| The Reptus | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifespan: | Lizardkind: | 145-150 years | |
| Serpentkind: | 190-200 years | ||
| Tortoise: | 45-50 years | ||
| Varanus: | 97-102 years | ||
| Maturity: | Lizardkind: | 35 years | |
| Serpentkind: | 45 years | ||
| Tortoise: | 5 years | ||
| Varanus: | 20 years | ||
| Gestation | Lizardkind: | 200 days | |
| Serpentkind: | 1 year | ||
| Tortoise: | 50 days | ||
| Varanus: | 100 days | ||
| Deity: | Naga | ||
| Homeland: | Serpent's Ocean - Broken Isles | ||
| Population: | Lizardkind: | 5,400 | |
| Serpentkind: | 4,600 | ||
| Tortoise: | 800 | ||
| Varanus: | 2,200 | ||
Reptus are a race of anthropomorphic reptiles. Unlike many of the other Aesiran races, the Reptus race is made up of several different species. The races cannot interbreed, but are all bound together in the collective Reptus race. Generally, all Reptus species have dry, scaled skin, and solid bones. Females of the various species tend to look very similar to the males, though often smaller and slimmer in build.
Tortoise[]
The most basic of the Reptus, tortoises are the workhorses of the race. They have an incredibly sturdy build, and their backs have a solid, thick shell as well. They are incredibly strong, but have almost no intelligence; they're sentient, but they don't have much more than that. Standing up, they would be well over seven feet tall, but their heavy shell and their natural build force them to move around on all fours. On average, they weigh upward of three hundred pounds. Tortoises lay eggs, but usually lay only two or three a set. There is only one breed of tortoises.
Varanus[]
Varanus are the second lowest Reptus caste. There are two species in the Varanus caste, crocodiles and dragons. They are almost as strong as the turtles, but are also more intelligent as well; they aren't geniuses by any standard, but they can do more than basic labor. Of the two, the dragons are the more intelligent. They both have a bipedal build, with incredibly muscular frames and thick, scaled skin. Crocodiles have very long jaws, while dragons have short, blunt muzzles, and both have thick tails that drag on the ground. Their coloration generally tends to the darker ranges of green, though a dusky brown is not unheard of. They stand at over six and a half feet tall, and due to their solid build, weigh more than two hundred pounds on average. Both species lay eggs, often averaging three or four per set.
Serpentkind[]
Snakes are one of the most well-known of the Reptus species. They have the same anthropomorphic torso as the other species, but in place of legs, they have long, flexible, muscular tails. Because of this, height is not an issue; they can "stand" as high as they want on their coils, or slink as low as their more-solid torso will allow. Unlike the two lower species, snakes are incredibly cunning and intelligent. Their senses are also far more acute, with both their keen eyesight and their tongue-assisted sense of smell.
Also unlike the two lower races, there are many different sub-species that make up the Serpentkind race; while they all share the above details, things like color, size, strength, and other similar details are all based on their particular species. Despite this, though, their internal structures are very similar, including the reproductive system. While the two lower castes lay eggs, Serpentkind give live birth.
Lizardkind[]
Like with the Serpentkind, the lizards come in a whole variety of species. The lizards are by far the smallest of the Reptus races; even the tallest rarely come up to shoulder-height on a crocodile. They're far from the strongest set, but they're also among the most intelligent, right up there with the serpents. Their skin, while scaled, is much more decorative than that of the crocodiles or tortoises, and not nearly as tough. Their limbs are less muscled and more delicate, better-suited to smaller, finer tasks.
As with the Serpentkind, Lizardkind internal structures are standard, even though their external appearance are not. They give live birth as well.
History[]
(Work in progress...)
The creation of the Reptus was entirely accidental, and can be attributed more to Tarrea than their patron god, Naga. When the protector goddess decided to strike Naga down, fragments of the serpent god's body fell to Aesira, upon the region of swamp-ridden land known as the Broken Isles. His silver tongue slithered forth and became the first Serpentkind. His eye fell and broke open, and from it sprouted the first Lizardkind. Large scales, strong and heavy, rose up as the tank-bodied Tortoises. And his teeth and claws fell, planting themselves into the ground, their venom seeping into the earth and giving rise to the vicious Varanus.
As their history tells it, it was the Lizardkind who acted first; his keen mind knew how to best use the other three to build them shelter, bring them food and protect them from the forces of nature. And so he directed them, and they built, and they thrived, while he in turn simply sat, directed, and reaped the benefits of the others' work. Little changed for the duration of their time on the isles; their numbers swelled, their society formed a solid foundation, and soon a city formed. At the highest seat of this civilization, the Lizardkind remained, their position assured by their nvolvement in the races' beginnings.
Lands[]
The Reptus are isolated and live exclusively upon the Broken Isles, an island chain off the western coast of Menes.