Kobolds are a draconic race that ruthlessly enforce the rule of the dragons and are best known as the dragons’ most loyal servants. They are one of the common races in a dragondom, comprising around a quarter to half of an empire’s population, and reside in the great cities and capitals of the empire. Be it serving in key roles in an empire’s bureaucracy or being the ones keeping the city running day and night, Kobolds are a core component of a dragondom.

Kobolds are on average human-sized, being around 5 to 6 feet tall, with males usually taller than females. Kobolds also have slit reptilian pupils and tough, scaly skin, both of which can vary in color depending on the Kobold population. Kobolds have a digitigrade position and a long yet flexible tail. They also sport sharp claws on their hands and feet, while also having sharp teeth. Kobolds can identify each other partially based on scent alone. There is also noticeable sexual dimorphism among Kobolds, with male Kobolds having more pronounced horns, thicker, longer snouts, and a more masculine body shape. Female Kobolds have slender, shorter snouts, a feminine ‘hourglass’ body shape, thicker thighs, and have only two horns on their head.

Kobolds become mature adults around 17-18 years old and can reach up to 120 years old at max, although this varies depending on caste. Kobolds age similarly to dragons and have continued growth, albeit very slow, even in the older phase of their life. Some elder Kobolds can grow up to be over 6 feet tall, especially among highborn Kobolds, and retain peak physical strength. Features of elder Kobolds include longer and thicker horns, claws, and tails. Elder Kobolds also have more ‘worn’ looking scales, minor wrinkles, and are slower and less sharp than young Kobolds. Although old age does eventually arrive for Kobolds, as in dragons, elderly Kobolds succumb quickly to some sort of ailment rather than a prolonged senescence.

Kobolds are reptilian, but can regulate their body temperature due to the presence of mana in their bloodstream, so they are able to survive in cool climates. However, Kobolds are still sensitive to cold climates if exposed to the elements for long enough. Kobolds do not sleep during winter, as dragons do, and are active throughout the winter months to keep the dragon’s realm up and running. During winters, Kobolds spend most of their time indoors, sometimes sleeping collectively to keep themselves warm.

Diet-wise, Kobolds are carnivores, with the majority of a Kobold’s diet consisting of meat, although Kobold diets are occasionally supplemented by non-meat foods. Kobolds are not picky eaters; their diet ranges from rodents, lizards, fish, birds, meat from livestock, and bones, although such dishes are usually prepared and cooked. Although it is not unknown for Kobolds to eat meat raw or even swallow small prey whole. Kobolds also have powerful digestive systems, no thanks to their draconic heritage, and can digest bones and raw meat. Kobolds are lactose intolerant due to their reptilian nature, although they can consume alcohol and can also become intoxicated by it.

Ever since dragons transitioned to ruling centralized empires, Kobolds, too, would transition from a village-based clan species to a predominantly urban species. This is because when dragons settled in palaces in a city, the Kobolds are always concentrated near the dragon lord they serve, be it a great dragon or a lesser dragon monarch. As a result, Kobolds are a very urban species and the dominant demographic where dragons reside, be it in or near a city. Due to the demand for Kobolds to serve as servants, with a dragon's palace and royal court, it can be staffed by as many as 10,000-20,000 Kobolds at a time, and not to mention the need to staff massive bureaucracies, with specific castes filling these roles in dragon empires. These two castes are the highborn and common castes.

Highborns are the learned elite of Kobold and Draconic society (below their dragon masters) and serve as high-ranking bureaucrats, officers, lawgivers, tax collectors, ministers, draconic priests, and mages. Highborns also serve in prominent civic jobs in cities, such as mayors, sheriffs, aldermen, clerks, and scribes. Commoners are the workers and servants of Kobold and Draconic society and serve as servants in royal dragon palaces, doing chores varying from cleaning dragon monarchs, keeping the palace well-run, preparing meals, and much more. Commoners also have civic jobs as constables, beadles, town criers, scavengers (ensured street cleanliness and any hazards), ale-conners, and rakers. Outside of the imperial government, commoners also serve as independent urban workers in guilds, such as artisans.

Both highborn and common castes don't look down on each other, although highborn caste Kobolds sometimes view commoners as “boorish” at times. Dragons, on the other hand, see no difference and love both castes, since one gives them baths while the other flatters the ego. Although the difference in caste membership can be seen in fashion, with highborn Kobolds usually wearing clothing such as tunics and robes. Common Kobolds usually wear clothing articles such as tunics, while highborn Kobolds wear robes and cloaks. Kobold priests wear clothing similar to Orthodox priests in our world.

