Saurians

The Saurians (SOWR-ee-ans) are a sentient bipedal species of reptilian beast, native to the southern continent. They are often referred to as "lizard-men" by humans of the north. Various subspecies of Saurians are adapted to local biomes, from the sandy deserts of Selatan and Shedim in the east to the swamps of Traudira and plains of Chelia in the west.
Though Saurians are naturally feared by common folk who have not encountered them before, they are generally cooperative with humans as a whole. However, they tend to make few personal relationships with people of human cultures. The main reason for this is because Saurians have great difficulty communicating in any language but their own, and most other races find their intentions and emotions hard to read. Saurians also exhibit peculiar idiosyncrasies often associated with human mental disorders, including inexplicable lapses in logic as well as occasional violent mood swings.
Saurians have a dull-green scaly skin. They have powerful alligator-like jaws, capable of inflicting (1-6) points of damage, with claws to inflict an additional (1-4) in a given round. Their long reptilian tail is often used as a balance on land, or as a means of propulsion through water. They have a clear second eye-lid which allows them to see quite well underwater. Their inherent Aquapathy makes them natural swimmers, and they can breathe as well under water as above. Unlike the Serendi, Saurians suffer no ill effects from remaining out of water, though they tend to prefer a semi-aquatic environment.

Civilization and Culture

History

According to legend, the Saurian species was created by the ancient dragons of the south to serve as a race of slave workers. Exactly how this took place is the subject of some debate among scribes.
It is known that in the age before the rise of humanity, when the dragons first ventured forth from Arkhea, many settled in the southern continent. Some say that in their effort to found their own realms to rival those in Arkhea, the southern dragons used their ethereal power to interbreed Janniri with reptilian beasts of the south, to create intelligent draconic-humaniod warriors. These winged beasts -- referred to as the "dragonborn" -- were bred to serve in dragon armies. Depictions of such creatures are found carved in many ancient ruins that still exist. For those who promote this theory, it is said that these winged Saurians became the progenitures of lesser (non-winged) Saurians of later eras. Since the stories of such creatures disappear from literature after the Age of Incarnation, many scholars claim the existence of winged Saurians is only myth.
Other scholars suggest that in ancient days the dragons simply enhanced semi-intelligent reptilian humanoids that already existed in the southern continent, to serve as workers and soldiers in their draconic armies. These Saurians never had wings, but were much like the Saurians who continued to exist in later days. After their culture rose to a great civilization across the southern continent in the Age of Advent, the devastation of the starfall at the final decades of this era brought the end to Saurian dominance. In the age of Nations, with the ascendance of the Thrau culture in Traudira, the recovering Sauran culture in Chelia was destroyed. The remaining aquatic Saurians of Traudira were used by the Thrau as slave labor to build their jungle kingdom. After the destruction of the Traudiran empire, the Saurian people continued to flourish in the jungles and marshlands of the south.