Kobolds
//Alternative names; Dobhar chú//
Nature spirits taken form, the Kobolds are a noble yet quiet race found spread across the world wherever they find their home. It is said they are living flames given physical form, and will flock to places where light or warmth is needed. In spite of their fiery nature, they have a great love of water and are excellent swimmers and are just at home in water as they are on land.
Many Kobold will find themselves at home at ports or on the high seas, while others will flock to cave systems and mines. And yet a smaller sunbet of Kobolds have found home within the walls of cities, doing any labor that lets them work with fire or otherwise lets them work around water.
Basic Information
Anatomy
They are dog-like humanoids in appearance with fur that can be long, short, or curly growing all over their body. This fur is a double coat with oils that slick water away from their bodies with ease and protects against warm and cold temperatures. Kobolds have medium length pointed ears on the top sides of their heads. Their faces are doglike with a muzzle and whiskers, and scaled ridges upon their brows. Their legs are digitgrade, while their hands are more human-like. Both their hands and feet have claws, webbing, and padding. Additionally, Kobolds have long, lizardlike tails that they use to help their mobility in water. Spikes trail from the top of their head down to their tails, along their spines.
Noticeably, their blood and insides glow as if they were made out of fire. This glow, called their 'internal fire', and its color varies depending the individual, but tends to come in a bright red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple. This glow is especially noticeable even where their skin is thin, or where their insides are exposed- such as the inside of the mouth or in their ears. Their canine-like eyes also glow within their irises.
Genetics and Reproduction
Kobolds reproduce like mammals, gestating their pups for about 7 months before giving birth. Normally they give birth to 2-3 pups, which are born with their eyes closed.
Growth Rate & Stages
Noticably, Kobolds go through their stages of life fast. When Kobolds are born as pups, they are born with their eyes closed for a week, and at two and a half weeks they reach toddlerhood. This toddlerhood lasts for about half a year, and are considered an average child after that. Much like other young members of species, their limbs are cartoonishly proportioned and often have a fluffier coat throughout their childhood up until puberty.
Puberty hits Kobold at around 5-7 years old, leading to the shedding of their childhood coat and growing into more adult proportions and anatomy. Once they hit around 13 years old, a Kobold is considered fully an adult and most growth stops around then.
Ecology and Habitats
Kobolds are attracted to and often found in coastal regions or caves, with their homeland specifically being a tropical peninsula littered with sandstone and limestone caves.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Kobolds eat primarily meat and fish, with a love for shellfish especially. They also consume some grains, coconuts, and some coastal based edible plants. Seaweed is extremely popular in Kobold cuisine. They also have an obsession for sat, which is used in large amounts in their cooking.
Biological Cycle
Kobolds get thicker winter coats during the winter months and generate much more body heat during this time, leading to their internal flame to glow brighter. This coat is shed during early spring, and their internal flame returns to normal temperatures during this time.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Outside of their home country, most Kobolds form only small groups of whoever they can get along with. Families are remembered, but aren't expected to stay together. Some even fall out of contact with each other.
However, in Okanis, they form a much more organized system. Settlements are heavily focused on the citizens working together in unity, and there are no true leaders- just experts who share their expertise and advice to help influence the whole's decisions. Teamwork is a strong skill that is common among Kobolds who have lived in Okanis at one point or another due to this structur.
Facial characteristics
The head of a Kobold greatly resembles that of canines, but with an assortment of spikes lining their brows and the top of the center of their skulls. Their ears are tall and pointed, though some individuals may have floppy ears.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Kobolds settle wherever there are caves or bodies of water, as a part of them deep inside feels an unnatural connect to these locations. They have claimed the peninsula known as Okanis for themselves due to its access to water and large amount of cave systems.
Average Intelligence
They are a smart, sapient species, with their own language, writing system, and culture. Much of their knowledge is focused on magic, natural forces, and the various trades they take up; such as mining, sailing, or blacksmithing.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Kobolds have an excellent sense of smell, on par with bloodhounds. They also have excellent eyesight that lets them see well in the dark, and they can handle flash blindness much better than other species.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
While some chose to go by names of other races that are predominate in whatever settlement they reside in, Kobolds do have their own naming system. Kobold names tend to sound rough, like a canine's growl, but some may go for more relaxed names that come from their language's words for the ocean and coastal life. Rather than having family names, Kobolds have titles that come before their name. These noun based titles relate to where they were born, usually in the common trade language and rarely in their own language.
Examples include:
Sandtide Rhufosh, Deepwell Grisshe; Avencrook Cnasshe, Rhaaossh Yragg; Horahsh Ralvarrg, Hragroa Nerrisha
Beauty Ideals
Shiny, healthy coats are heavily desired by Kobold society and is considered very attractive. Additionally, a bright inner fire glow is considered attractive and as a sign of a Kobold that is closely in tune with their spirit.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Their native language, Rraglun, involves a mixture of huffs, growls, yips, and body language involving their hands, ears, and tails. It sounds complex to outside listeners, but is much more simple to those who speak it. The vocalizations represent words in a simple object-verb-subject syntax, while the gestures are used to convey emotion and tone.
When written, Kobolds prefer to use their claws dipped into ink or other writing materal. This causes the script to appear like carefully arranged clawmarks. Rraglun is written from right to left in script.
Common Myths and Legends
According to Kobold folktales, Kolbolds were once elemental or nature spirits- depending on the storyteller. They became attached to the physical plane and soon created bodies for themselves out of ashes they had created, and mud from the shores of a river. The spirits used their inner heat to fire the bodies before combining themselves with these forms made out of earth, fire, and water. This is said to be how the first Kobolds were born, and that it is why they feel such a close attachment to fire, bodies of water, and caves. It is as if their bodies continue to wish to feel close to the very elements that compose their element.
Scientific Name
Anthropolopus digitatus
Lifespan
90 years old
Average Height
As with many of the Eidolon races, Kobolds are on the shorter side, reaching a rang of 4 feet to 5 1/2 feet tall
Average Weight
An average range of a health weight on Kobolds ranges from 85 lbs. to around 135 lbs.
Average Length
From the top of their head to the tip of their tails, Kobold will range around 5 to 7 feet long
Average Physique
Kobolds are often thin but muscular, well suited for swimming or laboring away inside of mines. Their hind legs are notably long and powerful.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The fur color of kobolds range greatly in natural and unnatural colors, such as browns, blacks, reds, oranges, yellows, tans, whites, and even deep blues and purples. Their coat can have a wide range of patterns, though the most common patterns often match that of various canine species. They can also be spotted, striped, or splotched as well.
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