Raith'ta, the Scaled

General biology

Scaled are humanoid reptiles with warm, but colder than human, blood. They are covered in uneven scales and are prone to "phantom wounds" that usually leave scars. Their sclera (white of the eye) is not visible, their pupils are vertical slits and their irises are usually yellow, greenish or dim red. Scaled have just a few fragile sharp teeth and four long and thin tusks with mild venom. They cannot chew and prefer not to bite. Scaled are entirely carnivorous and cannot digest plant material, with rare exceptions. Their faces are very flat and they do not have a protruding nose, just two nostrils. Scaled have small fangs instead of nails. They have small and irregular ceratin "horns" instead of hair.
Apart from already mentioned "phantom wounds", Scaled often suffer from ceratin skin formations that look like horns, small tumors that usually start to shrink after reaching certain size and, less often, various inborn deformities.
Scaled do not have sexual dimorphism, that is, males look exactly like females save for organs of reproduction. Scaled can mate with humans and produce healthy Scaled offspring, but neither side usually wants this.

In society

Scaled inhabit Astarion, but do not have rights of human citizens. They aren't allowed in the Capital and central districts of big cities, and they are generally treated like lepers. Scaled are considered unclean and dangerous, avoided and shunned. Since they often live in poverty and can't pay taxes, Astarum recruit them instead and send to army or construction sites. Since Scaled are considered disgusting by Astarum, they completely cover their body. They are so used to it, the majority treat it like a sacred tradition.
Some Scaled manage to live in cities or villages, often taking jobs that no one else wants, such as executioners, gravediggers, debt collectors, etc, or become serfs and servants. Many, however, leave and create their own settlements. Because of the chaotic nature of these settlements, Astarion officials chose not to try and supress them. Instead, these Scaled have to either pay taxes in food and goods, or be ready to mobilize immediately and report to army when needed. This way, Astarion has huge reserves that don't need maintenance or pay.

Society of Scaled

Scaled that left human cities and villages often live in the nearby forests and don't have a stable home. Some become beggars, while many others turn to banditry. These bandits organize into gangs and, if not supressed in time, into whole criminal clans. These clans, suddenly strictly organized, move deeper into wilderness and create settlements of their own, complete with farms, craftsmen and guards. Such villages of Scaled are extremely common in the west of Astarion, in the Forest of Mockingbirds.
They often raid nearby villages for materials and instruments, and create several hidden camps. Astarion forces will not retaliate, since trying to find the hideout in the dense forest filled with bandits is a suicide mission. However, all nearby settlements will be heavily guarded. Throughout Astarion, sawmills at the edges of the Forest of Mockingbirds are fortified like castles. If bandits get too rowdy, the rate of logging increases dramatically, reminding them that Astarion can always take away their forests. Other than that, Astarion government allows the existence of Scaled settlements and keeps the right to use them as prepared armies.
The biggest "city" of Scaled is located right next to the Western Wall. The Western Wall was built and maintained by local Scaled for centuries. It is not nearly as long as the Southern Wall as it protects only a single valley between the mountains. But beyond this valley lie the Cestorian Jungles, inhabited largely by the tribes of Kashta. Both jungle and steppe Kashta had tried to breach the Walls, but to no avail. The Western Wall actually has more fortifications deeper into the valley and even in jungle, near the Kaan river, that flows to the Sea of Sorrow. These castles, dams and towers frequently change hands and need to be repaired every so often.

Religion

A lot of Scaled came to worship red mockingbirds that gave name to the Forest of Mockingbirds. These birds have long been significant for Scaled, since their cries can tell information kilometers from its source. The Way of Feather, a religious doctrine, claims that birds are the older, enlightned and perfected siblings of the Scaled, and the Scaled must strive to realize their potential and reach the sky. It gives hope to many Scaled, who show their devotion wearing red feathers. The Way of Feather also has its monasteries, where monks wear clothes or armour reminding birds and long, thin stripes of red fabric that form "wings". Some say that these monks can even fly using these fake wings when endangered. The monks practice martial arts with and without weapons; diets, quite extreme for Scaled, that include insects and some plants; meditating, collecting knowledge, promoting literacy among Scaled and charity.

Recruited Scaled

Scaled that were recruited to the army form a whole different society. Although Scaled in the forest have to use whatever weapons and armour they have available when mobilized, Scaled in the regular army receive their own equipment. It's usually a straight sword, a spear, an axe, a mace or a crossbow and a round shield. Crossbows are very easy to use, hence their frequent use by Scaled. Their armour usually consists of a chain mail, a cheap breastplate and a cheap helmet that is notorious for its single advantage - it hides the face of the soldier from his human officers. Scaled soldiers are free to scavenge and use whatever weapons or equipment they find on the corpses of their enemies or their deceased allies.
Scaled aren't formally trained, and all the "training" they get is primarily meant to indoctrinate/ distract/ frighten them and remove any possibility of revolt.
Most of the recruited are satisfied with their possition in life and their anger is usually directed away from their commander, keeping them in check.

Dragons

For centuries, high-ranking Astarum tried to breed Scaled, and the result of their efforts - Dragons (Roimar), or, as common people call them, lizardmen (Kiarokorum).
Dragons have small yellow or yellow-brown even scales, much like those of lizards. Their jaws and the head are extented and they have rows of knife-like teeth, making them look even more like reptiles. Dragon's pupils are rounder and they have some visible whites. They do not suffer from common illnesses of Scaled and their most distinguishable trait is their bright neck frill that they spread out when angry or in danger. Lizardmen have trouble speaking Astekriya, the common language, but are much better at Khastekhriya, the version of the language that the Scaled use, with different sounds. Dragons prefer to communiate with each other using high-pitched shrieks.
Exactly like Scaled, lizardmen are not sexually dimorphic and can mate with both humans and Scaled.
Centuries of careful breeding have their effect. Lizardmen are strong, agile, with great reflexes, incredibly smart, trained to obey every command, fearless and intimidating. They are extensively trained from the very birth and by adulthood they are proficient in fighting, commanding soldiers, reading and writing (rare talents in Astarion), organizing, tactics, etc.
Dragons have already made human officers obsolete and almost removed them from the military. Some of them even became officials, librarians and politicians. Astarum don't like them, thinking, not without a reason, that lizardmen are going to displace them.
Although Dragons are indoctrinated and trained to obey commands from birth, Astarum became much more careful with them since the recent incident, that showed lizardmen can disagree with their commander.

Alternative names: Koirum - the Accursed, Sey'ranokuth - Snake-faced, Raithtum - a Scaled one (singular of Raithta).