Lizards

“

The lizards residing mostly in their long-lived and highly esteemed Ancient empire, are a proud (some say arrogant) race with an abundance of cultural and capital wealth. Competitive, practical and traditional, lizards pride themselves on excellence, from their bloodlines to their dress, to their goverment and to their god.

„

— [[Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast, by Cranley Huwbert]]

Lizards are one of the seven sentient races who inhabit Rivellon.

Physiology

Tall and lean with good constitution, lizards spend most of their lifetime taking care of their bodies, carefully implementing a rigid sport and nutrition regime to improve their physical and mental prowess and bring their person to its pinnacle.^[1] Their height ranges from 6 to nearly 7 feet and weight between 130 and 230 pounds.

Lizards are cold-blooded and born from eggs. Any comparison to snakes, toads, and turtles is regarded as a great offence and is met with swift retribution, as lizards believe they are descended from Ancient dragons themselves.^[2]

Culture

Government

Lizards have an empire ruled by three houses: House of War, House of Law, and House of Dreams. The empire in turn is ruled by an heir from the House of War royal bloodline.^[3]

Religion

Lizards mainly worship their creator, the Seven God Zorl-Stissa, to whom they pay tribute with their feats, be they from war or other areas, as Zorl-Stissa values perfection. Lizards also pay tribute to the Divine One, since he is regarded as an Avatar of all of the Seven Gods.

Family

Family is the primary unit in the Ancient Empire and is mainly regarded as a means of continuing and preserving each of the progenitors' lineage. This means that when the time comes for a lizard to choose a partner, they mainly judge qualities such as position, fitness, attractiveness, intelligence, and diplomacy. Love in the Ancient Empire is mostly considered a bonus.^[4]

This implies that any physical, mental, or emotional handicaps are considered extremely shameful, and some extremist parents would go so far as to murder their child rather than have their bloodline polluted with imperfection. The ideal of perfection begins with blood and extends to all aspects of family life, as parents push their children to excel in all areas – especially in sports, intelligence, and social activities.^[5] Lizards are also highly competitive, as there can be only one on top. This leads to high-profile or bloody rivalries which can be resolved either by the House of Law or the House of War.^[6]

Thanks to the ideal of perfection, the Ancient Empire has some of the finest athletes, warriors, scholars, and artists across Rivellon, but at the same time produces the highest number of exiled and disinherited castaways.^[7]

Lizards of Yuthul Gor

The Lizard People from the Badlands of Yuthul-Gor have long been the stuff of countless myths and legends. The Lizards live in so-called Quorls, communities of up to fifty members. The struggle for survival in the barren mountains of Yuthul-Gor is very challenging, and the Lizard People are trained in the use of weapons from earliest childhood on. For the male warriors, this training ends with a maturity test that must be finished within one year. The task usually involves retrieving a rare artifact or slaying a dangerous beast. The Lizard People are very shy creatures, and they hardly ever venture into the regions beyond Yuthul-Gor.^[8]

Notable lizards

Goemoe – lizard healer and Council of Seven representative in 1218 AD.
Edmund – general to the Dragon Commander in 8800 AR.
The Red Prince

The Godwoken can play as either a custom female or male lizard, or as the Red Prince.

Notes

The following description for lizards in the creation tab was used in early access:

“

Lizards of the Ancient Empire are cultured aristocrats – Source adepts who follow the rules of law. Outsiders see their society as elitist. Lizards see outsiders as servants.

„

— [[]]

References

↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 23 – Tall, lean and generally hearty, lizards expend much energy and expense on the care and improvement of their physical selves.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 23 – Lizards are cold-blooded and born from eggs, though any comparison of themselves to lesser beings (such as common snakes or reptiles) will earn swift retribution.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 25 – Their success rests on its framework on a solid foundation – the three legged stool formed by three main power-houses: House of War, House of Law, and Dreams.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – When it comes time for a lizard to choose a mate, qualities such as attractiveness, fitness, position, and diplomacy, are paramount. Willingness is considered a bonus.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – Physical, mental or emotional flaws are considered hugely shameful. Some parents will go so far as to murder a 'strange' child rather than have it poison their reputation and muddy the bloodline. The ideal of perfection may begin with blood, but it extends into every aspect of the lizard family. Parents push their children to excel physically, intellectually, and socially, and the cost of failure can be high.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – The competitive zeal within lizard society very often leads to high-profile, sometimes bloody rivalries, many of which end up resolved temporarily by the House of Law or permanently by the House of War.
↑ Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – Thus, the Ancient Empire produces some of the finest athletes, warriors, scholars, and artists in the realm, while also producing an inordinate number of exiles and disinherited castaways.
↑ Divine Divinity website description accessed via Wayback Machine

[1] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 23 – Tall, lean and generally hearty, lizards expend much energy and expense on the care and improvement of their physical selves.

[2] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 23 – Lizards are cold-blooded and born from eggs, though any comparison of themselves to lesser beings (such as common snakes or reptiles) will earn swift retribution.

[3] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 25 – Their success rests on its framework on a solid foundation – the three legged stool formed by three main power-houses: House of War, House of Law, and Dreams.

[4] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – When it comes time for a lizard to choose a mate, qualities such as attractiveness, fitness, position, and diplomacy, are paramount. Willingness is considered a bonus.

[5] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – Physical, mental or emotional flaws are considered hugely shameful. Some parents will go so far as to murder a 'strange' child rather than have it poison their reputation and muddy the bloodline. The ideal of perfection may begin with blood, but it extends into every aspect of the lizard family. Parents push their children to excel physically, intellectually, and socially, and the cost of failure can be high.

[6] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – The competitive zeal within lizard society very often leads to high-profile, sometimes bloody rivalries, many of which end up resolved temporarily by the House of Law or permanently by the House of War.

[7] Modern Chronicles of Reapers´s Coast by Cranley Huwbert, page 27 – Thus, the Ancient Empire produces some of the finest athletes, warriors, scholars, and artists in the realm, while also producing an inordinate number of exiles and disinherited castaways.

[8] Divine Divinity website description accessed via Wayback Machine

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