Tikka is a small, wiry kobold with rust-red scales, a cream-colored throat, and bright copper eyes. A torn ear gives the left side of the face a permanently alert angle. Tikka wears well-fitted chain mail beneath a patched blue-gray coat, a battered shield painted with a tiny white street map, and a longsword shortened and rebalanced for a smaller wielder. A mouse nest is tucked safely inside the shield strap, and a strip of red cloth is tied around one wrist as a reminder of home.

Tikka is quick-witted, suspicious, and fiercely observant. They speak bluntly, dislike standing still in open spaces, and have a surprisingly gentle manner with animals and frightened children. Tikka enjoys collecting useless bits of metal, memorizing people's routines, and proving that the smallest person in the room can still control the room.

Tikka hatched beneath a collapsed tannery in the oldest quarter of the city, where a small kobold warren survived by collecting spilled grain, dropped coins, and anything else the tall folk failed to notice. Tikka learned every drain, roofline, and cellar passage before learning to read. Their closest companion was a one-eyed street mouse named Noki, who still rides in a padded pocket beneath Tikka's shield strap. The two became expert at slipping through crowds, lifting keys, and guiding hungry children toward unattended market stalls without being seen.