Tokage (toh-kah-geh)
"The tokage slither underfoot and across many different lands, selling their wares and goods in hopes of affording a warm inn and a hot meal."
Basic Information
Anatomy
Tokage are short of stature lizard folk originating from The Drylands. Their skin is incredibly adaptable, and changes from region to region as they travel; this aids in their mobility through a wide variety of terrain, with tails approximately half to a third of the size of their bodies, which are necessary for balance and stability. They are bipeds who stand on haunched legs with a soft leathery underbellies/ chest. Some have frilled heads with spinal spikes leading down along their back.
Biological Traits
Tokage are likely best known for their agile and firm bodies; ranging between heights as short as 4-5 ft. or as tall as 6-7 ft. dependent on their respective clans. Tokage tend to be quicker and hit harder than most Humans, with several keen senses that aid them in combat.
Tokage come in many shapes, sizes, and exteriors; because of their natural ability to change their skin to adapt to new environments. Ranging from scales and mucus covered skin, their coloring varies between different hues of burnt red, orche, bronze, sickly green, and yellow-orange.
Genetics and Reproduction
Tokage are an egg laying species, whose mothers carry their young in their womb for a gestation period of three to seven months, based on a variety of factors determined by the father's genetic material. The mother makes a journey into the deep deserts of The Drylands to lay her eggs in privacy and does her best to find a secluded and safe spot where her offspring can avoid being caught by slavers and bandits soon after birth.
The eggs are buried several feet deep in the sand which keeps the egg warm while the newborn continues to grow. Each egg weighs approximately 4.5 lbs. and is about 1-1.5 feet in radius. Newborns break through the egg and instinctively flee their birthplace, often in pursuit by several predators including other tokage. It has been said that some Human children have half-tokage heritage, though this is likely more from superstition and myth coming from the oral tales of the Drylander culture.
Growth Rate & Stages
Tokage are born from eggs and from the ages of 0-8 are often left to fend for themselves. This makes them prime targets for Clan Collectors, tokage hired to scour the desert sands for wandering young tokage. These hired thugs capture tokage children and sell them to the highest bidder amongst the several tokage clans at their various slave markets.
By the age of 8, if a tokage has not been killed in the wild, they are most likely in some kind of employ or enslavement to one of the many clan lords which rule over the badlands. A tokage will often be considered a full adult by the age of ten, though if a child commits a serious enough crime, they are treated as adults. From age ten onwards, the tokage has enough life experience to begin making their own decisions.
If a tokage is lucky enough to see old age, their bodies begin to wrinkle and their bones become weary. They will slowly lose their adaptation ability and their body will find it difficult to change into other various phenotypes when moving into a new environment. Most older tokage prefer their peace and quiet and will often return to the deserts where they were born to live out the remainder of their days.
Ecology and Habitats
Tokage are preferent of the arid deserts of The Drylands, as they can easily warm and cool their cold-blooded body temperatures. However many tokage are fond of traveling, and their highly adaptable bodies will slightly change features to more easily navigate the environment they are in.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Tokage are carniverous meat-eaters, and long ago in the past it is a widely held belief that they ate human beings, which in some cases may very well be true. However, more civilized tokage will hunt in bands of 3-5 to bring food back to the clan. They can eat anything from the crunchy arthropods of the Drylands, to the succulent meats of deer, goat, and much more. Tokage have very sensitive taste buds, and many interested in the arts of cuisine go on to become gourmets.
Biological Cycle
These lizardfolk have an incredibly adaptable skin which allows for easy travel through almost any territory. When traveling through dry and arid regions, their skin becomes rough and scaly and they refer to others in this state as Drylanders. When traveling through plains and areas with little forestation, they adapt tight leathery skin and flat feet for traversing greater distances, these are called Flatlanders. In the rocky and rough terrain of mountains and high altitudes, they develop rough leathery skin for defense against the many otcroppings, these are refered to as Craglanders. And in wet, swampy, or tropical regions, their skin becomes slick and mucusy, giving them the denomination of Wetlanders. A tokage can go through many various skin cycles, which usually take about 24 hours to fully adapt. They often refer to each other as each of these types of phenotypes dependent on where the tokage grew up. So a Wetlander may still be referred to as a Drylander if that is their origin of birth.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Tokage organize themselves by clan, often pledging their loyalty to their clan or operating for its benefit. Several clan lords lead their clans toward each one's objectives and aspirations, most often are looking for complete authority over The Drylands.
Underneath the clan lords are the lord's personal entourage, a small army of mercenaries, concubines, and others dependent on the clan lord such as widows and orphans.
Facial characteristics
Tokage are equipped with a snout and extremely sensitive sense of smell. Some varieties of tokage have pouched cheeks which hold small amounts of water that can be reserved for when a drought hits.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Tokage are indigenous to The Drylands, but have traversed nearly every corner of the known world, and can found just about anywhere.
Average Intelligence
The lizardmen of the southlands are best known for their cunning, mastery over the use of language, and eye for a great deal. Though not as wise as the scholars of Lithos or as proficient with tools as the craftsmen of Aristolia, a quick-witted tokage knows how to talk themselves out of any situation.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Tokage have incredibly keen instincts and perceptiveness. Their sharp, slitted eyes are very observant in changes in the environment, and a quick acting tokage can foil the attempts of a fleet-footed assassin with flash-like movements and adept hands. Having been in survival mode since birth, these instincts easily surpass that of a human.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Because of how widespread tokage are, they take their names from various cultures and traditions. Most fall within the Vulkarn language family, but have many variations and adaptations. Tokage names are often given to them by strangers within tokage society, as many end up as slaves or servants from a young age.
