Lizardfolk

The **Lizardfolk** (sometimes called **Lizardmen** or **Lacertians**) are a sentient race of creatures which inhabit Eulana. They reside primarily in the swamplands of Lacertia, though individual lizardmen are known to range wide across the world as wanderers and mercenaries. Lizardfolk predominantly follow a polytheistic faith commonly known by outsiders as Lizardfolk Paganism.

### History

While the Lizardfolk were conquered during the Elven Hegemony, the Elves interfered very little with the Lizardfolk way of life. As they harvested very little wood, and had not even developed metalworking or intensive agriculture at the time, they were regarded as essentially harmless.

Lizardfolk society as it would be recognizable to modern eyes emerged in the 15th century MA, shortly after the Lizardfolk learned ironworking either by exposure or by explicitly being taught by the humans of modern-day Buchtelfen. While iron artifacts are known to have existed in Lacertia before the 15th century, all such artifacts are all of human, Elven, or Dwarven make. As the Lizardfolk did not discover metallurgy by native development or experimentation, they lack a distinct chalcolithic or bronze age period.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of metalworking to the subsequent development of the Lizardfolk, with iron spearheads allowing them to become the apex predators of the Lacertian swamps, iron tools allowing them to overturn the mountain soil for building and farming, and iron axes giving rise to wider pastures for grazing their water buffalo. The most intensive period of this development in the mid-late 16th century MA happily coincided with the end of the Elven Golden Age and the First Elven Empire, minimizing the retribution they suffered from Elves to the smaller powers of the Exarchiae.

### Culture

Lizardfolk predominantly follow Lacertian Paganism, a polytheistic ethnic faith with very few non-Lizardfolk followers.

Lizardfolk engage in transhumance behavior, herding their water buffalo between semi-permanent settlements, planting crops before leaving for the season, and harvesting them upon their return the following season. Common crops planted before departure include yarrow (for tea and medicine), taro (for food), and fescue (as fodder). Most seasonal campsites are situated near a suitable sunning rock for leisure, especially summer sites.

There has not been a King in the Marshes for several decades. Lizardmen, however, are familiar with the concept of monarchy and have had monarchs in the past. A Lacertian monarch, however, must prove they have the favor of the gods, which is generally considered difficult. Repeated victories is the most reliable way to prove such a thing. Lizardman monarchs traditionally wear a panoply of bronze jewelry. The origin of this tradition is unknown.

Feminine name endings include -ik or -iak, -na, and -he; while masculine name endings include -ast, -rr, -ax, and -ithst.

#### Inlanders

Inlander tribes live in the deepest swamps of Lacertia. Inlanders are the most primitive and xenophobic of the Lizardfolk, and are considered brutal and contentious even by their kin. Inlander tribes keep their herds of water buffalo carefully culled to coincide the exhaustion of their seasonal herding grounds with the passing of the seasons. They engage in more hunter-gatherer behaviors than Outlanders do, and let loose their Scalehounds to independently hunt and return small game to their camps. This is a practice not followed by other Lizardfolk tribes due to the attrition rate inflicted upon Scalehounds, the relative paucity of game outside of the inner swamps, and the tendency of Scalehounds to kill and eat animals too large to drag back on their own.

Inlander tribes have the fewest permanent and semi-permanent structures amongst Lizardfolk tribes. Metal tools are uncommon, and symbols of considerable status. Inlander warriors prefer the single-bladed greataxe as their weapon of choice; though greatswords are highly valued, they are rarer amongst Inlanders than amongst Outlanders. Inlander tribes revere the gods of cold above the other trios of Lizardfolk Paganism. Only a few tribes follow Terrestrial Druidic practices. There is little organization or hierarchy amongst Inlander tribes, which usually operate in a roughly democratic or anarchic manner, or by the consent of a council of tribal elders.

#### Outlanders

Outlander tribes reside on the outskirts of the Lacertian swamps, and engage in transhumance between the mountains in summer, and the swamps in winter. Outlander tribes engage in more intensive agriculture, and often have permanent stone-walled settlements wherein small groups (typically the very young and very old) remain year-round. The majority of the tribe, however, makes two to three migrations per year, primarily to plant and harvest crops and ensure a constant supply of fresh grazing land for their water buffalo. Hunting remains an important food source, but does not dominate their activity to the same degree as it does the Inlander tribes.

