For Goblins, Bug Hunts may well be the most sinister form of magic invented by mortals. Humans often mock goblin’s fascination with bugs and the hushed tones they use to speak of such dark magic, but few have witnessed the true horrors of a Bug Hunt. So damaging can a successful bug hunt be that even the concept of bug eating is often taboo in goblin cultures.
Bug Hunts employ a similar logic to that of the darker blood magics Blood Magics - that a great mass of sacrificed life can be used to empower incredible spells, but with an even darker twist. A true Bug Hunt involves hunting to near extinction a particular species of pollinating insect in a region. In addition to the power of the spell itself (usually the bugs are absorbed to enhance the caster), a successful bug hunt blights the soil and causes crops to fail for miles.
Of course, exterminating any particular type of insect in a particular region is no simple feat, and requires intricate knowledge of the insect’s behavior and physiology. The first known Bug Hunter was the dark wizard Stizit of Hierne who spent many years studying the behavior of various insects as he plotted his revenge, ultimately bringing the kingdom that had wronged him to utter ruin. Stizit compiled the knowledge of his studies into Twenty-Six Grimoires, each describing in intricate detail how to conduct a Bug Hunt targeting a particular insect. Throughout history a few other Bug Hunts have followed, often producing other dark grimoires of their own.