Canary Keeper

In the mines of the Great Lowlands, things go sideways fast. Gas pockets, cave-ins, ancient curses. Sometimes a ghost. Usually a hungry predator. Always something.

That’s where the kobolds come in.

They go in first, armed with nothing but a canary in a cage. If the bird drops dead, they run. If it starts shrieking, flapping, and crashing against the bars like the apocalypse is nigh, they run faster.

Worst case, they open the cage and let the canary fly loose. Those little buggers have a nasty bite. Maybe it buys enough time for the kobold to escape with their limbs intact.

If not, well… there are always more kobolds. And maybe a spare bird, too.