Appearance
Kobolds are dragon-like humanoids, having a tail, but no wings. Some kobolds have horns, though most do not as it is a recessive gene. Kobolds are among the shortest humanoid races, ranging from 2-3 ft. in height. Kobold scale tones are highly varied, much like Dragonborn, ranging in a variety of chromatic colors. Their eye colors are equally varied, though they typically align with their scale color.
Biology
Much like Dragonborn, the Kobolds are believed to trace their heritage to Dragons, though they are certainly a farther departure from Dragons than the Dragonborn. Kobolds mature extremely fast, reaching full maturity within 6 years, yet they age slowly after reaching maturity, living as long as 120 years. They reproduce in typical reptilian fashion, laying eggs that gestate 1 month before hatching.
History
Kobolds, like Dragonborn, were servants of the Dragons in the
1st Epoch. They served a more specialized role than the Dragonborn. Their smaller stature allowed the Kobolds to reach similarly smaller races, who hid in caves and tunnels out of the Dragons reach. The Dragons used their Kobold servants to attack and attempt to subject these races, which included Dwarves, Gnomes, Goblins, and Halflings. Due to this, Kobolds were sent worldwide, their communities having no centralized homeland. The Kobolds were somewhat successful in their task, bringing many of these underground communities to heel, forcing them to pay tribute and servitude to the Dragons. As the power dynamics shifted in the
2nd Epoch, Kobolds found themselves turned upon by the races they once subjected. They were unable to contend with Sorcerers, and were forced to cower and hide out of reach lest they be slaughtered in vengeance.
This lasted through the 2nd Epoch, until the Great Purge of the
3rd Epoch. In the chaos that followed, the Kobolds were able to claw their way back into relevance, their communities thriving so long as they kept to the safety of their caves and tunnels. In the
4th Epoch a generational split began among Kobolds. Many Kobolds were restless, unhappy that they could only live in peace so long as they kept to their tunnels. Some communities began to migrate to coastal caves, where they could shelter during the day, and venture out at night. Over the centuries, these coastal communities propagated, and managed to overcome their sunlight sensitivity. This developed the subrace of
Coastal Kobolds, who live their lives upon the water.
In the modern day, Kobolds are spread out worldwide. Some Kobolds live deep underground in communities that align themselves with no nation. Most Kobolds live along the coasts, working as fishers or deckhands. Some friction still exists between Kobolds and the other small races of the world that they once subjected, which often forces Kobolds to stick to their own kind, operating ships that are entirely Kobold crewed.
