Lacerta Dominion

## Overview

The Lacerta (Lah-Sir-Tah) are a cold-blooded, bipedal, reptilian species who originally hail from the arid wasteland of a world known as Unath Prime. The average Lacerta stands between 7.5 to 9 feet tall, physically they tend to be relatively thin, with highly pronounced bone structures, especially around their face. Their scale colour can vary from shades of green to brown. Some extreme examples appear almost white or black, though these are exceptionally rare specimens, and are often met with superstition and fetishization from other Lacerta, not unlike natural red hair among humans. In addition to base scale colour, Lacerta often have various stripes, splotches, and spots of colour that can vary wildly in colour and shape, though specific colours and patterns often carry along family lines. They are a long-lived, and slow growing species, it takes approximately fifty years for a young Lacerta to reach physical maturity, and he’ll live to be around 250.

## Biology

As a cold-blooded species, Lacerta are especially sensitive to even minor changes in temperature. They quickly become lethargic and fall unconscious when exposed to low temperatures, with warmer temperatures making them energetic and more alert. Lacerta skin is tough and scaled, with even the softer sections around their joints, neck, and stomach being thicker than human skin by an order of magnitude. In addition to naturally tough skin, their rib cage is a series of interlocking plates that provide ample protection for their vital organs, and they possess the ability to regrow severed limbs or tails.

Lacerta are a carnivorous species. While they can eat fruits and vegetables in small portions, their bodies cannot properly digest them. Some humans have questioned how a species that literally must kill to survive can preach peace and respect for life. The Lacerta respond by pointing to the teachings of Mithrala, which states that all creatures have a set place in the universe.

Reproduction for Lacerta is very similar to that of many Terran reptiles. Females lay eggs in groups, called “clutches,” of 3-5 eggs on average, though laying more or fewer is not rare. Eggs have a gestation period of approximately 6 months, after which the eggs are laid. They must be kept warm and humid, with both carefully monitored at all times, for two to three weeks until they hatch.

## History

Lacerta originally hail from the planet Unath. Their home world was a relatively dry world, with water only covering approximately 1/3 of the surface. The rest of the planet was mostly dry desert. While resources were plentiful, they were found in dense pockets with large areas of empty land separating them. Those clans which could settle and hold these lands quickly became powerful kingdoms.

This division of resources led to greed, and greed leads to war. As the Unathi propelled their technology through the industrial and computer ages, they became more and more adept at killing one another, and it was only a matter of time before someone tipped the scales too far.

The nuclear holocaust decimated the Unathi, nearly driving them to extinction. It also served as the catalyst for their salvation. Before the war, the Unathi had only taken a few tentative steps out into their home system. Now those small colonies were the only hope for the survival of their species.

Lacerta is a lush, earth-like world in the Unath system. When Unath was in its prime, only a handful of surveyors and some first wave colonists had been sent over. The humid jungles and vast swamps that cover the planet were considered far too unpleasant to seriously consider for colonization. Now, with the habitable areas of Unath scoured by nuclear radiation, the planet became their last hope.

The Lacerta colonists, seeing their ancient home wiped out in the blink of an eye, came together, forgetting their old clan war in an instant. They pulled together what few starships they had, and a few that had survived the onslaught, and conducted one of the most complete and extensive rescue operations in the combined history of the known galaxy, evacuating a full 99% of the Unathi population from the planet over the course of five years.

Over the next two centuries, The Unathi came together, and rebuilt their society from the ground up with a new, unified government. The Fellowship of Mithrala, who before the war had been a fringe cult that few paid any heed to, now found their teachings of unity being met with more sympathy. Before long, Mithrala was the dominant deity in Unathi Culture, and Serrek, the Warrior, was outlawed. As a part of leaving their old ways behind, the Unathi renamed themselves Lacerta, after their new home.

Not everyone was so willing to give up the old ways, however. Some still lust after their warrior heritage, worshipping Serrek in secret, and even working to try and subvert the teachings of Mithrala. Those who are caught are exiled, sent to live outside the protective walls of Lacerta’s cities. Still others chose to leave the planet altogether, venturing out into the vast unknown between the stars. None of those who have left have ever been heard from again.

