Arlet Klgr-n ('Arlot ~ Klgr-n) 
LN Male Kobold Wizard (Illusionist)

Age: 42 months
Height: 3' 4"
Weight: 70 lbs

Background
Arlet was born to the kobold Klgr-n tribe in a remote system of tunnels on the northern edge of the White Knuckle Mountains. Arlet was born 348th in the cycle of 926 and this placed him in the social position of Minor Diplomat and Summer Miner. The tribe's shaman (#40) had noticed many signs pointing towards powerful magicks on the hour of his hatching, but the order was the order and Arlet was needed as a minor diplomat. You see, the major diplomat (#105) decided to whom the minor diplomats (#s 346-349) went for trading purposes, so the major diplomat would always take the choice assignments and go to the nearest goblinoid and kobold tribes in the mountains. The minor diplomats often got assignments to go to the Bear Tribe humans in the north and the orc encampments in the east. Hence there was always a lack of minor diplomats.

Arlet took to the standard kobold child training with ease. He proved able with a crossbow, handy setting a trap, and knowledgeable about mining procedures. His only fallacy was an ineptitude actually using a pick. His quick grasp of most of his subjects left him with a lot more free time than the rest of his hatch-mates. Arlet's curiosity and free time led him to sneak into the shaman's room one morning. Finding a few of the shaman's basic spell-sticks he was surprisingly unsurprised to find that he could read them. A few bright lights and small explosions later and he found himself very close to being expelled from the tribe. It was only due to the fact that he was still a child for another three months that the leaders (#s 48-53) allowed him to stay, although with a very stern warning to stay away from the shaman's spell-sticks. Arlet graduated to adulthood and began his duties as Minor Diplomat and Summer Miner. His first few assignments were in the southern reaches of the tunnel system and one day a few months in he was heading through a little-used passage on his way to check some of the border traps when he stumbled (literally) on the body of a mammal person. He was about to run off to find a Southern Guard Leader (#801) when felt an uncommon pull towards the creature's pack. He opened it up to find a book full of magickal writing words. The spells were all begging Arlet to release them into the world and let them help him become more than he could ever be on his own. Arlet looked around to make sure he was alone before tearing out a dozen pages to keep before he replaced the book and went to get the guard leader. Back in the barracks that evening he was able to study these spells, their siren call now the merest whisper of what it was before. He experimented in private over the next few weeks, slowly getting better and better with them.

Arlet's first diplomacy assignment came soon enough. He was ordered to lead a wolf-sled piled high with raw iron to the Bear Humans and negotiate for salted meats or their children. Arlet was not stupid, and saw this as the perfect chance to use his paper spell friends to hopefully ensure his survival. Using a favorite spell (Alter Self) he disguised himself as a human and went on to lead the wolf-sled into the village. His disguise was good enough to get the barbarians to at least talk with him, although it also earned him a number of odd looks due to his poor understanding of human clothing. He knew from his experiments that the spell only lasted twenty nine minutes and forty eight seconds, so he made sure to excuse himself to the little humans room every half an hour or so to refresh it. After a little over an hour he'd managed to strike a deal for a bundle of salted elk-meats in exchange for the iron and one of the wolf's tails. He returned to the shocked face of the major diplomat, but could only be praised for completing his assignment so well.

