Darklings

Of all the Goblinoid Species, Darklings are the most uncommon, and the most mysterious.

Description
Darlings closely resemble their next of kin, the Goblins of the surface, but are distinct in having larger, forward-facing ears, much like those of Gremlins. Their eyes are large and nocturnal, but in fact, many Darklings are blind.

Many Darklings spend their whole lives so far underground in the Karst that they never even see the light of the sun. For these Darklings, the shadow is so intense that many forgo the use of their eyes altogether, relying instead upon their incredibly potent sense of hearing to navigate their world. They do not spend their lives in darkness without reason. For a Darkling's gray-green skin is incredibly sensitive to light, often breaking out in a rash if any sunlight should make direct contact. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can result in excruciating pain or even death for a Darkling so unfortunate.

Still, some hardy members of their species have been known to wrap themselves in cloth from head to toe, and brave the surface world from time to time. This is more common in the transition zone near the dark side of Vantowyn.

Culture
Because of the intense darkness in which the species lives, much of the cultural legacy of the Darklings is found in oral histories and the spoken word, or as music and poetry. The Darklings do have a method of writing, as it were, by etching bumps on a flat stone, but the process used is not so refined as that of the Dwarvish Stone Scribes, and only the most significant pieces of history are preserved this way. Only the things that must never be forgotten.

Everything else, from music to poetry to philosophy is passed down by word of mouth, from mother to daughter. Much like the Goblins of the surface, Darklings trace their bloodlines through their mothers.