Black Lizardmen - A Way of Life
by Irving GalvezAPPEARANCE AND DRESS:
Black Lizardmen are of 6'5" to 7'5" tall. They have more walking capacity than other lizardmen. Their skin colour goes from dark grey to black so it is very easy for them to camouflage in the area. They also can swim in the tar but obviously can't breath in it. They have forgotten their water breathing ability. Like their cousins, Black lizardmen have scaled skin, lizard like heads and a long tail, their feet and hands are clawed and have webs between their fingers. They usually wear cloaks and robes but it is also know the can wear skinned or scaled clothes.
CUSTOMS:
The lizardmen naturally don't trust anyone that isn't of its own kind. The black lizardmen are also suspicious but have accepted other races to live with them. The Black lizardmen don't change their way of thinking. They only adapt the other races good ideas and change them into their system, into the black lizardmen culture. They have high respect for the family, and so they honour the old and protects the young ones. They have created a new educational system and obviously teach their young lizardmen separately from other races kids.
In everyday life Black lizardmen act as normal humans do, they trade, work, and have fun. But always the work and the study goes first. That's why the Black Lizardmen may advance higher levels than their cousins (fighter and thief/unlimited, magic user/14 level, cleric/20 level). This makes them have a real match with any other race. When you are creating a black lizardmen adjust a +1 to intelligence and wisdom and a -2 in constitution, that is because they like more to think an action rather than build a good body. Also the Black lizardmen learn an extra language for its high intelligence.
CALENDAR AND HOLIDAYS
The months of the Black Lizardman calendar are twenty-eight days long. Given below are the names of these months in order, and the important days which occur within that month. Once each month, exactly the 16th of each, it's worship day so all activities are stopped half day and in the night there is a big party in the streets.
Tunkamunt - 1 (New Birth Year), 16 (Worship day), 28 (Farming day)
Darkand - 16 (Worship day), 27 (Dinosaurs day)
Weshedfy - 5 (Spektrok foundation), 16 (Worship day), 21 (New Eve Day)
Kartunka - 16 (Worship day), 20 (Battle of the Reptiles)
Quentikar - 16 (Worship day), 17 (Annual Tournament Day)
Zsarkanton - 13 (Slardok XI Birthday), 16 (Worship day)
Lazzkor - 16 (Worship day)
Yazzkantar - 1 (Caravans Race day), 16 (Worship day)
Kunegunde - 16 (Worship day), 25 (Old Eve Day)
Torqueshka - 16 (Worship Anniversary Day), 21 (Death Night Crisom Day)
Zlorkand - 16 (Worship Day)
Diztenka - 30 (Old Birth Year)
New Birth Year: is a celebration that all Black Swampers make to honour the born new year. They make great campfires and the old ones tell historical stories of heroes and how Black Swamp was born. At midnight they all start singing honouring Algotuku Kasquas.
Farming Day: Algotuku Kasquas has blessed all farmlands and at this day magically all crops are raise up during the night hours. Next day the Black Swampers build huge fruit and vegetables altars to honour him.
Dinosaur Day: Dinosaurs are the best working companion the Black Swampers have. This day all dinosaurs are free. Generally the black swampers feed very well them. It is natural to see some dinosaurs in the streets. At noon there is a march with decorated dinosaurs, the one that Slardok XI chooses gets 1000 slaraks.
Spectrok Foundation: This days commemorates the first black lizardmen that came to Reptile Lands.
New Eve Day: Spring festival.
Battle of the Reptiles: In this day many years ago the first black lizardmen settlement start domesticating reptiles and so they eliminate their only competence.
Annual Tournament Day: Here black swampers from all over the country come to the capital to show their skills. Great prices are give to the winners and even a chance to be in the Followers of the Spear Order.
Caravan Race Day: This day all merchant caravans join in a big race all over the principal road. The winner becomes the official caravan of Slardok XI for one year.
Death Night Crisom Day: Somehow Halloween day.
Old Birth Year: The end of the year an preparation for the new one.
MONEY:
Here in the Black Swamp there is use several types of economical exchange.
* Goods Exchange:
Sometimes the merchants exchange some goods for others.
* Money:
Royal Slarak = Platinum
Slarak = Gold
Medium Slar = Electrum
Tiny Slar = Silver
* Signature Money: This is a very special type of money. Is something like credit of now days. But this can only be used by wealthy people that earn more than 10000 Slarak a year. When a black lizardmen or any other creature have earned more than 10000 slarak they can go to the Palace and open a Signature Money count, there the Counters (Lizardmen that administrate the count) give a special ring seal that the owner can validate as a pay. Then the one who stayed with the signed paper goes to the Palace en gets his money.
LAWS
Minor Crimes / Prison Term / Fine(in Slaraks)
Assault (Unarmed) / 1-3 Months / 5-50
Flight from Guards / 1-7 Days / 1-20
Petty Theft / 6 Month-1 Years / 10-60
Lying on Guards / 1-2 Days / 1-10
Disturbing Public Peace / 1 Day / 1-5
Major Crimes / Penalty
Greater Thief / Death
Murder / Death
Tax Evasion / Death
Treason / Death
Sexual Assault / Death
RACES
This are the races that can be encounter in Black Swamp. All races are accepted except gatormen.
Black Lizardmen
Lizardmen
Humans
Elves
Dwarves
Gnomes
Orcs
Bugbears
Gnolls
Goblins
Kobolds
SOCIAL CLASSES
Their are several social classes in Black Swamp. Obviously their is some racial preference and money makes the difference.
King
Nobles
Rich Families
Black Lizardmen
Other Races
Slaves
CLOTHES
The black lizardmen like to wear any dark colour cloth. Generally it means that they are sophisticated and aristocrats with high preparation in educational and cultural knowledge. Usually the bright colours indicate low level classes because the dark clothes are more expensive and not all Black Swamp races can afford it. The high society wears boots, shoes ore anything like that. While low society wears sandals or don't use any kind of shoes.
MILITARY UNIFORMS
All military uniforms are of dark colours but each colour means the type of military order:
Military Orders / Armour / Colour
Followers of the Spear / Chain Mail Armour +2 / Black
Heavy Cavalry / Dinosaur Scale Mail Armour / Dark Blue
Air Assault / Dinosaur Scale Mail Armour / Dark Purple
100 Feet / Dinosaur Scale Mail Armour / Dark Green
NEW ARMOUR AND WEAPON
Dinosaur Scale Mail Armour: This is a armour made of dinosaurs scales. This give the armour better AC and it is lighter than the normal Scale Mail. It is water proof.
Weight - 250cn
Cost - 100 Slaraks
AC Mod. - 6 bonus
Mirror Shield: This is a special shield that in its back part has a silver cover that can be use to reflect sun light.
Weight - 120cn
Cost - 60 Slaraks
AC Mod. - 2 bonus
Flame Thrower Crossbow: This device is very heavy and only can be used by characters that have a 18 or more strength. This weapon look like an crossbow combine whit arquebus. It launches a baseball size bullet that its specially fabricate to carry some portions of tar on it. In the end of the crossbow is a little tinder that when the bullet passes there it starts fire on it. When using the crossbow there is a 10% chance that the bullet doesn't light on.
Weight - 100cn
Cost - 100 Slaraks
Damage - 1d12+special
Special damage - When the bullet hit the target it set fire on it causing 4 additional hp of damage during the next 4 rounds.
Penalties - -3 to hit rolls