Taishando Lizardfolk
The Rehomed; a lecture by professor Gnathaniel P. Gnommishman
The Lizardfolk of eastern Taisha inhabit, for the most part, the area known as The Nyssan Jungle. It is a wild place, full of huge trees and creeping vines; beautiful flowering plants and dastardly hidden predators. Snakes slither through the boughs of the trees. Great cats prowl the heights over game paths that meander through the swamp. Clouds of mosquitos attack any warm blooded creature crazy enough to be there in the first place, and leeches will find a way to attach themselves to unspeakable parts of one's body.
Within this inimitably uncomfortable environment, the Taishan Lizardfolk live and thrive. Subsisting on farmed insects and hunted meat, cities of the reptilian folk have been raised deep within the swamps and mires of the jungles. There is safety in numbers, after all.
There are, of course, some few who prefer to live solitary lives out in the wilds. These hardy lizardfolk are rugged individuals, skilled at living in the inhospitable swamplands, and are often at odds with their society at large. This 'rough living' is, in their minds, a throwback to the days of the Lizardfolk's wandering. A sort of tribute to the times of their toil and ultimate triumphant return, in the years after The Lowland Tsunami of 2112NG. For fifty years, the tribes of Lizardfolk were forced from one place to another, trying to avoid war with neighboring peoples while hunting and gathering enough food for them to live.
Eventually, they crossed the blistering Rhegev Desert to the sea, and set sail for the islands beyond the Gulf of Cerullo. Volcanic islands that had been abandoned centuries earlier by human imperialists; and so, for a time, they were at peace and thriving once again. But it was not to last.
When the humans returned, they did so with great prejudice, slaying lizardfolk indiscriminately until the reptilians were forced to flee once again. In 2212, a hundred years after the tsunami, they turned their faces toward the east, and home again. For five years, through trials of fire, storm and disease, they slowly made their way back to their ancestral homeland, where they have scraped and fought to continue live to this day.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Taishan Lizardfolk have a very different idea of beauty than most other societies, in that the accumulation of scars and ritual tattoos are seen as badges of honor. Living and surviving is beautiful, to them.
Gender Ideals
The roles of males and females, while well defined, are not necessarily what lizardfolk judge each other by. Females clutch eggs, and hunt, while males tend to the eggs and hatchlings, gather fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and wage war when necessary. Yet, each can take the role of another, should the circumstances warrant it, and it is not uncommon to find males hunting for game, or females working on homes and caring for children.
Courtship Ideals
When a male courts a female, nothing else seems to matter. He would walk a mile for her company, just to see her smile. When he thinks about her, his crest stands up straight and proud. He gets an enlarged throatal gill plate, that shows off his subtle coloration. Dances round a fire turned red with mineral powders, are one of the most common methods of attraction; musical talent and ability with drums or instruments also carries a high value for either sex.
Relationship Ideals
Lizardfolk sometimes mate for life, but this is a very rare occurrence and thought of as "quaint". The whole village raises the children, so they do not bond with their 'parents' in the same way that humans, or halflings would, for instance.
Comments