Arlet continued to excel as a minor diplomat due to his magical knowledge for another six months before the end of the world came. He was once again working among the Bear Tribe only this time a freak snowstorm trapped him among the villagers for an entire week. His quick thinking allowed him to secure a private yurt where he could rest the many hours of the day he was not able to disguise himself. Eventually the snowstorm abated and he was able to return home with his newly acquired goods. He arrived via his normal route through the western tunnels, but was surprised to find the normal Basic Western Guards (#863-899) and traps were missing. Despite the odd circumstances he followed procedure and went directly to where the major diplomat was supposed to be. Along the way he found signs of a massive fight, but he couldn't stop to investigate. Only after finding the major diplomat's office empty and disheveled did he allow himself to wonder about what to do next. Arlet spent the next two days meticulously searching through the rubble and occasional corpse he found trying to assemble any clues he could. In the end he was left with two major bits of information. Firstly the assault seemed to have been made by a combined force of orcs, giants and drow. Although it might have been only a handful of one and a mass of the others. Secondly he found a kobold footprint belonging to Kruthaf, a kobold warrior hero of legend who disappeared into the north four hundred and seven years, six months and ten days ago. Kobold footprints are very unique, and his was on display in ever leader's meeting room throughout the White Knuckles, so Arlet had no doubt who it belonged to. He set off to the next nearest tribe, the Tblmd tribe, whose tunnels were located about two weeks away, as the hero of this narrative walks. Upon his arrival there he found a near identical scene of devastation and abandonment. He searched for more clues, but only found corroboration for his two major suppositions from Klgr-n tunnels. He went again to the next nearest tribe, the Ngwk, this one a week and a half from his current position. Again, he found the same view greeting him. He tried two more tribes worth of tunnels before giving in and heading to the nearest human town to rest and restock. By this time he was very close to Fort Defiance and so he set up shop there in a small inn with a good lock on his bedroom door. While waiting to decide on his next move he survived with the occasional fletching job. Fletchers were common enough among the mammals, but the kobold had years of training on crossbows and volunteered to help the local Fletcher for a few hours a day for a small percentage of the crossbow repair fees.

One evening he was sitting around the common room of the inn in his magical human disguise (also named Arlet. He may be smart, but he has very little imagination) trying to act human. He saw a strange pair walk in and was immediately drawn to them. It was a human with an orc companion. They began telling stories of fighting evil wizards, braving treacherous dungeons and rescuing lost puppies. Arlet saw an opportunity to make powerful friends, friends who could help him track down what had happened to his tribe. The fact that the human traveled with the orc filled him with even more hope as he found himself questioning his need for a constant disguise, around that one at least. He approached the human later that night, in private. He dismissed his spell a short ways into the conversation and rode out with the two adventurers in the morning, looking just like the kobold he always was. Arlet has spent the last five months bouncing from adventuring group to adventuring group. He is curious about what happened to the tribes, but he doesn't actually care. He's more interested in the possible reappearance of Kruthaf and seeks to learn what the ancient kobold learned during his centuries in the north. He hasn't stayed with any one group for very long yet as very few adventuring personalities can get along with his.


Personality
Arlet is very much a product of kobold society. He acts in a very orderly and regimented manner, does what he's told by those in charge, and rarely cares about the well being of any living thing outside of himself. He's very cowardly in a hand-to-hand fight and will use every single spell at his disposal to avoid or get out of such a situation, despite any worries about overdoing it. He sees his traveling companions as companions and nothing more. They're people he's with. At worst they're still obstacles between the monsters and him. He doesn't discriminate against non-kobold races and sees all companions as his new 'tribe'. Arlet will gladly obey the orders of any individual who consistently sets themselves in a leadership position. He's very intelligent but still a bit of a sheep.


Appearance
Arlet stands three feet, four inches from pad to head, and is three foot two from tail to snout. His skin is leathery and dark brown mottled with white specks. His eyes are set more forwards than most kobolds and shine with an uncommon intelligence in their grey depths. He often wears loose fitting robes of a variety of materials in their natural colors. He always carries a number of small bags, containing his spell-sticks and scrolls, as well as his staff which he has carved many of his favorite spells into.

His most common human disguise (who now goes by Gregor at the insistence of one of his first adventuring companions) is a tall male based on many of the Bear Tribe diplomats he met during his stays there. He has tanned skin and a tangle of dark hair including a full, but neatly trimmed beard. He wears clothing made of an indistinct variety of hides that Arlet can't quite keep straight. Sometimes his companions think they see squirrel, badger or house-cat hides among his clothes, but most of the time he sticks to wolf and bear.