X2: Isle of Dread; Lizardfolk, Cavemen, and Rakasta
In preparation for my upcoming 2e AD&D game, I am fleshing out the factions on the Isle of Dread. I have a series of short write ups for the individual factions of the Organized/Intelligent groups, and will post NPCs of Note at a later date.
Lizardfolk:
The lizardfolk (or the Z’llstak in the Reptilian language, aka the Sleestaks) inhabit the swamps on the south part of the island, east of the great southern lake and west of the mountains that form the east coast of the island. They live in small family groups of a dozen or so, and make their homes in flooded limestone caves or primitively constructed mud mounds. They are hunter-gatherers and do not trade or barter even among themselves. Their tool use is primitive and what they have is crudely constructed of wood, stone, or bone.
The religion of the lizardfolk is basic but similar to other lizardfolk throughout the world, hinting at a possible link to an ancient reptilian empire. They revere two primary god-like figures, an Egg-Mother representing fertility and a male figure who is a hunter and devourer. This encapsulates the dichotomy of the lizardfolk world view, calm and nurturing within their society, but savage and violent towards outsiders. Similar to their religion which is a simplified version of lizardfolk deities found in other parts of the world, they speak a devolved and primitive form of Reptilian that shares concepts and idioms with variations of the tongue spoken elsewhere.
Lizardfolk share a kinship with all animals who lay eggs, thus snakes, turtles, crocodiles and birds are considered to be like them. This is not to say those animals aren’t prey, as lizardfolk are known to eat anything including their own kind, but egg-laying creatures are sometimes kept as hunting animals or even pets. Creatures that are born live are considered alien and are only seen as prey. (This includes the few reptilian animals that are born live.) Frogs and frog-like creatures in particular are hated.
This respect to egg-laying creatures extends to dragons. While none make permanent home in the swamps the lizardfolk inhabit, there are dragons on the Isle and they are encountered from time to time. The lizardfolk consider the dragons to be avatars of the great-devourer and will offer tribute and reverence, which the dragons sometimes accept. (It is worth noting that this bond does not seem to extend from the dragons to the lizardfolk, as the dragons often treat them as they would any other prey.)
The lizardfolk do not have a written language beyond crude pictograms, however they have an oral tradition that passes down their history through the generations. They are one of the few denizens of the Isle that have some distant memory of the ancient empire of the Kopru, although it is not known if the lizardfolk have a historical connection to those creatures or if they inherited the legends from another source. Pictograms of figures similar to both the Kopru and the demon patron Demogorgon appear as a monster in lizardfolk iconography, often opposed by both the Devourer and the Egg-Mother.
Lizardfolk have few natural enemies on the Isle of Dread, as few creatures other than swamp denizens want to venture into the dens. The exception is with the Cavemen that inhabit the caves northwest of the swamp, as hunting parties from either group will sometimes encounter the other. The result of these encounters usually result in combat, as mammal-flesh and man-flesh are considered delicacies to the lizardfolk.
Cavemen:
This includes various groups of primitive human-like creatures that inhabit the caves located near the approximate center of the Isle, south of the main range of mountains that separate the northern part of the island from the southern expanse. They tend to live in family groups of between one and two dozen individuals, with the groups led by the strongest. They have no written language beyond crude pictograms and speak a primitive language that can only convey basic concepts such as “food” and “danger”.
The cavemen use primitive tools, fashioning most out of chipped stone and bone. They will use wood or bone clubs and fashion spears by sharpening stakes and using fire to harden the tips. Despite this low technology, the cavemen are adept hunters who frequently bring down big game like cave bears, smilodons, swordbeaks and even mastodons. They do so by ambushing these giant animals and driving them into prepared deadfalls, usually pits or ravines that have been lined with giant wooden stakes. They then track the wounded animal until it collapses from exhaustion, and finish it off with spears. As their prey can range many miles before collapse, these hunting groups often encounter other denizens of the Isle of Dread such as the lizardfolk and the rakasta. Cavemen tend to avoid conflict when possible, and will often abandon hunts if they encounter other groups.
Cavemen hunters are adept at reducing a kill to its component parts and transporting it back to their homes. Often all that remains of their prey are the tracks and patches of bloodstained grass. Virtually everything the cavemen use in their daily life is constructed from the animals they hunt. The cavemen do not work or carve stone, however they do pile boulders into primitive defensive walls around their homes, and will often create crude traps such as rockslides both for hunting and defense.
Though the cavemen do not speak a true language, they do sing and make guttural chants. These primitive ceremonies define much of their daily life, as almost all work is performed along with song. Individuals often hum or drone when working alone or in small groups, and larger groups use the songs to keep workers in sync with each other. While most of this singing is utilitarian, it does become performative and emotive during the few ceremonies the cavemen have. Funeral acts are an example of this, as cavemen mourn their dead and will often sing dirges as they bury them in cairns made of piled stone. Dead are usually interred with a few personal items like weapons or adornments, although it is unclear if this is evidence of a belief in the afterlife.
As their name implies, the cavemen make their home in caves however they rarely go very deep into the cavern complexes. Most of the group will live near the entrance of the cave, and if there are a few lower caves they will be used to store preserved meat and other valuables. Deeper caves will usually be burial chambers, and tunnels that go deeper are usually avoided except when the group is hiding from great danger. It is suspected that there are caves in this area that connect to other parts of the island, but these have not been explored.
Rakasta:
The rakasta (or “Cat Men”) call home the hilly plains in the central area of the southern part of the island. They are similar to but distinct from other feline humanoids found elsewhere such as tabaxi and the leonids, in that they lack a patterned fur or heavy manes. They are nomadic and live in great tents that they adorn with various carpets and tapestries. The rakasta speak and write in their own language, and worship a version of Bast. It is unknown how the rakasta came to live on the Isle of Dread, but it is theorized that they are the descendants of an ancient shipwreck that was transporting tabaxi or leonid slaves.
The rakasta have an affinity for the sabre-toothed tigers that are native to the island, and often train them as mounts. Only the mightiest of the rakasta warriors can tame the tigers, and so tiger riders are the elite caste. Rakasta males who have not tamed tigers are of a lower social level, with females being considered the lowest. The rare exception to this is a female rakasta who tames and rides a sabre-toothed tiger, who is then considered a member of the tiger rider caste. Spellcasters among the rakasta are also rare, but are usually considered outside the typical caste system and act as advisors or healers.
The hills the rakasta call home are bordered by the caves of the cavemen to the north, the jungles of the phanaton to the west, and the swamps of the lizardfolk to the east. The rakasta are not on friendly terms with any of their neighbors but rarely enter into their respective territories or pursue conflicts outside of their hills.
Rakasta culture is based primarily on a warrior mythos in which an individual is judged by his success in battle. Disagreements between individuals are usually resolved through combat (sometimes lethal), though less serious offenses may only call for a test of strength. Leadership of the group is determined by a combat trial, always among tiger riders, and generally takes the form of a crude jousting competition where the two combatants will ride close to one another and attempt to strike at each other with their war claws.
The rakasta keep their tents richly appointed with fine silk tapestries and carpets, bronze artifacts, intricate leather work, and silver and gold jewelry. Some of these treasures seem to date back hundreds of years and have a nautical theme to them (lending credence to the shipwreck theory), others have been provided to the rakasta by the aranea as payment for unknown services.