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- Dwelling in the marshes, everglades and swamp lands of Fälgorna
– the areas shunned by most other intelligent species – the Lizard
Men have in the past 100 years grown to become an important species.
A race maligned, mistreated and enslaved for centuries by those
who prized them for their stamina and strength, the Lizard Men
have never forgotten the cruelty of their former captors.
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Lizard man Hr'zar warrior
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- Lizard Man culture carries the indelible mark of a race once enslaved.
In ancient times, Duke Lispawn Keto, 14th of the ruling line of
the Duchy of Keto, through trickery and deceit captured Hss'tolok Sharrr'kag, the
most holy spiritual leader of the Lizard Men. The Lizard Men revered
Sharrr'kag like a living god. They thought him one hatched from
the first clutch laid by their supreme deity, the goddess Krrrr'krsss.
His capture brought the race to its knees and when Duke Lispawn
demanded that the entire race submit to slavery under his hateful
hand, they came willingly, leaving their homes and taking with
them only what they could carry. For centuries they toiled under
his hand and that of his descendants even after the holy one Sharrr'kag
had long since returned to the promised swampy afterlife.
- The slave lords of Keto knew that Sharrr'kag would one day die
and feared that no matter how much the Lizard Men revered him
they would only submit to enslavement for a limited time without
a greater stake to keep them captive. The stake they found proved
damningly effective.
- Duke Kilsun Keto, heir to Duke Lispawn, forced the Lizard Men
to lay their eggs in guarded hatching rooms trapped with magical
enchantments and devilish mechanical devices that would destroy
the eggs and young of the race should their parents ever rebel.
This tactic, though effective, only prodded the Lizard Men's hatred
to a new plane of enmity for the Keto slave lords and all who
supported them. Lesser people may have given up all hope at this
point and resigned themselves to their fates, but the priests
of the Lizard Men encouraged their people to remain hopeful.
- The priests often spoke of some hidden secret, lurking as if under
thick weeds in muddy waters, at the periphery of their nightly
divinatory meditations. Many normal Lizard Men also had dreams
of something unidentifiable waiting just outside their dreams.
None of them understood what this "thing" might be. None feared
what they spoke of as the lurker, on the contrary, it gave them
hope.
- Understanding finally came when the venerable Sharrr'kag died
on the night of the Great Conclave when all five of Fälgorna's
moons eclipse each other. Before letting loose his last breath,
the priests attending him heard him prophesy the coming of the
lurker.
- "Of the egg hatched by Krrrr'krsss will he come to lead our people
from their torment. Even now she covers him in warm sand and guards
him from those who would suck his yolk from the shell."
- With these few words new hope came to the Lizard Men and each
night after finishing their labor they prayed to Krrrr'krsss to
send the lurker to her people. And so it was in the year 891 C.T.
that an egg hatched in one of the slave lords' breeding chambers.
From it crawled a small Lizard Man. As he swam from the egg that
had become submerged in murky water moments before hatching he
became covered from head to tail by stringy weeds. The priestesses
in attendance at the birth tried not to laugh at this little creature
that had so bravely survived what might have killed a weaker hatchling,
but as they removed the weeds from his tiny body their mirth changed
to awe. Hidden beneath the weeds a dark line of scales ran from
his snout to the back of his head in the tail-shaped symbol of
their greatest goddess, Krrrr'krsss.
- Comprehending immediately that this small hatchling could be none
other than the lurker, the priestess named Rissslorrr, at great
risk to herself, scooped him up and stowed him in her holy bag.
The slave lords permitted the priestesses to enter the egg chambers
at hatching, but forbade them from removing any of the hatchlings
on penalty of death.
- Thus, Rissslorrr raised the hatchling in secret and named him
L'lzak, which means weed-covered in the Lizard Man language, not
wishing to reveal his identity to the slave lords who knew the
legend of the lurker and feared it. She taught him the ways of
their people and shared with him the legends of their ancient
life of freedom in the swamps. His comprehension of the spiritual
surpassed any hatchling's she had ever taught. Before many years
had passed, he began to teach her as his grasp of divine knowledge
exceeded that of his teacher.
- In his youth he excelled in all things. When playing with other
hatchlings he always proved stronger and quicker than the rest.
He could remain underwater longer than any including those who
had achieved adulthood. His peers followed him without question,
seeing in him more than just charisma. In him they saw a spark
of freedom.
- Upon reaching proper age to complete the initiation to adulthood,
he surprised even his adoptive mother by completing the test faster
than any other in the memory of his people. Soon thereafter, the
Hr'zar warriors initiated him into their fold. This secret society
of holy warriors prepared for the coming of the lurker, and it
is there that he first revealed his true name, the name he had
known since birth, Zzutrrrigguuk, which means the lurker.
