Ignis Kraos is a compact kobold with copper-red scales, a narrow muzzle, bright amber eyes, and oversized ears that twitch toward every unfamiliar sound. He wears a weathered gray traveler's cloak over simple monk's clothing, with his staff strapped across his back and a cluster of darts tucked into a leather bandolier. His hands are unusually distinctive, the scales on his palms thickened and polished from years of climbing stone, gripping weapons, and practicing precise strikes. Within a minute of meeting him, most people notice his breath first. He inhales in quick, careful clicks when alert, then exhales in a soft whistle whenever he is trying to remain calm.

Curious, observant, and unfailingly polite, Ignis treats every unfamiliar person, animal, and ruin as a lesson waiting to be understood. He is eager to help travelers because he remembers how terrifying the wider world felt when he first left the warren. He prefers clever positioning and patient observation to direct confrontation, but once someone vulnerable is threatened, his hesitation vanishes.

Ignis Kraos was hatched beneath a ruined watchtower where his kobold warren survived by scavenging old roads and listening for the footsteps of larger creatures. Unlike most of his clutchmates, Ignis was fascinated by the spaces between sounds. He learned to cross loose scree without a rattle, to climb broken masonry using only three claws at a time, and to breathe so quietly that hunting beasts often passed within arm's reach. An elderly wandering ascetic named Sister Vey found him stealing turnips from her camp. Rather than punish him, she challenged him to steal the turnip back from her hand. Ignis failed for seven straight days, then finally succeeded by watching her shoulders instead of the vegetable.