Mott

appearance
Mott is a silver kobold, standing at 2'4" and weighing a scant 35 pounds. He's reptilian and draconic in appearance, coated in a thin layer of silver scales and bearing two curved black horns at the crest of his head. His feet have four black claws similar to a raptor's while his hands are more humanoid with four fingers each. The end of his long tail is tipped dark grey but he otherwise lacks distinctive markings or other spines and is, even by kobold standards, rather ordinary in appearance. His eyes are a icy almost unnerving blue, and his expression is typically fixed into a nervous smile or curious look. His attire is split into casual and professional. Mott is a humble dresser in his off-time, wearing simple leathers befitting a Barovian commoner and a small hood with a cape to protect him from the weather. He has a particular distaste for shoes (though perhaps would be open to them if he could ever find ones that fit), and he always wears a pin on his cloak that denotes the mortuary guild. His professional attire is much more neat, though he does not have many outfits to his name. He wears a pressed white shirt and black overcoat with a blue bowtie and a simple pair of dark pants; his professor bought him a nice overcoat after his graduation from college, which he still wears despite a missing button and a hole in the pocket.

His most notable possession is his large 19 inch trocar which he uses as an instrument as well as a spellcasting focus (and occasional weapon). He bought it when he first enrolled in school and it's become something of a comfort object for him, and it's never far from his person.

Mott's familiar is a rather zombified toy poodle named Applesauce, sometimes shortened to Apples, Appy, or just A. Familiar summoning is a traditional practice among his magical kobold clan, though Mott's certainly abnormal with only being able to have his take a toy poodle form. Applesauce has an off-white coat and stands a little under a foot tall. She has an adventurous spirit and will often wander off on her own, so Mott has given her a dark green collar and a tag that reads "APPLESAUCE / Return to Mott the Mortician" and "Do not feed" on the back. She has an assortment of accessories but most typical are two dark green bows for her ears. Because of her insatiable curiosity, Applesauce dies and is revived quite often. She's stitched back together at this point, has glassy blue-white eyes, a perpetually poked out tongue, and a skeletal front left foot. Mott loves her dearly regardless.

personality
isfj / 6w5 spso / ravenclaw / melancholy-phlegmatic / death
+ practical, compassionate, motivated, inquisitive, resourceful, dependable, organized, thoughtful
- traditional, private, cowardly, scattered, serious, self-doubting, particular, conflict-avoidant

Mott is a rather particular kobold who comes across as an introverted busybody, often rambling in half-finished sentences that others have to hurry to follow. He prides himself on being organized and efficient and running a good business — his professional reputation is important to him insofar as it means people will appreciate him, and he strives to be a positive attribute in Barovia. His quirkiness makes him a difficult person to get to know; he likes talking about his morbid interests, and tends to be socially awkward and come across as too personal. He doesn't have too many friends in the village outside of professional acquaintances and gets lonely frequently, but he also struggles to recognize his own emotions and copes with it by pushing himself more into his work. Internally he can be rather insecure and compensates for it with his sense of perfectionism and organization. He's a sensitive individual who wilts under criticism and will think about it for days. Disappointing people cuts him deep, and while he tries to be logical, he strives for a sense of understanding with everyone he meets. He's a very curious person who likes investigating issues and getting deep into things, especially when it's hands-on. Mott blossoms when it comes to his job; there's not much that grosses him out, and he gets very methodical about corpses and embalming and loves to explain his thought processes out loud. He's a rather easy person to get along with because he prefers to go with the flow unless the topic of the undead come up, though he can be easily discouraged and absorbs negative energy. At his core he's passionate and cares deeply, and can be a workaholic because he feels guilty taking time to himself.

drives
- Have his business be respected and celebrated in Barovia Village
- Learn more about the vampire spawn and how to restore them
- Have a group of friends who love him
- Pursue the myth of Argynvost's bones

fears
- Being banned from being a mortician
- His family descending into madness
- Hurting and losing a friend
- Having to move to a new city

history

Mott was born into the small kobold community of Argynfell in the foothills of Mount Baratok. Traditionally the kobolds of Barovia lived separately from the the humanoid population; they self-isolated, and the surprised and perhaps suspicious reaction of the townspeople helped maintain that gap. Their appearance differs slightly from kobolds outside of Barovia in that a rare few of them are silver-colored, which are the ones who can trace their ancestry back to ancient times. Variants are indicative of foreign kobolds who found their way into Barovia and found their home among Argynfell. There are some still that are crossbred with dragonborn or lizardfolk, as their scant population makes them rather accepting of anyone remotely reptilian looking for a place.

