Kalari

"The only thing faster than a Kalari tax collector is how fast the bastard runs when you pull out a weapon!"
-Rogi the Bandit-King.

The Kalari (or Kalar singular) are a species of lizard-like humanoids native to the Redlands, the Golden Sands, and the Southern Steppe . They are small, standing between 2-4 feet tall and weighing between 30-60 lbs. Their scales range in color from muted yellow to red-brown, with other variants found more rarely. Kalari are renown across Ur'En for their quick wits, shrewd negotiation and cowardice. Kalari typically speak Kalash. Most Kalari live in nomadic bands called Kalari Lashes which often also functioning as merchant caravans. Lashes follow Thristlebug migrations across the plains..

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kalari are humanoid reptiles possessing 2 arms, 2 legs, and a tail. Males and females grow to similar sizes. Their scale color patterns match their habitat, giving them a small degree of camouflage in the environments of their homelands. The Lowland Kalari tend to display more red-brown while Highland Kalari tend towards a molted yellow. Occasionally, due to mutation or magical interference, other coloration have been observed.
Perhaps the most iconic feature the Kalari possess is their large neck frills. Muscles attached to the head allow the frills to be opened and closed. The fleshy membrane of the frills can change color, allowing for a range of hues and patterns. The frills can be used as a natural defense against predators, making the Kalar appear larger by opening and sometimes through displays such as rapid color shifting. The frills are also used in social displays, and incorporated into their language.

Growth Rate & Stages

Kalari typically mate at the beginning of spring. Gestation typically lasts one moon before a clutch of 3-6 eggs is laid.Kalari eggs do not require direct incubation. Instead, a Kalari mother will carry the eggs with her in a special basket. The eggs will take between one to one and a half more moons to hatch. Juvenile Kalari, called "Hatchlings" are born with their eyes open and are able to walk within minutes of hatching. Kalari children are raised communally, usually by a group of several adults who also have young.

Kalari reach adulthood quickly, reaching full maturity around 7-8 winters. A Kalar can reach a maximum age of a full century but typically dies before then.

Ecology and Habitats

Kalari call the arid desert Redlands and the desolate Southern Steppe home. They are well adapted to the scorching heat and dry wastes, able to go weeks without food or water. In cooler climates, Kalari become slugish, requiring heavy clothing or magic to survive.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kalari are facultative carnivores, meaning most of their diet consists of animal tissue, but also sometimes includes plants. The primary source of food for Kalari is the Thristlebug, which makes up a majority of its diet. Kalari follow the insect's migrations across many miles, often in parched, scorching conditions. A Kalar's diet will occasionally include certain flowers and cacti, especially when thristlebugs are scarce. Outside of their homeland, Kalari can survive on native insects, rodents and other small animals, as well as certain plants and fungi.

Kalari who have abstained from eating the rare flowers of the native regions have been observed to lose the ability to change their frill's color.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Kalari rely mostly on their sight. Their vision is average, however, they have a limited ability to see in the dark. kalari have external ears, giving them the ability to hear, albeit not particularly well. They lack the ability to smell through their nose, instead relying on tasting the air with their tongues like many lizards and snakes. using this, they can track food and water sources across the vast deserts of their home.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Kalari names are given at the time of hatching. Both male and female Kalari names typically posses two syllables. Like much of Kalash, names feature both a verbal and bodily component, often accompanied by frill color changes. Lashes are named for features they identify with, such as wind, sun or singing. Lash names are given as part of a full name, along with an official title. These titles are self selected and typically reflect the duty the Kalar is most proud of. Sample full names include:
• Tir-git, Dew-collector of the Spirit Lash
• Pur-Mien, Storyteller of the River Lash
• Gnar-Ik, Bug-Sniffer of the Spear Lash

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Kalari learn to speak Kalash. They will sometimes learn the spoken language of other regions.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Kalari culture revolves around their nomadic lifestyle. Their religion, customs and practices are inseparable from their wanderings. As a people always on the move, most of Kalari culture is highly mobile. Kalari tend not to build permanent structures, preferring to live in tents. Kalari prize oral traditions, such as singing and storytelling. Their art is similarly mobile such as animal-skin canvas paintings and woven tapestries. The sun plays a large part in both their religion and their iconography, as does the wind, stars and other features of their life on the move.

A number of Kalari have abandoned the nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors in favor of settling in other lands. These Kalari have integrated into cities all over Ur'En. Many become skilled artisans, such as craftsmen and scribes. Some number of unfortunate Kalari are enslaved, These poor souls typically live short, brutal lives as Kalari seem to adapt poorly to lives of hard labor.

Common Taboos

There is a very strong prohibition in Kalari society against the eating of any kind of eggs.

History

The Kalari posses no written records of their history. Instead, oral traditions are handed down from one storyteller to the next. It is difficult to separate Kalari legend from reality, with many of their stories featuring allegory and fable. What is told is that Kalari have been wandering the Redlands' wastes for as far back as their oral history goes.

The Kalari have resisted subjugation and enslavement mostly due to their inhospitable habitat. With many dangers and few natural resources, both  the Redlands and the Southern Steppe have remained an unappealing target for conquest. Raiders and slavers occasionally make off with Kalari captives but large scale invasion has been rare.

Over the last several centuries, the Kalari have begun to spread from their homeland. Many Lashes have become Brohnx pulled merchant caravans, taking up the dangerous task of transporting goods, not only in the Redlands but abroad. This degree of travel means that many Kalari see far-flung places. Most cities have seen a Kalari caravan before, although many treat these outsiders with suspicion. Some Kalari even settle to live outside their ancestral lands and there are large Kalari populations in Des'Alom and Druj.

Lifespan

40-60 years.

Average Height

2-4 feet.

Average Weight

30-60 lbs.

Related Ethnicities

• Highland Kalari
• Lowland Kalari