Culture

Society
Kobold society is highly communal in nature, and shows a surprising amount of organization when it comes to getting things done. With rare exceptions, kobold settlements tend to be highly efficient affairs. Their living arrangements are often hive-like arrangements of single room dens, and even grandiose buildings tend to be remarkably compact. While the taste for minimalist or ornate decor tends to vary from tribe to tribe, most kobolds seem to agree that the easier it can fit somewhere small and out of the way, the more they like it.

Individual worth is generally placed on merit more than anything else. While a certain coloration may be seen as auspicious or a certain profession more desirable, it all comes down to what you can do to help your fellow kobold. They seem to allot a great deal of free time to their days, but hard work is expected of those with an able body and a sound mind. The only thing that has as much or more sway in their world is wit: A smooth tongue and a sharp mind are essential for the ambitious kobold.

As lineage is not something that kobolds keep track of, they generally consider the entire tribe to be their family. Those hatched in the same clutch tend to call each other brother and sister as an honorific, and will use sir and ma'am (or at least the low draconic equivalent) when speaking politely to elders. Given the familial nature of a tribe's populace, leaving one tribe for another yields mixed reactions. At best, those who leave the settlement are simply moving away to further their occupation and are still part of the tribe. At worst, they are seen as traitors who reject the tribe, and the tribe rejects them in turn.

On a more personal level, while kobolds hold at least a grudging respect for other members of their tribe, true friendships tend to be slow to form. When they do form, however, they are often far deeper and more solid than those of other races. Likewise, while romance as a concept exists among kobolds, it tends to be harder to attain, especially given that they almost never mate for life. "Favorites" are not uncommon, however, nor is it uncommon for a kobold's list of close friends and their list of favored lovers to be remarkably similar.

Faith

Kobolds as a people can be surprisingly religious, although there are a large number who are not really the praying type. Kobold faith centers around three deities, with a host of legend and ancestor worship on the side. Many a dragon or kobold has been revered over the years, and listing every legendary figure across every tribe would be a long and tedious endeavor. However, the deities below are relatively identical from tribe to tribe:

Bahamut is a great metallic dragon, and the patron of honor, justice, and protection. This is not to say that all metallic dragons are honorable, just, or protective of anything that isn't their hoard- the Platinum Dragon is simply a paragon of virtue who happens to be metallic. Followers of Bahamut are less common than those of his sister, but they make up for it with their devotion (or zealotry, depending on one's point of view). Adherents of Bahamut are often drawn to administrative or protective roles. Council members and guard captains alike tend to follow his tenets: Protect the weak, uphold honor and justice, and strike down wickedness. The kobold concept of wickedness is slightly different from other races', however.

Tiamat is a great five-headed dragon, with each head being a different one of the common chromatic colors. She is the patron of wealth, ambition, and cunning. She is often seen as evil by other races, and it is a viewpoint that kobolds never truly understand. Tiamat is never one for wanton destruction or undeserved wrath, she is merely a paragon of wit who knows how to appreciate the finer things in life and is not afraid to act on an opportune moment. While not as stalwart or disciplined as those who follow her metallic brother, adherents of Tiamat are much more numerous. Her tenets are simple: Claim your hoard through might and wit, be wary of complacency, and seek vengeance against all who slight you.

Io has no true physical form, but depictions of him often show a dragon made of radiant light or brilliant golden fire. It is said that he created Taera and gave it life, lighting the fire that still burns at the heart of the world today. He is almost universally revered, and is likely the reason why kobolds have such a fascination with fire. His teachings of peace, balance, and spiritual advancement are at odds with the short, frantic lives that many kobolds are dealt, however, and those that do understand his words often find themselves in leadership roles or as scholarly hermits and eccentrics.

Bahamut and Tiamat, and by extension their followers, have somewhat of a rivalry against one-another. Such contention rarely comes to outright war, however, and in fact a balance of the two faiths makes for a more stable tribe: Worshipping only Bahamut makes settlements too strict and stifling for kobolds to thrive, whereas worshipping only Tiamat turns the mischievous rivalry and back-and-forth pilfering of nicer things into the raiding, cutthroat thieves' dens that made other races view kobolds as something to be wiped out in ages past.

Artisans and Craftsmen

While artists, storytellers, and musicians aren't especially uncommon, the vast majority of kobold culture is expressed through engineering. Tinkering and experimentation are simply in a kobold's blood, and it is far more often that sculptors or painters are commissioned for the embellishments on a contraption or work of architecture than any statue or canvas. Those of the scientifically-minded crowd who don't put their focus in mechanical work often turn to alchemy, their education a healthy mix of rigorous study and sheer curiosity. The latter tends to send more scholars to the infirmary than the former.

As a result of their propensity for machines, kobolds hold advanced technology despite their tribal leanings. Crossbows, firearms, and lightweight metal armor fill their armories, and their towns are often aided with the use of elevators, pumps, plumbing, and other inventions. They are also the only race to have properly renovated the ancient dwarven tunnels that span the world below, using the rails to move carts both large and small from point to point with relative speed and safety.

Food
Food tends to be relatively simple, though the kobold drive for tinkering and experimentation applies just as heavily to the culinary world as it does elsewhere. Mushrooms are a staple, as is the meat from cave lizards (about the size of a large dog), crickets (about the size of a chicken), and other subterranean livestock (typically also arthropods or reptiles). Hunted animals are also common, although a certain level of caution is required when discovering what is edible and what isn't. If a settlement is lucky, they may have access to crops and spices from the world above, often considered a luxury down below.

Adventuring
On the whole, kobolds don't tend to go adventuring: The world outside their warrens and tunnels is vast and dangerous, and getting horribly killed helps neither themselves nor their tribe. However, there are those who thirst for something grander and more exciting than a life of domestic service, and these individuals often leave their towns to become Rangers.

Rangers (not to be confused with rangers, the class) are bands of kobolds who have taken to patrolling the tunnels and exploring the world below, undertaking missions ranging from the simple to the extraordinary. These kobolds are paragons of virtue, willing to risk life and limb for the safety of all.

Or at least, that's how they like to present themselves, In reality, most Rangers are simple mercenaries with a greater thirst for gold and glory than any amount of duty or goodwill. Still, some such as the First Flames of Kilnthrone are truly well-meaning individuals.

If a kobold turns to the adventuring life, they will likely become one of the following (Read: Pick from these classes and please talk to me if you want to do something else):


 * Bard


 * Fighter


 * Ranger


 * Rogue


 * Sorcerer


 * Alchemist


 * Gunslinger


 * Oracle


 * Witch