Saurian (saw-ree-ahn)

Saurians are the humanoid, reptilian descendents of the Dragons that once ruled Aurum in an age long forgotten. 
They keep primarily to themselves in the isolated mountain bastion, Korradin, and are ruled by a Matriarchal dynasty, with mandatory military training coinciding with their public education programs, and government mandated job assignment.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Reptilian humanoids with two digitigrade legs, two arms, two wings, and a tail.

Biological Traits

Saurian women tend to be taller than men, on average. As a non-mammalian species, they don't have breasts, but Saurian women can be distinguished by their wider hips (a necessary trait to carry a clutch of eggs) and display prominent gender dimorphism in how their horns grow in:

• Male Saurians always grow a pair of separate horns.
• Female Saurians grow a pair of horns connected by a crest (a scale-covered bone plate).

Genetics and Reproduction

• Only a small percentage of Saurian women are actually fertile, and those who are almost always end up in Matriarchal breeding roles in Saurian society.
• A single successful copulation can fertilize over a hundred eggs, which gestate for approximately one year before the female must lay her clutch.
• Once laid, the tiny, soft eggs must be incubated for another year: during which time they double in size each month and eventually develop a hard shell as they ready to hatch.
• The Matron of a Clutch will guard the eggs during this incubation period with assistance from her kin, and help her children break free from their shells when they are ready to be born.

Growth Rate & Stages

Saurians take two years to gestate and hatch from their eggs, and are able to walk moments after birth. They grow to adolescence by the age of 15, undergo puberty at 25, and typically reach physical maturity by the age of 33.

Origin/Ancestry

Draconian

Lifespan

150 to 180 years

Average Height

1.9 to 2.2 meters

Average Weight

75 to 130 kilograms