With their species saved, the Lacerta began looking outwards towards the stars once more, their scientists developed new drives for their starships, allowing them to travel further and faster than ever, and they began exploring nearby systems. It was exactly one of these expeditions that led to the First Contact War. The Lacerta had mounted an expedition to a distant star, near the edge of their ships range. Using astronomic data from before the war that suggested there might be a habitable planet there. The Lacerta explorers were not prepared to find another spacefaring race there. Thinking that the race they’d met was as warlike as they had been, the Lacerta struck back hard against the “humans” that had killed some of their people. Capturing the Sirius Prime colony, and enduring a brutal guerilla war for almost a year before diplomats from both sides were able to meet and a peace treaty was signed.

Followers of Serrek honoured the commander of the Lacerta, Captain Isska Torrak, as a hero and paragon of their ideals, something the Captain has categorically denied, though rumours persist that he may be a Serrek sympathizer.

Since the end of the war, Humanity and the Lacerta have enjoyed a peaceful and fruitful alliance, and the Frontiersman Initiative is the pinnacle of our shared work.

## Society

Lacerta society has become extremely well organized and unified following their near extinction. While some old traditions were maintained, much of their old ways have been left behind. Lacerta society today is a matriarchal, meritocratic caste system. This means that female Lacerta are considered the heads of a household, and children take on the family name and caste of their mother.

Each family tends to specialize in a particular trade, like hunting, or accounting. These trades will put the family into one of four castes: The Scholars, The Merchants, The Labourers, or the Soldiers. Each caste is fairly self explanatory. The Scholars hold the ‘intellectual’ trades. Scientists, teachers, and politicians make up this caste, which is considered the ruling caste of Lacerta society. The next two, the merchants and labourers, make up the vast majority of Lacerta society. While there are quite a few grey areas between these two, in general, if you make, harvest, haul, or build resources, structures, and goods. You will fall into the Labour caste, whereas those who run shops, or otherwise sell those same goods, will be the Merchants.

Finally, the Soldier caste makes up the families who have taken on the grim but necessary task of protecting Lacerta from those who would do it harm. Unlike the other castes, which you must be born into, The Soldiers will accept any into their fold. The soldiers are not just the military, they are also the peacekeepers, police forces, and judicial trades like judges and lawyers. The soldiers have given up any chance of wealth, power, and political standing in order to safeguard their people from threats within and without.

## Military

Lacerta society views their warlike, militaristic ways as barbaric and uncivilized, but understands that such brutality is sometimes necessary in order to survive in a cold, uncaring galaxy. In order to keep a military that can defend themselves against such threats, Lacerta have a policy of mandatory service. Every Lacerta must serve a term of ten years in the armed forces before they can return home to take up their family trade.

This forced conscription means that Lacerta has a reasonable military for their population in spite of their distaste for violence. On the occasion that a Lacerta discovers they have developed a taste for this lifestyle, they can apply to extend their service, or even join the Soldier caste. The entirety of the senior leadership is made of such individuals. Such a choice is not a popular one, and is not taken lightly, as even a lower caste family will disown someone who chooses the soldier’s life.

The Lacerta navy is extremely small compared to the mighty fleets of Terra, but they are well equipped and well trained. As their ships are almost exclusively designed to be used in a defensive role, they tend to be heavy and well armed/armoured. This is also a holdover from their earlier ways, where fleeing honourable combat was considered cowardice and punishable by death. An honourable combatant should surrender to his foe when outmatched, and an honourable surrender should be awarded respect and dignity.  They felt that a fast, light ship might encourage its commander to be a coward. Because of this, their ships where designed to not be able to flee, forcing a commander to stand his ground.

## Religion

Lacerta worship two primary deities; Mithrala, The Mother; and Tiberi, The Scholar. These two gods have been worshipped in some respect back to before the Lacerta left Unath. Though since the fall of their original home, they have become the foremost deities whose teachings the Lacerta follow.

Mithrala is their primary deity. It is her teachings that the Lacerta have used to rebuild themselves. She teaches that the good of the people must come before the individual, and that violence is abhorrent and should be avoided at all costs.

Tiberi comes second, He teaches that knowledge is the key to true power, and he is popular amongst The Scholars.

There is a third deity, Serrek, the Warrior. Worship of him has been strictly outlawed, though still exists among the fringes of Lacerta Society. Serrek used to be the primary deity among the Lacerta, and his teachings instructed their war-like past.