Bracaran Kobold
Naming Traditions
Bracaran kobolds have a single given name, and use the name of their tribe in lieu of a surname. Within the tribe, if two or more kobolds share a name, epithets will be appended to distinguish among them.When looking to name a kobold character, look to Kazakh names for inspiration!
Examples
- "Atabek, the Hunter, of the Winding River tribe"
- "Sabira Redscale, from the Wretched Mountain tribe"
- "Restless Tanatar, of the Tribe of Salted Earth"
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Dominion and Forbearance
The history of kobolds in a greater geographic region is marked by eras of dominion and eras of forbearance, where a dominion lasts from the birth of a dragon to the death of that dragon and a forbearance marks the period until the birth of the next dragon. Dominions are named for the dragon that presided over them, and forbearances for whatever killed the dragon and brought an end to the dominion. If a dragon lives long enough to die of natural causes, the forbearance is referred to as a "blessed forbearance," as kobolds hold that a new dragon will be born into a shorter forbearance if the previous dragon died of natural causes. Every kobold knows by heart the names and lengths of their region's dominions and forbearances. Beyond this, historical knowledge is not particularly valued; while individual tribes may mark the names of the last few non-dragon chiefs or count the years since a raid on their settlement, this information pales in importance next to the broader cycle of eras. Such esoterica would be remembered only by the tribe's historian.Roles in the Tribe
Kobold society has a few general roles, and a handful of more specific ones, into which the members can be classified. Any able-bodied kobold over the age of 6 is assumed to be contributing in some broader way, unless they have a special role. General roles include:- Hunters, fishers, trappers, tanners (leather armor).
- Farmers (animal and crop), brewers.
- Miners (both for excavating shelters and for acquiring resources).
- Clutch nurses.
- Stonesmiths or metalsmiths.
- There are three primary roles that elders take in the community: chieftain, shaman, and historian. Each of these roles takes one or more apprentices in order to pass on their specialized knowledge. The chief handles matters of leadership, the shaman recalls and can lead magical rituals, and the historian remembers history beyond the ebb and flow of dominions and forbearances.
- Traders and messengers are considered "gadling roles," and come with a certain distinction from other jobs—more on gadlings below.
Shared customary codes and values
Veneration of Dragons
Dragons occupy a truly unique position in kobold society. The entire culture and life cycle of kobolds is dedicated to maximizing the possibility of bringing a dragon into the world, thus ushering in a golden era of dominion for generations of kobolds. This leads to a psychology among kobolds that is very focused on the collective, rather than on the individual. By the age of 1, a kobold will already have accomplished or failed to accomplish the single most important thing it can do with its life—being a dragon. After that, its life holds no more meaning than any other kobold's, save for that of a dragon. Each and every tribal location has produced at least one known dragon in the past, and as such, it is expected that kobolds of reproductive age will spend much of their time within the village.Base 12 Numeric System
Kobolds count to 6 on a single hand: the fist is 1, thumb is 2, fingers 3-6. This gives rise to a base 12 numeric system. Children come of age when they turn 6, kobolds are expected to be wedded by 12 at the latest, at 18 they are considered "elders," and by 24, they will often have passed on. Kobolds over the age of 24 are jokingly referred to as "too old to count," as their age can no longer be counted on the hands and feet of a kobold.Kobold Idioms
"A spot that's warm and dry." Refers to the necessary conditions for an egg to hatch. Said of kobolds of reproductive age with a perceived reluctance to settle down, e.g. "He certainly can't seem to find a spot that's warm and dry." "Don't trust a field until the second harvest." Refers to the differences in the conditions needed for human and kobold crops to grow. While a human field, taken during a dominion, may have an impressive first harvest of human crops, its second harvest of kobold-preferred crops may well be thinner. Said to preach caution and skepticism against first impressions or grand gestures. "A single yield is preferable to none." Refers to the same crop phenomenon. Often said in response or rebuttal to the preceding idiom.Average technological level
In smaller kobold tribes, kobolds will live within excavated dwellings in the stone, or in tepee-like assembled shelters. In larger tribes, wooden or even stone buildings become far more common.
The average kobold will wear leather armor and wield a shield and a stone-tipped spear. Many kobold tribes have a stockpile of bronze weapons, but as these are often looted from human settlements, they tend to err on the larger side. Larger or more resource-dense tribes of kobolds may have reliable access to bronze gear.
The most common domesticated animal for kobold tribes to keep is the skaya, a capybara-like creature that functions as an inferior combination of both a cow and a pig, but is able to survive in virtually any environment.
The most common kobold exports are animal products (hides, furs, leather), stone, minerals, and grain alcohols; depending on the tribe, resources such as lumber, animal products, crops, and insect products (honey, carmine, wax) might also become available. The most common kobold imports are fibers (such as wool or silk) and crops that require arable land to grow.
Common Etiquette rules
Membership in a tribe of kobolds is marked by location, not bloodline; should a kobold descended from one tribe find themselves living in the settlement of another tribe, they would be considered by both tribes to belong to the new tribe now. The size and prominence of a tribe tends to scale in proportion to one of two factors: the quality of the settled land, or the number of dragons known to have arisen from that tribe.
This flexibility of membership stems from the nature of dominions and forbearances. During a dominion, kobolds shuffle location, particularly at the beginning due to the whims of dragons and the availability of land. The kobolds that return to a tribal village to lay eggs, or who ultimately return when a forbearance begins, are quite often not descendants of the kobolds who left that village when the dominion began.
