Travelers' Kobolds

Travelers are rarely alone even if at first glance they may appear to be. A small entourage of helpful Travelers' Kobolds is usually carried in purpose-built hammocks and bag-like conveyances sheltered under their patron dragon's wings when the dragon is venturing away from their home for an extended period of time. 

Most Traveler families have large central warrens of kobolds which are grown over the course of years and then fragmented when the dragons' offspring split away from their elders and forge out to begin their own lives. These kobolds are bound by a mysterious link to their ‘patron dragon,’ which many scholars believe to be a form of natural symbiosis that is yet to be understood. What is known is that the kobolds seemingly act autonomously to their patron dragon's wishes and wills and, despite the Travelers' good dexterity, they will often operate as the dragons' direct interface with the world, particularly in matters where the Travelers' sheer size would make an interaction or task more difficult.

The size of a dragon's warren is often dictated by the immediate means of the dragon and their environment, with the largest warrens being upward of a hundred kobolds per patron dragon, while other families may only have three or four kobolds for each patron. When a Chosen Traveler dies, they are able to grant their most faithful and exceptional kobolds immortality as a final parting gift for their service. Traditionally, those kobolds will seek out the new Traveler that continues their deceased patron's work, and become a priest of their following for as long as they are able.

Immortal kobolds may be gifted by another patron dragon again, which typically results in more profound and direct magical capabilities. This has lead to a small population of notably powerful adventuring kobolds within Ir'resthel.

While deaths do occasionally happen from accidents, illness and natural predators, kobolds who are in the service of a dragon age far slower than those in the wild, at approximately a tenth of the rate. This longer lifespan allows the kobolds to both develop a higher ceiling to their skills as well as pass on innovative knowledge to more members of the younger generations in order to constantly advance their art and industry.

Trivia:

A common misbelief among uneducated members of The Lesser Tribes of Ir'resthel is that when Travelers die, they become immortal kobolds.

Travelers' Kobolds will frequently be provided luxurious resources from which to craft jewelry and clothing from, as the patron dragons believe one is only as rich as the least-ornamented kobold in their warren.

Kobolds take their dress and jewelry very seriously, as it is a traditional way to honor their patron dragon and improve their standing.

Kobolds, much like their patron dragons, often defy spatial reasoning and logic at first observation. In a space that one may expect only a few kobolds to be able to fit, it could well be possible for dozens of kobolds to occupy that space. Kobolds are known to travel well when out of sight, and often do not seem to impede their patron dragons at all, even when carrying nearly a hundred kobolds on a long passage.

• Kobolds in fact stow into a pocket dimension made up of the total of the surrounding area's wasted space, which coalesces into a singular, larger space of a volume equal to that of the available “wasted” space in their vicinity. This could be made up of any sort of wasted space in an area, for example the space that exists beneath a rug, behind a cabinet, or between the ceiling and floor above in a tavern or other structure.

The Six Hands of Sunrise have been incapable of speaking since they hatched together from the same egg, but they effortlessly learned to sing in both the draconic language and common tongue in early life.

• Travelers believe the above to be a sign that their kobolds learned to serve their dragons due to their dependence upon their dragons, who allow them to suppress their natural kobold instincts which call them to thievery, trapmaking and mining. With this instinct suppressed, the kobolds are able to pursue higher-minded efforts such as fine crafting, music, art, and the various magics of the world.