Tak-Tik's character sheet is live (Patreon)

The leader of the Ten Paw Gang now has a more defined backstory than "that guy with the knife". Note that in order to understand the final part, you'll have to read Footsie's one as well. Since Footsie's background already explains the events leading up to Moe meeting the group, this segment has been omitted from Tak-Tik's sheet. 

Without further ado, here's the safe for work version of the story.  Both this version, and the NSFW version can be found on the Kobold Adventure website.

------------------------------------------------  

Tak-Tik is a hardened criminal, a kobold whose tough life has lead him down the path of villainy and despotism. He leads his Ten Paw Gang to pillage and plunder whatever they can from the less fortunate inhabitants of the human capital of Varanar and its surroundings. Based out of an inn at the heart of the city, they rob to make ends meet and kill to keep a low profile. Banditry is a dangerous lifestyle, and every day could be their last, but at least they aren't living in fear, in poverty, or enslaved to morality.

The kobold's earliest memory is of him being beaten by the master of his former house. His whelpling arms weren't strong enough to carry the many platters and trays of food that his mother used to serve their demanding human hosts. Ever since she had been whipped to death, it had fallen to her son to carry out the myriad of household tasks fit only for slaves.

Sweeping, cleaning, cooking, washing dirty clothes, a whole laundry list of chores. If the young Tak-Tik did a bad job, he was punished in the form of brutal physical violence. The whip that ended his mother's life frequently found its way to his backside, and he was frequently pummeled to within an inch of his life. More often than not, he wished his master would go one step further, and send him the way of his mom. But alas, the human was cruel enough to keep the torture going, instead of giving his sole slave the freedom of death.

The older Tak-Tik grew, the more he realized how unjust his life truly was. He saw kobolds, just like him, running through the streets outside of the mansion. They didn't look like they had much, but they were content. Happy. Free. Why couldn't he be like them? Why did he have to be born a slave?

It wasn't right. Things weren't supposed to be this awful. The more he thought about how bad his life was, the angrier the kobold became. While he never saw eye to eye with his master, newfound resentment fostered within Tak-Tik. Hatred, so intense, that it gradually began to replace the fear that years of beating and discipline had instilled.

The lizard's surging malcontent manifested in the form of backtalk. Hushed, underbreath insults, which gradually grew louder and louder, until there was no mistaking the blunt threats and dastardly namecalling. His foul mouth got him beaten repeatedly, but the punishments only served to strengthen his resolve. Every blow he took, he vowed to repay in kind tenfold.

The situation went from bad to worse, as Tak-Tik began to fight back against his host family. He tore up their clothes, spiked the soup with rat poison, and even bared his claws against the man of the house, in the midst of a savage beatdown. The human almost cracked his skull wide open for daring to land a scratch on him. While the pain was almost unbearable, the satisfaction of having made the sadist bleed was all the encouragement the slave needed to keep going.

Keeping a slave as rebellious as Tak-Tik, was more trouble than it was worth. It was time to replace the mongrel with a less aggressive servant. But the human's pride kept him from simply setting the kobold free, and there was no way he'd be able to sell a slave that bites. That left only one solution. He had to kill the lizard himself.

At night, the slave owner approached the sleeping servant, knife in hand. But the closer the human got to his dormant target, the more slippery the wooden floor became. Unable to keep his balance, the would-be murderer fell flat on his face, losing hold of his one and only weapon. And that is when Tak-Tik, pretending to be asleep, made his move.

He'd overheard the man talking to his wife about what had to be done. A bit of soapy water worked miracles to set up a trap. And now, his murderous master had fallen right into his clutches. The lizard scrambled for the knife, grabbing it before his assailant had a chance to recover. What happened next was the grueling conclusion of years worth of beating-induced hatred.

Tak-Tik didn't stop stabbing until the human's corpse was little more than a mangled mess. Blood-soaked, and with death in his eyes, he staggered towards the bedroom. The master's wife was terrified. Her fear aroused new feelings, dwarfing the urge to kill. There were other ways in which he could get his much-needed vengeance.

