Lizari

 

Physiology

Lizari are lizard-like people with scaly skin, and long tails. They are amphibious, and while they can breathe underwater, they cannot survive for long in salt water, nor can they dive to great depths the way merfolk can. Lizari are cold-blooded and prefer hot, wet environments like swamps, jungles or tropical river systems.

Lizari are gendermorphic, meaning that they have been known to switch genders either intentionally or as a consequence of environmental stress. This shift is always accompanied with a molting, and their new scales and colouration will reflect the newly adopted morphology. Gynomorph (female-presenting) individuals are typically patterned with muted tones of mottled greens, greys and browns, while andromorph (male-presenting) individuals exhibit vibrant greens with flashes of orange, yellow, red or blue, sometimes with iridescent texturing across their scales. Regardless of gender presentation, Lizari stand 180 cm and weight 90 kg on average.

Life Cycle

Lizari are polyamorous, and do not bond as mating pairs. After laying a clutch of eggs, usually numbering as many as two to three dozen, gynomorphs abandon them to hatch and survive on their own. The first eggs to hatch will 'nurse' from the other eggs, slowly draining their fluids to nourish their own growth. This generally leads to four or five indisturbed hatchlings, and an additional four to five offspring that are born severely weakened and compromised. The strong share the nest for the first several weeks of their lives, feeding on the eggs, learning to hunt, and stealing any prey brought in by the weakened siblings until they are too weak to continue and are also eaten by the strong. Once the eggs and the weak are exhausted, the strong begin to fight amongst themselves. This can result in them all going their seperate ways, or in a single surivor emerging from the nest.

Lizari that survive the first few months remain on the fringes of the nearest society, mostly resting and observing for several years, and usually only moving when threatened or to hunt or steal food. By the age of eight or ten they will commonly begin to 'shadow' other, adult lizari, watching at first from a distance, and eventually 'adopting' an adult lizari as a kind of mentor. Normally, adult lizari will only take on a single protege at a time, and usually only for a period of a few years. During this period, the protege follows, imitates, assists, and learns the practical skills needed to integrate into society. Eventually, the protege will learn the life skills and social skills needed to leave the mentor, and will integrate into society. While infant mortality among lizari is extremely high, they are comparatively long-lived with a 5 year life cycle.

Culture

Lizari do not recognize or understand concepts of family or bloodline, and even the relationship between lizari mentors and proteges does not carry a special lasting bond once it ends. Lizari do not have family names, and while registering birth and identity is something a mentor will usually do with their protege, even lizari who accumulate great wealth or whose deeds merit entitlement will almost never plan their succession, and consequently almost never enter the upper classes. Entitlements they may receive in life usually just revert to whomever granted then when they die.

Despite this seeming total lack of interest in ancestry, family or sucession, the mentor/protege relationship seems to be very important to lizari development and social integration. While most lizari engage in this relationship, many never manage to find a mentor in their youth, or the relationship fails for one reason or another. Those who do not complete the cycle of this relationship tend to become isolated drifters, or find an unorthodox proxy for it; perhaps with a pet or with a member of another species, leading to unusual outcomes.

While most lizari will only mentor one protege at a time, and usually only one during a lifetime, there are some who take on multiple proteges, or even several at once. There are also the strange incidents of 'super-mentors' who have been known to attract dozens of proteges (commonly those who are at high risk of not finding a mentor at all) and to retain them for much longer periods, effectively building a micro-society around themselves. These so-called 'clutch-cults', a term that is both derogitory and (mostly) inaccurate have been known to express a surprising unity of purpose; sometimes becoming wealthy through a trade, sometimes serving as an elite military cadre, sometimes developing into a dangerous criminal network, or sometimes adopting a strong and often unique religious perspective and becoming a true cult.

Adjustments

Lizari have excellent reflexes and senses, granting them a bonus to their Agility and Alertness, however they are often considered dim and suffer a penalty to their Intelligence. Their ability to focus their attention for extended periods of time grants them a bonus to their Concentration. Lizari have both the Amphibious perk and the Gendermorphic perk, and they also start with Apprentice level of mastery and a free initial roll in the Athleticism skill field. Lizari automatically have the Swimming skill at a level equal to their highest Physical Stat, and can move at their base move while swimming for no Stamina cost. They can also move at sprint move while swimming by expending Stamina, just as others can sprint on land.