Zmei
"And Gorynych stole coals from the fire of Baba Zmeya, and hid them within his belly and in the eggs he carried." - Zmei origin mythIn the days before the Nakaal brought humans to the Islands, the Zmei lived in all the lands of the north. They alone could bear the cold of the northern winter, and they thrived in those colder places, especially in the land sacred to the god Gorynych, known to the humans as Reginn. But when the Nakaal brought the humans and the Clarati forth from the Dream, they made no distinction between the northern and southern races. Only in a few places did any of the lizardfolk persist beyond the slaughter by the Clarati. One of those places is the strange island of Buyan, in the northern reaches of the Middlesea. There, the Zmei retreated and were sheltered by the island's habit of vanishing from the world entirely whenever the moon is not full. When the island is gone, time passes strangely for its inhabitants, and years may pass before they are able to access the Middlesea and the Great Ring again. The Zmei have created their own empire upon Buyan, and only occasionally interact with the inhabitants of our world. There are two major ethnic groups among the Zmei of Buyan - the Balaur, and the Tugarin.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Zmei are similar to the Kikipua externally, although they tend to be taller than any except the Mu'o'a. However, they are warm to the touch regardless of the external temperature, and are far more resistant to the cold than other groups of the Kikipua. They are not immune to freezing, but they can thrive in environments too cold for their southern cousins.
Genetics and Reproduction
Like the Kikipua, the Zmei are oviparous and use communal nesting sites. They are not able to interbreed with the Kikipua, however - the changes wrought by Gorynych are too extensive to allow for fertile pairings.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
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