Kobold

A singular kobold is often dismissed as weak and cowardly. But in tribes, they can be quite fearsome. There is a tendency for devotion to their tribe for the kobolds who live in rural areas. They tend to live near mountains and live underground. Some tribes even forge a sense of community within dwarven clans as well working alongside them. But, as time went on few kobolds looking for learning and more opportunities moved to Astara, now Apleau and Ostren, for work. It is not uncommon for city Kobold or Kobold studying magic to go and visit families in mountain regions such as Cumbercoln Bluff. Kobolds hold a natural skill at tunneling, making them expert builders and even miners. Like dragonborn they have a relation to dragon albeit they are considered more of a cousin to dragonborn and dragons in general. In some underground communities, kobolds are captured and sold as slave miners. It is a growing problem throughout Lunaecia. City kobolds mainly live underground but those who are more ambitious are part of and even head of merchant guilds in some cities. Some kobold tribes serve under dragons, very few are recorded on Macrak serving the last few dragons that have been banished there. Even fewer kobold go off to Orcharia to study magic in Orcharia. Tribal societies are much like tribes of goliath in that sustaining the tribe is the utmost importance. Unlike goliaths each kobold has a role in their tribe, ie. shaman, chief, nursemaid, etc. In the end all roles lead up to survival of the tribe.

City kobold assimilate to civilized society and take up the culture and mannerisms leaving behind their tribal roots. Their kinship with other kobolds can be compared to a city person and their country cousin. They also follow the cultural ideals and customs of dragonborns since they are close in relation.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kobolds shed teeth as they wear out and grow new ones their entire lives. Many wear their own shed teeth as jewelry, with more teeth indicating an older — and wiser — kobold. Some unscrupulous individuals wear teeth stolen or harvested from others in an attempt to make them seem older and more respectable.

Biological Traits

Kobolds grow and mature much more swiftly than members of other humanoid races. At 6 years old a kobold is considered an adult. Most succumb to violence, accidents, or disease by age 20, but a kobold can live for up to 120 years — a longevity they attribute to being distantly related to dragons. A female can lay up to six eggs per year, and an egg matures for two to three months before it hatches.

Ecology and Habitats

Kobolds are cold-blooded and thus prefer temperate and tropical climates. Kobold tribes in colder regions tend to be smaller in population and more aggressive in their hunting, since food is relatively scarce in such areas. Partly out of fear and partly because their eyes are sensitive to sunlight, kobolds prefer the security of a cave to living in the open air, and can be found in any sort of terrain that can support tunneling. In a swamp or along a coastline where digging into the soft ground is problematic, kobolds entrench themselves in dense woods, hills, or large rock outcroppings, creating warrens above the water line.
Kobolds reside most commonly in hilly or mountainous terrain. Such locations usually have natural caves suitable for living space, plenty of room to dig, and ready sources of food. Although lairing in these locations puts kobolds in competition with surface-dwelling humanoids, their ability to avoid detection often means their warrens go unnoticed by their larger rivals. If it’s lucky, a tribe of kobolds that is discovered by a group of larger humanoids might form a mutually beneficial arrangement, relying on the humanoids for protection from invaders and in return providing services such as excavating new living spaces and disposing of trash. If it’s unlucky, the tribe is enslaved by the other humanoids, and the kobolds serve similar roles but under threat of death.
City Kobold over time have grown accustomed to living moreso above ground though their primal insticts do come back from time to time and prefer large cities and cities near the water and warmer climates. City Kobolds tend to live moreso in Orcharia and Ostren.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Although their sharp teeth would suggest they are carnivores, kobolds are actually omnivores, and can eat just about anything, including meat, fruit, tree bark, bone, leather, and eggshells (a newly hatched kobold’s first meal is usually its own shell). A hungry tribe leaves nothing behind from a kill, eating everything that’s edible and using the rest to make tools or adornments.
Most kobold tribes avoid eating what they call “talking meat” — intelligent creatures — because such behavior prompts retaliation. The fear of starvation can make them flexible about this principle, however, and if their options are either attacking such creatures or going hungry, kobolds are practical. A few tribes, particularly those in lightly populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat. In any case, kobolds that eat humanoids don’t simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle; they’re more inclined to tie their victims to saplings and slowly roast them over a fire, or put them in a giant cook pot to make stew. Fortunately for the prisoners, the kobolds’ almost comedic preparations sometimes give rescuers time to locate and free the captives before the kobolds settle down for the main course.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Kobold names are derived from the Draconic tongue and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such as scale color, distinctive body parts, or typical behavior. For example, “Red Foot,” “White Claw,” and “Scurry” are Common translations of often-used names. A kobold might change its name when it becomes an adult, or add additional word-syllables after important events such as completing its first hunt, laying its first egg, or surviving its first battle.

Gender Ideals

Because they lay eggs, and the eggs don’t require much tending, kobold females aren’t exempted from war or work. Furthermore, kobolds can slowly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are killed, some survivors change over several months until the tribe is balanced again. In this way, the tribe can quickly repopulate with just a few survivors. Because of these factors, kobolds don’t have assigned gender roles for young or adults. A leader, sorcerer, miner, or crafter is as likely to be female as male.

Relationship Ideals

Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds who’ve known each other for over a decade might consider each other friends or enemies, but the strength of this sentiment is much fainter than any comparable human emotion. Since most of their waking time is spent working, adversarial kobolds rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to blows over their differences. Kobolds choose mates primarily for convenience. Their lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one’s mother is. This practice and the communal raising of the hatchlings mean that the tribe operates like a group of cousins.
City Kobolds tend to act more like dragonborn when it comes to relationships, courtship, gender, and beauty ideals.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Common and Draconic.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Kobolds don’t engage in funeral ceremonies; a dead kobold’s body is burned or disposed of in some other convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic tribe, eaten). Kobolds believe that if they die in service to their tribe, Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to life as the next egg laid in the hatchery. If a particularly important or respected member of a tribe dies, the hatchery is closely monitored. The next egg laid is immediately separated from the rest and carefully protected. Once it hatches, the resultant young kobold is groomed to fill a position of importance.

Historical Figures

• Rott: First kobold to leave teir tribe life and assimilate to civilization.
• Opi: Co creator of the kobold specific merchant and jeweller/miner guild. 

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Kobold are seen as weak and unsavory. Civilized kobold are treated with more respect in society. All dwarves see kobolds positively. All dragonborn see kobold as positive.

Lifespan

120 years

Average Height

2-3 ft

Average Weight

25-35 lbs