Acerrae

Part 1: Geography

Climate & Terrain:

  Acerrae is a land in the southern part of the outer ring. Acerrae is a desert. The temperature ranges from about 60o F in the winter and 130 o F in the summer. The land is extremely flat and the sand is very salty.

Places of note:

Cacti Forest of Acerrae

  This is the only forest in the Acerrae. It is located in the southern part of Acerrae. The forest is 50 miles wide and 20 miles tall. Underneath this forest is a well the size of a great sea. This sustains the whole forest.

  There are many tribes of lizardmen who live in this forest. It is believed in this forest that this is where Lunde and Jute settled.

Part 2: Ecology & Demographics

Vegetation:

Giant Cacti

  The Giant Cacti are 40 ft tall cacti which are about 10 ft in diameter. These cacti sustain the life of all the wildlife in Acerrae. The Cacti are able to draw water from the deep underground wells. All of the lifeforms in Acerrae are sustained by these cacti.

Wildlife:

  Giant insects roam the desert of Acerrae. The most common are large ants, beetles, scorpions, desert wasps, centapedes and tralanchalas.

Lizardmen:

  Personality Despite the bestial appearance they are a very docile race. They are extremely religious and believe in the harmony of nature and people. They are a society that is ruled by women. Birth is a very special event in ones life. They are not as smart as other races but they are just as wise. They make very good companions to any race.

  Physical DescriptionThe Lizardmen had tribes in Acerrae. Lizard men are taller then humans ranging from 6 to 7 ft. tall. They are very bulky and have humps in their backs. They have scaly skin that ranges from greenish brown to a dark lime green. The scales on their bodies are many different colors. Ranging from the light colors on their stomachs to the dark colors on their backs and top of heads. Some lizardmen have strips on their back. They are completely hairless. The have tails which are 3 to 4 feet long. They have fangs but they can not be used as weapons. Their eyes are yellowish green to forest green. Their scales are very hard a provide natural protection.

  Women are bigger then the men and tend to be more brownish in color. Lizardmen lay eggs like any reptile. They lay an egg every 30 days.

  They are very adapt to living in the desert. They are able to borrow into the ground to shield themselves from the blistering sun. They are cold blooded since they are reptiles. Their tongues are long, skinny and fork shaped.

  Relations Lizardmen are friendly with most races. They do however hate the pumas, this is because the pumas have enslaved the lizardmen for thousands of years. Lizardmen also do not like the Atlanteans for they destroy and conquer lands.

  Alignment Lizardmen are usually lawful good. They follow the order of nature and do what is right. They are a very noble race that does what is good for the world.

  Lands Lizardmen live in Acerrae. They dwell in the desert and live off the wildlife that lives there. There are very few plants in the desert and lizardmen try to preserve what is there in order to survive.

  Religion Lizardmen believe in the goddess Ashai.(see religion later)

  Language There language is very bestial. They speak with a lisp. There language sounds a lot like a snake hissing.

  Names: See bottom

  Adventurers Lizardmen would be drawn to adventure because first they are a race of warriors, second if someone is invading their land or destroying it, and finally some lizardmen will try to free there sisters and brothers who are slaves.

  Racial Traits

• They are medium sized.
• Attribute Mod: +2 Con, -2 Int
• Skills: +2 Survival, Masonry, Carpentry
• Language: Lizardmen, Puma, Common
• Movement Rate: 30 ft.
• Natural AC of +3
• Common Classes: Ranger, Fighter, Cleric, Bard, Sorcerer
• Favored Class: Ranger

Language:

  The lizardmen do not have a written language. All stories are passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next. The stories are passed by the way of song. Lizardmen from a young age are taught to play music and sing. All lizard men before coming of age build their own instrument which they are taught how to play. Music is used in almost every thing in everyday life for the lizardmen. Lizardmen can be heard sing work songs while doing choirs. Lizardmen do not rate their singers like most people. No one is considered to be more talented, everyone is considered to be different. The member of the tribe who usually leads the tribe in song in dance is not the most talented, instead it is usually a political or religious leader.

Part 3: Economics

  There is no coinage used in Acerrae. The Lizardmen do not have a currency system. The Lizardmen use trade and barder to exchange goods and services.

  The lizardmen are hunter and gathers for the most part. The lizardmen do not grow any of their own food and hunt the herds of insects that roam the desert. The lizardmen are nomadic and follows these herds around the desert. The herds which they live off of are care for, in the sense that the hunters of the tribe try to only kill the males, and try to kill the weaker older ones. By doing this they insure that their herd will not die which would cause the whole tribe to die. The tribe will defend their herd if poachers come and try to hunt them.

Part 4: Politics

Government:

  The Lizardmen have a government that is very tribal. Each tribe consists of many families.

  A family is a group of lizardmen who can claim descendants from the same elder mother. So the head of the family's grandson or daughter would be a part of their family. The descendants are tracked through their mother side of the family this means that their mothers mother would be their head of the family not their father's mother. Usually the most powerful family of the tribe rules over the other families.

Law & Rules

  There are very few rules in the tribes. The only rules are to respect life and try to live your life according to the teachings of Ashai through the teachings of the priestesses.

Social Classes

  Family Mother: Family mother is the oldest female of any family. The reason for her being the most powerful is because she commands all of her children. The Family Mothers with the most "Children" are the most powerful. "Children" are any one who can link their heritage to her so sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, and so on. There is no family father. Mothers may have as many mates as they would like and do not believe in monogamy. Family Mothers can also be priestesses.

