Hangkok Lizard
Racial Magic
First Ability
Veksit's Venom
Can afflict a potent and often lethal illness via bite or scratch, injecting it like a venom.
Second Ability
☀️Rithalids' Charge
Can store up radiant energy inside their bodies without limit and cannot be harmed by radiant energy. They can convert this to energy, use it to strengthen their muscles or re-release it like an Aura manifestation at will. Unlike most manifestations, they cannot produce their own radiant energy, reliant on a source. Gomgomok variants inherit this ability.
❄️Iska's Charge
Can absorb and store up ice magic or extremely cold temperatures inside their bodies and are immune to damage from ice or cold. They can convert this to energy, use this to strengthen their muscles or re-release it like an aura manifestation at will. Unlike most manifestations, they cannot produce their own cold or ice, reliant on a source Niktu variants inherit this ability.
❄️Iska or Ithisda's Movement
Able to walk, step or move on or through ice or liquid water freely and cannot suffocate when surrounded by their aspect. Also immune to water or ice magic and can briefly transform into their aspect, travel or merge with other water and reform elsewhere. Vish variants usually inherit this ability.
There are three main variants to this desert dwelling lizard which can be found throughout the northern deserts of Emynea but most know these as Hangkok Lizards, adopting the name used for them in Bharat. Most can be found in the Frozen Wastes but specific variants make their home in northern Alkelbulan, Nordreyjar and Bharat. These variants are the Gomgomok, Niktu and Vish Hangkok, each of these possessing different racial magic to match their habitat. Gomgomok are native to Alkelbulan, often seen basking in the most radiant stretches of Shamsi Desert to feed Rithaldis' Charge. Niktu live in the heart of the Frozen Wastes and rely heavily on Iska's Charge to survive while Vish live within the waterways of the Frozen Wastes and Bharat, equally reliant on their Movement manifestation.
Basic Information
Anatomy
by Lee Stepp
Original Ancestor
Desert Monitor Lizard
Lifespan
Length
Weight
Coloration
Gomgomok
Gray to bright orange. They have 5-8 bands on the back and 19-28 bands on their tail which is rounded. In their magic form, their bands will go white while their claws and teeth become dark purple. Sometimes all of their scales go white and their bands become dark purple as well.
Niktu
Largest Variant. They have 5-8 bands on their back and 13-19 on their tail. In their magic form, their scales become pale blue and their bands eiter remain dark gray or they turn dark purple with their spine, claws and teeth.
Vish
Smallest of the three. They have 3-5 bands on their backs and 8-15 on their tail. Their head is broader and flatter than other variants. Males can reach 2.8 ft (84 cm) and 1.3 lbs (580 g) while females can reach 2.5 ft (75 cm) and 1.2 lbs (520 g). In their magic form their legs become deep blue while their bands, claws and teeth are dark purple.
Biological Traits
by Lee Stepp
Hangkok lizards are excellent swimmers, divers and diggers and can run at 20 mph (32 kh/h) in short bursts. They are a solitary species which maintain large territories and spend the hottest hours of the day underground with the exception of Gomgomok variants. Gomgomok and Niktu spend large amounts of their time absorbing either radiant energy in sunlight or the frigid temperatures of the Frozen Wastes, basking in ideal locations and will then utilize the absorbed energy while they hunt. When bangkok lizards run, they raise their bodies up and do not touch their tails to the ground, capable of bursts of speed rather than stamina. If one is lucky, they might just see a vish hangkok dashing across the surface of the Tepid Lakes as they chase down a dragonfly! Outside of these sprints, they usually move very slowly. They are also capable of climbing trees, rocky escarpments and bushes and can jump more than half a meter. When they feel threatened and cannot run, hangkok lizards puff up their body, hiss loudly with their mouth agape and their tongue stuck out. They won't hesitate to bite and can whip their tails around with force, doing whatever it takes not to be taken. Not only are their bites painful but they will cling to an aggressor with sharp teeth and their bite carries unpleasant venom and potent diseases!
Genetics and Reproduction
by Lee Stepp
Gomgomok
These breed from May to July, laying their eggs between June and July. About 20 eggs are lain and incubate for 120 days. Hatchlings are born at a length of 9.8 in (25 cm), relatively mature and independant. They don't reach full size or maturity until they've hibernated three to four times.
Niktu
These breed from April to May and lay up to 34 eggs within a burrow which is 2.3-3.7 ft (70-114 cm) deep. Females will spend nearly a week trying to dig the right hole and will guard the burrow for several weeks after laying her eggs, some even checking on the nest around hatching time. Eggs hatch from September to October but hatchlings stick together in the nest, not active until spring. These hatchlings are totally independant and become sexually mature after three to four years.
Vish
Mating occurs in July or August during monsoon season. Vish lizards may quarrel over mates, standing on two legs to fight. 2-15 eggs are lain in September and October, incubating for up to ten months!
