Lacerta

Overview
The Lacerta, or lizard men are an odd sort, and of highly varied type. From the snake men of the plains, to the rock Salamanders of the high mountains, the Lacerta is a blanket term used to cover all of these reptilian folk.

Lacerta societies are generally decided to be a large group of Lacerta that live in the same area, although they are normally fairly territorial, disliking other Lacerta on their land. They are capable of limited co-operation, but long term cooperation between Lacerta is generally reserved for mated pairs, or exceptional cases.

By no means is this always the case, as Salamander Lacerta live in large colonies near to open heat vents and magma veins, to harvest the heat and the creatures who feed from the mineral spouts and ash lakes in the area.

Very limber creatures, and often posessed of hard armored scales, Lacerta make excellent warriors, charging across the battlefield as elite skirmishers.

Statistics
Lizard men are often very loner, individual type creatures who are very self-sufficient. Bandit groups and mercenary companies of Lacerta however, are not uncommon. The soldier of fortune life is very beneficial to Lacerta, allowing them to provide for themselves, while giving them something to keep their blood boiling. Lacerta are generally the size of a man, although a bit slimmer, and live to be 60-75 years old.

Advantages
Depening on the type of Lacerta, some can bite to inject a potent natural venom once per day, causing unconsciousness in the victim. While some can engage a type of natural camoflauge that makes them more difficult to spot, while yet others still can shrug off lower level heat and fire magics.

Lacerta have a limited form of infrared vision, and can pick out from short distance the warmest and coldest spots in an area. This can be foiled by insulation and shielding, however.

Disadvantages
Lacerta of nearly all varieties do extremely poorly in the cold, becoming sluggish and unresponsive in the winter. Some may enter a hibernative period unless special precautions are taken.

Lacerta of all varieties

Presence in the Shatterstorms
In worlds where mammals never became the dominant species, the Lacerta run rampant, staking dominion over their whole worlds, and living in relative ease. On these patient worlds, reminiscent of primordial edens from which all live eventually flowed, the Lacerta prospered. But much like the Comets that wiped out their ancestors along the skeins of sister realities, the Shatterstorms uprooted the Lacerta, and deposited them in Fenestra. Listless and lost, these proud creatures must make their way in their new home, surrounded by unfamiliar, and strange forms of life that they could never have conceived before. Talking mammals? Unthinkable to a Lacerta.