Kender are small, child-like humanoids rarely taller than 4 to 4½ feet, with stocky yet athletic builds that belie their surprising strength and endurance. At a distance, they are often mistaken for young elves due to their distinctly pointed ears, though sages trace their origins closer to gnomish stock. Their features tend toward expressive faces, quick smiles, and eyes that constantly scan their surroundings for something—anything—interesting.
Their skin tones range from fair to sun-tanned browns, often darkening with long days spent outdoors. Hair is typically worn long, braided, or tied back, frequently decorated with ribbons, beads, feathers, or whatever curious trinket caught their attention that day. As kender age, faint crow’s feet and laugh lines appear early, marking lives filled with motion, mischief, and relentless curiosity.
Their voices are naturally high-pitched and quick, rising further when excited—a state many kender seem to occupy at all times.
The most remarkable trait of the kender is their complete lack of fear. They do not experience it naturally and are immune to magical effects that would induce it. This absence of fear makes them unnervingly calm in situations that would shatter the nerves of most folk.
Kender are hardy for their size, showing notable resistance to poisons, enchantments, and magical effects that impair the mind or body. Their restless awareness and short attention span make them difficult to ambush or surprise, as their attention is always drifting—yet somehow always alert.
Naturally inclined toward travel and exploration, kender possess an uncanny sense of direction. Even when hopelessly lost, many can intuit the general direction of civilization, roads, or settlements. Despite this resilience to magic, kender are rarely capable of wielding arcane power themselves, a limitation some believe stems from their magically resistant origins.
Kender are driven by insatiable curiosity, wanderlust, and an irrepressible zest for experience. Unfamiliar with fear, they approach danger, mystery, and the unknown with enthusiasm rather than caution. Locked doors are puzzles begging to be solved; dark tunnels are invitations rather than warnings.
Their understanding of ownership differs sharply from most cultures. Kender do not believe they steal—rather, they handle unattended or unsecured items out of curiosity, often fully intending to return them… eventually. Objects gathered this way are rarely taken out of malice or greed, and just as often forgotten in the depths of a pocket as they are returned with cheerful innocence.
Despite their reputation for chaos, kender form deep emotional bonds. Friendship is sacred to them, and while they laugh easily, they feel sorrow just as deeply. Witnessing suffering or the loss of loved ones can plunge a kender into long periods of quiet melancholy. Though often seen as obnoxious or exhausting by other races, few doubt a kender’s loyalty once it is earned.
Kender view life—and death—as grand adventures. Many believe that the greatest punishment in any afterlife is not torment, but eternal boredom.
When forced into battle, kender fight with reckless confidence and startling effectiveness. Their fearlessness allows them to press advantages others would hesitate to exploit, relying on instinct, agility, and improvisation rather than rigid tactics.
One of their most effective combat tools is not a weapon at all, but their mouths. Kender are infamous for their relentless taunts, verbal jabs, and maddening commentary, capable of enraging even disciplined foes into making fatal mistakes.
While capable with many light weapons, kender favor slings, bows, and especially the hoopak—a traditional weapon combining staff, sling, and spear into a single versatile tool. Heavy armor is generally disliked, with most kender preferring light leathers or padded protection that allows unrestricted movement.
Though rarely soldiers and never conquerors, kender are stubborn defenders of their homes and companions. An enemy may not fear a kender at first—but many learn, too late, that fearlessness can be far more dangerous than courage.
Kender are the heart and soul of Aurelthrym, having made this gentle winter realm their home since their “accidental on purpose” arrival through the Whispering Arcs. Their natural curiosity and fearless demeanor make them uniquely suited to explore, maintain, and celebrate the strange and magical corners of the Halo-Frost. Over time, they have scattered across the plane in small settlements, weaving their cheerful chaos into every snow-dusted hill, frozen forest, and crystal-lined valley.
Though the realm is quiet and serene, Kender treat it as a playground and a laboratory for discovery. They are known to follow magical ley-lines, investigate glowing frost-veins, and examine the ruins of vanished civilizations—all while maintaining their signature cheer and exuberance. Visitors to Aurelthrym are often met by a whirlwind of questions, laughter, and, of course, curious handling of any unattended objects that might spark interest. Kender do not discriminate; anyone who passes through is welcome, and hospitality is extended with enthusiasm equal to their energy.
The Kender maintain a delicate balance between mischief and stewardship. Their playful nature masks a surprisingly effective vigilance, one honed by decades of interacting with planar energies, residual enchantments, and the occasional wayward traveler or planar beast.
Through their presence, Aurelthrym has become a haven not only for Kender but for wanderers of all kinds. The realm’s eternal winter, tempered by Elysira’s Halo-Frost, is rendered welcoming and alive by the Kender’s exuberance. Travelers find a place of rest, curiosity, and connection here, and it is said that to visit Aurelthrym is to leave with a bit of its lighthearted wonder tucked into one’s heart—an effect delivered entirely at the whim of its small, daring, and endlessly inquisitive residents.