Male Names: Crassner, Dragos, Vulkara, Briggs, Wedge, Afanhyar, Melkaros, Nivennar, Ubaro, Blacktooth, Ridgeclaw
Female Names: Scorpia, Venesa, Maran, Histepha, Vora, Razornail, Slickfin, Sandskimm, Narcisa
Major Organizations
Beauty Ideals
A tokage's sense of beauty changes with their own physical changes, and they will find the appearance of alike tokage preferable. However, because tokage shift so often, their beauty ideals are somewhat mutable, and they can appreciate the rough exterior of a Craglander one day, but prefer the supple and moist exterior of a Wetlander not soon after.
Gender Ideals
Tokage men are expected to be strong and lead the clan towards prosperity. Men from this species may spice up their appearance with gold, jewels, and expensive colognes. Women are expected to contribute just as much as men are and are treated equally.
Courtship Ideals
A tokage courtly affair is something to behold, as tokage, particularly those who are in celebration or at a lively social gathering, are wild and exotic when it comes to showing off their love for someone. Though the specifics vary from clan to clan, tokage are capable of agile and supple displays of dance and are very performative in their gesticulations and body movements.
Two tokage who are in the moment of falling in love may appear to savagely bite and scratch one another, but this is an instinctual "testing of the skin" which helps the lovers determine the durability of the other and their potential offspring.
Relationship Ideals
Tokage do not stay in relationships for long and many do not last longer than the night of consumation. Of course, a well traveled tokage who has learned much about the world may adopt a different culture's traditions, and maintain a connection with someone else.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common Dress Code
Most tokage wear clothing and armor made of bones, teeth, stretched leather, and gold ornamentation. Wealthier tokage however, enjoy showing off their wealth and will wear clothing from different exotic lands in a show of power and influence.
History
The tokage believe themselves to be descended from Dragarn, a dragon god of destruction. They were once human, but after being consumed by this deity, they were reborn from an egg as the tokage. Those who did not perish from the god's wrath learned to sate it's unholy appetite through sacrifice.
The Essebu enlisted the aid of the tokage against the human god-kings in the Era of Light, and supplied them with gold, influence, and power, creating the earliest tokage dynasties. These tokage were incredibly war-like and maintained power struggles within their own empire while fighting off the increasing amount of human settlements. They would often kidnap human victims from the surrounding regions for use in dark and brutal rituals, as well as chattel slavery.
Following the Sundering and the volcanic eruption of Vulkra Shumar, these kingdoms eventually collapsed and fell to ruin in the desert sands.
From the fallout of their societal collapse, two clans rose above the rest. Shihyr Malkron and Vulkra Shuman tokage flourished in the chaos that followed, while brave adventurers and tomb raiders explored the submerged ruins of Afaynhit where the ancient Byblosi Archaeum resided. In the northeast, the Erenede Persaia clan was driven out by human settlers, forcing the tokage to find new trade routes.
The Shihyr Malkros were the first to make contact with the Oceos'lo'kaiians and the naval confederacy of La'Taos. This began centuries of trade and comeraderie between the tokage and their new allies, marking the beginning of the golden age of piracy against Arrisdrian and Litthosian vessels. This would come to an end as Arrisdra formally recognized tokage as sapient beings and allowed them through their lands to sell their wares, thus sparking the common association with the lizardfolk and traveling merchants.
Over time, the Vulkra Shuman and the Shihyr Malkros would lose influence with the introduction of the Mercenaries Guild and private enterprise. Now the region is collectively known as The Drylands which is constantly undergoing power struggles between various groups.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Tokage do not have much in the ways of restraint, and most could not care less what kinds of interspecies relationships members of their species pursue. Many consider it a sort of deviance, but then again most of them consider themselves deviant on some level.
Tokage are survivalists with senses far surpassing that of a human, with a savage past their culture is often misrepresented and misunderstood.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
35-60 years
Average Height
Men - 4'3" to 5'7" | Women - 3'11" to 5'2"
Average Weight
Men - 65 to 150 lbs. | Women - 45 to 180 lbs.
Average Physique
Lean, muscular, well-built
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Ochre red, rusty orange, pale yellow, sickly green
Related Ethnicities
Tokage
Ability Score Increase
Size Medium
Speed 30ft
Ability Score Increase: When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20. Size: Medium or Small Speed 30ft Sharp Fangs: You have a fanged maw that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with it, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Ambush Hunter: Your reflexes and agility allow you to move with a burst of speed. When you move on your turn in combat, you can double your speed until the end of the turn. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you move 0 feet on one of your turns. Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray. Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill. Languages: Common, Sandtongue, Add one new language of your choice.
Choose one Clan: Erenede Persaia - The plain treading clan of tokage known for their nomadic conquerers early on in their history, before being driven out by humans.
- Cultural Exchange: Through constant interaction with humans, Erenede Persaia have developed a small amount of human adaptability. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
- Menacing Aura: You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
- Savage Strike: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
- Poison Resistance: You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the poisoned condition on yourself. You also have resistance to poison damage.
- Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
- Natural Stealth: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
- Blindsight: You have blindsight with a range of 20 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.