  Priestess: Priestesses are second on the rung of the social ladder. They are held in the highest respect because they are able to communicate with Ashai. They are very important to the tribe for they are usually the most educated and keep the history of the lizardmen.

  Women: Females are in general considered to be more important then the men. Women are bigger and make better soldiers and since the fact that they can have children this also makes them more useful.

  Breeder: Breeders are men of the tribe who are big, physical and have the best chance of impregnating the women of the tribe. They are usually treated very well for the likes of men. They usually do not have to do the home care that the males have to do. They are usually not sent to war unless it is very desperate times.

  Common Male: Common males are any males that are not breeders. They usually take care of the house and the tribe's needs. In war males fight along with males. However usually men are put in the front of the ranks because they are more expandable.

Part 5: Religion

  The Lizardmen believe in a god called Ashai, which means "mother the creator".

1: Creation tale:

  Ashai had pain between her legs. Ashai laid back and from her loins came the world. Ashai took this world and held it up to her breast and nurtured it. From the milk of her tit flowed the great seas and rivers. From this nurturing milk sprouted life. The milk turned clear and the paste collected turned into life. Ashai nurtured all of nature like a caring mother. As the world began to grow and mature Ashai allowed the world to nurture itself and care for itself. When she returned to the earth she saw the world filled full of demons. She could not allow all of this so after 30 days from the creation of the world Ashai came down and fought off all of the demons who were destroying the world. In the battles with the demons one of Ashai's eyes was cut out. Ashai then gave birth to Lunde the first lizardman, Ashai then ascended back to the sky. Ashai learned that she would have to make sure the world was still safe so every 30 days Ashai looks upon the earth at night to make sure the demons have not returned to the world.

2: First Lizardmen:

  30 days after Lunde was born Ashai gave birth to Jute. Ashai nurtured Lunde & Jute and raised them to become protectors of the of the world. Lunde grew to be tall and strong. Jute grew to become a great breeder. Lunde reached womanhood the same day that Ashai came to see the world. Lunde was a great mother and Jute was great breeder. Lunde had 50 children and from her children the whole world was populated.

Priestesses:

  Priestess are any lizard women who lays her first egg during a full moon. This is considered to be a sign that this lizard women has the right spirit in her to be connected with Ashai.

Domains: Air, Animal, Earth, Healing, Protection, Sun, Travel, War(Claves), Water

Alignment: any non-evil or CN

Duties: Every month the priests of the tribe are expected to be near home so that they can perform the rituals, which are essential. It is all right if occasionally a priest misses a festival for personal reasons. The two big festivals are another matter. Unless the priestess is on her death bed she is expected to be at the festival.

  The priestesses are the only people who are able to talk to Ashai. Because of this many members of the tribe will seek the priests for advice from Ashai.

  Priestesses when trying to ask Ashai for advice go into a possessed state where Ashai talks through them. The ritual of this is that there must be at least three priestesses there. One to play the claves, one to play the drum and one to be the window to Ashai.

  Priestesses are able to reproduce like any other member of the tribe. Priestesses' children are very well cared for.

  Priestesses dress the same as any other member of the tribe.

Festivals:

  Festivals occur every 30 days when Ashai's eye can be seen in the sky. These festivals are to praise Ashai for all of her gifts and to pay homage to the priestesses on the day they lay their eggs. There are to big Festivals during the year one is the Carnival of Birth which occurs at the first full moon of spring and the Carnival of Harvest which begins on the first full moon of fall. These two festivals last for more then 4 days, during these four days there may be no wars taking place. There may be no wars fought on days in which a festival is taking place.

  These festivals are huge parties were the head priestess of the tribe lead the tribe in a ritual dance. The whole tribe get into a large circle and play their claves. This circle is called a ring shout. In the center of this ring is a stone stage. On this stage priestesses dance around while playing claves. Three priestesses are next to the stage playing drums while the Head priestess head a chant. The chant consists of the whole tribe reciting the creation of the world story.

  In these festivals the lizardmen dress like heroes of old. The heroes include Jute and Lunde. Many family dress like elder mothers who have passed away. Their costumes include body painting and masks which are worn. These costumes hold a certain amount of pride among the lizardmen.

Part 6: Technology

Clothing

  Both female and male lizardmen wear about the same clothing. They usually were a loin cloth around there waist. Both genders do not wear any thing on their upper body. Both races also wear trophies of what they killed. Some will where a strap with scorpion stingers for all the scorpions that they killed or something to that effect. Lizardmen never wear shoes or footwear. Their feet are used to the hot sand.

Armor

   Most lizardmen do not wear armor when they engage in combat. The usually wield claves and therefore can not use shields but some are known to use insect parts to be used as shields or armor. The problem with them wearing armor is that it is to hot in the desert to be wearing armor with out becoming dehydrated.

Weapons

  The lizardmen use a very interesting pair of weapons for battle known as the claves. The claves are two types of spears which are used at the same time. The first one is the long clave which is a 5 ft long spear with an elongated head which can be used both for stabbing and slashing. The short clave is just a shorter form of the long clave. The short clave is about a foot and a half long and the blade is still the same length.

  The interesting part of the clave is that it can be used as a music instrument. This is usually the instrument that the lizardmen build before they become of age. The clave is essestional for all of the religious functions of the lizardmen. The claves are used for the back beat of the music held at religious events. This allows for all of the members of the tribe to be a part of the celebration.

  Other instruments that are used are by the lizard men are drums and shakers.

Part 7: Names

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