Lizardkin

Three variations of the Lizardkin.

#### **INTRODUCTION**

The Lizardkin are an ancient sapient species of reptile. Lizardkin appear in many forms and many variations across their history, time radically affecting their appearance.  They hail from the same continent as man did though fled earlier when ousted by Dormians. Their traditions and culture are as old as they appear and are still upheld despite the suffering the scaled-people have endured. They’re renowned for their skills amongst the wilderness and their adeptness across multiple environments. They have been beaten and bruised for generations but their patience will erode everything that stands in their way.

#### **ANATOMY**

Lizardkin as the name suggests have reptilian features. Osteoderms and scales cover their bodies which retain water in the body. While this is useful it is not without some costs. For one the Lizardkin cannot grow beyond a certain point in these scales and must ‘shed’ in order to get larger, especially as they mature. While shedding the Lizardkin is exceptionally vulnerable as their scales are not fully hardened and prone to injury while they form. They’re ectothermic, only expending energy regulating their body temperature when in strenuous active situations. In situations where they do not need to be active their body temperature can drop to air temperature and conserve energy. These two traits let Lizardkin go for prolonged times with far less food or water than any mammalian race and make them far more adept in hot environments. However, Lizardkin do not fare so well in colder climates and may experience ‘cold-shock’ if they’re rapidly exposed to intense cold- making them sluggish in below-freezing climates.

With sharp claws or adhesive pads the Lizardmen make for exceptional climbers. No other race can best them in the art of moving from tree to tree. They can hang off of vertical surfaces with little strain on their muscles for extended periods of time. Just as easily they can drop for these positions though they ought to be wise about where they land- they have little cushioning should they land on a rocky spot. While not as pronounced as Gillians the Lizardmen are also fairly capable swimmers and can hold their breaths for longer than humans, outclassed only by Tachtans and Gillians themselves.

Lizardkin can come in many shapes and sizes. Some are small while others are large and broad. Some have secondary eyelids to help them keep water from their eyes and others have no eyelids at all. Some have long tongues while others still have forked ones. The variation between individual lizardmen is so great that many scholars have suggested that Lizardkin collectively encompasses a range of closely related species rather than an individual group. Certainly, it seems that there are residual traits from a previous system wherein Lizardmen were divided by certain anatomical factors that do not exist anymore.

*(Lizardkin posture can range from a total slouch to a total upright stance. You're free to pick anywhere between as Lizardkin come in multiple variants, yet it won't make you taller than the specified amount.)*

#### **SOCIETY AND CULTURE**

The Lizardmen in their many centuries of existence have accrued a many number of traditions and social norms. Traditionalists do not actively hunt game but instead scavenge or live exclusively off insects and vegetation. They don’t clad themselves in concealing attire instead dorning their heads in feathers and masks to signify status and wisdom. On the surface they appear as little more than nomads, dwelling in small groups as they search for supplies. Underground is a far different story as Lizardmen dwell in great temples of their own design. A traditional clan was helmed by an elder or religious beacon who retained information orally as it was not written down. In fact, before the arrival of other sapient races the native tongue of the Lizardkin was not written at all but instead inscribed in unique carvings which would be interpreted by those trained to do so.

In the modern day the Lizardkin are a tad more skewed. The cavett of the Dormians lent itself toward a shift in times. The traditionalists remain but they’ve been joined by a modernist movement in other facets of the Lagartian people. These ‘City-Lizards’ have abandoned certain aspects of traditional values (varying on the individual) in favor of the sentiment held by other species. These changes have caused strife between the lizards as they grapple with the new homes they’ve been thrust into.

If there’s anything Lizardmen can largely agree upon it is the balance of natural forces. The ancestral Lizardkin made certain that the lands they dwelled upon remained incheck and sustainable. Practices that would go against that order were taboo, practitioners socially excluded or perhaps killed depending on the elder’s adherence to old ways. In times of great imbalance many tribes, city and not-so, gather to unite against an upheaval. A tradition that has been ongoing for centuries…

#### **HISTORY**

As much of Lizardmen stories remain unwritten there’s countless interpretations of old carvings. Each tells a slightly different story of the Lizardkin’s past. It is not uncommon for these anecdotes to be disputed between lizards of differing clans but there’s at least a few things they can agree upon…

The Lizardkin came from a continent called Trepheon where they shared the land with the humans. They lived below and in the halls of mountains while the men dwelled on the surface in castles and fortresses. For a time the two coexisted for there was little reason to battle. That was of course with the exception of Dormians. No one is quite sure exactly why they chose to wage war with the lizards but what is certain is they did. Ousting the reptiles from their homeland to battle their way across an unforgiving ocean.

Some clans arrived in Ludwag in these panicked forced-migrations, merging themselves into the swamps and later jungles which had gone unoccupied since the fall of Pyrosi. There they attempted to rebuild until they came into strife with the Dormians who had themselves fled from Trepheon as the Great Storm began. Now contending with their old enemy, plus the elves already present, many clans broke under the pressure. Today a scant few clans and tribes still remain as bastions for the Lizardmen identity.

Oral tale also speaks of the Tachtans. The long-lived scaled race made for a valuable ally to the Lizardmen as they had also been displaced. Though it seems their friendship extended further back than that. In these stories the Tachtan served as repositories of information where Lizardmen could give and take wisdom to a far longer-lived mind. Such was vital in remembering their identity when they crossed the seas to Ludwag, it’s the only reason they remember anything at all.

In the modern day, the Lizardkin are a fairly uncommon sight. Their relations with the Tachtans remain modest and cordial. As times change the Lizardmen show resilience in being unwavering against the passage of time, a testament their ancestors upheld centuries before them. Modernists suit the many roles of a human or elven kingdom as equally well as any of their own could. But traditionalists are sought for their craftsmanship of tools seemingly primitive to humans. Lizardmen hadn’t developed their forging beyond that of bronze before their exodus and so it has had generations to become refined and articulate. Shimmering bronze carvings acting as totems to stories from the past.