Lizardfolk

Hidden behind walls of tangled vines, towers of primordial willows, and moats of slow-moving waters brimming with a thousand different deaths, lizardfolk claw out their savage domains. From the hearts of the deadliest swamps, dark places where sinister things crawl and forgotten evils lurk, these reptilian primatives thrive in strange solitude. Often numbered among the evils that stalk such wetland wilds, lizardfolk are far more than simple-minded raiders and territorial murderers... although they are exactly those things too.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

While at first glance lizardfolk bodies seem as straightforward as their culture, in reality they are much more complex. Lizardfolk skin is a thin white membrane that grows hard scales ranging in color from onyx black to olive green to mud brown, sometimes with mottled or even striped patterns. As their eggs have porous shells, the pigmentation of water and mud seeps in during the development, determining a hatchling's coloration.  
Crests another of the distinct physiological traits of lizardfolk. Males possess large crests that run down from the tops of their heads down between their shoulder blades, while females have two smaller crests running parallel along their heads down to the back of their necks.

Genetics and Reproduction

A female lizardfolk lays a clutch of one to three eggs and buries them in mud and composted plant matter. These eggs, each just larger than a foot in diameter, absorb water and plant matter to feed the growing embryo. Interestingly enough, it has been proven that the hatchling does not develop a gender until approximately a week before it hatches, developing one in response to the type and amount of nutrients the egg receives. A prosperous tribe that has an abundance of compost hatches an equal number of males and females. A less well-off tribe that has few scraps to bury its eggs in produces mostly males. This adds valuable hunters to the tribe while reducing the number of needy offspring the next generation hatches.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The societies of most lizardfolk tribes seem simple by the standards of non-lizardfolk, but this simplicity has developed as a reflection of their deep-rooted faith. The story of their origins has led most lizardfolk to condemn intelligence as pointless and wasteful. Lizardfolk believe, like their deity Semuanya, that life is meant to be lived and that hunting, fighting, and breeding matter most. Intelligence leads to overthinking situations and to the corruption of their straightforward culture.
Survival is of key importance to lizardfolk society, and so the tribe treats the strongest and hardiest males and females with the greatest respect. The most powerful male warrior takes command of the tribe and selects the healthiest and strongest females to mate with. Although exceptional intelligence is disdained, cunning and tactics in battle are highly respected, especially when combined with the prowess to implement such strategies. Thus, many lizardfolk leaders show exceptional canniness in leading their people, both on and off the battlefield. When multiple lizardfolk lay claim to the position of leader, or there is any dispute within the tribe, the feuding parties fight to the death, the victor proving that Semuanya favors him.

Facial characteristics

The jaws of lizardfolk bear a unique construction of solid bone plates with a serrated front edge. The sharp edge of the jawbone protrudes through the gum line, functioning as canines for ripping meat while molarlike ridges run along the rear of the jawbone, giving lizardfolk a disproportionately powerful bite.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

In general, lizardfolk make perma- nent homes in temperate, swampy lands, although the differing breeds prefer some variations. Some of the more advanced tribes build crude huts, but most find natural shelters in underwater caves containing air pockets or large copses of swamp trees with canopies big enough to shield the tribe from the elements.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Females and children guard the settlement and gather edible roots and plants for the tribe. Males serve as scouts, hunters, and warriors.

History

Lizardfolk have a strong oral tradition, and the story of how they came to exist is the first legend taught to hatchlings. They worship their creator god, Semuanya, a deity of survival and propagation, as they believe he was the one who found and shepherded the species, teaching it that thinking outside the confines of what was needed to survive and continue their race was fruitless.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Due to their martial culture, most other humanoids view lizardfolk as a violent, cannibalistic, savage race, but in reality lizardfolk tribes vary in their methods of dealing with outlanders. Lizardfolk as a whole have no strong leaning toward any extreme alignment or particular ruling philosophy other than survival of the fittest. They defend their territories ferociously, but when approached respectfully most tribes trade and negotiate with other races willingly. Some tribes, however, attack strangers on sight—especially those of the primal blackscale tribes—but such aggression usually results from years of fighting off invading races.
Lizardfolk disdain intricate deceptions and politics. If they desire something another race possesses, they might try to trade for it or take it by force. A few nomadic tribes, largely among the poison dusk, prefer stealth and theft over diplomacy or aggression. Each tribe differs, but most broadcast their intentions straightforwardly and openly.

A Lizardfolk hunter tangling with the dangerous game of the swamp.

Lifespan

60 Years

Average Height

6' to 7', in addition to 3' to 4' non-prehensile tails that they use for balance.

Average Weight

200 to 280 lbs.