Kobold
Draconic Descent
Look, you think Kobolds are some pathetic little things, but you try navigating a Kobold's den. So many traps.
Kobolds are known as descendants of Dragons, small creatures with the pride of the large beasts themselves. Although frail, many underestimate both their courage and cleverness when it comes to dealing with larger threats... especially on their home turfs.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Kobolds are a very small race, on average having the same height and weight of a Human toddler. Most share a lot of similarities with regional Dragons such as tails and scales, while others even have feathers and horns.
Most Kobolds also possess things like 3-digit claws for both hands and feet, with a slender physique that allows them to be quite agile with their movements.
Biological Traits
Scale Colours
Like their Dragon ancestors, Kobolds have a wide spectrum of scale and feather colours. While most might seem it as an aesthetic, some do gain elemental benefits from their colouration, such as resistances or even breath weapons.
Right now there are 3 major categories for scale/feather colours regarding Kobolds:
- Chromatic Colours: black, blue, green, red, white
- Metallic Colours: brass, bronze, copper, gold, silver
- Primal Colours: brine, cloud, crystal, magma
Subraces
Western
Western Kobolds are regarded as the most stereotypical of the subraces, being the face of their kind. Looking the most Draconic of the bunch, they are distinct through their horned heads and long tails that typically drag behind them.
Northern
Northern Kobolds are the broadest and heftiest of their kind, having learned to survive the frozen cold. As a result, many have thick coats of both fur and feathers to keep themselves warm, often with large jawlines and spikes to avoid predators.
Eastern
Eastern Kobolds tend to be a lot slender than their other cousins, taking on traits from the many imperial Dragons in the area. While still scaly, they have also developed fur in the form of a beard and mane, making many look wiser than they actually are.
Southern
Southern Kobolds are some of the most exotic types, with colourful plumage and a prolonged snout. Funnily enough, the males tend to be quote colourful compared the females, believed to be a result of mating preferences.
Greater Kobold
Greater Kobolds more closely resemble their Dragon ancestors, being both larger and more defined when it comes to their Draconic features. Once every thousand Kobold births, one is born with the wings and abilities of a Dragon, making it quickly up the ranks of their tribe.
Many devote themselves as living avatars of Dragonkind, commanding their communities and taking in the pride of their bloodline. While for some this might make them simply proud rulers, others become egoistical with their greatness.
Genetics and Reproduction
As Kobolds are Draconic, their kind reproduces by laying eggs. Typically, in one lifetime a female Kobold can lay anywhere between 30 to 50 eggs, with only one or two each time.
Due to their genetics, they sadly can't crossbreed without magic being involved, making them only compatible with fellow Kobolds.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Kobolds have been reported all across the world, from the depths of the Subterrane to even as high as several thousand feet above sea level. Most noticeably, they are found near areas where Dragons are or were prominent.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Since they are mostly nocturnal hunters and cave dwellers, Kobolds have well-known darkvision that allows them to see in black and white. Sunlight, however, is their one known weakness, being easily dazed by brightness.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Beauty Ideals
Kobolds find beauty in their scales and feathers, which might be a result of mating preferences. The shinier the scales and more colourful the feathers, the more attractive a Kobold is considered by their society. Some males are said to even take plumage of local birds to appear prettier for the females.
Gender Ideals
In most Kobold societies, males tend to be the hunters and gatherers of the group, while females both help repopulate and take care of the children. Although sometimes, when populations dwindle a bit, the roles might be taken up by both sexes.
Common Taboos
Kobolds take pride in their heritage, regardless of how messed up or bizarre it might seem. As such, it is seen as blasphemous to insult the Dragons they might inherit from. It is even more scandalous to deface their graves and bones, which makes research often difficult for scholars without pissing them off.
History
The problem with Kobold research is that their prideful nature makes it often hard to find difference between truth or fiction. As such, each time another tribe has a new creation myth, we end up having to work back from square one.
Little is known where the first Kobold came to be, as their footprints and history have followed everywhere where Dragons lived. Sometimes they simply are said to be servants made by elder Dragons to serve them, others claim they were their children. One myth even believes Kobolds came from the scales of one gigantic Dragon.
However, their interaction with the world of Fabulae has been reported for over millennia, from the oldest kingdoms to even some modern areas being created by their hands. Their efficiency and eagerness to show off led to many being utilised as labour workers for infrastructure, with some kingdoms being born from their work.
However, while records of their association with other races has existed since the dawn of time, no single tribe nor region knows where they first came from. Some might say it will never be solved, but researchers don't easily give up.
Common Myths and Legends
- A Kobold is never alone: Since Kobolds live in tribes or near Dragons, it is believed if one Kobold shows up, a hundred more are around the corner.
- All Kobolds can fly in some capacity: Since many have feathers and such, it is believed Kobolds can actually fly in some capacity, whether that be gliding or full on flight. Most don't.
- Kobolds can change sex: Like some other reptiles, it is believed Kobolds can change their sex to suit a tribe need for females. Though sadly, no evidence of this occurring has ever happened.
- Kobolds eat rocks and gems: Although carnivorous, some Kobolds are believed to eat rocks and gems either to help digest their meals or as a form of tradition associated with their Draconic ancestors. Often than not, this isn't something their digestive track can handle.
Creation Myths
Kobolds have a very difficult concept of thinking of only one creation myth, hence there are so many variations of where they came from. Here are a couple:
- The Great Egg: One day a Dragon birthed a massive egg, which housed the first one hundred Kobolds.
- The Underdeveloped Egg: A Dragon egg prematurely cracked open, birthing the first Kobold. But instead of being eaten or dying, it raised adulthood.
- The Scales/Blood of the Elder Dragon: A Dragon died one day, and from either its scales or blood came the first Kobolds.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Kobolds have a love-hate relationship with the rest of the world. Mostly due to their praise and association with Dragons, they can be seen as anything from adorable babies to terrifying minions. While some regions accept them fondly, others hunt them down.
Since their kind is known well for building elaborate dungeons and lairs, they have formed a bit of a frenemy rivalry with Dwarves. While most of the time they simply co-exist, other times their servitude to Dragons might lead to treasure theft from Dwarven vaults.
Which now comes down to their loyalty to Dragons. As supposed descendants of the great beasts, many serve their kind with little to no disobedience for simply reward and safety. As such, most Dragon nests have local tribes guard it, either for protection by the beast itself or for other reasons such as beliefs or tradition.
Kobold Players
Kobolds revel in their heritage, being a race that is both prideful of who they are and eager to prove themselves. As such, adventurers might seek to become as great as the Dragons they believe to come from, even if it means doing the impossible.
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