Seely Kobold

the Little Miners

Of the Kobold species. the Seely Kobold are some of the most known, yet mysterious of the creatures. Most kobold clans have a claim to one prehistoric Dragon or other as their creators, the Seely do not know their dragon. They are also the youngest of the kobold kind. Only appearing in records after the Black Collapse, while history scholars can trace most of the various clans back to their Randagri Period origins. The Seely Kobolds were simply found living in the Areian Peaks of Tinjir as settlers spread across the land.

Their numbers dwindled in the centuries and ages that followed as Human and Orc civilizations rose and spread throughout Lhakamed until their entire community was limited to the caverns and tunnels of Cold Cap mountain in the western regions. There they lived for countless generations. Though the orcholds of the mountains have always been a threat to the kobolds, as they see the little creatures and nothing more than food, the kobolds were relatively safe in their rocky mountain home. That is until the arrival of the Besed Orchold.

Not only where these new orcs more organized and capable of digging into the kobold's tunnels, but their war with the neighboring human kingdom of Seely drew in the danger of the humans as well. Cold Cap, being the border between the human and orc lands became a battleground for the war, with the kobolds stuck in the middle and little more the fodder for both sides.

Desperate to survive the kobolds recognized that the humans would be their best chance. A peace was brokered for the creatures, with a mutual agreement. The kobolds, master diggers, would aid in the mining for the humans, and the humans would give them refuge and protection. Though tensions were high in the early days, the two peoples have found a common ground over the years.

Aid in digging aside, the kobolds have networked small tunnels between the many mines, creating a vast network of quick travel for the small creatures. This has improved communitions throughout, not only the mines, but Seely itself. Lovers of gems of all types, the humans take a small percentage of the profits from mining to by precious stones to be distributed to their local kobolds.

While kobolds largely stay in the deep mines throughout Seely, some of the older braver creatures have taken to joining rangers on patrols. Others have befriended humans and work as housekeepers for their families. Some even act as mascot or pet for miners, working with them throughout the day to stay with that human as he journeys home, while the other kobolds return to their clan caverns.

Seely Kobolds are distinguishable from other kobold kind because of several key traits. While many kobolds have narrow nostrils capable of closing like a valve to aid in holding their breath or prevent breathing dirt while digging, the Seely have larger than average nostrils that cannot. These kobolds will continually puff air from their nostrils while digging, making it easy to locate them in the mines. This is detrimental when they kobolds were hunted by orcs, but considered helpful to human mines that seem to like to know where these creatures are deep underground. Seely Kobolds have tuffs of white or grey hair running down the front of their bodies and fingers that end in clawless points that aid them in burrowing through the ground by worming their fingers in and pulling the dirt out of the way, rather than aggressive clawing to cut through.