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Races of Cimmeria: Kobolds Part 2

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Isaac

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History

Kobold origin lies in the legend of sowing dragon’s teeth. Cadmus and Jason, both heroes of the Heroic Age, planted dragon’s teeth in the earth to create powerful warriors. The myth of creating warriors holds true in Cimmeria, but the teeth no longer grow into strong Spartoi, but rather small anthropomorphic dog/lizard hybrids, kobolds. Some kobolds cling to this powerful past, but most have moved past it and accept their current weak status. The only way for kobolds to fight back against the cruel world is through communal action and/or slavish devotion to a dragon.

The rise of the Dragon Hegemony brought kobolds a new place in Cimmerian society. Kobolds carried out the first act of draconic dominance when Kenderax’s brood conquered Fangaroot. As the Dragon Hegemony continued, kobolds were the unquestionable servants of the dragons. They were entrusted with many duties and responsibilities. No business was conducted without the assistance of kobolds. For their part in this oppression, retaliation against kobolds from the Conclave races was swift once the Dragon War concluded. Kobolds were exiled and killed throughout Cimmerian civilization.

In modern Cimmeria, kobolds have passed from historical relevance. They exist on the fringes between the cities and the truly wild places of Cimmeria. Kobold raids against towns and villages are common, but they are easily beaten back, only to recur a few years or decades later. A persistent problem like roaches that are too numerous to truly eliminate.

Subraces

Kobolds bear some physical resemblance to the dragon lineage they are descended from. These differences are only cosmetic. Kobold variations in biology and culture are negligible. Thus, they do not have subraces as many of the other races of Cimmeria do.

Location

Kobolds can be found throughout Cimmeria harassing the fringes of civilization. They are particularly focused around Balin’s Holt and in the Aractrashan Jungle. The kobold occupation of Fangaroot led to many kobolds continuing to reside in the area, even centuries after their eviction from the city. In Aractrash kobolds are able to maintain a more consistent presence as they fill a natural niche within the jungle. While human residents tend to resist and dominate the jungle, kobolds have built settlements that fit perfectly within Aractrash’s ecosystem. High mortality from the dangers of the jungle threatens the Aractrashan kobolds. Fortunately, the death rate is balanced by instinctive kobold fecundity.

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Hello,

I’m Isaac

Welcome to the GoCorral website! I’m Isaac Shaker and this is a place for me to write about D&D and occasionally other topics. I host a podcast called Setting the Stage that interviews different DMs about their campaigns. I’m currently focused on completing the Cimmeria campaign setting and turning it into a book.

Setting the Stage Podcast

71 – Aaron Ryan and Dissonance/The End – Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

I talked with Aaron Ryan about two of his book series, Dissonance and The End.Dissonance is a near future world where aliens have attacked, killing most humans and animals on Earth and driving humans into hiding underground. Humans finally develop technology to fight back and the war enters a new stage while the characters also struggle to determine the motivation for the alien invasion and nefarious actions of the government.The End is a Christian End Time series based loosely on the events described in Revelations. A man calling himself Nero has risen to rule over the world and he has outlawed Christianity. Robots called Guardians hunt Christians throughout the world, murdering them on the spot if they don't recant their faith. A resistance movement works in the shadows against Nero, but things aren't looking good for them.We talked about the basics of those settings along with how they could be adapted for RPG campaign settings. My main recommendations were Ashes Without Number, Spire, and Blades in the Dark.If you're interested in reading Aaron's books you can find them at most any bookstore or library. Both of the series are also being adapted into movies, but aren't publicly available yet. Aaron's website is https://authoraaronryan.com/ for the latest updates on his work. Next up for Aaron is the Talisman series that covers events within the "Aaronverse" in the decades between Dissonance and The End.Our website: https://gocorral.com/stsWant to be on the show? Fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/U11TbxtAReHFKbiVAJoin our Discord: https://discord.gg/Nngc2pQV6CSupport the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SettingtheStage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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