Chazrac

Player Race

Artwork: blackbluewoof

Chazrac are a race of sentient lizards that originate from Shamrua. They have been living there in small tribal communities for tens of thousands of years. During the Age of Spirits on Virthys, they slowly became the dominant race of Shamrua, but they didn't spread much beyond the borders of this region. A few smaller communities are known to exist in the Bleeding Jungles.
The Chazrac are hulking reptiles with strong tails, and long arms that they often use as front legs. They walk as much on all four as they walk upright. Their species does rely less on body language and other visual expression than on taste. This means that Chazrac regularly lick each other with their split blue tongues to taste each other's mood. If they learn that other species react badly to this, they try to taste the mood in the air, but it's not as precise.
A Chazrac's scales can be of any colour, depending on the specific environment they grew up in. They have a light green complexion when they are born, but during the first two years, their scales take on colors that help them camouflage in their home.
The tribal communities are never bigger than about fifty members. If they grow beyond that, some of the tribe's members instinctively cut ties with their home - usually to build a new community elsewhere. But in a few rare cases, these Chazrac have been known to just keep travelling.
Chazrac are mostly vegetarians, with only the occasional meat to complement their diet. They live relatively simple lives in the swamps, governed by superstitions and worship of local spirits. They prefer to live isolated and avoid contact with other cultures. Most of the time, they are reclusive, yet gentle beings - unless their home or tribe is threatened. A Chazrac defending himself and his loved ones is a ferocious enemy.
When the apocalypse hit Virthys, most Chazrac simply tried to hide, praying to local swamp spirits for help. Only a few individuals felt they had to fight, leaving their homes to protect their loved ones.
After the creation of Ashandri, the influence of hags on the Shamruan swamps has become stronger. Some of the lizards despise them so much that they actively fight them. But there are also rumours about a few tribes corrupted by the hags.

Culture

The Chazrac society is shaped mostly by the rules of survival. Many of their superstitions are based on real experiences - only the explanations are wrong. For example, a Chazrac might believe you have to stomp on the ground before setting up camp to drive out evil spirits. In reality, this scares off venomous snakes in some areas of Shamrua. Some of these beliefs are also tied to actual nature spirits - but the Chazrac stick to offer gifts to these spirits even if they're far from home, out of the area of influence of such spirits.
The family and the tribe is everything to a Chazrac. Even those who leave their tribes still feel deep love for their clans and native homelands. They are less driven by ethics than by personal bonds. While Chazrac themselves are rarely evil, they do not always mind the company of malicious people. As long as their companions treat them and their friends well, it's their business how they treat others.

Names

The Chazrac didn't have a written language for thousands of years. Only about three hundred years ago, they learned these skills from other races. Chazrac words are written as they sound, which means every tribe writes things slightly differently.
The entire language is based on one- and two-syllable words, and this is true for Chazrac names, as well. These words are either written together, or connected by a dash or apostrophe - there are no real grammar rules for this. The Chazrac have no family names. Instead, the lizards identify by their clan, such as Tchi-Zi of the Snakeswamp Tribe or Maki of the Brownscales.
Male names often include hard consonants as "k" or "p", while female names often have at least one "i" or "e" as a vocal. Both male and females names often have one or several "s" and "z" letters.
Male Chazrac names:

• Okriz
• Sassik
• Azq
• Pyazun
• Zrak-Thi
• Cav'Zan
• Tchi

Female Chazrac names:

• Irriz
• Semizz
• Phi
• Ai'cez
• Ziph-Ssa
• Syiga
• Azzil

Traits

Ability Score Increase: Strength+2, Wisdom+1
Age: Chazrac have a slow metabolism, granting them a relatively long life. Under ideal conditions, these lizards can grow up to 200 years old. Lacking many of the comforts of civilization, though, many Chazrac do not live beyond 60 years. They mature at about 14 years.
Alignment: Many Chazrac have a very neutral perspective on life. A few of them feel towards almost the entire world as they feel towards their tribes, though. These deeply caring Chazrac have a strong tendency towards good. Others believe in the survival of the strongest, and embraced evil.
Size: An upright Chazrac is about 8-9 feet tall. If they walk on all four, they are about 5-7 feet tall. Their size category is medium.
Languages: Chazrac can speak, read, and write their own language, and they have learned Common - mostly to tell other species to go away.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Thick Scales: Chazrac have a base armor class of 12.
Tail Strike: Your tail is a natural weapon, and you can make unarmed strikes with it. On a hit, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the damage normal for an Unarmed Strike.
Poison Resistance: You get advantage on Saving Throws vs. Poison, and you have Resistance to damage from any kind of poison or venom.
Survivalists: Chazrac are surprisingly adaptive even to environments very different from their home lands. They get advantage on any Survival check.
Understanding of Nature: All Chazrac gain proficiency with two of the following skills of their choice: Animal Handling, Nature, and Survival.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Chazrac are a race of cold-blooded lizards that can walk upright on two feet, or as quadrupeds, using their arms as front legs. They are muscular, about eight to nine feet tall, and have thick scales. Their scales, each about the size of a human fingernail, adapt their colours to their environment during the first two years of their life. As they live in swamps, most of them have green or yellow scales, but in the diverse environment of their homelands, a lot of different colours are known, as well.
Even in upright position, their backs are slightly curved forward. Their hands only have four fingers each. The Chazrac have long blue tongues. Their eyes are placed on the sides of the head, with black pupils that are either round or, rarely, star-shaped. Their eye colours often match the colours of their scales, with green and yellow colours being predominant.