Kobold

Every kobold knows that their slight frame belies true, mighty draconic power. They are ingenious crafters and devoted allies within their warrens, but those who trespass into their territory find them to be inspired skirmishers. However, these reptilian opportunists prove happy to cooperate with other humanoids when its to their benefit, combining caution and cunning to make their fortunes in the wider world.

Kobolds are resourceful survivors whose snare-guarded warrens and opportunistic scavenging have cast them as villains to most humanoids, with their draconic reverence lending them a reputation as mere minions and nuisances. Yet some kobolds have emerged from their secluded burrows seeking the relative safety of surface settlements, the lucrative prospects of the adventuring life, or validating awe from followers of their very own.

Even though most settlements regard kobolds with a mix of distrust and disdain, it has recently become known that kobolds appear to have some level of natural resistance to the effects of Corruption. This has resulted in some who now revere these small creatures as tiny beacons of hope-- but a much larger number who are happy to put them to work, sending them off into the dark depths to complete errands where no human dare venture. However, kobolds have an ingrained cautiousness that has kept them alive, so it is often necessary to pander to a kobold's ego in order to convince them to take on these dangerous tasks. Alternatively, it is also possible to take advantage of their tendency to become subservient around powerful creatures that terrify them-- though this meekness tends to fade, resulting in either an unshakable loyalty or total uprising; kobolds are infamous for sensing a proverbial sinking ship, and once their source of power fails or seems doomed, their morale breaks swiftly and chaos unspools.

Whether led by a dragon or not, kobolds almost always identify themselves with a type of dragon that serves as their "spiritual exemplar". They tend to live lives guided by principles that they believe would make their exemplar proud.

Kobolds are renowned trap-makers and take great pride in their ability to design, develop, and construct cunning and complex varieties of these hidden defensive mechanisms, which they call "slow fangs". They often test new trap concepts far from their homes, using them to hunt or to harass disliked neighbors. This allows kobolds to iterate on designs, sometimes mixing traps to see if they're more effective in tandem rather than alone. Only once a trap idea has proven effective is it considered worthy.

Trap-makers are treated by most kobolds as intellectual elites, and are often given the kind of deference others might reserve for priests or war heroes. A kobold who does not personally know a trap-maker is likely to venture out to find one and implore them to teach their craft.

Setting Notes

• While kobolds in Sharum Mal'Kari are far more likely to appear as comedic relief than anything else, rogue bands of kobolds in large numbers are fully capable of posing genuine threats to inexperienced adventurers
• Kobold can occasionally be found scattered across Sharum Mal'Kari, but are most commonly encountered in Heartrest, Falkor, Sokoku, Zarthura and Vere.