Order of All Things; sometimes called The Way, The Order, Blessed Order, and many other similar titles. These scriptures are more of a necessity of life than a personal, spiritual choice as the Hobgoblins have a burden: those that do not follow the Order will physically deform and eventually descend to Goblinhood. For Hobgoblins, becoming a Goblin is a living nightmare, a curse wrought by an angry god that takes away their intelligence and dignity.
The Order states that all Hobgoblins must work towards the common good, whether that be diving into their work as a farmer, a magical researcher, or even a simple janitor. All Hobgoblins find a positive way to contribute to their society, their fellow Hobgoblins, or the world at large under penalty of living Damnation. For many, they satisfy their need for Order through military service, as sacrificing ones' safety to protect others is considered the ultimate servitude of others. For those that become selfish, deal unfairly with others, manipulate and lie for selfish gain, steal, or in general refuse to be a positive influence, their mind slowly degrades into a feral state. The Scriptures, a combination religious text and living history, state that the more corrupt one becomes, the quicker they descend into madness. The process can be halted partway through extraordinary sacrifice or selflessness, and the Hobgoblin may slowly recover their physical form if not their honor or respect. The Hobgoblins that succumb to this decay become Goblins, feral and nearly mindless twisted versions of themselves that seek only to kill, steal, and sow chaos on everyone not a Goblin.
Once the Emperor learned of this strict requirement for Hobgoblins to retain their humanity, he immediately signed into effect a special order allowing them to self-govern their own religion, excluding them from the requirement to worship only their Emperor.
There have been very, very few cases of Hobgoblins that were exempt from the requirements of the Order, and every one of those was a Blended or a Genasi. These special cases are quickly exiled when it was discovered that they were not beholden to being a positive force for good.
Most Hobgoblins, as a result of the Order, are Lawful Good; though they follow a more general guideline of "do good for all" than any one nations' laws. Player characters are not required to choose this alignment nor follow Order, as they may be one of the rare exceptions.
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Size: Medium.
Speed: 30 feet.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Martial Training: You are proficient with two martial weapons of your choice and with light armor. If your class already grants you these proficiencies, you may instead start with an additional simple or martial weapon of your choice in your equipment.
Disciplined: Your mandatory participation in the Hobgoblin military has taught you strict discipline and mental fortitude. You have advantage on all saving throws against fear effects.
Saving Face: Once per long rest, you can activate the following ability if you can see at least one ally within 30 feet. Each effect has a specific trigger, and only one of these 3 choices can be used before a rest is required.
-If you critically fail an attack roll or saving throw, you can instead treat it as a normal miss.
-If you fail an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can instead treat it as a "just enough" hit/success.
-If an enemy you can see critically hits you, you can instead treat that critical hit as a regular hit.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.