Curse of Strife

The Curse of Strife (sometimes written without capitalization) is a mental affliction cast on goblinkin by Bane, the Strife Emperor during the Calamity following the completion of their transformation from the dranassar, and which has been carried forward and cultivated by those who dedicate themselves to Bane, especially prevalent in the Iron Authority empire.

Description
The curse of strife instills in its victims compulsion that allows Bane's foul voice to prey upon their minds from beyond the Divine Gate. The effects are unpredictable, causing some to become uncontrollably aggressive, others to become obedient soldiers, and yet others to become solitary criminals.

Following the creation of the curse, the Strife Emperor used goblinkin as his minions in his war efforts against Prime Deities. However long free since, goblinkin mostly get rid of the curse and regard those who spread the curse with particular disdain and those who suffer from it with deep pity. It spreads by those who pledge their lives to the Strife Emperor. Clerics of the Iron Authority can inflict the curse by casting the bestow curse spell, transforming the goblinoids of the empire into "perfect weapons of war" and discreetly spreading the curse among hospitable and kind communities across Exandria, hoping to destroy them from within and make them more susceptible to conquest.

Breaking the curse
Near-death trauma and extended compassion can both help a goblinkin break through the curse of strife. The creature can make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 20), and on a success the goblinkin breaks free from the curse. Alternatively, one can simply cast the 3rd-level remove curse spell on the afflicted individual.

In the Lushgut Forest is the Vinewreathed Enclave, a society led by bugbear druids of Melora who, decades before 835 PD, learned to use her magic to free themselves and their goblin kin of the curse of strife.

Goblinkin born within 100 miles of a Luxon beacon would not inherit the curse. Those who are transfigured into goblinkin or are reborn as goblinkin are also free of the curse.

Cultural consequences
There is a common but mistaken belief that, like the goblinkins' curse of strife, orcs and half-orcs are afflicted by a similar "curse of ruin" from Gruumsh. As a result, the union of orcs and goblinkin is still strictly taboo among Xhorhasian nomads because the elders fear the madness that would afflict a soul with both curses. As a result, despite many orcs in Xhorhas living in mixed bands with bugbears, most half-orcs in Xhorhas have human or drow blood.

Many people of Tal'Dorei fear goblinoids because they believe the curse manifest itself in every member of the race and think it is heritable.

Behind the scenes
The Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting displays the Curse of Strife as an inheritable trait transmitted from generation to generation among goblinkin, and few dranassar who escaped the transformation to goblinoids sought a way to help their kin rid themselves of the curse.

In the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, the curse was described as heritable and particularly difficult to inflict, break, or fully recover from, expessially through efforts of a single individual. There was no mention of the curse being inflicted by a bestow curse spell. The curse was described as having predictable effects based on the specialized roles for which Bane had created each goblinkin race. The compulsion drove goblins to commit acts of wanton destruction and malice, hobgoblins to commit acts of conquest and despotism, and bugbears to commit to self-isolation so as to maximize the suffering of those they brutalize.

The remove curse spell did not automatically break the curse but could aid in breaking it, especially if cast by a trusted companion. A goblinkin who was freed from the curse was freed from its compulsions; however, they had likely internalized a bias inflicted by the curse, and might retain that aspect of their alignment even after the curse was broken.

In the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn the Curse of Strif was retconned to make it a consequences of individual choice rather then an affliction caused by heritage.