What if "Kobolds and Dragons" was really just a mistranslation the whole time?

[Christopher#2411504]

I have spent a bit of time thinking through the differences between Premaster and Remaster Kobold lore. And I have this headcannon that it really comes down to one mistranslation, that was just very, very persistent about being corrected. And I wanted to share it, in case it makes good headcanon for you. Or maybe even proper canon.

Quote:

Every kobold instinctively understands the importance of power, and many are inclined to venerate those who have it, whether they be mighty dragons, cruel fiends, imperious fey, or even ancient artifacts. Kobolds seek out these alliances out of a sense of pragmatism— after all, who would dare bully a kobold who serves an ancient dragon?—but also because kobold eggs incubated near such loci of power take on physical traits (and sometimes abilities) similar to those of the warren's benefactor.

I am guessing that the Kobold dialect for Sakvroth contains a word for [being powerfull enough it would make the clan more secure if we follow them, while also imprinting on the eggs of the young]. Let's say it is "Druxi" for my little theory, so I don't have to keep copy&pasting those big brackets several times.

Whoever wrote that fatefull first translation of Kobold language:
- heard a Kobold description of a powerfull being (from a Kobold point of view)
- heard how the word "Druxi" sounded similar to "Dragon"
- maybe had run into a tribe that actually had a Dragon as its "Druxi"

And just wrote down "Druxi = Dragon".

And like the whole theory of the Alpha Wolf, that "Spinach is full of Iron" mistake or "Oni = Demon", this mistake just stuck around. Word etymologies are littered with examples for those kinds of messes.
Every Kobold learning Common was really confused when "Dragon" kept having a way more specific meaning then "Druxi".
Everyone running into a Kobold tribe with a Dryad, Fiend or the like at the helm thought "ah, they must be the proxy/regent for the Dragon while it is away, hence the same title".
There was a movement to fix the mistranslation, but people kept insisting on referncing that old work. Because "Dragon" was a shorter and easier to read translation, then dealing with the idiosyncracies of Kobold socio-biological traits. We are just now getting to the part where this finally becomes common knowledge: "Every Dragon is a Druxi, but not every Druxi is a Dragon".

[Claxon]

I suppose that's one way to handle.

Personally, I just use the premaster versionof Kobolds because I don't like the change in identity.

And as I understand things, it was primarily out of legal concerns.

[Christopher#2411504]

Claxon wrote:

I suppose that's one way to handle.

Personally, I just use the premaster versionof Kobolds because I don't like the change in identity.

And as I understand things, it was primarily out of legal concerns.

I think they lost it, because those feats got mostly moved into the Dragonblood Ancestry.

And it is not like they lost the Dragon thing. All they did was expand the selection of "tribal bosses".

[Gisher]

Draconic Codex is going to have some dragon-based options for Kobolds, and I'm hoping that those will enable those of us who really liked the pre-remaster dragon-descended Kobolds to recreate those characters without needing to take Dragonblood.

[Claxon]

Christopher#2411504 wrote:

Claxon wrote:

I suppose that's one way to handle.

Personally, I just use the premaster versionof Kobolds because I don't like the change in identity.

And as I understand things, it was primarily out of legal concerns.

I think they lost it, because those feats got mostly moved into the Dragonblood Ancestry.

And it is not like they lost the Dragon thing. All they did was expand the selection of "tribal bosses".

But that's part of what I dislike.

I liked the lore that they were like Dragons-, idolizing dragons and building trap filled little warrens. I can't really explain it, but by expanding them to any powerful entity they have become less interesting to me and their concept less defined.

[Christopher#2411504]

Gisher wrote:

Draconic Codex is going to have some dragon-based options for Kobolds, and I'm hoping that those will enable those of us who really liked the pre-remaster dragon-descended Kobolds to recreate those characters without needing to take Dragonblood.

I will bet that all those new Dragon-y things will be limited to Dragonscaled Heritage.

So it will not free up your Heritage slot, but I guess you get to take more Kobold only stuff?