The Brave Kobolds

When it came to writing Kobolds I didn't want them to be the cowards that they are in classic RPGs, or schemers, or backstabbers. Instead I chose to give them one, unique thing that shapes the rest of their culture: Reckless Bravery. 

The Kobolds of Falling Leaves are a passionate people willing to take on monsters and men that are bigger and stronger than they could ever be.

They will dive into the fray where most would retreat in fear.

And they will fight for others when no one else will.

And even when they die a Kobold, a Kobold lives on among their family, their friends, their communities. But when it comes to talking about Kobolds, the first thing I chose to talk about...

...was death. 

Kobold funeral culture draws from mexican and egyptian views, focusing on keeping the memory and identity of those who have passed alive, while also providing protection in the afterlife. And it's here that I really started to shape the way Kobolds live both in and out of the City of Falling Leaves...

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The first step of mourning begins with the making of a mask that covers their face, hands clasped over the chest with a gold flower resting upon it, a type they carry and cultivate wherever they settle.

Then come last greetings, a form of goodbye that lets them speak to their dead for one last time, saying things they'd hoped to say to them, things they hope they'll get to see as they move on.

Then come the charms, symbols to preserve identity in the beyond, to provide protection, guidance, to connect them to their families and friends. Carved stone and metal amulets are tied and wrapped to the fallen kobold, a heart depicted like a vase or an urn, a long thin tablet with their name, carved bags and feathers, and symbols of the legend that they worship.

Then comes burial, though since coming to the city they've since incorporated cremation into their rituals.

Kobolds are a people who are proud of their ability to survive and thrive anywhere. They see the restoration of places they find as a challenge and point of pride. They happily celebrate the passing of friends and loved ones, for no kobold is truly dead within memory. They hold celebrations where those living and passed come together and celebrate life and memory.

No kobold fears death.

Their only fear is to not be remembered.