Lizard Man

Lizard Men are reptilian humanoids found in a number of desert regions across Titan. In Khul, their greatest concentrations are in the Scythera Desert. In Allansia they are found concentrated in the swamps of Silur Cha. In Allansia, Lizardmen warriors have whips and curved swords. It is said that Lizardmen have an innate fear of monkeys.^[1]

Creation and Early YearsEdit

In the BeginningEdit

The Lizard Men were created by Suthis Cha during the Godswar era, fashioning them out of mud and discarded Lizard skins, and placing them in the marshes and swamps of Titan. Shortly afterwards, Suthis Cha was forced into remission upon trying to devour Kareep, the Mouse god. The Lizard Men were thus left without a god during the first critical years of their existence.

They lived in small family-based tribes, fishing and hunting small animals with little apparent interest in wider affairs, until the end of the Godswar. One of the Dark Gods noticed these creatures scurrying around in the marshes and sent the Demon Prince Ishtra to investigate.

The CorruptionEdit

Ishtra did considerably more than just that, appearing before the Lizard Men as one of their kind with two heads, wielding a Fire Sword against the setting sun. Stupid and superstitious as they were, the Lizard Men immediately began to worship him as a god, and have done ever since. Ishtra also brought the taint of Chaos to the Lizard Men, initially to create the two-headed Liash Cha priests. Some believe that the Calacorm race is a stabilised form of the Liash Cha that fled or was expelled from the Empire.

However, other mutations are common and despised in equal measure. In fact, mutant Lizard Men are seen as the ultimate degradation of the species, and have always numbered among the living sacrifices to Ishtra, imploring him to stop the curse of Chaos - which would also stop any more Liash Cha from coming into existence.

Lizard Men in Modern TimesEdit

ReligionEdit

Only two-headed Lizard Men may become priests, and only priests may wear the sacred colour red. They are able to do almost anything they wish, are the only Lizard Men able to write and even have their very own language, which is highly developed and sophisticated - within the sphere of religion and philosophy!

Aside from Ishtra, the Lizard Men worship a number of other Demonic entities, including another Snake Demon, Myurr. Sacrifices are common and many captives of a Lizard Man raiding party will suffer this fate - but disgraced or mutant Lizard Men will also be killed in this way if prisoners are running low.

PoliticsEdit

Whilst the Liash Cha have absolute control over the religious aspect of Lizard Man life, the politics are cared for by the Lizard Kings. Every tribe is ruled over by a Lizard King, each paying fealty to the Council of Thirteen, led by the High King - the Luk Ten Cha.

When the Luk Ten Cha dies, his spirit is said to be reborn in the same instant, as his life-force passes into a hatchling in one of the palace's egg chambers. When the hatchling reaches thirteen years of age, he is subjected to the Ritual of Remembering, in which all of his wisdom and experience of past lives is recalled by him, and he can ascend the throne once more. Each member of the Council of Thirteen rules for one year in the intervening period.

The Lizard Men have a poor relationship with the Caarth (despite the fact that both species are reptilian humanoids devoted to the cause of Chaos). Lizard Men and Caarth troops have frequently fought skirmishes in the Snakelands region of Allansia. ^[2][3]

The Lizard Man EmpireEdit

The Lizard Men are arguably the most organised and dangerous of the Evil races in Allansia. The heart of their power lies in the nigh-impenetrable marsh of Silur Cha, with their bizarre and ever-growing capital built over the swamp on wooden platforms - only the most important buildings are permitted stone foundations, since this requires innumerable sacrifices and a great many spells to magically transmute the quagmire into solid rock.

Their Empire stretches across most of south Allansia, from the Mountains of Grief to the Plains of Bones, and around the city of Vymorna. They also control all the jungle land near the Snakelands and almost all the way to Arantis itself, and outposts as far north as Fire Island (though this is believed to have fallen recently). There are even smaller, but fairly insignificant and semi-independent, outposts in desolate parts of Khul, mostly on a few tiny islands or in the Scythera Desert.

It is known that pygmy Lizard Men inhabit the jungles west of the Shios'ii Mountains. Some of Khul's northern Lizard Men are even known to frequent the outskirts and markets of Ashykos, where presumably they function as traders and intermediaries to that corrupt city; in much the same way as their southern counterparts and Shakuru.

See AlsoEdit

• Battleblade Warrior
• Island of the Lizard King

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Island of the Lizard King - ???; Seas of Blood - ???; Battleblade Warrior - ???; Island of the Undead - ???; Out of the Pit - p.???; Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - p.??/??; Dungeoneer - p.???
2. ↑ Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World - pg. 16
3. ↑ The Fighting Fantasy 10th Anniversary Yearbook - p.150