The Outlander tribes often have ties with non-lizardmen - sometimes antagonistic, other times mutualistic. Outlander tribes contribute many Malisonids to the outside world. Outlander tribes jealously guard mountain lakes, which they regard as sacred. Feuds are sometimes fought between tribes over ownership (physical or moral) of these lakes, whose pure waters refresh and sustain the lizardmen in the summers. Outlander tribes have an abundance of metal tools, but it is weaponry which is the true status symbol amongst them. No lizard is a respectable warrior who does not own a long knife and a greatsword. There is some division of labor for the most skilled and valued artisans, such as smiths, who rarely participate in the harvesting, hunting, or herding activities of the rest of the tribe.

Outlander tribes tend to favor the gods of warmth in Lizardfolk Paganism, but a significant minority of Outlanders follow Terrestrial Druidism or the Deodatic Faith. Outlander tribal governments are more organized than the other Lizardfolk cultural groupings, with semi-organized autocracies and oligarchies, primitive democracies, and clan federations all making appearances amongst the Outland tribes. It is not uncommon for Outlander tribes to be used as pawns in the wars of their neighbors; as Lizardfolk society is warlike and seminomadic, they require only proper incentive to agree to be used in such a way.

#### Coastlanders

Coastlander tribes live along the craggy cliffs and brackish marshes of western Lacertia. The Coastlander tribes engage in significantly more fishing than their Inland and Outland cousins, and rely less on agriculture and herding than either. Whaling in the winter season is also a vital activity for the coastland tribes. Though living a more hunter-gatherer existence than the Inland tribes, their building practices resemble more their Outland cousins. While usually lacking stone fortifications, the more prosperous of the Coastland tribes build permanent stone structures to house the tribe and its gathered food, and are known to construct saunas.

The Coastland tribes often engage in a great deal of trade with the outside world, bringing the exotic herbs and pelts of the Inland tribes to a wider market. In the winter, they make their seasonal camp further from the coast, and usually take this opportunity to exchange goods on their borders with the Inland tribes. Spears and harpoons are the preferred weapons of the Coastland tribes, and while the great two-handed axes of the lizardmen are sometimes seen in the hands of their tribal champions, the greatsword rarely is.

Coastlander tribes tend to prefer the gods of the world in Lizardfolk Paganism. They are remarkably open to outsiders, and sometimes accept non-lizards into the tribes, in part because they regard their close relationship to the ocean and the sea winds as making themselves a liminal people, occupying a zone between worlds. For obvious reasons, lizardmen who take up nautical careers in the outside world often have a Coastland origin. Coastland tribes often forge enduring relations with merchant guilds and ship captains as connections to the wider world. Coastlander tribes tend to follow either a loose oligarchy of tribal elders, or a kind of democracy or anarchy of scattered familial/clan holds, each with roughly equal say.

#### Malisonids

Malisonids are those Lizardfolk who have left their tribe and joined non-lizard societies. Malisonids may leave for a variety of reasons, from exile to famine to simple wanderlust. Malisonids are not shamed or shunned, simply regarded as unusually adventurous. The outside world is believed to be ill and cursed, unlike the sanctified and pure lands of Lacertia, and most Lizardfolk believe thus that Malisonids generally return to Lacertia, if they do not die in the course of their experiences. A rare few Malisonids are born in the outside world; these are sometimes shunned as ill omens by Lacertian tribes, but more often regarded simply as a kind of curiousity.

Most Malisonids end up as mercenaries, retainers, or sailors, suiting the nomadic warrior culture Lizardfolk are raised in. Some end up as laborers, criminals, or exotic artisans. Unlike the Lacertian lizardfolk, Malisonid warriors often take up heavy armor in addition to their beloved greatswords and greataxes. Some Malisonids gather in Lizardfolk-dominated and Lizardfolk-led mercenary companies or merchant fleets, which tend to imitate a tribal organization.

Malisonids are generally highly loyal, as loyalty is a highly valued virtue in their tribal societies. Few individuals find true acceptance, and Malisonid communities in human and Elven settlements are rare due to the frequency with which outbursts of anti-Lizardfolk violence occur. While some Malisonids convert to Elven or human faiths, it rarely provides any protection against the prejudices they face.

### Military

Lizardfolk society places a high value on martial prowess and sees conflict as a natural and laudable aspect of existence. To the Lizardfolk, it is only natural that those willing to lose the most in a dispute prevail, and in doing so attain their object of desire.

Outright warfare between Lizardfolk tribes is rare; more often conflicts between Lizardfolk take the form of extended tribal feuds. A tribe whose warriors are defeated in the course of a tribal feud usually suffers nothing more than the seizure of the object in dispute, or the loss of pride and prestige that comes with being bested in battle. In such tribal feuds, warriors seek personal glory and to best their rivals in skirmishes, typically (though not always) meeting in a pre-determined location. When such pre-determined locations are not agreed upon, battle is usually initiated by ambush.

