Acknowledge lizard variety #39
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EOBGames
requested changes
Jul 22, 2023
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| Tizira is notably more arid than Earth, with small, shallow seas and less arable land. In addition, the planet has a diminished ozone layer, leading to higher-than-average levels of solar radiation reaching the planet's surface. As cold blooded creatures, the lizards thrive in this environment, with major cities being built close to the coastlines and smaller settlements spread across the wide drylands and deserts. | ||
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| Lizard society emphasises strict militarism and a rigid caste system. The caste system limits social mobility, separating society into distinct bands- however, as with many things in lizard society, enlistment in the military can change this. The military is intertwined deeply into lizard culture- all must serve a tour of mandatory service in the army after coming of age, it is customary for every citizen to be armed (typically with a blade, but into the modern era firearms have become commonplace), and the sight of a soldier on every street corner is not only typical but expected. Advancing in the military heirarchy is one of the few ways a low caste lizard might hope to raise his social standing. | ||
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| Biologically, lizardfolk are not very dissimiliar to now mostly extinct, earth-born and non-sentient reptiles, based on which they were named by human explorers. Most apparent shared features include cold blood, scales covering the skin, claws, and extruded jaw allowing them to easier dig in into food where upon they pre-emptively digest it more thoroughly. In most natural state, their legs are digitigrade, specialized for running after prey on open fields in the wastes and stabilized by a tail when it comes to walking or standing in place. Their scale colours range through different saturations of green, presumably to stand more clashing with the desert and appear more dangerous. | ||
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| However, they are also one of the most mutable species in the galaxy. Human xenologists counted several 'genotypes', often natively refferenced as 'bloodlines'. Even on their home planet one can be met with unquantifiable varieties of horns and body markings, mostly present in noble families, which are entirely superficial beyond aesthetic standpoint. Similiarly, though more commonly off homeworld, there's an emergence of aesthetic spinal protrusions, fins, and unnatural vivid colorations. Most extreme cases of this rapid diversification can be found in lizards integrated with human society, who's whole bone structure of legs re-adjusted in merely a couple of generations to better resemble their plantigrade compatriots and suit life in space. |
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While I like the concept of lizards being genetically very diverse (alluded to in notes about the tree lizards in the Tizira section), I feel this is a pretty odd explanation for plantigrade lizards. Would much prefer a more mundane reason, perhaps surgical, instead of trying to make them an evolutionary superspecies.
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| # The Lizards | |||
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| ### A Basic Rundown | |||
| Lizardpeople originally hail from Tizira, in the Rizkalon system, though throughout their four centuries in the stars prior to meeting humanity they have spread over several planets and systems. This outward expansion was hindered by a lack of plasma and bluespace resources in their local sector, stunting their technological advancement and therefore their development (and rollout) of effective FTL engines, with many vessels within the navy not having been fitted with them prior to First Contact. Their technological level remains below that of their human rivals, aggravated by a limited transfer of ideas between the two species. | |||
| Lizardpeople originally hail from Tizira, in the Rizkalon system, though throughout their four centuries in the stars prior to meeting humanity they have spread over several planets and systems. This outward expansion was hindered by a lack of plasma and bluespace resources in their local sector, stunting their technological advancement and therefore their development (and rollout) of effective FTL engines, with many vessels within the navy not having been fitted with them prior to First Contact. Their technological level remains generaly below that of their human rivals, aggravated by a limited transfer of ideas between the two species, and lack of resources. Where capable, however, especially during the wars, lizards have shown great technological ambition and potential, securing some xenophilic backers. As it stands the only technologically competetive fields between the two civilizations are gene-enhancements, jumpstarted by lizard's flexible genetics, and spaceship construction, prompted by insufferable losses recieved due to its neglect. | |||
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I feel this doesn't quite work, but not really in a way that's your fault- I've wanted to come back to this for a while and characterise the lizards not as technologically inferior, but materially inferior. While they have less advanced technology, they're not like, massively far behind humans- what they have trouble with is putting their advancements into practice due to limited access to materials. For this reason, I feel this could do with more workshopping, as otherwise it's just going to be selling the lizards and their civilisation short.
Additionally, the xenophilic backers line doesn't make much sense- the Tiziran government would sooner suffer defeat after defeat than take advice or funding from the "inferior species" of the galaxy. Individual Tiziran corps might be more amenable, but as a species they're not likely to be getting much attention from backers.
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Expansion on lizards lore, showing them in bit of a better light, and sort-of explaining why are the lizards so different from one another.