GoCorral

History

Lizardfolk existed in Cimmeria long before the Conclave races arrived. Goblin oral histories make no mention of when lizardfolk arrived, indicating they were always present. Lizardfolk have no extant written records of their own to indicate their history. It seems as if they were always in Cimmeria since the creation of the Earth.

Lizardfolk rarely feature prominently in modern Cimmerian history. Their existence in marshes and swamps sets them apart from most civilized races. The limited wetland space in Eastern Cimmeria causes occasional problems. Lizardfolk live in the few swampy areas slowly increase in population over time. At increased population points, tribes split off from the swamp to become raiders instead of hunter-gatherers. These tribes experience friction with the towns and villages in Eastern Cimmeria. Inevitably, a band of heroes is called in who slay the lizardfolk, releasing the pressure of extra population on the swamp lands for the next generation.

The most notable example of these raids occurred at the start of the Early Kingdoms period. The lizardfolk’s population pressure focused inward initially, resulting in a temporary unification of the lizardfolk of Eastern Cimmeria under a single leader, King Blacktooth. The lizardfolk pillaged settlements across Eastern Cimmeria with impunity. Restnor the Second led the rangers trained by the Elves of Valor’s Forest to oppose the lizardfolk. The small-scale war ended with King Blacktooth’s death and the sundering of his large war band. No other lizardfolk raid has matched King Blacktooth’s in size.

Subraces

Lizardfolk have their subraces separated by size and scale color. While there are physical differences between the subraces, they are not strictly inherited by lizardfolk children. Newly hatched lizardfolk tend to be the same subraces as their parents, but regular exceptions occur. Some philosophers believe the subrace of an egg is decided by the surrounding conditions rather than the parentage.

Green Scale: Green scales are the most common variety of lizardfolk. They stand between six and seven feet tall and weigh between 200 and 300 pounds. Green scales love to hunt, no matter the prey. Animals, monsters, and humanoids are all viable options for green scale lizardfolk. They adorn their bodies with trophies taken from kills that were particularly challenging or kills that marked an important moment in their lives. Their tendency to display humanoid skulls contributes to the poor reputation that lizardfolk have among the Conclave races.

Black Scale: Black scales are the largest kind of lizardfolk. They stand between eight and ten feet tall and weigh at least 400 pounds. Their increased size is accompanied by even greater muscle mass than other lizardfolk. They wield entire trees as clubs, like ogres, but with the cunning intelligence of a predator. Black scales intimidating size leads them to be the chiefs of the tribes they are hatched into. They enjoy flaunting their position through displays of wealth on their body. Most commonly jewelry, but anything of value will do. Some black scales attach gold bars to ropes to create a crude but valuable necklace.

Blue Scale: Blue scales are the smallest and thinnest variety of lizardfolk. They stand between four and five feet tall and weigh between 100 and 160 pounds. While their natural color is blue, their skin can change coloration like a chameleon. This adaption allows blue scales to camouflage themselves while they wait to ambush their prey. Blue scales are equipped with webbed hands and feet for faster movement through water. Their yellow eyes have evolved to allow blue scales to see in extremely low light conditions.

Blue scales have a culture of modesty and shyness. While other colors of lizardfolk display trophies and wealth, blue scales do not. They prefer to wear almost nothing so they can use their camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. Blue scales also hunt with a different method. All lizardfolk embrace ambush tactics, but blue scales prefer to hit and run. They attack with poisoned arrows or darts and then flee to let the poison do its work. A few repetitions of this tactic and a single blue scale can claim a kill a whole tribe of green scales would find impossible to take down.

Troglodyte: Troglodytes, or white scales, are the Underdark variety of lizardfolk. They stand between six and seven feet tall, the same height as green scales but slightly thinner at 180 to 250 pounds in weight. Adapted for life in the Underdark troglodytes can see in complete darkness. Additionally their sweat glands have mutated to exude a stench so powerful that it makes other creatures sick. Their white scales, withered appearance, and noxious smell make troglodytes repulsive to all other creatures.

Living in the Underdark has made troglodytes hostile to intelligent life. The environment has few resources, forcing the inhabitants into vicious competition with each other. The first instinct of a troglodyte that encounters another species is to kill and eat it. The result is that troglodytes have no peaceful relations with other races. The necessity of cannibalism has spoiled any chance at friendly connections.