Reptellans (The People Who Escaped From Ice And Snow)

(Earth equivalent: Inspired by Deaf, Northwest Coast, Native Brazilian cultures)
Physical Appearance: Reptellans are lizardlike in appearance (Australian crested lizard, komodo dragon, bearded dragon). They have scaled skin which is typically a sandy brownish color, but can range from deep grey to pure white. They are cold-blooded and rely on the desert's hot sun to function. They have folded neck crests of bright colors, which they may display for a variety of cultural reasons/ emotional responses, such as an argument, anger/dominance, or fear. They cannot speak most languages, as the majority of their vocalization is relegated to squeaks or hisses. They have long tongues they use to sense their environment.
Abilities: Reptellans secrete deadly poison from their mouths and can use it to hunt food with poison-tipped arrows or even poison swords and blades to use against a sentient foe, though the latter is seen as distasteful and an inappropriate use of the venom. They are themselves invulnerable to most poisons and toxins.
Culture: Very few non-Reptellans have ever come in contact with the culture, much less attempted to study it. The name of the Reptellans' native tongue is unpronounceable by other races, though it has been transcribed as Heck'th'ess'ss (lit. Song of People). Consequently they were among the first species to develop a sign language for communication and trade with other races, known as Basic Interspecies Sign Language (BISL). Some BISL signs have been incorporated into Pidgin and are therefore intelligible to most peoples in Antema.
Politics: Reptellans are essentially apolitical. They keep to isolated villages in the Asona Desert and divide up goods roughly according to contribution/need. They look down on other countries' wars and political squabbles as signs of inferiority. They have never been conquered, and few have ever been foolish enough to try. Untoward ambition or rabble-rousing are severely punished.
Beliefs: Reptellans believe they are descended from an ancient race which traveled from a distant land over mountains and snowpack, hence their preferred name Ark-ck-klsss-ssk, or The People Who Escaped From Ice And Snow. But that's absurd, isn't it?