Kobold

Children of the Dying Gods

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kobolds are a reptilian humanoid species, with sinewy digitigrade legs and long clawed fingers with a jaw like a crocodile.

Biological Traits

Crafty, defiant, and mistakenly underestimated, Kobolds are what seperates rookie sellswords from corpses. Kobolds are small and fast reptilian humanoids that are vaugely similar to dragons. Unlike dragonborns, there doesn't seem to be as much of a direct linieage to dragons then say Dragonborn. Instead of inheriting a breathe weapon like dragonborn, Kobolds instead inherit a strange level of bravery and magic ability, as well as their general craftiness. They also have a cry mimicing a dragon that can inspire their kin. There has been some rumors of kobolds being able to mutate their bodies, but this hasn't been proven or witnesseed by credible scholars.

Genetics and Reproduction

Kobolds are extremely fecund egg-layers, having the highest birth rate among humanoids. A pregnant female coukd lay her egg within two weeks. About one in ten pregnancies led to two eggs. An egg needs incubation for about two months, but the newly hatched kobold can walk in just hours. The eggs were particularly sturdy, and the young inside could survive even if the egg broke as much as fifteen days early. Kobold young mature quickly, reaching young adulthood in six years. They often lay eggs in a common nest, with specialized foster parents watching over the eggs and wyrmlings.

Ecology and Habitats

Kobolds typically live around places where the body of a dragon resides. Skeletons of dragons, and their own underground tunnels they build to find said bones and treasure.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kobolds are omnivorous, eating plants and animals. They are able to eat just about anything when the situation became desperate, even tree bark or bone. They have been observed to even consume the flesh of their fallen kin in some ritual to "preserve the draconic blood" though its unkown if they eat other humanoids as well, though if they do it is by no means to the same degree as say, gnolls.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Kobolds have at this point spread across the entire world seemingly.  Preffering to live in fortified positions, they regurarly attatch themselves to living dragons they do find, building grand cities on the very outskirts of the dragons lair. When not in the precense of a dragon, they typically build defensible underground communities to dig for dragon bones and treasure.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Kobold names are short and sweet. Most of the tones in their names are harsher, but some more melodic and softer tones are found here and there as well. Kobold names are supposed to have meanings based on the individual's appearance or behavior, but these meanings are only known to those who speak their language.

Gender Ideals

Kobolds are a egallitarian people, and so gender roles seem to be fairly equal across their tribes

Courtship Ideals

Kobolds do not maintain monogamous relationships, and due to the importance they place on propagation, they choose mates by practical measures rather than love or other emotions. Mating is an impersonal act for kobolds. However, this can change depending on the tribe or community they are apart of.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Kobolds spoke Draconic, but those that venture out usually pick up common. Some kobolds have also been known to speak Under-common

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Kobold communities gather then groups called "legions". and can be found across almost the entire world. While most simply seek to go unnoticed and keep to themselves, some are more zealous in their worship of the dragon gods and go on campaigns of destruction. Their dragon ancestry is everything to the mind of a kobold, and it gives them strength hidden inside them despite their small stature.  They can be seen as nervous or anxious outside of the underground or caves, and are very much focused on keeping themselves alive through cunning or bravery. One thing of note is that shields are of great importance to the kobold people, which they make with the scales of dead dragons, and regurarly paint themselves to match the scale pattern. If they are serving a living dragon, they paint the scales to match their leader. All legions are built around a leader and a prophet who gives spirtual and martial guideance to the community.
Due to how their ancient tales describe other mortals, they tend to either take out rookie adventuring groups or sellsword companies early, lest they grow strong enough to challenge a dragon themselves. However one thing of note is that they never seem to harm any child of any humanoid species. Some scholars argue what the reason behind this is, but the most likely answer is that there is simply no story of a small child besting a dragon, and so they do not pose a threat.
Kobolds are known for their cunning, preffering to think smarter and not harder. They find metal to be of great importance to their gods, but prefer to make most of their weaponry of dragon bone and body parts. Some mutate their bodies with strange potions to try and look closer to dragons. They have also become skilled at breeding war beasts, ussually reptilain, known as Shieldscale Drangolin and other various lizard hounds such as Scutico (scale rats) or Svaraskalos (lizard hounds). The Shieldscale Drangolin are the most threatening of all, being large creatures that tunnel through the ground with ease, and can easily break apart enemy fortification and can smash through walls. They are even capable of erutping like a volcano, turning them into living bombs that can survive the explosion.

History

Much of the Kobold history has been lost to time, with very few scholars having looked into the matters of the Kobold creation story to begin with. Some scholars have however, made accurate accounts of the creation myth the kobolds hold amongst their kind, and pass from generation to generation. The kobolds hold that there were the creation of the many draconic gods of the land during the Primodial Age, and that they were the favored servants and faithful flock of these dragons. However, the countless other mortal races, in their vast teeming hordes, slew countless dragons for selfish reasons or desires. They threw their gods away as mere beasts rather than glorious and kind gods of the land. This great scouring brought an age of darkness upon the Kobolds as they retreated underground, praying for some miracle as the dragons died out.
Divine intervention came, as the first prophet of the kobolds, known as Nelpe, recieved a vision from the dying words of the dragon gods to dig in one specific area, and there he found the vast bones of a great dragon god. He reminded his people where they came from, and said that if they found enough bones and treasure they could bring back the dragon gods. They thus spread across the world, forming their own tribes and communities to search for the remains of the dragon gods, in the hopes to be the first group to find them. They would even at times find living dragons, an event of celebration for the tribe that finds them. Thus the kobolds exist to this day as a widespread, diverse species of tribes and communities that resist all enemies that dare encroach on their territory, and seek to revive the dead gods no matter the cost.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Kobolds are generally seen as a pest rather than a major threat, a mistake many make truly. Kobolds are vicious when cornered, or when on the attack, and have slain more than people would believe. While not instantly hostile against outsiders, their guard is up majority of the time due to the ancient stories of adventurers crurely killing dragons and their kind for loot and riches. Some kobolds have broken away from their communities and intergrated with wider society, some even working as sellswords, but for the most part Kobolds keep to themselves. They are espically hazerdous to any mining operations as accidently digging into their lairs can spark a bloody underground war.

Lifespan

usually 50 to a max of 150

Average Height

2-3ft tall

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their scaled skin can range between reddish brown and black or even a bluish tint, and they are covered in scales.