Life and Lairs of the Longtail Kobolds.

Life and Lairs of the Longtail Kobolds. A kobolds life is for the tribe, and ever must they be ready for a number of dangers. The roof may collapse, a tunnel may flood, a hostile creature or more may find a way into the territory. Every kobold is trained to defend against, trap, escape and mislead any would be invader. Its a hard life that takes a great toll.
Love and individuality is a luxury that few can afford to waste time on. Mating is pragmatic based, and a duty. It takes a Kobold 2 weeks to lay an egg after mating. All eggs are examined carefully and sorted into hot pools and eggs that are marked* is separated into a special pool for the chosen ones. It takes a egg about 2 months to hatch. Kobold eggs are sturdy and can hatch a live pup even after being cracked if not raptured. The Kobold pups can walk and run a short time after hatching and training raising them begins immediately. Games and play activities all are designed to prepare the young for the basic knowledge that everyone must know. As soon as a young can talk well enough they are given shores and help where they can. At 3 or 4 ears of age they are judged by an elder for their talent and given special training. By the age of 6 they are ready to perform the rite of passage into adulthood. the young adults that survive or pass this test are now fit to hold real responsibility and will be judged as adults. Few kobolds live to their middle ages, witch is around the 60th year. Fewer still become old (90yrs) or even venerable (120+). Kobolds believe that when they die they are immediately reborn as kobolds. So if a hero or important kobold dies, the egg that is laid at the same time or closest to it is collected and given special care. And the kobold hatched given special training and named after whey assume must be himself.
Every adult kobold is proud of what is called their main talent. (it must be a talent that's useful to the tribe) And is expected to explore this talent when not working on a specific task given by the taskmasters. This can be hard if the talent in question require rare or hard to get resources. If so a Kobold must make do with inferior or even badly suited resources.
The taskmasters are the four advisors to the Chieftain. They organize the mining, training, planning, and needs of the tribe. They know who is supposed to do what, where, and how long it's supposed to take. Unless a task is needing a peculiar talent, like preparing a area for a tricky trap design. Any member of the tribe that's not assigned to a shore will be. if noone is free, workers from what currently is a less important jobs get moved to where they're needed. This way kobolds live somewhat fluid lives in what jobs are concerned. But the kobolds known to be best at a job is set to that job before the ones that are just good at it.
Longtails territory is near natural underground hot springs. this means that their tunnels are humid, with moss, algae, and mushrooms in abundance. Often tunnels are deliberately flooded too. Their dens and caves are connected by snug tunnels a room with less than 3 exits are rare. and all rooms are prepared with traps or defences in case of hostile invasion. Storages of varied sizes and content is hidden all over. Kobolds do not keep all their eggs in one hatching pool after all.
Kobolds sleep wherever they can, some have according to their standing and rank a favorite moss laiden shelf they share with their best friends, or maybe even a hammock. the young is guarded even as they sleep in special areas where they can be swiftly taken to an escape if needed.
A cave or tunnel can be decorated with mud\plaster on the walls. stone or clay bricks if the area is worth the effort. Walls can be painted or even covered in mosaics. Tools and small treasures are kept in tiny spaces worked into the wall, or on shelves where appropriate.
Floors are most often bare stone, or covered by a mix between sand and gravel. But floors too can be laid with stone bricks, or mosaics, patterned with worked bone or carpeted with moss. A space worth living in is worth decoration and over time can be made quite nice. A small cave may with time be made into a small cavern with decorations and shapes resembling those of a cathedral. But such works will crumble fast if not maintained. This is why few adventurers and scholars ever find traces of kobold high culture. Not that they are looking.
Lighting is made with wax candles and simple oil lamps. Never torches, for their smoke is too thick. Sometimes glow in the dark slugs or bugs can be used, or even some algae or types of mushroom glow faintly in the dark. But they are more work to cultivate.
Kobolds are opportunistic eaters. Bugs and slugs and growth of many kinds are grown or collected. There are two collective meals in this tribe. The first and the last of the day. Both are prepared hot if possible. Other than this food and drink must be scavenged or brought along for consumtion during the day. There are many small storages of food, and food is always prepared for long storage in case of hard times. Kobolds tend to love strong tastes, but find spices hard to come by.
