And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia…

KOBOLDS

There are many monsters in the world of Ardris that are mighty enough to topple pillars and crush diamonds in their bare hands, that inspire fear in kings and heroes alike. Then there are the kobolds. Kobolds are wicked and evil creatures who delight in deadly traps, torturing those under their power, and (for some strange reason) have a love for live theatre. Diminutive humanoids, usually standing no taller than 3 feet, kobolds have prehensile tails, small horns jutting from their foreheads, elbow spurs, and have somewhat canine countenances. The kobolds are at the bottom of the monstrous food chain, relying on their wits and dexterity to remain alive. The kobolds are scavengers and have some sort of intellectual block against making anything themselves. A kobold is not considered an adult until it has finally scrounged together a full wardrobe of their own, usually stolen from other kobolds, goblins or other humanoids of a similar build, or from human or elven children.

If the kobolds were to ever reach population figures similar to their distant cousins, the goblins, they might actually compose a significant threat; fortunately, it is highly unlikely that will ever happen. Between being killed by their many natural enemies (too many to list here; it is safe to assume that if it has a pulse, legs, and weighs more than 30 pounds, it’s a kobold’s natural enemy), intertribal warfare, encounters with bored adventurers, or simply being killed by sheer dumb luck, the kobold attrition rate has remained high; this is barely offset by the fact that the kobold gestation period is roughly 3 months. Many attempts have been made by various ambitious kobolds to form a mighty kobold empire, only to see their empires fall apart for various reasons. As of this writing, the most recent attempt to form a kobold empire was started by Cheef, a kobold that claimed to be descended from the kobold’s god, Kistadous, King of Demons. Given that Cheef is tall for a kobold (3′ 4″) and has managed to survive to the venerable (for kobolds) age of 12, there might be some truth to that.

The Encyclopedia Ardrisia , Volume 14 (Jynga Riot to Kodann Armada), Kilanio University Press, 48th edition.

~Rob