Vexa skittered up the side of the covered wagon, her tiny limbs a blur as she dove into a miniature hammock hanging from the ceiling. Her little head poked out over the side and she regarded Yul with shiny copper eyes.
"Illegal? No no no no no..." Vexa shook her head vehemently. "Vexa would never sell something illegal. No, the things she sells are merely inaccessible to the average peon. One must have money to purchase these things. If one has the funding, nothing is inaccessible, yes?"
Yul growled in exasperation. Stupid kobolds... So greedy, and materialistic. "Money doesn't change the fact that we're carrying around about half a ton of deadly POISONS. And no matter how much you may try to rationalize it, if we get caught, we will go to jail. Or rather, I will go to jail for being an accessory. You, as the leader of this wretched excuse for a caravan, will be stoned to death. Or worse!"
The kobold wiggled herself into a cozy cocoon of blankets, her head still hanging over the side - though now it had a fluffy blanket on the top of it.
"Do not be silly Yul. Vexa has sold these alchemical reagents many times in the past. She has sold them to merchants and kings alike. Clearly if she was going to go to jail for this, it would have happened already."
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
A pebbled path (cont)
Despite the sickening pain radiating from his nether regions, the gnoll stared down his tiny superior. It seemed for a moment that she would stay true to her word and not back down, but eventually Vexa harrumphed once more and spun on her heels to the general direction of the caravan. She swung her staff in front of her, smacking innocent bystanders and muttering curses the entire way back.
She hadn't always been like this. Oh the snark and the haughtiness had always been there, to be sure, but Yul could remember a time when Vexa had been humbled to the point of gentleness. The very first time they'd met she'd been quick to shy away from confrontations, preferring the more traditional kobold tactics of sneaking and back-stabbery.
It was a long time ago, before he was a trader. Before he was a free gnoll. Before he'd ever considered that his life could be more than just what the slavers told him it would be.
That was a dark time, and his body was still littered with scars, despite the costly tonics and creams he'd bought to diminish them. Though having many scars was often the sign of a powerful warrior, and certainly not anything to be ashamed of in normal gnoll culture, the marks on Yul served only to remind him of those bleak days.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, the tall male made his way back towards the caravan. Now was not the time to be reminiscing about the past. Not when they could be arrested and hauled away any minute...
She hadn't always been like this. Oh the snark and the haughtiness had always been there, to be sure, but Yul could remember a time when Vexa had been humbled to the point of gentleness. The very first time they'd met she'd been quick to shy away from confrontations, preferring the more traditional kobold tactics of sneaking and back-stabbery.
It was a long time ago, before he was a trader. Before he was a free gnoll. Before he'd ever considered that his life could be more than just what the slavers told him it would be.
That was a dark time, and his body was still littered with scars, despite the costly tonics and creams he'd bought to diminish them. Though having many scars was often the sign of a powerful warrior, and certainly not anything to be ashamed of in normal gnoll culture, the marks on Yul served only to remind him of those bleak days.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, the tall male made his way back towards the caravan. Now was not the time to be reminiscing about the past. Not when they could be arrested and hauled away any minute...
How magic works, and kobold society
I'll be the first to admit... while I have been heavily influenced by webcomics like Goblins and YAFG, I don't really have the willpower to sit down and pour over source materials to make this a D&D world. The easiest way to get around obscure rules that future readers might point out and scream at me for? Declare ahead of time what things are like in "my world"
In my world, I draw magic from arcane and divine sources. Any spell that is cast draws its power from one of those two sources, and any caster in a particular school may draw from another spell list that uses the same school of magic. (IE, If you are a cleric, you can use ANY divine spell provided that you are high enough level to cast it, and it has been taught to you OR if you have a scroll that would allow you to cast it).
Some items, such as Vexa's trader staff, can be used to store spells. If an individual is compatible with the given spell - meaning that it belongs to the same school of magic that they are versed in, and they would be high enough level to cast it - the item will work without a hitch. If there is an incompatibility though, using the item comes with a price and a risk.
Our main protagonist Vexa is a kobold. Though there is significant amount of overlapping in this world, and the world of others, there are some things that I should spell out, as they will be important later.
Kobolds have an unhealthy infatuation with dragons. They pretty much worship dragons in the same way that they worship any other god in the pantheon. Most established clans will have their own "personal" dragon. They provide treasure for the hoard and other perks in exchange for wisdom and protection. How much of the exchange that actually takes place is highly dependent on the individual dragon. Honorable ones will give more than or equal to what they take, while corrupt ones will simply take treasure and ignore the pleas for help when adventurers come knocking at the kobold's door.
