Autopsy Result - Yellow Kobold Observations by Naeko, Kiri following the second observed crash. Introduction: Broadly speaking, we seem to be fighting kobolds -- they look as different compared to normal kobolds as an Ethengaran to a Thyatian, to be sure, but clearly belong to the same race. General condition: Both kobolds seemed to be days away from starvation: shrunk stomach, absent body fat, extremely lean muscles. This is contradicted by the fact that the kobolds seemed to move at normal speed and with normal strength. It does have the side effect of making their meat even less palatable than it would be normally, the noxious effluvia within being concentrated. While kobold meat is known for being unpalatable, eating this would cause enogh sickness to keep a warrior bedridden for days, although not enough to threaten their life. Skin: Discoloration seems to be due to ancestral lack of exposure to sunlight. Naeko confirms this to be common among her people as well. The skin was very dry, but otherwise not showing malnutrition signs. Bones: Partially hollow, not unlike a harpy's. This is not unknown among kobolds. Strong or at least flexible enough to generally survive a crash landing from who knows where! Both specimens were able to disarticulate their hips so as to quickly move in a lizard crawl. Neither of us has ever seen this. Head: The eyes are particularly wide, further suggesting cave adaptation. Teeth look smaller than usual, but very sharp and unusually clean -- it's as if they either are filed often, or not used very much. Arms: Both kobolds' arms were somewhat elongated compared to surface and cave dwelling kobolds. Legs: As explained before, the legs are double jointed, allowing the sort of four-legged fast shuffle normally seen with monitor lizards. Tail: Tails are shorter than average, and unable to grasp. However, the root muscles look unusually strong. The tail however is far too weak to allow for a snap jump without breaking. Chest: The kobold's lungs and heart seemed larger than usual, in contrast with every other organ -- this does enhance the starvation look however, as the skin is pulled taut against the ribs. Gut: The stomach and intestines were shrunk as by malnutrition; in addition to that, all the other internal organs save for the kidneys seemed somewhat withered. Tampering: Both specimens are castrated males. The gelding was performed with great care and attention, as the creature would not have problems urinating and scarring is minimal. Naeko believes that the value of the chirurgeon's time did not enter into it. In addition, there is a trepanning scar in the front of the skull -- much like in a third-eye ritual. However, the hole was closed with some sort of bone paste. The brain underneath bore a mark corresponding to this. Conclusion: Capturing one of these little monsters alive may be useful to understand their reason for attacking, but they shouldn't be dangerous unless in large numbers - any peasant or roamer can easily take on these creatures. Kiri's notes: What we cannot tell is whether they genuinely are on the brink of starvation, or have developed to look like it due to ancestral food scarcity -- maybe a little of both? The large lungs suggest that they would be at home in thinner air on the World Mountain plateau, but everything else suggests cave adaptation. I am happy to report that as far as I can tell, the kobolds' flesh is bare of either poison or curses -- save that any starving roamer out there who might want to feast on the creature is likely to suffer stomach pains for a number of days. The gelding, filing of teeth, and third-eye trepanning suggest a ritual of dedication to combat: consider that the one kobold we captured committed suicide by swallowing its own tongue. However, what tribe or society or race, other than insects, would castrate their warriors? Naeko's Notes: Regularity of chiurgery procedures and scar patterns suggests they may be in possession of operational Old-Blackmoorian medical golems. While the other kobolds killed were not observed in sufficient detail to be sure, no living chiurgeon can perform a procedure absolutely identically on different organisms. So it suggests either golem chiurgeons, or undead ones, removing the variables of pulse and respiration. Also, the juxtaposition of withering of the digestive tract and organs while the muscles and skin show no significant degradation, especially with the seemingly purely combative teeth suggests chemical support rather than actual feeding. Highly inefficient until being used as an infrastructure for a large force with a low metabolism. Little evidence to support at the moment, but an instinctive hypothesis, that the drop-pods are being mass-produced, and the kobolds inserted in them during production, sustained chemically at a near-hibernation state in the darkness of the pods until given an adrenal surge to drive them into a frenzy, and then dropped.