When Lizardfolk successfully defeat an outside (ie non-Lizardfolk) force, they rarely choose to occupy land or install themselves as rulers. Instead, they tend to plunder the defeated, sometimes ritually consuming the most ferocious of their enemies as both a sign of respect and a way to 'gain' their power, and taking those who catch their fancy as slaves. There is not a well-developed slave economy nor a strong need for excess labor in Lacertian economies; as such, slaves taken are usually kept for show and domestic labor rather than work in primary or secondary industries, as something between a pet and a servant. Those defeated who do not catch their fancy are sometimes killed, but more often ignored.

When lizardmen defeat other lizardmen, the reaction is different. If the conflict is one of the long-running blood or honor feuds, it is expressed in skirmishes and usually generates only war trophies and dead lizardmen. However, in the rare case of a serious organized war between Lizardfolk, land may change hands, and in extreme cases, entire tribes may be assimilated as low-status members of the victorious tribe.

#### Lacertian Armies

When an alliance of tribes gathers to wage war, it is typically on outsiders, rather than their fellow lizardmen. The first line is made of the young warriors, the lower-status members of the tribe, and outsiders without distinction (such as mercenaries). These fight in front and typically are armed with spears and javelins without any tight order. It is considered shameful for a warrior fighting amongst this group to retreat before making a 'mark' (a hit on an enemy, even one that does not kill or wound); however, it is considered normal, if unexceptional, to retreat after making a single 'mark'.

The second are the older, more experienced warriors, the 'retainers' of chieftains, and outsiders with distinction (such as friends of the tribe, or itinerant champions). These also fight unarmored, but tend to favor large weapons such as greatswords and two-handed axes. They fight as more or less a single block in relatively close-order combat, but are not disciplined and do not generally form distinctive units or formations.

The third are the oldest warriors who have begun to lose their edge, the artisans of the tribe, and the tribe's elders. They form the backmost block. They nominally fight with javelins, with axes or long knives for close combat. Usually this group does not see much other than simple harassing duties unless things are truly dire in the battle.

The fourth are the herders and groomsmen of the tribe who take care of the mighty Scalehounds. Scalehounds are used in a manner similar to wardogs amongst humans, only much more ubiquituous due to the more vicious and hardy nature of the Scalehound. These warriors rarely fight hand to hand, usually only preoccupying themselves with herding their Scalehound packs to the correct part of the battlefield. Some may carry slings or bows.

When lizards gather in a simple army like this, it's usually the result of several tribes forming a temporary alliance against outside races, and only rarely for inter-lizard feuds. Of the groups, only the second, of the dedicated and experienced warriors, is at all divided. Members of the different tribes mix and mingle freely in the other three groupings, as their performance is not regarded as bringing much glory (or shame) to their tribes, but the experienced warriors cluster up by tribe, each underneath a unique tribal 'draco', a banner that 'sings' with the wind. To lose this banner is considered a terrible omen for the tribe and a sacrilege for those who lost it. Because of this tribal banner, lizardmen are generally very reluctant to retreat before their standard-bearer retreats, as losing their draco would be a massive stain on their honor as warriors specifically, and as members of their tribe in general.

The lizardmen consider wind to be a powerful omen and associate it with death and boundaries. Lizardman armies have been known to readjust their positions before battle to have the wind at their backs; to have the wind at their front is considered an ill omen in battle.

#### Equipment And Warrior Codes

Lizardman tribes rarely wear protection or use shields, though lizardman mercenaries who operate in the wider world sometimes are fond of thick metal armor. This is partly because of the scales of lizardmen providing a modicum of protection against glancing blowy from edged weapons, partially because of the large and hardy physiology of the average lizardman, partially due to the exceptional regenerative capacity of lizardmen, and partly because of the expense and rarity of metal in their native swamps.

Lizardmen typically go into battle dressed much as they do in everyday life - in a mixture of trousers, loincloths, and tunic-skirts. When going into battle, they often paint their chests, the scales of which are usually (but not always) paler than the rest of their body, with warpaint - there is a complex 'code' of colors and patterns that 'say' different things. Outside of combat, such body-paint is used only in ceremonial occasions, not everyday life.

Lizardmen have a taboo against eating other lizardmen (and Scalehounds), which they regard as an unclean practice (but not sacrilegious). The only exception to this is for a warrior to cannibalize a part of his enemy while his enemy is still alive, which is an act of extreme disrespect towards an enemy, but regarded as a commendable and brave thing for the devourer to perform. Most lauded is to take the tongue or the eyes; most common is to take a hand or finger. It is considered bad taste (ha) to let an enemy live after cannibalizing them in such a manner. Such standards do not apply to non-lizards; cannibalizing a live human would mean nothing and earn no accolades for the lizardman eating the human.