A kobold currently outside of a tribe, whatever the duration, is referred to a gadling. Gadlings are necessary for many reasons, including trade and communication, and the role itself bears no stigma or shame. That said, gadlings have a faint reputation as Peter Pan types, reluctant to settle down. "Gadling marriage" is slang for a less monogamous, more open relationship, in which one member is often a gadling; such couples might not live together often save for reproduction, or the gadling might have partners in multiple tribes (which is discouraged, but not so strongly that it would be considered infidelity).
In a similar vein, a marriage that takes place around the age of 11 or 12 is considered a "clutch marriage," a pun referring both to the purpose of the marriage (clutches of eggs) and the timing (just in the nick of time).
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Any given tribe of Bracaran kobolds knows a few magical rituals, all of which are meant to be performed en masse by a large number of kobolds. The nature of these rituals varies from tribe to tribe, but the strength of their magic scales with the number of performers; due to the weakness of individual kobolds, they could never be performed solo. These rituals are passed down by oral tradition, and predominantly take the form of temporarily bolstering—or permanently enhancing—the prowess of a dragon. One such ritual is the ritual to endow a dragon, permanently, with a breath weapon.
Every kobold in a tribe knows how to participate in the rituals that their particular tribe knows, but only a few—typically the shaman and their apprentice—know how to properly lead the rituals.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Kobolds lay their eggs in nursery-like buildings called a clutch, which are actively kept in the necessary conditions (warm, dry) for the eggs to hatch. As with lizard eggs, these eggs cannot be tipped from the position in which they were laid. There are kobolds whose role within the tribe is to care for the eggs, so parental involvement is by no means mandatory, but it's generally considered good parenting to check on and care for your eggs yourselves. Once the eggs hatch, the young sleep in the huts of their parents, but are raised and nurtured by the village as a whole.
Coming of Age Rites
Kobolds between the ages of 6 and 9 will often partake in an adolescent rite of passage called first flight, in which they venture away from their tribe of origin for a time. Depending on the kobold, this can range from performing a function within the tribe (traveling alongside traders, say) to more of a directionless walkabout. It may take them for a time to other tribes of kobolds, or even the lands of other species. It is not uncommon for kobolds "in flight" to ultimately join a different tribe than their tribe of birth.
Particularly troublesome kobolds within a tribe may be encouraged strongly by their elders to consider taking a longer first flight, or joining a new tribe. Should the kobold choose to remain within the tribe, and stay troublesome, they will likely be encouraged into roles that leave them gadling for long stretches of time.
The first flight is the sole case in which a kobold outside of a tribal village is not considered gadling.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Kobolds are a rarity among sentient races in their lack of belief in an afterlife. They cremate their dead, a solemn ceremony that serves as a reminder of what was lost and provides an opportunity for the community to mourn. If they die in the service of a dragon, it's customary for the dragon to cremate them personally with his breath, as it makes the dragon account for what has been lost.
Common Taboos
Chillings
It is fundamentally taboo for gadlings to reproduce, for dragons have never been born outside of tribal villages; to have a child outside of the tribe is to ensure that child has no chance of being a dragon. Such a child is called a chilling, referring to the warmth that kobold eggs require when gestating; the implication of the term is one of parental neglect. Chillings are pitied, but seldom shunned, as the fault lies with their parents. By contrast, parents of chillings are barred entry to any tribe. Chillings become more common during dominions, as parents living in conquered, arable land may not wish to make the trek back to a tribal village twice a year to reproduce.Dragonslaying
For a kobold to kill a dragon is the ultimate taboo. Even under the dominion of the cruelest, most wicked dragon, kobolds live better, safer, longer lives than during a forbearance. Likewise, on the rare occasions in history when multiple dragons have existed simultaneously in a given region, they have vied for dominance through nonlethal means. War between two dragons is fought with statecraft and diplomacy, by improving the conditions of the kobold tribes over which they rule and worsening the conditions under which the other dragon's kobolds live. Once one dragon concedes, the kobold tribes merge under a single dominion, and the conceding dragon takes up a position as heir apparent to the victor.Common Myths and Legends
Creation
Kobolds believe the world to have been shaped by massive, mighty dragons. Their claws and talons scraped across the land, creating rivers and canyons; from the frost, flame, and lightning of their breaths came the weather and the seasons and the heat beneath the earth. Theirs was the Dominion of Creation, and it was blessed, for they could not be slain. When they passed, the Long Forbearance began, in which we are all now living.Prophecy of Baizhan
Bracaran kobolds hold that the dying words of the last god, Baizhan, are a prophecy that will one day be fulfilled. In its fulfillment, new dragons will arise of stature and power equal to the first dragons, ushering in a new dominion extending across all of Aedes.Historical figures
Kobolds have the longest oral history of any of the sentient races, dating back nearly three thousand years. The oral history of kobolds in the Bracaran Peninsula consists of the names and durations of dominions and forbearances in southeastern Aedes, which they hold dates back to the creation of Aedes itself.
Ideals
Relationship Ideals
Kobolds form relationships with reproduction as the explicit aim. Romantic couplings are nevertheless fairly frequent, and tend to pair off on the younger side (8-10). An uncoupled kobold over the age of 10 starts to receive judgement for wasting their fertile years, and by 11, the judgement escalates toward active shame. By the age of 12, virtually every kobold can be expected to have paired off with a partner and begun procreating. This expectation is due to the importance of reproduction in kobold culture.
Kobolds are generally monogamous, but should a kobold happen to have partners in multiple tribes—a trader, say, with cause to travel back and forth often—they would be judged but not ostracized.
Related Organizations
Related Myths
Related Locations
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