I should add, if you need higher level kobolds you can fairly trivially reskin the higher heroic halfling and gnome monsters into kobolds, just by replacing their racial powers with shifty.
Keep the kobolds (or rather make most of them 9th level minions). And run them as Tuckeresque. Nasty buggers who absolutely can pursue a war with whatever you are using for the Mites by playing very dirty. And attacking the Sootscale Caverns is only for the foolish.
Tucker's Kobolds. Really really dirty tactics. Murder holes, burning oil, deadfalls, locking the PCs in, statues of kobolds to draw PC attacks. The works.
And replacing first level warriors with 9th level minions is not IMO changing the flavour. Still makes them squishy, shifty, and annoying.
Wait, I've got it: dromites.![]()
One of the only non-PH 3e races that I like!!
Have they appeared in 4e yet??