The Chroma

The Chroma
Shovani is best known as the nation of the dragonborn and lizardfolk, but those who have not visited might be surprised at the variety of sub-species and ethnic groups that make up those two peoples.
One such sub-species is a group sometimes called chameleon-folk, who take their name from their natural power to change colors. While chameleon-folk and Chroma are largely synonymous, there are some lizardfolk of other sub-species that identify as Chroma, primarily among the artist caste, as well as some chameleon-folk called Shadescales that reject the subculture in favor of traditions that adhere more closely to the norms of Shovani society generally.
In the early days of the Shovani nation, when the lizardfolk empire was being formed around the mountain-sized hydra “Leviathan” and still in the process of integrating the numerous, formerly antagonistic tribes, a movement arose to classify dragonborn and lizardfolk into castes based on color. This was already the practice of the Ukrin, a large dragonborn tribe that wielded considerable influence, and for a time it gained popularity among lizardfolk as a way to distinguish social roles and maintain order. The ideology began spreading and would likely have become the dominant social caste system in a few more decades.
It was then, however, that the chameleon-folk emerged. Their tribe had been waiting to see how this new nation developed, debating whether to end a centuries long policy of using their gifts to avoid any and all outsiders. As the society grew more regimented and more racially and chromatically hierarchical, many chameleon-folk felt that it was best they keep their distance. This would likely have been the end of chameleon-folk participating in Shovani life, were it not for a young woman named Anu.
Anu of the Seven Colors was an impetuous young bard and adventurer known in the tribe for two things: her habit of changing color every day, and her almost total lack of reverence for anything others regarded as sacred. Anu saw the developments in the burgeoning nation as an opportunity to nip a problem in the bud, and convinced a number of chameleon-folk to move with her to the city as the latest new tribe to join the Shovani nation.
Upon arriving and presenting themselves, Anu used a public ceremony honoring their addition to the nation to inquire of the Ukrin chieftain, named Thaumaug, which color he thought was “best.” The chieftain, a deep crimson dragonborn, said red should be the dominant color and listed his preferred hierarchy. “And since there are so many varieties of each color, so many tints and shades, what should distinguish between them?” The chief admitted he had not considered this problem, and replied that he supposed the darker shades of each color ought to be esteemed best.
Prior to this event, the dragonborn had not had significant contact with the chameleon-folk tribe, who had always kept their abilities secret to outsiders out of caution. It was thus quite shocking to the crowds when Anu replied “You mean, like this?” transforming into a deep red color that was noticeably darker than the chieftain's own color. As jaws dropped across the crowded courtyard at the very public ceremony, Anu is said to have spoken.
Anu's actual words are lost to history (1), but it is generally agreed that Anu dismantled in a matter of minutes the entire ideology behind ranking lizardfolk by colors and mocked the chieftan who had held this ideology up as a model. As he stood up in fury, some in the crowd feared Thaumaug the chieftain would kill Anu on the spot.
Suddenly, however, the ground began to tremble and what sounded like loud claps of thunder began pealing through the square, knocking everyone to their knees from the sheer force of the sound. Looking above them, the lizardfolk were amazed to see something never seen before or since: Leviathan was laughing.
The massive, mountain-sized creature that quietly led Shovani society had been hovering one of its heads over the ceremony, as was its practice when a new tribe joined the nation. The whole assembled citizenry stood on in shock as first one and then all of Leviathan’s heads began to openly laugh. The sheer size of the creature produced a sound so loud it caused minor structural damage in some parts of the city.
In Shovani history, Leviathan is known only once before to have spoken aloud, but when the earth had ceased to shake from its mirth, Leviathan spoke just one word: “True.” Leviathan made its meaning clear as its scales, which had until that time been a greenish black, began to shimmer and take on new hues. A rainbow of colors blossomed across the creature, and since that day Leviathan’s color has been a constantly shifting tableau that slowly alters over the course of days, never remaining one color for any length of time. All talk of “sorting” the Shovani on the basis of color was dismissed from that day onward, and only a tiny minority still hold to the old prejudice, and always behind closed doors.
Young Anu became the founder of the Artist caste and was the youngest of the newly established Six Heads, the council leading the country. She would go on to forge her own legend as a bard, a trickster and a leader. Over the fledgling nation's early years, she and Thaumaug the Ukrin chieftain would become rivals, and then eventually friends. A statute of Anu in one of the main plazas is regularly repainted in a multitude of colors by anyone who cares to contribute, and putting some paint on the statue of Anu is one of the most popular activities among Shovani's admittedly small tourism industry.
The event is remembered to the present day through an annual competition in comedy, music, theater and (unofficially) pranks known as the Festival of Rhymes. The festival culminates in a competition for the greatest performance whose winner is admitted to the presence of Leviathan to perform. Every young bard dreams of this opportunity, and many who have received it have done their best to make Leviathan laugh again with some rhyming scheme or joke. To this day, however, Leviathan has only ever laughed once.
The Chroma are as fiercely patriotic as any other group of Shovani lizardfolk, but they view their obligations to their society a bit differently than the average citizen. Their most distinguishing characteristic is that they try to carry on what they see as Anu’s legacy by constantly testing the boundaries of Shovani tradition and practice. Chroma artists are usually the provocateurs behind artwork and performances that cause public outrage, a dangerous business in an authoritarian state, and Chroma can be counted upon to be the most radically liberal members of the Shovani nation, constantly seeking to question and improve the practices of a country and culture in which they take fierce pride.
This is not without cost. Shovani does not acknowledge freedom of speech, and more than one artist or instigator has been arrested or in extreme cases executed as a threat to public order, but as long as they do not question the legitimacy of the government’s decisions or mock Leviathan, most artists are reasonably safe. Moreover, some sub-species of dragonborn and lizardfolk still hold a grudge over Anu’s antics, which expresses itself in prejudice against Chroma. Many merchant caste keep a close eye on any chameleon-folk who enters their shop, and many Chroma are unfairly stereotyped as thieves and rebels.
This has led some chameleon-folk to distance themselves from their fellows, signified by keeping their skin a unified, dull gray color in public places, arguing that color shifting in public is “indecent.” So far these “Shadescales” remain the minority, however, and Anu’s legacy lives on in this subculture of rebellious chameleons.
1.  One popular children's song turns the speech into a rhyme, with Anu saying: “And how dark must I be, before you do what I say? What pigment best follows Leviathan’s way? Make your choice, chieftain, and best make it soon, for to all of us Shova, you look like a maroon.” Calling someone a maroon is now a popular insult among Chroma children.