To accept a challenge of single combat is considered honorable, but not mandatory in wartime. To accept a duel in peacetime is only acceptable under the auspices of the tribe elders, who determine if a matter is a serious enough breach of honor to warrant something as extreme as a duel. Duels are typically to death or yielding, though some tribes practice duels to first dismemberment instead (which sometimes leads to death). The exception is for religious matters. When resolving accusations of blasphemy or other serious offenses against the gods, a lizardman may choose to defend themselves or choose a champion to defend them in trial by combat. Such duels are always to the death.

In a Lacertian war council, typically the elders and the most experienced warriors elect among themselves a war leader. Anyone may speak out against the war leader while the election is ongoing; anyone who speaks out against them after the election forfeits their tongue, one of the few parts of a lizardman that cannot grow back. Lacertian war leaders are elected only for the duration of the conflict; those who attempt to extend their mandate beyond this are generally killed extrajudicially. Speaking out against a war leader is considered a severe and serious crime; however, killing a war leader is considered no crime. For this reason, war leaders are often eager to end conflicts quickly.

### Biology

The average Lizardman is around 6'6 and 300 pounds, most of it muscle. For this reason, Lizardfolk have **extremely** high caloric requirements in periods of activity, though when inactive (such as in sleep or torpor) they consume very little energy. Human soldiers consume from 3,500-5,000 calories per day (around 2-3 lbs of wheat) when on campaign; lizardmen on the march consume 2-3 times that, and mostly in the form of meat. Lizardmen can only survive a short period without sufficient calories or nutrients when awake and active, burning 5-10 pounds per day, typically becoming incapable of serious labor within a week, and dying of starvation within two weeks. Above a certain weight (typically ~350 lbs), lizardmen weight gain is almost entirely fat.

Lizardman populations are largely stable. Unhatched eggs are destroyed when times are lean or the population seems sufficient for the tribe, unlike human populations, where procedures to regulate reproduction or remove unwanted unborn children are much more dangerous for the health of the mother. In lean times, a large percentage of the tribe, generally the elders, the children, the artisans, and the least productive, will gather in 'Nidificience'. In nidificience, the lizards not engaging in food-gathering behaviors all gather in a cool place, typically either a natural cave or a dug-out earth cellar, and emerge only to gather water and food. Between the low level of activity and the lower temperatures, this reduces their caloric needs to a small fraction of what they would normally be. Lizards in nidificience mostly sleep, and talk very little, as the cold and caloric reduction makes them sluggish.

As mesotherms, Lizardfolk are highly reactive to ambient temperature, but not wholly dependent on it. They prefer warm areas in effectively all situations. Lizardfolk teeth are large and sharp. Lizardfolk are omnivores, but generally prefer to consume meat.

Lizardfolk eyes have variably colored sclera with flecks of discoloration, and slitted pupils. They have thick and wide tongues, and often enjoy placing spices or powders directly on their tongues to taste them. They have a much higher tolerance for 'strong' tastes than humans do. Their scales are thick and difficult to penetrate, comparable to a buff coat. Lizardfolk scales have a wide range of colors, but blue, green, and dark red are the most common. Scales tend to be lighter in color near the chest. The chest is more sensitive to heat than the rest of the body, as most excess body heat is expelled through the chest. For this reason, most lizardmen do not cover their upper bodies except when amongst outsiders, and prefer to sunbathe on their bellies.

Lizardmen have extreme regenerative powers. Most can, over a matter of months, regrow lost fingers, toes, claws, their tail, or even their teeth, lower jaw, or eyes (provided the damage is not too severe). Some can regrow entire limbs over the course of years, though these are extremely rare individuals. However, the tongue, upper snout, and genitals are incapable of total regeneration; as such, the prospect of any of these being removed is a threat most Lizardfolk take very seriously.

While Lizardfolk powers of regeneration are considerable, they are capable of losing less blood than humans before they exsanguinate. Furthermore, cold weather reduces their reflex time to a much greater degree. If suffering an extended period of low temperature, a lizardman may enter torpor, and become unresponsive. While a lizard can remain in torpor for several days, enduring temperatures that might otherwise be lethal, they will inevitably die within a week if there is no one to warm and thus wake them (or unless there is a sharp rise in ambient temperature).

