Sidenote on Honor and Duty, Atcha and Muut Amongst the Dhakaani

I do want to talk briefly about Jhazaali’s comment to me at this point, “Paatcha!” See, muut and atcha are key concepts in Dhakaani culture. It used to be for all goblinoids, but the loss of this during the Daelkyr corruption millennia ago is why the Heirs of Dhakaan locked themselves away for so long.

Dhakaani culture revolves around the concepts of muut and atcha. Muut is essentially about the honor of the Empire and can be roughly translated as duty; atcha is personal honor. The most common form of thanks is ta muut, essentially “You do your duty.” Meanwhile Paatcha! is an offer of honor, typically an exhortation of a commander to his troops – this is your chance to gain honor! The key is that the Dhakaani are always considering these concepts: how you are fulfilling your duty to the Empire, and how your actions reflect on you. The key here – and a statement that’s often misunderstood – is that the Dhakaani idea of honor on the battlefield is very different from human concepts. As an example, I’ve since heard the humans of Khorvaire say that goblinoids “don’t care about honor on the battlefield.” Now, it may be true that Dhakaani have no compunctions about killing a helpless foe, about killing civilians if it’s strategically logical, about ambushing an enemy, and similar actions that other “civilized” races generally consider dishonorable. The Dhakaani are concerned with victory. Honor comes from following the orders of your commander, from standing your ground against any odds, from displaying both skill and discipline. Do what you have pledged to do and do it well. (Baker, Dragonmarks: Goblins, 2017) So Dhakaani take personal honor far more seriously than most other soldiers (including non-Dhakaani goblinoids) – but it’s important to understand what “honor” means to them.

People have asked if the Dhakaani are an evil society. I don’t believe so. They are highly structured and disciplined, but neither exceptionally cruel, corrupt, or altruistic. Dhakaani society is neither cruel nor kind: it is efficient and expedient. It is a society driven by war, and warfare is carried out in the most efficient and effective manner possible. They’d generally avoid targeting civilian populations not because it’s the morally correct thing to do, but because destroying them is a waste of resources that could be used in the future. Their leaders do what is best for the empire, which often means doing what is best for the people. But if it was for some reason necessary to wipe out an innocent village for the good of the Empire, they’d do it without hesitation… but they’d do it for the good of the Empire, not for personal gain. Corruption is extremely rare among the Dhakaani (though it can certainly be found among the Marguul and Ghaal’dar).

The eusocial bond and racial caste system are the foundation of the Dhakaani. Every goblinoid has a clearly defined role and embraces that role. Members of other species have no sense of muut and atcha. They are difficult to control, will always seek to rebel, and have no clear role in the first place. In some ways the Dhakaani can be seen as ants: they spread as efficiently as possible, and they don’t seek to compel other insects to work as slaves in their anthills; they simply kill rivals or drive them away. So it is with the Dhakaani. (Baker, Dragonmarks: Goblins, 2017)