The following few days, were a living hell for the former mistress. Tak-Tik forced her to take over every household task that they made him do. She cooked and served him food, she washed his dirty clothes, and like her husband had done to the kobold that was now in charge, she was brutally beaten whenever she so much as dared to refuse. In the end, after the lizard had had all of the fun he could think of, he sent her to join her husband in the next reflection.

No witnesses left behind. With both the master and the mistress dead, it was time to leave the scene of the crime. But not before rincing the human blood off of his scales. They were crimson enough without. After cleaning himself, Tak-Tik left the house, finally a free kobold.

The streets of Varanar were foreign and strange, but life in cruel captivity had prepared the former slave well. It wasn't too hard to figure out the basics of how things worked. Gold for goods or services. But working reminded him of slavehood, especially with how crude kobolds were treated in the capital of humans. After almost stabbing his first boss, Tak-Tik decided a normal life wasn't for him.

The knife the lizard openly brandished, the same that had won him his freedom, spared him much of the harassment that his kind faced on a daily basis. Recalling the absolute power he wielded over his former mistress, an idea gestated in his deranged mind. He didn't have any money, but with enough force he could take whatever he wanted. Who'd stop him? The guards? He'd be long gone before they ever showed up. And good luck finding a single kobold in a city the size of Varanar.

Couldn't rob just anyone, though. Despite being armed and hardened, Tak-Tik was still a kobold. Drunkards, adventurers and guards could easily get the upper hand on him. Heck, anyone with a weapon bigger than his was a threat. He soon figured out that women and the elderly were the best targets, preferably by themselves. Although families, especially during market days, tended to carry the most money on them, on top of whatever they'd already bought.

Cornering prey in one of the many dark and secluded alleyways of the capital was a surprisingly easy task. People in Varanar relied too much on their clumsy, inefficient gaggle of guards. This had left commoners far too trusting and caring. Meek sheep to the slaughter. Luring them in with trails of coins, fake cries of help, or crudely made store signs, the little lizard made a lot of money preying on the weak.

Hissing and threatening alone worked wonders to get his way. Rarely did the kobold actually have to use his knife, but he wasn't afraid of taking the lives of those who were foolish enough to run, call for help, or try to fight. He'd still get what he wanted either way, be it coin or goods.

The rumor that there was a serial killer and thug-lizard on the loose, rippled throughout the kobold community. While most were scared of the dangerous murderer lurking about in the shadows, others were bright enough to realize that none of the victims thus far had been kobolds. Slowly, but surely, Tak-Tik grew a small following of fans, who saw his muggings as an act of defiance against the resident humans.

Some of the more repressed and criminally-inclined of their kind, followed in the deranged lizard's footsteps, making Varanar a much more dangerous place for all but kobolds. Others sought out Tak-Tik himself, offering to help him lure in victims, pawn off goods, or clean up after the act. And so, Tak-Tik's Terrors were formed. A tight-knit gang of four, lead by the former slave himself.

Due to the surge in petty crime, pickings in Varanar were growing slim. The group expanded their operations, moving into the forest to ambush travellers and traders. With a few more hands by his side, Tak-Tik could take on far larger targets. Dragons, wolves, even bears were fair game, as long as they were alone. Egging on one another, simple muggings often escalated to outright murder. Women and men alike were stripped of not only their money, but their lives as well.

Eventually, Tak-Tik's eyes fell upon a pretty kobold, fresh in town. Kayun, or Footsie, as he was swiftly nicknamed. The two spent a heated, drunken night together. The red-scaled lizard took a liking to the newcomer. After some half-truths and embellishments, the rookie was persuaded into joining the gang, with one caveat.

In order to convince Footsie to stay, Tak-Tik had claimed his group was called the Eight Paw Gang. He knew the Kayun had a thing for feet, and desperately hoped the name would help him make the decision to stay. And perhaps, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Whatever the case, Tak-Tik's Terrors were now the Ten Paw Gang. A change of moniker that his friends would never let him live down.

------------------------------------------------

I hope you liked his backstory! All three of the items portrayed in the character sheet, have had their icons added to the game. I'll be posting the NSFW version on Patreon in a minute (you can also find this on the website), and then I'll be heading to bed. Thank you for your continued interest in Kobold Adventure, and I'll see you next time, on tragic lizard tales!