Races of the Dragon.pdf - The Techno Jesus

CHAPTER 3
KOBOLDS
50
Illus. by B. Hagan
Roleplaying Application: Every kobold is familiar
with the history of her tribe, but how much inspiration
does your kobold character draw from her ancestors? Do
you steep yourself in time-honored stories or intend
to make legends of your own? Are you informed
about the lessons learned by previous generations
or determined to learn from your own mistakes? Do
you emulate any historic kobold fi gures or try to set a
new standard for other kobolds to follow?
MYTHIC ORIGIN
While Kurtulmak is reputed to be a mortal ascended
to divinity, kobolds credit Io, the Ninefold Dragon,
with their creation. It is told that when Io fi rst created
true dragons, they were originally immortal gods, less
powerful than Io but much like him. To make each
one of his creations distinct, Io gave each a different
aspect of his personality. These divine dragons rarely
got along, pursuing only one goal in common—the
acquisition of material wealth.
The true dragons quickly realized they lacked the
power to manipulate creation in all the ways necessary
to accomplish their goals, and they petitioned
Io for aid. Io, being an impartial god, would not play
favorites with his creations and gave each dragon the
same choice. He taught them how to create life by giving
up a piece of themselves, but he warned that in so doing,
they would permanently be rendered mortal and eventually
die. The life they created, however, would serve their
desires without fail.
Perhaps not yet wise enough to appreciate their divine
existence, the dragons accepted the knowledge Io offered
and departed for the world below. They took up residence
in widely separate lands. There, the true dragons did as Io
instructed, each severing a single limb. Not only did each
limb start growing back immediately, but the severed part
also grew into an adult dragon. The original true dragons
thereby gained mates.
Furthermore, wherever the dragons’ blood had spilled,
little creatures began to emerge out of the ground with
alert, crimson eyes, already looking up at their creators
for guidance. Thus were kobolds born, witnesses to the
moments during which the immortality of the true
dragons slipped away.
LEGENDS
Kobolds record their histories in writing. Kobold priests
and bards are expected to remember and document kobold
stories, usually by engraving such tales into the walls of
tribal lairs. The only place myths are spoken aloud with
any frequency is in the hatchery, where kobold wyrmlings
are educated on their culture and their racial history.
The Ascension of Kurtulmak
The most venerated kobold legend is the origin and ascension
of Kurtulmak. While the particulars of the story vary
from tribe to tribe, a popular version is related below.
When Io gave the secret of creation to the true dragons,
the fi rst dragon to put that ritual into practice was Caesinsjach,
a green dragon. The fi rst kobold to take form out of
her blood was Kurtulmak.
A kobold engraving depicts Garl collapsing Kurtulmak’s mine
From the beginning, Kurtulmak was much larger than any
of his kin. For this reason, Caesinsjach always commanded
her kobolds through Kurtulmak. As a result, the towering
kobold naturally ascended to a position of leadership.
When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine for precious
metals, Kurtulmak invented a pickaxe. When Caesinsjach
told the kobolds to tile her lair with gold, Kurtulmak minted
the fi rst draconic coin. When Caesinsjach told the kobolds
to mine precious stones, Kurtulmak taught himself sorcery
and learned how to divine where minerals were located.
When Caesinsjach’s lair was fi nally completed, laden
with platinum, fi lled with gold, and gleaming with gemstones,
she had become the wealthiest true dragon in
creation. Without further need for mortal servants, she
released the kobolds from their duties to embrace their
own destiny.
In emulation of his former mistress, Kurtulmak immediately
began mining a lair of his own. Although he never
asked for any help in this endeavor, he nonetheless received
it, assisted by every kobold he had worked beside for the
past several decades.
Kurtulmak found a spot in the ground where a near limitless
supply of metal ore and precious stones were waiting
to be mined. Once properly unearthed, a discovery of this
size could sustain kobolds for millennia and serve as the
foundation for their society. With Kurtulmak commanding
the operation, it quickly became the most structurally
sound and resourcefully designed mine the world had ever
seen. Kurtulmak called it Darastrixhurthi, a fortress fi t
for dragons. Nothing rivaled it.
Garl Glittergold was not pleased. He looked upon Darastrixhurthi
and beheld the marvel Kurtulmak and his followers
had created, surpassing any achievement his own people
had mastered in the same time. While gnomes were playing