Redclover tribe

Redclover tribe

(Organization)

Type

Tribe

Leader

Rasak the Cursed

Headquarters

Fangwood

Source: Eulogy for Roslar's Coffer, pg(s). 66

The Redclovers are an unusual tribe of kobolds who travel through the Inner Sea region, engaging in trade with humanoid settlements.

History

The Redclover kobolds originally lived within the Fangwood, where they served a green dragon named Ovanath. During this time, the tribe was joined by an oracle named Rasak the Cursed, who had gained her epitaph as a result of her two previous tribes having both been destroyed. This period ended when Ovanath was slain by the older dragon Zedoran, causing the tribe to fall into despondency and disorder. Rasak took control of the directionless tribe, seizing a number of artifacts from Ovanath's hoard and ordering the rest of the tribe to hide the remaining treasure underground.

Having taken control of the Redclover tribe, Rasak aimed to strengthen it and secure its position, determined not to lose her tribe again. She began to sell off magic items that the kobolds had no use for in exchange for more useful gear and for materials with which to strengthen their home. These ventures have been more successful than Rasak originally hoped, allowing her to transform their home into a fortress and amass considerable wealth, and to entertain hopes to forge a true kobold nation beneath the Fangwood.

Structure

The modern Redclover tribe is chiefly mercantile in outlook, and engages in considerable trade with other humanoids. The Redclover kobolds are well aware of the prejudice their kind faces among other species, and consequently use a careful vetting system to determine with which towns to trade. After finding a prospective trading stop, the tribe sends out scouts carrying low-level goods in order to determine how the locals react to kobolds in their midst and to merchants who can be stolen from and killed without legal repercussions. If the scouts are robbed or attacked, the tribe will cease contact with the town and leave after scattering traps around its fields and forests as a parting retort. Villages that interact more peacefully with the scouts will find groups of merchants coming with better goods and a heavier guard.

In order to further defuse hostilities, Redclover merchants typically dress in gnome and halfling fashion, favoring waistcoats and shirts with puffed sleeves. They also wear cloth masks painted with rosy cheeks and friendly smiles, alongside light-blocking lenses. Redclover traders also cultivate friendly personas and musical talent for these ends. Between trading stops, Redclover caravans travel through routes in the Darklands.