Concerning Kobolds

From RPC Library
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Exclamation mark.pngThis article or section contains speculation, opinions, or observations that may or may not be supported by official Square-Enix lore. It does not represent official lore or any sort of community consensus.

A Brief Study

Released by the Academy of Exceptionally Trained Hydaelyn Explorers and Researchers

Kannadi Albedo, Author


Introduction

Kobolds are a race of beastkin inhabiting the island Vylbrand with a distribution centered in the north, fading gradually with distance to the outer reaches of La Noscea in the south. Being the dominant land-based beastkin nearest to the population of Limsa Lominsa, kobolds are a valuable topic of study.

Physical Description

A kobold is unmistakable even at a distance of fifty yalms. They are stout and black with long ears and longer, upright tails. Their naturally reflective red eyes are made positively radiant by the darkness and dim finish of their well-wrought armor. Their manner of locomotion is at times animalistic, employing all four limbs for explosive speed and optimum mobility.

Kobolds tend to engage prey and threats with none but the claws on their long and powerful fingers. However, many such as Supplicants do wield cudgels for brutal melee and the channeling of thaumaturgical spells. The harmless-enough chirrups and squeaks of all kobolds' voices belie the real threat of their physical and magical power.

Organization

Rarely are kobolds seen alone, being as they are highly social. Indeed, they have a society all their own, clearly of a high level of sophistication despite very little mixing with Hydaelyn's civilized peoples.

Kobold technology boasts fine armor, delicately crafted weapons, and coinage which includes pieces made wholly of the notoriously difficult metal mythril. Armorcraft, Blacksmithing, Goldsmithing and Mining are their non-martial specialties. On their frequent raids into the Thalassocracy's territory, they have also been seen to arrive in coal-fired steam vehicles which are equal part mine cart and drilling apparatus. Such vehicles evidently allow for the boring of, and easy transport through, a network of tunnels underneath Vylbrand.

The dangers of such intelligent and mechanically capable creatures encroaching ever closer on one of Eorzea's leading city-states cannot be understated. Nor can be overlooked the kobolds' devotion to their pagan Earth-element deity, Titan.

Data collected over the years suggests that all koboldkind lives in a sort of naturalistic theocracy devoted to this alleged God of Earth and Stone, whose image may be found engraved on many of their coins. While it is psychologically interesting that a stout, low-to-the-ground species such as theirs devotes itself to a mountain-sized god appearing to be all stony pectorals and pillar-like arms, the shape of the kobolds' god does not lend itself to any particular insight as to their exact social structure. Suffice it to say, kobolds are devout and believe themselves to have an innate right to Eorzea's mineral wealth.

Unique Abilities

The kobolds who come nearest to Limsa Lominsa have not exhibited particularly outstanding physical abilities beyond strong scratches and the like. However, they possess a truly unique magic which allegedly draws upon their god's favor. Spells of this variety are invariably aligned to the Earth element, and may boost their defense or smash targets between flying slabs of rock. This, supplemented by thaumaturgy, gives kobolds a respectable array of magic for their raiding and defense.

Most curiously, however, the common conjury spell Stoneskin is unknown to them. It is therefore reasonable to assume that conjury itself is unknown to kobolds, or at very least it is unknown to Supplicants. In any case, it is clear that their signature "Titan"-derived magic comes from a source as yet unknown to free peoples. Whether or not that source is indeed the alleged god is, as of this writing, scientifically unproven and therefore unknown.

Regardless, if even the lesser scouts of kobold society can utilize it, one wonders what terrible spells those closer to their territorial core of the O'Ghomoro Mountains can manifest.

Further study is, as always, needed.