Kobols have to scavenge and work with whatever they have. This means that their tools often are sub optimal. When a animal or monster is slain by the tribe it is quickly cut up carefully and sorted. And a taskmaster or trusted Kobold oversee that nothing is wasted. With cleaning and preparation everything has a use and will be used. Kobolds also send out seekers, to find things that will not be missed or have been lost\thrown away. When the seekers have found something they become fiders, and when finders return they are rewarded with better food or maybe even a day off. It is especially dangerous work, and the Seekers go to extreme lengths not to be discovered. To be discovered could mean great retaliation on the tribe. This is why if a Kobold is caught the others will try to kill it quickly, before it can be made to give away tribe seecrets. Its bouth seen as a necessity and a mercy. 
Longtails used to have the means to produce Brass, but their forge was lost in a caveinn. and the forgemaster and his aprentices also. They cannot melt metals any more, new tools will have to be converted, redesigned or made from non metals. Most non metal tools are made from, wood, bone, stone or natural glass.
Longtails have many clever pets. Most prized are the Giant weasels, witch are to them as horses and dogs are to the humans. To be entrusted with the care of a Giant weasel is a equally great honour reserved only to proven kobolds. They also have learned mastery over oozes. With a mix of a particular slug and mushroom mashed into a paste, that the oozes do not like they can control them somewhat. They are driven into holes used as refuse disintegrators or as parts of traps. The kobolds have also a very secret salve that lets a kobold endure the acids for some minutes. And if a ooze is found to have something interesting inside they will cover a kobold in the salve and the rope too. Then the Kobold will simply dive into the ooze and get it and be pulled out. The kobold must then hasten to wash itself or the acids on him will begin to hurt. Poisonous|venomous creatures will also be collected and used. Sometimes as food. The golden rule here is that pets are only allowed if they are more useful to the tribe than dangerous.
Divine healing is super rare, because the kobold god Kurtulmak is trapped in a lost place. Clerics do exists but have to reserve their powers for when it is truly needed. Other Draconic gods may also be revered, but they care little for Kobolds. Yet some kobolds know how to care for the sick and wounded. (maybe a Kobold will learn the ways of the druid or be gifted in other ways of healing) or find healing potions or items. The tribe cannot rely on magical healing. Cures and remedies are passed on with special care, to know how to save a life is to have power over it. Not everyone can be trusted with this power…
Kobold culture is considered a evil one. But consider this, everyone that's stronger than them is likely to enslave them. They barely survive without a powerful benefactor. They are used to serve cruel masters and have but their wits to save them. And because they are so often serving or enslaved by evil masters, and with the feud against any gnomes for the trickery of their god Garl Glittergold against Kurtulmak. The world treat them as evil, so no outsider can be truly trusted. It has always been so, it is the old way.
(* Great kobolds reborn or chosen ones eggs are marked)
The Kobold God’s. Kobolds Revere true dragons as god like beeings, yet they have real gods too. Kurtulmak (N.E) is the Kobold god of Mining, War and traps, He was a trusted servant of Tiamat. Yet he stole the gift of scorcery fom the dragons and gave it to the kobolds. He is the teacher. One day Garl Glittergold, The gnome god of trickery steals a bit of Tiamats treasure hoard. And Kurtulmak was sent to get it back. Garl Glittergold used his tricks and leads Kurtulmak deep into caverns and cause the mountains to cave inn on him and burried alive. Waiting? Many Kobolds seek his release.
Gaknulak (L.E) Was a demigod that served Kurtulmak. He was a master of traps, contraptions, stealth and protecton. It is likely he died during the sundering, if not before. Not worshiped but revered.
Dakarnok (L.N L.E N.E) Was a powerfull shaman that Became a Demigod and served Kurtalmak. He was the Master raider, the great thief. and the yongest of the kobold gods. The god of thieing and banditry. Also persumed dead during the sundering, if not before. Not worshiped but rewered.
Kuraulyek. (N.E) He is a coward and a enemy to Kurtalmak. Dough the Kobolds of the Longtails have forgotten why. Is the god of Urds. Winged Kobolds.
ASGORATH (N) The DRAGON god of creation. It is told that he saved Kurtulmaks life, and turned Kurtulmak and Kuraulyek into gods, and so all the Kobold lives. He\She at least gives a fuck, so is revered by Kobolds. But rarely worshiped.
TIAMAT. Revered, rarely worshipped.


Members of the tribe. summer of 1489 Tribe memebers: 61 adults. 12 young. 21 hatchlings. 17 eggs.
Cheiftan. Chrom Gnomegutter.
Taskmasters. Nard the sligthy touched, Rong the rider, Devex and Moonmoon.