Page 48 - Serpent Kingdoms

LIZARDS

Trens seldom choose to become clerics, since they gener- Though trens have the same instinctual lust for steel, the
ally prefer combat-oriented roles. Thus, in purely tren tribes, only items they keep are steel greatswords. The rest they happily
clerics are considered valuable and irreplaceable. For that turn over to the troglodytes.
reason, tren clerics are kept from combat most of the time
and given less dangerous duties, such as guarding the eggs and Lizard Race
preparing food. Because of the limited role they are allowed
to play in tren settlements, they tend to advance more slowly Encounters
than the warriors. Thus, they can provide less healing for the
wounded combatants returning from a battle than the clerics Player characters can encounter members of the lizard races
of a troglodyte tribe. individually or in groups almost anywhere, often sup-
Other than feasting, the deity requires little ported by small groups of followers.
from his worshipers. Unlike many of the evil Most settlements are found in
deities, Laogzed does not require sacrifi ces, remote locations, though some can
although he does not reject them either. Troglo- be surprisingly close to humanoid
dytes believe that every time they eat, they communities.
are sending the consumed food to Laogzed,
who enjoys it again. By this dogma, the Ready-to-Use
very act of eating is a religious ritual.
Laogzed grants them spells in return Villains
for their worship and the constant and Allies
feasts they provide for him.
Trens that are on their own The lizard races often pursue prestige
Illustration by Jim Pavelec feel no compulsion to worship individually.
classes of various kinds, particularly
tend to be godless. They may
those that enhance their combat ability.
know of Laogzed, but they
The following fi renewt character can be
woven into adventures or encountered
him. Trens under the control
of the yuan-ti give their wor-
ship to whichever deity their
CHASSAN
masters require.
Chassan is the leader of the Ack’ta tribe of
Relations fi renewts in the Peaks of Flame. During the
Time of Troubles, Chassan served as Kossuth’s
with Other Races avatar. The Flamelord’s divine essence was too
much for his mortal form, and all that was left of the
As evil as their progenitors, troglodytes and trens attack Chassan, the
fi renewt after the god’s departure was a blackened husk.
any creature entering their territory, and they often raid firenewt death After Kossuth returned to the Elemental Plane of Fire,
settlements of other nearby creatures without provoca- knight
however, he transformed the charred remains of Chassan
tion, either to gain supplies or out of pure aggression. Troglodytes
into a deathfl ame. (The deathfl ame template is the same as the
don’t question their leaders’ motives when ordered to attack their
death knight template, except that it can be applied to monstrous
neighbors, they simply do as they are commanded.
humanoids.) Now Chassan is the overlord of his tribe, but by
Kossuth’s decree, the clerics are also answerable to him.
Troglodyte and Tren Following his transformation into a deathfl ame, Chassan
Equipment called for a war against the other nearby tribes inhabiting the
Peaks of Flame. While war is not uncommon between tribes
Troglodytes are obsessed with steel. Since they lack the technical of fi renewts, Chassan easily conquered all the tribes within a
understanding necessary to forge weapons, they often mount 100-mile radius by following a series of complex battle plans
expeditions to pillage steel armor and weapons from various Un- laid out by Kossuth himself. Rather than putting the conquered
derdark ruins. They also gain steel from raiding neighbors who fi renewts to the sword, as was customary, Chassan instead gave
do have the technology to forge steel. Steel weapons and armor them a choice—join his tribe or die. Three-quarters of the con-
gained from such expeditions are given to the most powerful quered fi renewts chose to join, expanding his tribe signifi cantly.
warriors fi rst, so the less-accomplished members of a tribe are Now Chassan is making plans to march to Mezro and conquer
the last to get good-quality gear. it in Kossuth’s name.

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