Races of the Dragon.pdf - The Techno Jesus

CHAPTER 3
KOBOLDS
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Illus. by J. Nelson
defensive posture fails, kobolds simply push forward
from behind, forcing wave upon wave of spearwielding
warriors against the enemy.
Specialized melee combatants are rare among
kobolds, but they’re easily distinguished by the
chitin armor (see page 121) they wear. Particularly
strong and brave kobolds become dire weasel
riders. These few form the light cavalry in a kobold
army.
For sieges, kobolds use rolling ballistae and
light catapults. Crossbow-wielding troops
protect siege engines, supported by slingers.
Sorcerers defend strategic positions,
while the most capable of the spellcasters become
living artillery. Kobold military leaders
also use ditherbombs (see page 122) to break through
enemy barricades and fortifi cations.
Kobolds believe that no obstacle exists that can’t be
defeated by strength of numbers. They are one of the
few races that strikes fear into their enemies not due to
combat prowess, but rather because of the suffocating
wave of bodies they can muster. A kobold army
is a pounding onslaught of flailing weapons,
hurling itself against supposedly impenetrable
defenses until those defenses crack, buckle, and
break. This time-honored tactic, although completely
devoid of elegance, has been the turning point in more
than one battle, shifting the balance of a stalemate in the
kobolds’ favor and winning the day. To that end, kobold
commanding offi cers plan for and accept a large number
of casualties among their troops.
Although capable of holding their own on a battleground,
kobolds do not willingly engage in large-scale
warfare, doing so only as necessary when a tribe divides
and migrates. Kobolds much prefer to operate in warbands
around an established lair, defending their lands with a
dizzying array of traps that minimizes their need to engage
in melee combat. For this reason, they have never developed
a strategic approach to warfare and often withdraw
when a battle starts to become prolonged.
Kobolds see no profi t in long military engagements and
would rather cut their losses by retreating. The only time a
roaming kobold tribe makes a fi nal stand is when its back
is truly against a wall, lacking either the resources to travel
farther or a nearby region in which to settle.
DEATH
In addition to having one of the highest birth rates, kobolds
have one of the highest mortality rates of any humanoid
race. This latter statistic can be deceptive, however.
Kobolds who remain in a lair and never migrate with a
newly formed tribe can enjoy lives well into great wyrm
age (past 120 years).
The body of any deceased kobold is considered waste
material and incinerated immediately. No preferential
treatment is given to the body of any member of kobold
society, no matter how important her position. Many
members of other cultures fi nd this approach callous, but
they fail to grasp the underlying motivation. Kobolds place
no emphasis on the body, attaching far more importance
to their belief in a cycle of reincarnation.
For kobolds, any obstacle can be defeated
by strength of numbers
Kobolds believe that if they die in service to their tribe,
Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to
life as the next egg laid in the hatchery. If a particularly
important or respected member of a tribe dies, the hatchery
is closely monitored. The next egg laid is immediately
separated from the rest and carefully protected. Once
hatched, the resultant wyrmling is groomed to fi ll a
position of importance, if not the position of the recently
deceased kobold. Such wyrmlings are given the name of
their predecessor in some form.
When a tribe is wiped out, kobolds believe that Kurtulmak
distributes the souls of the deceased to other tribes.
If a kobold dies while serving her own needs rather
than those of the tribe, Kurtulmak reincarnates her as the
next pup born in the dire weasel stables—she becomes a
domesticated animal unable to choose whether to serve.
Kobolds who die betraying their tribe are reincarnated
as giant stag beetles, which kobolds hunt for chitinous
armor.
The greatest glory a kobold can gain is to die not only
in service to her tribe, but also in a manner that involves
sacrifi cing her life for the tribe’s greater good. Kurtulmak
welcomes such brave kobolds into his own mine to boost the
ranks of the kobolds already toiling within. Kobolds hold
that the most loyal and productive among Kurtulmak’s laborers
are eventually reincarnated as chromatic dragons.
With every type of death comes an obvious lesson:
Kobolds should serve their tribe above all else. As a
byproduct of this outlook, kobolds spend almost no
time mourning their dead and remain focused on their
assigned tasks.