Labor is gendered among Kobolds and among both castes, with male Kobolds doing chores that require more arduous labor while female Kobolds do lighter chores. Female Kobolds serve as servants, healers, and physicians, for example, while male Kobolds are built for more strenuous tasks, also as lawgivers and guards, for example. Kobolds doing menial work in the dragon's palace is not seen as dishonorable, since even the more strenuous of jobs is seen as all-important in maintaining order and cleanliness in a dragon’s court.

Kobolds live in large clans that consist of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of individuals, which function essentially as a confederation of families. Each urban clan is dedicated to a specific profession and or niche, with a clan’s niche dedicated to servants in dragon palaces, while another clan’s niche is urban work. These clans are influential in urban politics, electing mayors and staffing key positions in a dragon’s royal court or city. Kobold clan culture also varies among highborn and common castes, but both castes share similarities in emphasizing community over the individual. For instance, common caste worker Kobolds live in collective quarters, while highborn Kobolds live in a more upper-class but similar manner, such as a monastic lifestyle in a dragon’s palace among their colleagues.

Kobolds originated as primitive clans that worshipped dragons as gods, giving dragons tribute and sacrifices to appease their masters. Historically, once a Kobold clan is settled on serving a dragon, that Kobold clan’s existence is forever committed to serving the dragon, and this tradition would persist into the present. This devotion to dragons can find its origins in the ancient Kobold creation myth, which tells that many thousands of years ago, a great sorcerer dragon created Kobolds from his very scales. This is why Kobolds revere dragons as a living God, since they literally see dragons as creating their race.

Nowadays, in Kobold urban society, dragons continue to take a central role in religious life. Among highborn Kobolds, devotion and veneration for dragons can take the form of worship of reigning monarchs, venerating past dragon ancestors, and being initiated in religious draconic orders. For common Kobolds, they see dragons as divine kings, although the relationship is more distant for commoners who work in the cities and are further from palace life. Kobolds from all walks of life revere objects from their dragon lords, with objects like hatched egg shell remnants, loose shed scales, or fallen teeth being treated as sacred and precious objects.

Kobolds are a very communal species, living in tightly-knit communities in urban centers where every Kobold cares and provides for their fellow members. This makes Kobold culture very social, with Kobolds eating together in gatherings and excelling in team-based tasks. Popular festivals and holidays are also common in Kobold culture. The communal culture also creates an “attack against one is an attack against all” mentality if one Kobold is attacked or threatened by a non-Kobold. Being a draconic species, Kobolds also show signs of their draconic heritage, and this can manifest with an attraction towards collecting artifacts or treasure in a personal hoard, or having a sense of honor and pride in their species and kin (and take great offense if insulted or degraded by a non-Kobold).

Kobold weddings are a highly communal event and a key transitional moment in a Kobold’s life for both the male and the female. Overseen by clan elders, each of their respective families, and even other clan members, the bride and the groom exchange gifts, always from their personal hoard, as a sign of ceding something precious to win a spouse’s love. After the exchange of gifts and vows, the elder overseeing the ceremony declares the couple wed. Kobolds are monogamous, so they remain by each other’s side until the end of their lives, with both male and female Kobolds wearing symbols to indicate their status as married, such as golden rings.

For reproduction, female Kobolds only lay their eggs when fertilized by a male. A female Kobold lays around 2-3 eggs (or sometimes more), with each egg being around 1 foot or more heightwise. The eggs are first gestated in the female Kobold’s womb for 3 months, and then once laid, are incubated in a broodchamber for another 3 months until hatching. The hard-shelled eggs expand in size in the broodchamber, becoming approximately 1 ½ feet in length by the time they hatch. Kobold eggs, like dragon eggs, require warm temperatures, with the temperature also determining the gender of the hatchling. Females lay the eggs in their own nests, with both the male and female taking turns keeping guard of their eggs during the egg’s incubation period in a broodchamber.

When Kobolds first hatch, the hatchlings are approximately 1 ½ feet tall and are quite developed, possessing functional motor abilities, are able to open their eyes, and can consume solids, such as meat (although it must be soft). For child-rearing, Kobold parents raise their children together, and often have the help of fellow clan members and extended family in the process. Kobold mothers have maternal instincts and help raise the young for the first years of their life, such as feeding, nurturing, and teaching basic life skills to their offspring.

Species profile: Kobolds