put aside for winter

Noof

Strange, fat and macabre sloth-like hobgoblins, who are associated with dogwood trees. The Noof are sluggish, lazy and slow moving. Unusually for goblin folk, they eat a lot of leaves, roots and fruits. For some odd reason they also relish catching wild dogs and roasting them over an open fire. If hungry they do not seem to object to insects, snails, worms and other crunchy or slimy snacks. These fat hobgoblins have enormous bellies, large round heads, huge noses and short legs. Noof live in the dense forests and shy away from any contact with outsiders. They are shape-shifting deceivers who can take on the form of an animal. This is really only a kind of glamour spell, and if you touch a Noof, or splash water on one, then the enchantment will be broken and he (or she) will return to their natural form. Noofs can appear to be part animal and part great goblin, or to have some characteristics of an animal, beast or other monster. In its 'native' form a Noof is a bloated hobgoblin, about four feet in height and much the same around the middle. They have greenish skin, claws on their fingers and toes, and large pointed ears. When a Noof 'transforms' itself (using a natural talent for glamour spells) he, or she, will take delight in peculiar and unpleasant changes, with the object of frightening you out of your wits. A Noof might change its head into that of a pig, for example, or its arms into serpents. He might grow horns a yard long or even bat-like wings. Remember, none of this is real but it can be very alarming, especially if you have never encountered a Noof before. 

The Noof are glum forest dwellers who worship the dark forest gods. They wear grey-green robes with large hoods. These dogwood people are intolerant and grumpy; disapproving of any kind of fun and frivolity. They are fat and greedy, rude and unpleasant, glum and surly; sour pusses one and all.

The Noof tribe use barbed throwing spears with skill, and always have a long curved hunting dagger to hand. They do not really use armour or shields. Noof hobgoblins do not like to move quickly; their usual method of catching wild dogs is to set net traps, baited with dead rats or similar doggy treats. These fat and ugly creatures live in caves or caverns deep in the forest. In a Noof cave, as well as a lot of well gnawed dog bones, you may well find crude earthenware jars packed with things like pickled snails, dried slugs, and dog meat pies; perhaps being provisions they have put aside for winter. 

*

One of the 46 entries in Cornelius Clifford's Forest Folk of the Wild Wood (2012), a guide to the peoples of the Hidden Realms. 

The Noof are somewhat mysterious -- deep forest folk. Master Clifford tells us, for instance, that Narks live in the sandy wilds of the western deserts, Gobblers in the far north, the Nisse in southern forests, but he doesn't localize the Noof in this sort of way. Though a curious and bold traveller in the Hidden Realms, you wonder how much he has had to do with the Noof; though he evidently stumbled on a Noof cave once, when its owner was well out of the way. Elsewhere we glimpse him being let down by Hedgekin, having the misfortune of meeting a Snotling, and even having a mystic experience with a Groll, but I have the distinct impression that he has managed to avoid ever encountering the terrible Foth, and that's doubtless a very good plan. I imagine encounters with the Noof are, of their nature, bound to be both unpleasant and dreary, so he left them out of his journal.

Now you've got the idea, here are a sprinkle of other sentences. 

[Boggles] They may also carry a pouch of bling flies. 

[Centaurs] They seek to foretell the future and understand the past by observing the stars dancing across the celestial stage. 

[Cloud Surfers] They tend to be rather air-headed, as you might imagine. Whilst they can be a delight to watch, these are, perhaps, the most frivolous, worthless and silliest of all the forest peoples. 

[Diggles] A gardener might be heard to say; 'that looks like Diggle workmanship to me,' of a simple but good quality spade, hoe or axe. 

[Dromlin] They do not go in for subtleties and hate long drawn out discussions. Famously, these hobgoblins have been known to bring tedious negotiations to an abrupt close by simply slaughtering the other side!

[Elder Hags] They wear dirty old rags of what might once have been grey cloth and take delight in necklaces and bangles made of children's teeth. 

[Noggles] They don't have schools, or factories, and are (they believe) all the better off for that!

[Oak Folk] Like all fae folk, the oak people hate iron, which burns them if put against their flesh.

[Tarks] There are many different tribes and clans of cave goblins, calling themselves things such as; the Fangs of Many Tribe, or the Eyes of Despair Tribe, or even the delightfully named Gizzard Slurpers. 

[Woozles] When they do communicate, they do so in a whispering, sighing language that only elves and other Woozles seem able to understand. 

Full disclosure: Cornelius Clifford (b. 1689) is a dear friend of mine. He gave me a copy of Forest Folk of the Wild Wood about ten years ago -- a precious paper copy; seems you can only get a PDF online -- but it's only now I've finally set off on the old faerie roads.