BiKobold

The art in the following chapters is a very long time in the making. After chipping slowly away at everything in my spare bits of free time, I’m so excited to finally have everything to a point where I can share them with you. I will however preface this by saying that most of the actual information herein is not necessary to know, and whatever of it you do need to know will come through in the telling of the story. That said, while some of it might even be very slightly spoilery in an inconsequential way, I’ve been careful to leave out any significant spoilers.
Feel free to skip, but I thought I’d include it to refer back to whenever it’s helpful, as well as for all the other world-building nerds out there. Y’all are my people. 

Overview
The Territory of Avaroth is ruled by its namesake, the Diamond Skyborn dragon, Avaroth III of Clan Khural—whose bloodline has commanded the crown for three generations. As he is nearing 900 years old and expected to reach the culmination of his life cycle sometime in the next century or so, some amount of unrest has begun to percolate among the clans. This is due to the uncertainty over the sovereign’s successor, as well as his negligence in his waning years…especially as mines of the east run dry.

Clan Ashri
Primary Resources & Exports: Diamond, onyx, iron, food (blackgrain, rice), sigilcraft devices
Though it’s known for the great fortresses of its mountains, many of the clan's kobolds live in small villages along the coastline—fishing, hunting, foraging, tending paddies and crafting beautiful works of art from the natural resources of their environment. The Ashri of the cities are no less artistic, however, often adorning their structures with elaborate murals and sigil-work. In times of war, those raised or assimilated among the Ashri are known to be especially brutal fighters—making an efficient art of battle itself.

Clan Embiri
Primary Resources & Exports: Diamond, jade, platinum, glimmering ash, lesser gemstones, luxury goods
Presently the most fortunate of the eastern clans, Embiri still possess a relative wealth of untapped mineral resources, and pools of highly sought-after glimmering ash gather along their easternmost border. Of all the clans, they send the fewest of their children into fosterage and the fewest students to inter-clan academies, preferring a more insular approach. Perhaps also the most spiritual of the clans, there are a number of secretive sects among the Embiri which require a level of devotion that is not easily instilled in outsiders. Aside from the prerequisite trade and mining and the dangerous industry of ash farming, the kobolds of Embiri make their livings in the creation of fine goods such as jewelry and ornamental armor and the veneration of spirits. The clan spends a great deal—more than any other—on the import of foods, going to great lengths to preserve and transport it from all across the territory.

Clan Jhisa
Primary Resources & Exports: Jade, opal, platinum, ceramics, woven goods, livestock, spices
Life in Jhisa largely revolves around Mother Wyrm, as they call the great river which runs through their land, as well as the spirits that inhabit it. They have a close relationship with Embiri, who use their branch of the river to transport goods to the northwestern clans. In addition to their dealings in trade and transport, their people also sustain themselves by fishing the river, herding and hunting the beasts of Jhisa’s rolling terrain and crafting fine goods of clay and woven reeds.

Clan Kaiatek
Primary Resources & Exports: Garnet, opal, platinum, wood, musical instruments, medicinal herbs
Kaiatek is quite rich in resources, both mineral and organic. It is home to the territory’s most prestigious inter-clan school, Terrasgard Academy, and positioned as an esteemed ally to Clan Khural. As a result, it possesses a great deal of political prestige and influence. Of all the arts, Kaiatek values music and performance the most, and instruments crafted there are said to surpass all others. Scholarship, diplomacy, musical skill and craftsmanship are all highly prized among its people.

Clan Khural
Primary Resources & Exports: Jasper, topaz, iron, silver, wood, weapons, armor
Khural has the distinction of being home-clan to His Mightiness the Sovereign, Avaroth Himself. It is also host to a number of politically significant sites. The black towers and cities of Khural are rivaled in magnificence only by the blooming cliff-side structures of Odros. Weaponry and armor crafted in Khural is highly prized. Politics, smithing, and architecture are among the most valued fields of occupation. A harmless and fragrant compound emitted by the local trees lends a dark cast to the air. Some especially curious and deadly beasts roam its more shadowy regions.

Clan Odros
Primary Resources & Exports: Sapphire, iron, bats (luminescence, guano)
Odros is known for its masterful architecture and its four-fold wealth: Sapphires, intellect, lightning, and bats. Due to the frequency of lightning strikes throughout the region and the incredible sophistication of their technology, Odros is one of the few clans to make regular use of electricity. They are also quite spiritual in their own way, and hold most deeply the belief that electricity generated by any other means is sacrilege. They are infamous for keeping their technological advancements to themselves, going to great lengths to conceal their secrets from whatever foster youth and emissaries they may take in. Aside from fishing, sea foraging, bat and silk-spider farming, the people of this clan often aspire to employment in the sciences and industrial arts, or to the priesthood of the clan’s many storm temples. It is a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims.

Clan Sadras
Primary Resources & Exports: Diamond, gold, silver, dreamwater, glimmering ash
Once exceedingly wealthy, Sadras is now a struggling clan. With many of their mines run dry, they rely largely on the River Sa, deposits of glimmering ash, and tourism to sustain themselves. They are also known for the cultivation of a type of psychedelic succulent known as dreamdew, the hallucinogenic properties of which are central to both Sadrasi culture and trade. Between the dreamdew and the strange beauty of its deserts, Sadras remains a popular site for travel and pilgrimage.

Clan Shosobasa
Primary Resources & Exports: Diamond, gold, food (goldgrain), decorative & home goods, livestock, liquor, spices
Despite being relatively poor in Gems and metals, Shosobasa gets by thanks to an abundance of fertile, open land. It exports more food than any other clan, most of this being the grains that are so hard to grow in most of the rest of the territory. For many kobolds of Shosobasa, life revolves around the coven’s herd animals, and several are nomadic. Their cities, however, are also densely populated. Urban kobolds of Shosobasa make their way in life by trade, craft, art or industry, and the goods of Shosobasa are coveted elsewhere for their blend of exuberant and dire aesthetics and fine quality.

Clan Soltras
Primary Resources & Exports: Topaz, copper, lesser gemstones, wood, jewelry, art, liquor
Before the rise of the bloodline of Avaroth, Soltras was home-clan to generations of sovereigns. As a result, its relations with Khural have always been strained. A place that seems more-or-less frozen in time, its great cities are decently maintained in some cases, going to seed in others. The art of storytelling is highly valued there, usually the kind which romanticizes the distant past. All other art forms are prized and practiced there, too, however—and even Soltras’s seediest settlements are bastions of culture. More than any other clan, Soltras has mastered the craft of brewery. Their meads, ales, and ciders surpass all others in strength and flavor alike.

Clan Trasseck
Primary Resources/Exports: Onyx, garnet, copper, lead, zync, wood, medicinal herbs
The lands of Trasseck are home to an impressively diverse ecosystem and some of the territory’s largest and most powerful beasts. While the kobolds of the clan hold a deep reverence for these creatures, they are also their greatest challenge in daily life. As a result, powerful Garnets are highly prized among them. Plants of immense medicinal and magical value grow there as well, but due to their spiritual beliefs, the kobolds of Trasseck do not farm them. Instead they gather only what nature readily provides, and always in reverential moderation.