Gibberling

Gibberlings were small, nocturnal humanoid creatures that inhabited many regions in Faerûn, but were known to come from the Underdark.

Description
The first impression of gibberlings was of a writhing mass of oily fur and flesh. The pandemonium was actually a mass of pale or gray, hunchbacked humanoids, each no more than tall, with pointed ears, black manes, and grinning faces. Their eyes were black, and shined with a maniacal gleam.

Combat
Gibberlings attacked in great numbers, uttering ghastly howls, clicks, shrieks and insane chattering noises, commonly referred to as gibber. The screaming mob was completely disorganized in form, and random in direction. They often carried crude weapons made from bone or dull short swords of the most-common variety, with no markings or decoration, in their overly long arms. Where they found such weapons was unknown.

The horde's forward motion slowed only long enough to kill anything moving, and then continued forward. Their bloodlust was never satiated and they always fought to the death. All food in their path was devoured, including the fallen among their own number and any unfortified building or objects were generally wrecked. The only true hope of survival, should a herd of gibberlings be encountered, was to take strategic advantage of their fear of bright light.

Society
It was difficult to imagine a gibberling social structure. There was no sense, organization nor individuality among their horde. Though they clearly had a primitive means of communication among themselves, they had no discernible language.

Habitat
The gibberlings generally frequented only dense forests and subterranean passages, loathing bright light of all kinds, and are particularly afraid of fire. If found during the day gibberlings awoke, but generally cowered in fear at the bright light surrounding them.

Ecology
Attempts to find the gibberlings' lairs have inevitably led back to subterranean passages to the Underdark, where the trail was eventually lost in the deepest rock-floored recesses of the caverns. They could easily be tracked by the path of chaos and destruction they left, and were quickly dispatched while they lay dormant just beneath the surface of the ground. Gibberlings traveling above-ground invariably burrowed into the ground to hide during the daytime, during which they were most vulnerable. Subterranean gibberlings burrowed into the ground, or simply lay down in a curled, fetal posture at times of rest. They awoke suddenly, as a group, and burst in unison out of the ground, howling and gibbering in a most frightful way.

Gibberlings required a prodigious amount of food to support their manic nocturnal existence, stripping to the bone anyone or anything that should fell in their path. Their fur was commonly infested with lice and other pests they picked up during their burrowed slumber, leaving their hides vile and worthless. Gibberlings carried no treasure or other useful items. In short, gibberlings serve no purpose and no known master, save random death in the night.

History
In some corners of the Realms, it was in vogue for wizards to polymorph their enemies into gibberlings when they wanted them to remain humanoid but lack cognitive faculties.

In the mid-to-late 14 century DR, gibberlings were known to haunt the Coast Way south of Baldur's Gate.

In early 1372 DR, gibberlings appeared for the first time&mdash;and in large numbers&mdash;in the Dalelands, rampaging across Mistledale and Tasseldale. It was surmised that something was driving them up from their homes in the Underdark.

Appearances

 * Video games:
 * Baldur's Gate