Jir-rhy had supposed it was either death or dishonor in the end.
His clan burrow had been flushed out, and, like the rumors held in the caves, those who were captured were up for auction. His fellow kin were sold off to the highest bidder one after the other, but Jir-rhy seemed to have no takers. That was until he smarted to the auctioneer - though mocked by the other kobolds, his voice, smooth and beautiful, roused the crowd. An elf by the name of Imaldri Mooncrest put a hefty bid down to claim Jir-rhy as his legal own.
Given a new name, Rumex, the kobold was taken far to the Mooncrest manor. Though his master lived luxury, Rumex was housed in the basement. There, two captive kenku were his company. Mooncrest had had the kenku mimic music instruments and paraded them as a side-show - Rumex would be the new addition. Rumex's voice would be the centerpiece of the sideshow: a kobold with the voice of an elf. As much as he wanted to resist, he knew he had little recourse for his new position in life - he would approach with as much vigor as he could. As a sideshow act, he proved a big hit. Mooncrest saw it fit to expand the act and begrudgingly taught Rumex additional instruments. It would come in handy later when the kenku "died" without notice after a bout of anger.
Many years passed, and Rumex became a talented, if unhappy, artist. By that point, Mooncrest had largely retreated to his manor and Rumex was now more of a personal performer than public player. Any attempts to leave the manor would end in pain and time locked away in the darkness of the dungeon. On the occasional holiday, Rumex would be brought to the public stage - Mooncrest would make a big spectacle of "Rumex - The Kobold of Song" to fleece gold. One day there would be a tiefling in the audience.
The night following the solstice holiday, Mooncrest demanded a performance from Rumex, already exhausted. The many windows of the estate were open on that hot night; an easy opening. Rumex performed, ears only somewhat picking up the distant sounds of struggle. At the emotional peak of the musical piece, Mooncrest was killed. A tiefling bard by the name of Seiriki had seen Rumex' state and could not condone it. She gave the kobold a chance to be free; the kobold wished to stay by the tiefling's side and learn the way of the bard. He also took up a new name for this new era: Brave.