A Note On Kobolds

Everyone knows there are two main varieties of kobold: dog and lizard. Arguments over which type is the "real" kobold are so common it's become a joke, which is ironic because both forms are the exact same creature. Kobolds have a complex genetic structure that causes them to shift forms in response to external environmental factors.

Most kobolds will say the dog state is their species' true form since it's the shape they take when left to themselves. In dog form kobolds have a distinct sense of self and canine traits like acute senses, fur, and endurance that let them thrive in a variety of ecosystems as resourceful semi-omnivorous persistence predators similar to humans. They use those strengths and their mobility to maintain a widespread but close-knit society of band, family, and clan groups organized around a network of partially subterranean hub cities. It's an efficient arrangement that can last indefinitely unless it's disrupted by exposure to a specific environmental factor, namely dragons.

The presence of a dragon in the area triggers an epigenetic shift in all kobolds within range, causing the exposed individuals to begin metamorphosing into lizard form. The change is agonizing and lasts several weeks as the kobold's body gradually reconfigures itself, completely consuming and rebuilding the skeleto-muscular and neurological systems. In lizard form kobolds lose a large portion of their individuality, falling into a set of closely unified thought patterns almost like a hive mind that's focused on the dragon. They become much more sedentary, living as purely carnivorous ambush predators in age-separated but otherwise egalitarian groups that keep as close to the dragon as possible without being eaten. If an individual kobold strays far enough from the colony they'll begin to revert to dog form, but it's so difficult to leave once the change is complete that it rarely happens.

With its effects and implications the change is obviously a subject of controversy and dread in kobold communities. Though some clans view dragons as holy creatures and consider their influence a blessing, most abhor the loss of self and agency that lizard form inflicts. Rumors of a dragon approaching or settling in an area will spark mass migrations out of the region to escape its influence and sometimes, in the case of wealthy cities, extremely lucrative contracts to slay the beast before it can nest.

d100 Dragon Hoards

Dragons have no need for gold and the other shiny baubles valued by the infant, ephemeral civilizations that grow and die around them. They amass vast, exquisitely-curated collections of whatever appeals to them, disdaining any judgment but their own.

1) Uranium glass
2) Teapots
3) Classic cars
4) Flags and banners
5) Stuffed animals
6) Taxidermied animals
7) Cameras
8) Items decorated with the Solo Jazz motif
9) Other people's scrapbooks
10) Vintage computers
11) Radio equipment
12) Remote-controlled vehicles
13) Trading cards
14) Buttons
15) Cardboard standees
16) Quilts
17) Handwoven rugs and carpets
18) Silkworms
19) Tropical fish and coral
20) Vinyl records
21) Scissors
22) Hand tools
23) Stained glass
24) Pillows
25) Dogs
26) Mirrors
27) Clocks and timepieces
28) Cardboard boxes
29) Bubblewrap
30) Marbles
31) Souvenir snowglobes
32) Fridge magnets
33) Collectible lunchboxes
34) Birdfeeders
35) Prisms and suncatchers
36) Art supplies
37) Thimbles
38) Pewter figurines
39) Half-filled diaries
40) Enamel pins
41) Retro videogame consoles
42) Pinball machines
43) Arcade cabinets
44) Eggs
45) Haute couture
46) Bouncy balls
47) Office supplies and stationery
48) Fountain pens
49) Trophies and ribbons
50) Houseplants
51) Boardgames
52) Comic books
53) Seeds
54) Garden gnomes
55) Wind chimes
56) Skeletons
57) Candles
58) Heavy construction equipment
59) Forklifts
60) Jean jackets
61) Blank notebooks
62) Bells
63) Seashells
64) Puzzles
65) Fossils
66) Paperback potboilers
67) Home movies
68) Musical instruments
69) Accordions
70) Novelty telephones
71) Neon signs
72) Stickers
73) Vintage televisions
74) Trampolines
75) Slugs
76) Blacklight posters
77) Circus memorabilia
78) Psychedelics
79) Cool rocks
80) Personal aircraft
81) Maps 
82) Autographs 
83) Secret family recipes
84) Bottles
85) Pinecones
86) Driftwood
87) Graphic tees
88) Kawaii mascot merch
89) Fanfic
90) Gossip
91) Virtual pets
92) Beadwork
93) Lamps
94) Doll houses
95) Weird fiction
96) Withdrawn library books
97) Fancy soaps
98) Hand-knit socks
99) Furniture
100) Postcards and letters from pen pals