Bugbears

Bugbears were goblinoid bullies, born for battle and mayhem. They were often found rubbing shoulders with their goblin cousins whom they were known to enslave, and hobgoblins, for whom they served as scouts and shock troops in exchange for food and gold.

Their love for carnage meant that bugbears would rarely hesitate to fight for any master, provided bloodshed and gold were promised in plenty. Yet, bugbears made unreliable allies, prone to fleeing when outmatched and forgetting their bonds when their lives were on the line. A band of bugbears wouldn't hesitate to leave a wounded ally behind if it would greaten their chance of escape, and the abandoned would have no qualms in assisting the opposition if doing so would save their life.

Despite their powerful build, bugbears were surprisingly stealthy, preferring to set traps and ambushes rather than blundering into combat unprepared.

Bugbears' thick, furred hides allowed them to withstand the colder climbs of north-west Auriin, which is where the majority of their kind can be found. Fëaforn was home to the greatest number of Bugbear tribes, who occupied the forests and hills of the wild. Many of the fortresses in the region of Foscarden, lost or abandoned during the orc blight of centuries past, were soon claimed by hordes of goblins and their bugbear masters.