Sezzlik the Damp's page

About Sezzlik the Damp

Appearance: Sezzlik is far from the prettiest of kobolds. His scales are an unusual blackish-brown, his eyes are black and beady, and he is almost always damp with saltwater. He is fairly tall for a kobold, but very thin and gangly, making him look malnourished.

Backstory: When the shaman of the Black Moss tribe predicted that the chief would sire two powerful sorcerers, every kobold in the tribe was ecstatic. For ages, the only source of arcane magic in the tribe was a half-senile sorcerer who lived on the outskirts, so new magic blood was something the tribe needed quite badly. Later that week, the chief's mate laid her clutch. Among the usual assortment of colors, there where two eggs that stood out; a red egg that glittered like a gemstone, and a brown egg that constantly dripped saltwater. Taking their appearance as a sign, the kobolds eagerly awaited the egg's hatching.

When the red egg hatched, it seemed as though the tribe's prayers had been answered; the hatchling's scales were deep red with flecks of gold, and her pronounced horns clearly showed that she was a descendant of some mighty dragon. The kobolds accepted the youngster, and dubbed her Makeen. What came lurching out of the brown egg, however, gave them pause. With a puff of fishy air the egg cracked, showing a deformed runt with muddy patterns covering most of its natural black coloration and beady eyes that seemed to be mostly pupil. The chief was disgusted by the hatchling, and considered having it drowned discreetly. In the end, though, he decided that a future sorcerer was too valuable an asset to give up on, and decided to spare the loathsome creature, who was eventually named Sezzlik.

The hatchlings were raised communally, as was the tribal custom. However, while the beautiful and devious Makeen was treated with a measure of awe and respect, the mutant Sezzlik was merely tolerated-at best. At worst, Sezzlik was made to do menial labor, forced to do the disgusting and humiliating jobs that no other kobold wanted to do. The mutant took it on the chin, unquestioningly doing everything asked of him quickly and effectively. Sezzlik soon learned to bottle his frustrations, acting subservient in the hope that he would earn some respect, while taking his frustrations out on any small animals unfortunate enough to get close to him. This continued for years, with the other kobold's treatment of him growing crueler and crueler, and with Sezzlik becoming more and more bitter.

Eventually, Sezzlik grew tired of trying to gain his tribe's approval. The kobold scrounged up some gear, wrote a very strongly worded letter to his kin, and fled into the daylight. He traveled for several weeks, following strong urges he didn't completely understand, until he found himself by the coast, in the human town of Riddleport. Making a hovel underneath the floorboards of a local pub, Sezzlik resigned himself to a life of scrounging and hiding like an animal, hoping for his life to take a turn for the better.

Personality: Sezzlik is a very patient and thoughtful kobold. He isn't usually one to act rashly, and carefully weighs his options in every situation. Although Sezzlik is embittered by a life of menial labor and disrespect, old habits die hard. He still acts subservient to other kobolds, and is usually willing to help them in any way he can. If treated poorly, his old frustrations may come back to haunt him.