#### Scalepluck

A parasitic fungus known as 'Scalepluck' is used as a form of execution. Scalepluck is difficult to catch, and fairly treatable if found, so those used to grow it are usually bound for the duration of their execution. Such an execution is reserved for cowards and traitors, and is the most feared way to die amongst the Lizardfolk. Priests are typically the ones who watch over and harvest the Scalepluck from the incubation victim. Those who are incubated in such a way are usually forcibly fed and given water to keep them alive, and growing Scalepluck, for as long as possible.

Scalepluck spores rarely can make it under the scales of a lizardman unassisted, and often fail to take root when they do. As such, the most common method of implantation is to make cuts under the scales of the criminal and insert spores into the wounds. Treatment for those who somehow manage to accidentally get spores under their scales and successfully growing involves the removal of the affected scales and cauterizing the area. This usually does not result in permanent damage due to the regenerative capacity of lizardmen.

Warriors often consume powdered Scalepluck mycellium before battle, and to consume Scalepluck before battle whilst wearing jewelry made of the scale it was plucked from is considered a way of 'redeeming' the tribe's honor and expiating the executed's sin. The effects of Scalepluck are impulsiveness, irritability, restlessness, headaches, and a significantly boosted metabolic rate. Consuming Scalepluck is sometimes known as 'scorching the heart' because of the sensation of heat, and the sometimes painfully fast heartbeat it causes. Other than causing a sensation of warmth (and actual increased production of body heat), Scalepluck improves confidence, reaction time, and decreases subconscious self-limitation.

Scalepluck grows on rotted stumps in the Lacertian swamps, but gives no psychoactive effects unless it leeches from a lizardman's body. The caps are commonly mixed in with animal fodder (and give no psychoactive effects), while the stems can be smoked as a mild sedative and hallucinogenic.

#### Lizardwomen

Lizardfolk are not entirely male, despite common perceptions. Rather, there is a natural sex imbalance that results in approximately six males born for each female born. Females are in charge of sexual selection, and typically mate with several males in the same period. Emotionally monogamous pairs are not uncommon, but sexually monogamous opposite-sex pairs are typically only seen with males of high status (and with significant leisure time to attend to the sole female). Emotionally and sexually monogamous male pair-bonding is very common because of this imbalance, especially between experienced warriors, and is referred euphemistically to as 'being taken in the hand'. Lizardwomen exhibit signs of sexual dimorphism that set them apart from males - generally, they are the same weight, but shorter and less muscular, with less angular faces and bodies. Furthermore, like other humanoid races, they develop breasts at maturity.

While males and females mate year round, and eggs are fertilized within the womb, they only begin to develop (and are subsequently laid) in the late fall or early winter, generally hatching by mid-summer. Like humans, males and females continue mating even after age has rendered them incapable of further reproduction. Egg clutches can be up to twenty in size, though clutches of 7-8 are more common. In most clutches, only one or two eggs eventually hatch, the rest being progressively abandoned as the mother decides which and how many to nurture and keep warm. When under extreme stress, females tend to lash out and either destroy or devour their eggs (depending on how late in development they are). For this reason, despite Lizardfolk society being male-led and dominated, females are not subjected to a patriarchal system of ownership or outright oppression, as any Lizardfolk culture that put such pressures on their females would have unsustainable rates of egg attrition. Once the eggs hatch, it is typically the males who perform child-rearing duties. Females have some attachment to their children, but lack the same level of parental instinct that males do.

'Cooling the womb', an abortive practice, is performed in early winter by females that do not wish for further clutches or whose tribes cannot sustain further hatchlings. In this process, a female is left outside of the camp at night, away from the sacred fire, and allowed to enter torpor. She is not brought back to the camp and full consciousness for two nights and a day, by which time her body has reabsorbed the fertilized eggs. It is considered uncomfortable, but not otherwise looked ill-upon (as it is a sacred ritual of He of Stillness), and the vast majority of females have performed this practice multiple times in their lives.

Due to the rarity of lizard females, it is rare (but not unheard of) for them to become warriors or leave their tribe to become Malisonids, and other races rarely venture into Lacertia, making lizardwomen much less prominent in the popular imagination than lizardmen. Males as a group typically dominate tribal politics due to their participation in warfare and larger numbers, but females are afforded outsized influence as individuals. Other than females rarely engaging in the dangerous tasks of hunting and warfare due to their value as child-bearers, gendered division of labor is rare.

Tribal feuds and even entire wars have ignited over the tribal membership of a single female. While ordinarily bribery or promises of status are employed, and lizard society's view of honor may result in the female even encouraging such conflicts, in extreme cases, a female may simply be kidnapped first, and forgiveness begged from her afterwards. Females who remain uncooperative are either released, or treated as an enemy tribesman and killed.