ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 9”
HIT POINTS: 65
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-9 (+2)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better
weapon to hit; 95% hide in shadows
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
SIZE: S (3½’ tall)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
WORSHIPER’S ALIGN: Lawful evil
(kobolds), in particular raiders
and bandits
SYMBOL: Black spiked club over
broken skull
PLANE: Nine Hells
CLERIC/DRUID: 5th level cleric
FIGHTER: As 10 HD monster
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: 6th level assassin
MONK/BARD: Nil
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
S: 18 (+1, +2) I: 16 W: 10 D: 17
C: 18 CH: 8 (18 to kobolds)

The chief kobold deity is Kurtulmak
(see the DEITIES & DEMIGODS Cyclopedia), who lives in the twisted spectral
forests and caves of his home in the Nine
Hells. His chief servants are the deified
heroes of the kobold folk, who best
demonstrated the most revered qualities
of their people when they were alive. The
heroes that become demigod helpers of
Kurtulmak upon their deaths are those
who also caused the greatest destruction and havoc among demi-humans
and humans (especially gnomes), and
increased the wealth and might of their
home gens. There are a number of these
minor deities, none of them of exceptional power compared to most deities,
and it would appear that they are continually engaged in power conflicts with
one another in their drive to become Kurtulmak’s most favored aide. Typical of
these lesser demi-godlings is the hero
Dakarnok.
In life, Dakarnok was a shaman/chieftain who conquered all the other kobold
gens near his own tribe, and then moved
against human and gnome settlements
scattered along his frontier. He enjoyed
considerable military success against
the poorly organized opposition, and
specialized in fast, light raids against the
smaller villages, driving the populace
toward the distant major cities.
It is said that Dakarnok gained godhood through the use of certain magical
devices; whatever the means, upon his
death his people continued to revere
him, and shamans found they were able
to cast spells after prayer and ceremony
dedicated to his memory. His worship
has spread, though not evenly, to a
number of other gens, since his people

scattered when his home gen-empire
was conquered after his death by more
powerful human, dwarven, and gnome
armies.
Shamans of Dakarnok may be found in
kobold gens also having shamans or
witch doctors devoted to Kurtulmak; the
clerical level of Dakarnok’s priests will
never equal or exceed that of Kurtulmak’s shamans, and the former are generally subservient to the latter.
Dakarnok’s shamans frequently lead
raiding parties, and gain respect and
more followers after especially successful (or lucky) acts of thievery, looting,
and destruction. These shamans are typically armed with a black, spiked club
(2-7 points damage, treat otherwise as a
normal club) that doubles as their holy
symbol. These shamans are quite aggressive in the spread of their form of
religion, and though they accept Kurtulmak’s clerics as their superiors, they
have been known to attack the shamans
and witch doctors of other kobold demigodlings on sight.
Dakarnok is usually depicted as an
unusually muscular kobold with silverblack scales and tiny red eyes. He uses
(two-handed) a +1 spiked club made of
dark oak. His shamans cannot attain
higher than 3rd level in clerical ability.
The particulars of his worship are the
same as for Kurtulmak, save that there is
no holy animal and the holy color in his
worship is black.
 

Dragon

Deities

Humanoids

Best of Dragon, Vol. V

Dragon 63