Shovani Population Chimes
The Lizardfolk of Shovani differ from mammals in numerous respects, not the least of which is their sensory abilities. A heightened sense of hearing compared to the average human and a greater ability to locate the source of sounds and echoes make possible a series of wind chimes hung outside of buildings. These represent one of the most ubiquitous signs and symbols throughout Shovani settlements that are nonetheless nearly incomprehensible to outsiders, particularly since the method of "decoding" wind chimes is difficult to learn and rarely taught to outsiders. This gives lizardfolk an easy way to navigate through their city and transmit information about residences and basic business advertising, all without providing clues to any would-be invader concerning how the city is organized. It also makes hiring some sort of guide more or less mandatory for any outsiders who wish to navigate the city.
The Capitol does have some visual signs, mostly in areas oriented towards tourists or travelers, but chimes are the prevailing method of navigating the city. The ringing of each set of chimes constitutes a complex code that all Shovani learn at a young age that's nearly as complicated as a language itself. Different types of base materials, such as crystal or glass, denote different sections of the city, from residential districts to marketplaces. Subtle variations in sound and echo are clear enough that most lizardfolk can tell the nature and name of homes and businesses within 50 yards of themselves at any given time, and if any confusion arises because of the noise (which does happen), simply seeing the chime displayed out front makes it easy to quickly determine its intended message.
Business chimes tend to merely state the nature of the business, but homes will often list the number, sex and profession of lizardfolk who dwell there, as there is much less of a concept of privacy in the more authoritarian Lizardfolk state and it's expected that citizens make themselves easy to locate. When a lizardfolk enters a caste and is assigned to a dwelling, they will add to or modify the existing chimes at the door of the home to represent their inclusion, and particularly keen-eared lizardfolk have even been known to be capable of locating specific chimes they've heard before, providing them an almost supernatural ability to wend their way through the maze-like city.
At least in the capitol, the chimes are ringing almost constantly, creating a soft background ringing and tinkling wherever one goes. This is because Leviathan, the massive, mountain-sized hydra at the center of the Shovani capitol, produces regular airflow as its heads pass over the city, ever watchful over its chosen domain.
Item type
Communication
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