- His fellow Lizard Men were not the only ones to perceive his leadership
skills and popularity. His slave lord masters also saw potential
in him, potential for either good or ill. They decided to pervert
his leadership skills to their own purposes and took him into
the palace as a trusted servant, lavished with all he desired.
In exchange they expected him to use his influence to keep his
restless people subdued. Seeing the opportunity to gain the trust
of his slave masters, L'lzak went with them but remained kind
to his people, quietly spreading word through his mother and the
Hr'zar warriors that times of change would come soon.
- In the year 900 C.T., when he was but 19-years-old, L'lzak saw
his opportunity. Border skirmishes between the Duchy of Keto and
its stronger neighbor the Kingdom of Ravencraft had exploded into a full blown war. Many of the troops normally
assigned to guard the slaves had been called to the front and
things didn't look promising for Keto.
- Five days into the ill-fated war, Duke Scourgnor Keto called his
trusted slave into his war room and handed him a written order
authorizing him to arm 1,000 Lizard Men slaves and take them to
the front lines in exchange for their freedom. Upon reading the
order he sprung upon his master and tore the flesh from the bones
of the astonished slave lord. When he finished, he devoured the
duke's still warm body.
- Before anyone could learn of what he had done, L'lzak took his
signed order to the armory and armed the Hr'zar warriors. Instead
of marching to the front lines as they were ordered, the warriors
split up into small groups and seized the ill defended hatcheries
and armories throughout the duchy. They struck like lightning
and before any real response could be mounted, thousands of Lizard
Man slaves were armed and rebelling.
- The Duke's nephew, Lego II, pieced together what had happened
to his uncle who had fathered no heir. Having learned that armies
from Ravencraft's neighbor, the Kingdom of Orange, had attacked its poorly defended eastern border, he recalled
his troops to the capital to consolidate his power in the struggle
that would surely ensue for the control of the duchy once his
rivals learned of his uncle's demise.
- L'lzak mourned at this news, for while his army of Lizard Men
could surely hold its own against the armies of the duchy, many
Lizard Men women and children would be needlessly killed in the
struggle. Understanding the dilemma he met with the Hr'zar and
made a proposal. He would offer his own life and that of the Hr'zar
in exchange for the freedom of his people. By throwing the weight
of the Lizard Men's elite warriors on the side of Lego II, the
duke's nephew would surely take control of the duchy. Lego agreed
and the Lizard Men were given their freedom. L'lzak died in the
battle for control of the duchy and the descendants of the Hr'zar
are still enslaved in Keto today.
- The Lizard Men quickly returned to their ancestral homelands throughout
the great continent of Fälgorna and even now plan for the liberation
of their most valued brothers still enslaved in Keto. L'lzak is
revered as a god by the Lizard Men and is the patron of all those
who would end slavery.
- A Lizard Man can become a fighter, gladiator, paladin (the Hr'zar
were paladins), ranger, priest, druid, thief, assassin, merchant,
or elementalist wizard. A Lizard Man that wishes to pursue a mage
class other than the elementalist wizard can do so, but must earn
double the normal experience points to advance in level. Lizard
Men have the ability to become a psionicists but will not do so
because of a strong moral aberration to psionics. Lizard Men have
no bards. Their priests play the role of storytellers and lore
keepers. Lizard Men priests are always specialty priests and no
Lizard Man priest or wizard will ever use spells from the charm
sphere or the charm school that give them the ability to forcibly
exert their will on another sentient being (as former slaves they
abhor this type of magic), nor will they use magical items that
duplicate this effect. Lizard Men never keep slaves and when possible
free slaves of any race when able to do so.
- Lizard Men have a natural Armor Class of 5 and armors that provide
less protection than AC 5 only lower their Armor Class by one
point. For example, a Lizard Man wearing leather armor would have
an AC 4, plus his Dexterity bonus. Lizard Men also have the ability
to fight using natural attacks when using no weapons they may
attack with two claws for 1d2/1d2 and a tail for 1d6. If using
weapons they may take a tail attack in addition to their normal
weapon attacks.
- Lizard Men have 60' infravision and can see underwater as clearly
as on the surface. They swim at MV 12 and move on land at MV 6.
Lizard Men cannot breath water but can hold their breath for a
one round per point of Constitution. For every two additional
rounds that a Lizard Man holds his breath he must make a Constitution
check at a -1 cumulative penalty to avoid drowning.
- Lizard Men may begin play knowing how to speak their own guttural
language and the Trade Tongue. They may also start with an additional
human language and the ability to speak with reptiles.
- Lizard Men NPCs tend toward Neutral Good alignment, but PC Lizard
Men can be of any alignment. All Lizard Men must choose a deity.
- Lizard Men modify their ability scores as follows: Strength +1,
Constitution +2, Wisdom +1, Intelligence -2, Dexterity -1, Charisma
-1.
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