Their society is highly segregated, and though while it IS possible to move up in the ranks, it is very difficult. An individual's place in society is found in a window of time starting from before they are hatched to immediately after. Newly laid eggs are brought to the dragon for inspection (if for some reason, a clan does not have a dragon, the leader of the clan can also do this), where they will be evaluated for their potential. Those with the most potential will be placed in the warmest part of the hatchery, while those with less get shunted off to the cooler sands. After hatching, all hatchlings are checked for the color of their scales. The higher ranking ones will have a slightly metallic sheen, while lower ranks will have a solid matte coloring. On occasion, some will be born with dragon wings. No matter how much potential they were rated as having when they were inspected, being born with wings is an automatic upgrade to the upper echelons. Having both metallic scales AND wings is usually enough to warrant grooming for an important position, such as leader or high priest.
Kobolds place a high price on how useful one is. This highest insult is to call one "worthless" or "useless". Certain professions are more valued than others. Mining is the general catch all job for kobolds. It is a respectable job in their society, much like being an office worker in ours. Arcane casters are reserved for those with metallic scales, although if a youth shows extraordinary talent, exceptions can be made for their dull scaled brethren. At the bottom of the heap are those who remove the garbage and waste from the warren, or who handle the mounts.
In my world, I draw magic from arcane and divine sources. Any spell that is cast draws its power from one of those two sources, and any caster in a particular school may draw from another spell list that uses the same school of magic. (IE, If you are a cleric, you can use ANY divine spell provided that you are high enough level to cast it, and it has been taught to you OR if you have a scroll that would allow you to cast it).
Some items, such as Vexa's trader staff, can be used to store spells. If an individual is compatible with the given spell - meaning that it belongs to the same school of magic that they are versed in, and they would be high enough level to cast it - the item will work without a hitch. If there is an incompatibility though, using the item comes with a price and a risk.
- Using an item that you do not have the level for costs magical energy. In dire straits, one can draw from one's "life energy". This is VERY risky though, and not at all recommended. More typically, magical energy is drawn from precious stones and valuable metals. Generally, the more expensive a good is, the more energy is stored inside it. Quartz has a very small amount of energy - therefore people don't like to use it, and there is plenty to go around. Diamonds have a large amount of energy, and so people use them for magic and deplete the supply. There are exceptions to this rule however. Animal based goods such as pearls and ivory do not have the same amount of magical energy as a stone or metal of the same monetary worth.
- Using an item that draws from a different source of energy than you are used to will cost experience points. This is true for those who are not trained in any magic at all as well, though the cost is far less for them than for one who tries to use an item of an opposing magic source. If there is not enough XP to cover the cost, the spell CAN go through - at the cost of one's life energy.
- Static spells, such as those that grant protections, do not cost anything to use, no matter what source they draw their magic from. These "property" items simply are. The spells are always on, and in time the magic placed on them will slowly leach away. The more magical energy that the base item has in it, the longer the spell will last. Thus, the diamond broach of poison resistance lasts much longer than say, the stone chalice of poison resistance, because diamonds have a high level of innate magical energy than plain stones.
_________________________
Our main protagonist Vexa is a kobold. Though there is significant amount of overlapping in this world, and the world of others, there are some things that I should spell out, as they will be important later.
Kobolds have an unhealthy infatuation with dragons. They pretty much worship dragons in the same way that they worship any other god in the pantheon. Most established clans will have their own "personal" dragon. They provide treasure for the hoard and other perks in exchange for wisdom and protection. How much of the exchange that actually takes place is highly dependent on the individual dragon. Honorable ones will give more than or equal to what they take, while corrupt ones will simply take treasure and ignore the pleas for help when adventurers come knocking at the kobold's door.
Their society is highly segregated, and though while it IS possible to move up in the ranks, it is very difficult. An individual's place in society is found in a window of time starting from before they are hatched to immediately after. Newly laid eggs are brought to the dragon for inspection (if for some reason, a clan does not have a dragon, the leader of the clan can also do this), where they will be evaluated for their potential. Those with the most potential will be placed in the warmest part of the hatchery, while those with less get shunted off to the cooler sands. After hatching, all hatchlings are checked for the color of their scales. The higher ranking ones will have a slightly metallic sheen, while lower ranks will have a solid matte coloring. On occasion, some will be born with dragon wings. No matter how much potential they were rated as having when they were inspected, being born with wings is an automatic upgrade to the upper echelons. Having both metallic scales AND wings is usually enough to warrant grooming for an important position, such as leader or high priest.
Kobolds place a high price on how useful one is. This highest insult is to call one "worthless" or "useless". Certain professions are more valued than others. Mining is the general catch all job for kobolds. It is a respectable job in their society, much like being an office worker in ours. Arcane casters are reserved for those with metallic scales, although if a youth shows extraordinary talent, exceptions can be made for their dull scaled brethren. At the bottom of the heap are those who remove the garbage and waste from the warren, or who handle the mounts.
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