Ecology and Habitats
by Lee Stepp
Hangkok lizards will inhabit arid biomes such as deserts, ergs (sand dunes), scrublands, temperate or tropical forests and steppe-like grasslands. They might also be found along the edges of cultivated areas and rural gardens. Niktu lizards in particular prefer living in sandy or clay deserts along the coasts of the northern sea, taking on a reddish coloration when they do. They dislike dense vegetation but can be found in light woodlands. In Nordreyjar and Arya, they live within salt marshes and ergs. Some might brave the edges of human settlements and agricultural fields while seeking rodential prey but do all they can to avoid humans who usually kill them on sight. Hangkok lizards gladly settle into abandoned buildings and ruins, living between the cracks of buildings. They are most found wherever their favored prey live in large numbers.
Dietary Needs and Habits
by Lee Stepp
These are opportunistic carnivores with a wide ranging diet including mice, eggs, fish, mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and insects. Their bite comes with a venomous punch alongside oral bacteria and Veksit magic, their neurotoxin paralizing smaller species. In humans, this venom causes nausea, dizzyness, whole body muscle pain, elevated heartbeat, difficulty breathing and diarhea which sets in after 20 minutes and can last 24 hours. But it isn't the venom which usually kills, its the diseases their bites impart. Each specimen carries a different disease and these are incredibly difficult to treat, most succumbing to their illness or at least becoming incapacitated for some time. There is even protease and digestive enzymes in their venom which helps in breaking down their food. Overall, they eat anything they can find of an appropriate size!
Gomgomok
In Alkelbulan they primarily feed on Mul'ataa Agama, Alkelbulian Tortoise, Isk Viper and Asp Viper alongside ground-nesting birds like the Marqat Sandgrouse and Ramil Lark. Toads and small mammals such as Qafz Jerboa and young Sahra Hare are also eaten and they might consume the carrion of domestic cats and Hadu Hedgehog. Insects in their diet mainly consists of beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, locust, African Silver Ants, Desert Snail, centipedes and al-Mawt Scorpion. One must be careful with their pets in these regions, hangkok lizards are known to eat puppies and cats when the opportunity arises!
Niktu
They eat invertebrates, lizards, birds, eggs, turtles, tortoises, rodents and snakes. Their diet is similar to most other hangkok lizards but they have a preference for Alkelbulian Tortoise hatchlings and eggs alongside small mammals such as the giant gerbil or young hares. They will feed on venomous snakes like cobras and vipers, swallowing these whole, as well as lizards, birds, rodents and invertebrates. They may even prey on younger specimens of their own species! This bold lizard can be seen digging up eggs or entering burrows in order to eat the occupants. Even in the case of venomous species such as al-Mawt Scorpion and Isk Viper they appear resistant to hematoxic and neurotoxic venoms, not reacting to doses high enough to kill 4,000 humans!
Vish
Eats invertebrates, fish, insects, lizards, rodents, birds, chicks, eggs and small invertebrates. This variant feeds mostly on invertebrates, especially beetles, but may also eat lizards, fish, reptile eggs, toads and small mammals. They usually forage underground or under debris, such as among scrub in the Frozen Wastes or in the sediment of the Tepid Lakes. They also enjoy snacking on insects which hover over the surface of the Tepid Lakes, either sprinting after them across the water's surface or ambushing them from below the water!
Behaviour
by Lee Stepp
Hangkok lizards are mostly active during the middle of the day but will split this activity between early in the morning and late in the evening when temperatures are particularly high, hiding out in their burrows or basking depending on their racial magic. These species are strong diggers but occasionally steal burrows from mammals and birds in difficult soil. In sandy soil, their burrows can extend to 4-16.4 ft (125-500 cm) long and 1-4 ft (30-120 cm) deep. Those in Kemet dig complex burrows with several openings. Most of this species tend to hibernate in October except the Vish variant which does not fully hibernate at all. Instead, Vish lizards will become relatively inactive and no longer feeds between December and March. Despite this reduced activity, they do not enter a hibernative sleep and can even be seen basking.
These hardy lizards have a big attitude, defying attempts to tame them and appearing hateful toward humanity. They are generally disliked across their home range, many locals killing them when encountered. Most locals believe they carry and in fact aim to infect human settlements with diseases and disaster, unaware that it is only their bite which is infectious or that they are beneficial to aggricultural settings. They tend to eat a great number of pests to crops and livestock. While they can seem vicious, hissing and puffing up with vigor, they are more likely to turn and flee and are only dangerous when backed into a corner. However, they are difficult to keep in captivity and stubbornly defiant.
Additional Information
Domestication
by Lee Stepp
Hangkok lizards do not respond well to captivity, rarely living for more than a few years. Few are familiar with their needs as they aren't well understood or frequently encountered. However, when properly kept and tended to, they have been known to survive up to 17-25 years! One must imitate their biome as much as possible including the cycle of seasons they experience in the wild such as colder temperatures and reduced lighting in winter. Regardless of how well they are kept, they do not tolerate frequent handling and never become docile. In fact, wild specimens are more likely to become amenable than those being kept. Unfortunately, these are an unpopular species with all manner of ill repute tied to them. One such superstition is that if one of these lizards runs between a man's legs, it can render him impotent. Despite this, those of Ilnid's court enjoy trying to tame these purely because of the difficulty and they are popular as familiars or beast companions outside of their natural range, found in black markets.
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