Saurian

A saurian sacrificing a human to his serpent gods.

Of the many beastfolk that ravage the mortal realm, perhaps put here as a curse from gods frustrated by the nobility of Men, among the most savage are the lizardfolk or saurians: lizard-like reptilian beastfolk, which are found throughout the mortal realm. This article is comprised primarily of excerpts from Of Beasts That Walk On Two Legs, by an unknown author.

Appearance

Saurians come in absurd variety, such as crocodiles and all manner of lizards walking on two legs as if attempting to mimic the nobler races. They are usually covered in scales in wide ranges of colors, they appear to be great lizards with hands and upper bodies like those of Men, walking upright on two legs and wielding weapons and wearing savage garb, often little more than a loincloth and perhaps some strings of teeth or bones.

Culture

Though driven to the far reaches of the Empire, lizardfolk live in few secluded areas, mostly swampland. Rognosst Swamp is perhaps their greatest dwelling place in any Imperial region. They have built civilizations, though brutal, throughout the world. They can often found worshiping dragons and reptilian deities.

Unlike some beastfolk, lizardfolk seem to live primarily in primitive civilizations, varying from encampments to villages. Some, however, construct vast and impressive cities such as those in Rognosst Swamp, if they can claim a secluded enough region in which to construct. Often, lizardfolk attacks against Men are coordinated group efforts, generally for the purpose of human sacrifices or else simply out of food or pure spite.

Rognosst Swamp

The saurians of Rognosst Swamp regularly kidnap innocents to be sacrificed to the dragon they worship. The myriad reptilian and amphibian beastfolk in Rognosst Swamp have built what they fashion as an empire of their own, fit with great, stone buildings, vast and walled cities, and even advanced technology such as metal weaponry, cages, and locks. Some even wear bits of metal armor, though their hides may be tougher still than such. They also bear a great hatred for the Empire. The outlying farms of Eloh in particular often have trouble with beastfolk attacks.

Behavior

Lizardfolk are vicious, often attacking from the shadows. Some lizardfolk are said to even have the ability to change the color of their scales in order to better blend in with their surroundings. Whether they are related to dragons remains unknown, but they do not bear any of the nobility of dragons, nor horns or wings. They are bloodthirsty creatures that remain a determined enemy of civilization, stealing away whoever they can in order to perform live sacrifices to their savage deities, ascending their prisoners to elevated altars before cutting their still-beating hearts from their chests.

Recent History

Venatori do not often have to respond to lizardfolk attacks anymore, as they have been driven to the farthest reaches and corners of the Empire, but they remain immensely dangerous. Even a single lizardman can easily dispatch and bloodily maim multiple people, leaving them - like all other monsters - best left to the Venatori and their specialized training and weapons.