They are possibly the most divisive element of Dragonlance. You either love ’em or hatem, let’s get to know a bit more about kender! Buy Races of Ansalon: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/27946/Races-of-Ansalon-35?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
They were originally created as the equivalent of a halfling in Dragonlance but in comparison they are so much more…
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about kender. I would like to take a moment and thank my collaborator patrons, the Heroes of the Lance, and invite you to consider becoming a patron or member of this channel by visiting the links in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I have referenced sourcebooks from every edition including the original modules for this information.
Discussion
In DL1 Dragons of Despair, Kender are introduced for the first time in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. They are originally described as looking like wizened 14-year-olds and unlike halflings, they wear shoes. These folk have two special abilities (in addition to the usual halfling abilities): 1. Taunt. Any creature a Kender taunts may end up wildly attacking immediately and at a disadvantage. Kender are masters at enraging others by verbal abuse. 2. Fearlessness. Kender are immune to fear, magical or non-magical. They are, however, curious about everything: a tendency that often gets them into trouble.
In DL5 Dragons of Mystery, we are introduced to the idea of the kender’s Wanderlust. It is described as thus: At some time in their lives, all kender suddenly get the uncontrollable urge to travel and “make the great map of every land”. No kender going through Wanderlust has ever completed the full map of his or her wanderings. Most kender have a great collection of maps—some useful, most obsolete. It is also in this sourcebook that we are first introduced to the Greystone of Gargath, and the detailed history of Krynn. You see, though not all races agree with the details of who came first and who was created from whom, it was because of the Greystonee that kender exists at all, and in some versions of the story, dwarves as well. You see, when gnomes were assaulting Gargath’s keep to recover the Greystone on behalf of the god Reorx, as the story goes: Under the power of the gem, the gnomes changed. Those who lusted after wealth became the dwarves. Those who were curious became the first kender. There is a splinter group of scholars that disagree with this, asserting that kender sprang from elves instead.
It isn’t until the Dragonlance Adventures sourcebook that we get the full picture of this truly one-of-a-kind race. All Kender are small enough to resemble muscled human children, rarely growing taller than four feet in height. They seem to be fond of a variety of braids or ponytails. They have pointed ears, and wear their emotions on their faces! They have vulgar sensibilities when it comes to taunting, with their appearance turning slightly devilish for the time. They are referred to as wizened as they accumulate a fine network of lines about their faces as they near forty years of age. This makes them appear curious to all but other kender, who find the lines attractive. When excited, kender can speak rather quickly, not as quickly as gnomes mind you, and they tend to ramble in their stories, making it difficult for others to follow their tales. In their countless pouches, pockets, and belt packs, kender carry a wide assortment of junk: feathers, stones, rings, string, teeth, toys, whistles, paper, charcoal sticks, ink, tinderboxes, buttons, chalk, figurines, handkerchiefs, marbles, mice, dried meat, bones, dried fruit, coins, candles, and so forth. Kender live to 100 years and beyond, always retaining their youthful flair for life.
The race spread all across Ansalon during the Age of Dreams. The earliest kender of note was Balif, close friend to the elven lord Silvanos, who swore allegiance to him at the first Sinthal-Elish. Bailiff founded Balifor, the first kender kingdom. He died in 2750 Prae Cataclius. In 2600 Prae Cataclius, the second kender kingdom was established in northwestern Ansalon. This was called Hilo, named after either the flying citadel they crashed into the Sentinel Mountains, or the geographical ranges of towering mountains and sea level plains. In 2500 Prae Cataclius Hilo was absorbed into the Ergoth empire and after the War of Ice Tears, it regained its independence. Then the Cataclysm came, and destroyed Balifor. The surviving Kender traveled north and founded the city of Kendermore, a short distance from The Ruins. They renamed the area Goodlund. Many of the Goodlung Kender remained in the area in a semi-barbaric state for centuries. In the War of the Lance, a powerful kender leader named Kronin organized the citizens to battle the Dragonarmies that crossed their lands.
There are four distinct personality traits that make up a kender They are utterly fearless. This fearlessness gives them self confidence. It enables their carefree, matter-of-fact perspective to even hopeless situations. They face dangerous situations head on and can be fierce combatants! They are insatiable curious, often becoming side tracked when faced with dark corners or unexplored places. Trying to reason with them tends to ignite the fires of curiosity more, even when their lives are on the line! It may take them a bit, but they eventually learn to allow self preservation to rule the day, but they won’t let you hear the end of the missed possabilities. They are fascinated by magic and fantastical creatures, often finding the most mundane objects intriguing. Finally, kender are unstoppably mobile and independent. They have an innate need for action, and do not like standing around. It is said the worst torture one could experience, is being locked up with a bored kender! Their need to act before they think usually ends up painting them in a corner, including their companions. Though the kender are certain someone will get them out of it soon.
Most kender are met during their wanderlust, which may last for many years. They thrill in meeting new people and making new friends. They have few personal boundaries and are very talkative and friendly to strangers. All this being said, they cannot stand taking orders. Their independence is part of their very being, and will complain loudly, disrespectfully and even taunt if they are mad enough. This is more of a defense mechanism than anything else, as they are traditionally smaller and weaker than others. Ironically, this emotional instability cuts both ways, because though they can dish out the insults with the best of ’em, they can’t take it in the least! They wear their emotions on their sleeves and when they make friends they are friends to the bitter end, feeling loss as powerfully as the thrill of a new friend.
They are known to pick up anything not nailed down. They see personal property as nonsensical. Kender society is about exploring others possessions as much as discovering them in their own pouches later on! They do not steal, nor do they handle for the sake of profit. They care little for things of value, but rather things of interest. They are naturals at pocketing items, but again, not to steal them, but rather they have every intention of giving it back because someone must have dropped it. They were doing it for you, perhaps you shouldn’t be so forgetful with your things. This is not always a conscious act, and thus they may not recall where they acquired something. Only that they had every intention of giving it to the rightful owner eventually. The idea of a kender society should be seen as a loosely democratic idea. They innately work together against aggressors, but invaders also bring in new and exciting items, so they are not always turned away. Kender families are always very small and there is no real sense of privacy or place, as they tend to share and travel their whole lives. Visitors never find themselves staying long, as they will inevitably deal with a barrage of questions, tall tales and missing property, at times by the constables themselves!
Outro
And that is all I have to say about Kender. I will return in a future episode to discuss the Afflicted and Half-Kender. Do you think they are used to annoy the party in a gaming scenario? Have you ever found a way to mix the good aspects of a kender with the bad as a party member? Do you wish Sargonnas would bury them all in lava? Leave a comment below.
I would like to once again invite you to consider becoming a patron or member of this channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link, all of which are in the description below.
This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
Kender are small because they’re meant to do small things, and it’s the small things that make a difference.
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