Most kobolds are abused by the larger races, bullied into dangerous and risky jobs nobody wants to do. Orcs use them to test caves and mine tunnels for integrity, letting the lighter kobolds test the floors for hidden pits or deadfalls. Trolls employ them as scouts of sorts, hurling them into villages or castles and following the screams of the kobold when the inhabitants slaughter it. As such, over the generations, kobolds have learned a few tricks, letting them stay alive longer in such conditions and maybe picking up a stray bauble or two before their captors notice it is missing.