However the kobolds of Argynfell are not exempt from Barovia's depressive curse. Any who settle among their people are drawn into the relentless, cult-like worship of their past: specifically, the sprawling years early in Strahd's reign, and the legend of the great dragon Argynvost who made the vampiric ranks tremble. The kobolds maintain that before Argynvost fell, he passed his magic along not to his knights but to a hidden clutch of eggs born perhaps just of himself. After his Order was destroyed, the eggs hatched alone and hidden as the first community of silvered kobolds. They retained the power of their father, but with Strahd's power at its peak, they hid themselves away and practiced their talents until the day would come for Argynvost's bones to be collected by his children and for him to rise again. Modernly, there are some who believe the myth more strongly than others, but to claim it's a fable is sacrilege. The community is always led by a silver kobold with strong magical ability, and every now and again a quest is launched to find the final resting place of Argynvost... though morale inevitably wanes when it fails, so more often the clan will simply speculate and keep the belief strong.

Mott's parents, the scavenger Rockit and the wizard Gala, are two such devotees, long-standing members of the clan. They fed into the rhetoric of spreading Argynvost's bloodline as much as possible and Mott was the sixth of ten children: Eden his eldest sister, followed by Mullen, ZeeZee, Gefen, Cruz, Musselman, Treetop, Seneca, and his youngest sibling, the trader Jo. Their home was a series of tunnels inside the hill, meticulously decorated and always warmed with the smell of food — but still it was crowded, and Mott was often pushed to the side by his more boisterous siblings clambering for their parents' attention. Their education was similar, with many of them across ages put together in the same classroom with the expectation that magic would develop through study. Not all had the same talent for wizardry, however. Eden was a gem with powerful divination abilities from a young age and was quickly put in separate schooling to be mentored by the silver clan elders. It was a high bar for the rest of them to meet, particularly for his siblings who could not even conjure a familiar or a simple cantrip. Mott was better off than most of them and took to spells when he began being educated at three years.

family

Rockit » father, age 42. Rockit is a transmutation scavenger of Argynfell with a keen interest in ancient artifacts and peculiar objects. He fancies himself an expert, but considering he has limited contact with the humans of Barovia, often misinterprets the things he finds. His passion project is restoring old magical items he believes to be connected to the time Argynvost was alive, and the yard of Mott's family home is perpetually scattered with strange objects stuck together with magic.
Gala » mother, age 50. Gala is a war magic wizard of Argynfell who runs a tight ship. A warrior through and through, Gala is part of the band that protects Argynfell from outside threats, including those spawned by their dreaded enemy Strahd. She often fumes about potential holes in the ranks from kobolds who weren't born as a part of Argynvost's legacy and have turned into spies for Strahd, though such speculations are thus far unfounded.

Eden » sibling, age 33. A perfectionistic and proud silver kobold who resides in Argynfell, Eden is a prestigious divination wizard studying beneath the elders.
Mullen » sibling, age 29. A boisterous and sly red kobold who resides in Argynfell, Mullen is a scout who works nights and has a nocturnal sleep schedule.
ZeeZee » sibling, age 27. An imaginative and quirky black kobold who resides in Argynfell, ZeeZee has touches of wild magic and is always carefully observed.
Gefen » sibling, age 24. A sullen and private rust kobold who resides in Argynfell, Gefen is a paltry wizard who much prefers board games and sculptures.
Cruz » sibling, age 22. A patient and snooty black kobold who resides in Argynfell, Cruz is a cleric who claims her patron is Argynvost, despite the impossibility of it.
Musselman » sibling, age 18. A cocky and loud red kobold who resides in Argynfell, Musselman is a war magic wizard like his mother and is part of her band.
Treetop » sibling, age 15. A victorious and swift red kobold who resides in Argynfell, Treetop is a trapper who keeps spoils of their big game catches.
Seneca » sibling, age 12. A self-conscious and artistic red kobold who resides in Argynfell, Seneca is overlooked despite her talent as a conjuration wizard.
Jo » sibling, age 10. An optimistic and clever black kobold who resides in Argynfell, Jo is a trader who will visit the outskirts of Barovia Village to sell wares.