Kobold

General Description: Kobolds are probably one of the oddest sapient species on Orth. They are small reptilian creatures with a somewhat bird-like gait, thin digitigrade legs and long tails. Their faces are somewhere between reptile and rodent, with a long thin snout similar to that of a crocodile, sharp teeth, large eyes, small horns atop their heads and highly mobile rabbit-like ears sticking out from either side of their head and pointing roughly backwards. They have scales around their mouths, hands, feet, eyes and along their undersides that vary in colour between individuals across various shades of reds, greys and yellows, but are usually a paler colour than the thin velvet-like down covering the rest of their bodies, which is usually a darker shade of the same.

Language: The Kobold language is a devolved form of Draconic called Yipyak, which heavily simplifies the overly complex phonetic sentence structure of Draconic. Because of the way this devolved language is structured, Kobolds have a hard time learning other languages properly due to Yipyak's lack of tense and grammatical persons, most notably represented by the fact that many Kobolds who speak Common speak it exclusively in third-person regardless of situation and often use the wrong tense and use words out of their proper context.

Culture: Kobold culture was derived largely from their former pre-civilised lives, where they lived in massive warrens under the ground hunting horned rabbits and other subterranean rodents. As such they have a tendency towards being scavengers and bandits. They also tend towards a more communal mindset because of their warren-living past (and, for many, present.) They are extremely good at adapting to their surroundings and so have a chameleonic ability to alter their natural instincts to where they find themselves living. As a result of this however, most of the Kobolds who find themselves living in more inhabited areas find themselves towards the bottom rung of society, though some do occasionally find themselves as servants or companions to the upper class or as employees to those who find them.

Heritage: Kobolds, it has been found, are distantly related to Dragons, though quite how they evolved from something so majestic into something so pitiful is unknown. They retain little of their heritage besides some general elements of their appearance and their lust for gold (though the latter has devolved and broadened into a more general addiction to collecting shiny objects, regardless of actual value.) Kobolds, however, do often have an inherent and almost godlike reverence for their Draconic ancestors and as such Kobold tribes can sometimes be found in the service of particularly powerful Dragons, and in more urban areas sometimes will have a Dragonling as a pet. They also share the Dragons' ingrained connection to the Weave, though few are able to actually utilise this.

Trapmasters: Despite being physically weak and having a reputation for not being overly bright, Kobolds are also described as expert trapsmiths, and are known for creating traps to protect their warrens. This habit, combined with a penchant for lethal tunnel design and group tactics, can make Kobold warrens one of the most dangerous places for a team of adventurers to explore.

Intelligence: Kobolds, as mentioned previously, have a reputation of unintelligence, with basis likely being their physical awkwardness, kleptomania towards shiny objects of dubious importance, inability to comprehend "normal" language and seeming inability to comprehend negative situations. This is not strictly true, as their brain chemistry simply prioritises different parts, and many of these are more due to their unfortunate biology and the extreme difference in cultures, and they are no less intelligent than any other sapient race. As for the last item, considering the background that most Kobolds come from and their lack of cultural perspective, a Kobold, for example, living in a slum with nothing to its name, will likely simply not take much heed that their situation is not optimal and will simply get on with their lives to the best of their ability, viewing anything even vaguely beneficial as a blessing. When given the chance, Kobolds are excellent team players and extremely industrious.