Lizardmen (Warhammer)
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The Lizardmen are fictional reptilian humanoids from the Warhammer Fantasy setting. The term covers a range of different creatures who inhabit the continent of Lustria, and the Southlands, which are roughly analogous to South America and Africa respectively.
The Lizardmen were created by godlike figures known as the "Old Ones". The purpose of the Lizardmen is to carry out the plans of the Old Ones and to oppose their masters' antithesis - Chaos.
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[edit] Conceptual Development
In earlier versions of the setting (up to and including the 3rd edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle and the 1st edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay) there was a separate Slann army based in Lustria. The creators of the Warhammer world were called the "Old Slann" or "Old Ones" interchangably, these were the ancestors of the current Slann, froglike creatures who ruled Lustria in a great empire with an Inca/Aztec feel whose fallen empire left behind a legacy of high-tech/magical items called Power Weapons, made of a mysterious black substance. The idea of ancient alien presence on earth resembles many of the ideas of Erich von Däniken.
In the third edtion the warrior slann were separated into various totem warrior groups eg "Jaguar" and "Alligator" wearing the skins of their totem animals. Slann warriors rode Cold Ones into battle (as did Dark Elves) - a role taken by the saurus in the current Lizardmen army.
Lizardmen were an entirely separate race who inhabited the deep caverns underneath Goblin lairs and Dwarf strongholds. No explanation was given how a cold-bloodied creatures such as bipedal lizards existed underground out of sunlight.
In later versions the Slann had conquered the civilisation of another non-mammalian race, the "lizardmen" which resemble the Saurus of the Lizardmen army and their were giant bipedal lizard creatures in their service called "Troglodytes" which in appearance and description resemble the later Kroxigor.
[edit] History of the Lizardmen
The history of the Lizardmen began before the Old Ones arrived at the warhammer world; some of the Slann travelled among the stars with their godlike masters. When the Old Ones arrived on the warhammer world, they settled in Lustria where they used the amphibious creatures already living there as bases for races that would serve the Slann. Out of this the first spawnings of Saurus, Kroxigors, and Skinks were formed. During this time, the Slann spawned on the earth as the world was being shaped to how the Old Ones wanted it to be shaped. Armies of Saurus destroyed unwanted races as the Old Ones created the races of High Elves, Dwarfs, and Men. Later, in the coming of Chaos, the Old Ones left the world as armies of Daemons invaded the world. Every race formed by the Old Ones fought against the threat of Chaos, including the great armies of the Lizardmen which consisted of millions of Saurus. However, it was because of the mages of the High Elves (with the help from the Slann) that the Daemons could be defeated. After the wars, the Slann immediately put up defences to keep the threat of Chaos at bay. Eventually, the Lizardmen become isolated, and the younger races (except for the Elves) forgot about them and the Old Ones. About 3,000 years after the great war on Chaos, the Skaven of Clan Pestilens invaded Lustria, marking the start of a thousand year war that ended with the Serpent God Sotek destroying almost all of the Skaven on Lustria. Dark Elves make raids on Lustria as does the Vampire Luthor Harkon of the Vampire Coast who wages war against the Slann. Eventually, Lustria is "discovered" by the Tilean merchant Marco Columbo of the Old World who witnessed the defeat of a Dark Elf raid on Tlaxtlan.
[edit] Species
Each sub-species of Lizardman was bred for a particular role in the Old Ones' plan, with their particular racial traits chosen and adapted for to ensure a smooth, functional and organized society.
[edit] The Slann
The magic-wielding Slann priests act as the mouthpiece of the Old Ones, and are the rulers of Lizardman society. These bloated, ancient creatures resemble giant frogs and are extremely adept at using magic, though their bodies are frail and weak. Powerfully telepathic, the Slann race shares the task of carrying out the Old Ones' final plan and direct their considerable mental and magical energies towards it.
The Slann, under the direction of the Old Ones separated the continents and changed the orbit of the world to be closer to the sun, thus heating it and helping to bring forth the other races. When the Old Ones vanished from the world, during the coming of Chaos, much of the Slann's knowledge and wisdom was lost forever, recalled only by the oldest among them.
There were five generations of Slann spawned by the Old Ones, though their powers have been much diminished with extreme age. There are no Slann of the first generation alive today, but even their mummified remains are still powerful enough to aid the other Slann in battle. Particularly the body of the Venerable Lord Kroak, who was among the most powerful Slann of the first generation, is still brought forth in battle when great danger arises for Lizardman race. Even the most junior Slann rank among the most powerful magic users in the Warhammer world - by comparison, the powers wielded by the elder Slann are unimaginably more powerful. Lord Kroak is able to destroy entire cities with a single gaze. Taking into account that his power is only a shadow of what it was, it can be safely assumed that Kroak could have very well wielded the power to destroy an entire continent, should he chose to do so.
Notable Slann: Venerable Lord Kroak, Lord Mazdamundi (literally "light of the world" from Mazda and Latin: "Mundi"
[edit] The Saurus
The Saurus were bred by the Old Ones' in response to the physical frailty of the Slann, and the subsequent requirement for a strong and numerous warrior breed to protect them for the more numerous Younger Races. It is unknown when exactly, or how, the Saurus were conceived, but it is believed they were adapted from the native lizard species of Lustria and their sturdy construction is a testament to such an heritage.
Standing slightly taller than a man, the slow-minded and brutish Saurus are the backbone of the Lizardman societies armies. Exceptionally strong, and covered in a thick, horny scales, the Saurus are brutal and savage foot-soldiers, with a formidable ability to both take and deal damage. However, they are confined to using only hand-to-hand weapons, as their primitive brains have proven largely incapable of mastering more complicated tools, like bows.
Saurus live for thousands of years - and it is unknown for one to die of old age - if they are not killed in combat, and never cease growing, becoming larger and tougher as the centuries elapse. Many of the heroes and leaders of the Saurus have risen to prominence by being essentially unkillable in combat.
There are several roles a Saurus can be spawned to accomplish:
- Saurus warriors: They are the backbone of the Lizardman army, savage warriors that can sometimes emerge blessed by a particular Old One, and become unit champions.
- Temple Guards: They are the elite, either spawned to defend the temples of the Slann or Saurus warriors who have proved themselves in battle. They guard the Slann both in peacetime and in the heat of battle. They wear the distinctive skulls of young Stegadons they have slain into battle as helmets and are also armed with a halberd. Unlike normal Saurus, the Temple Guard are allowed to wear ceremonial armour, hewn from precious gems and metal.
- Cold One Riders: Spawned to ride Cold Ones into battle, they display an unusually large crest and excrete an odd smelling musk due to their sacred spawning of Itzl (one of the Old Ones) which calms the Cold Ones native blood-lust and allows them to be mounted.
As mentioned before, Saurus are all capable of being spawned with the blessing of one of the Old Ones. These few privliged Saurus are physically different from the norm, being stronger, faster, having more ability, or any combination of two or three. There are also an even rarer breed of Blessed Spawnings: the Mark of the Old One. These Albino Saurus are seen as prophets, chosen by the Old Ones for their grand scheme.
Notable Saurus: Kroq-Gar Kroq-Gar is an ancient Saurus, possibly among the first spawned, as he was alive and active in the first major conflict between the Lizardmen and the forces of Chaos.
[edit] The Skinks
Skinks are the artisans of the Lizardmen. Gregarious and talkative, they do jobs like metalworking and temple organization in addition to being the personal adjutants of the Slann. Some Skinks can use magic, though not so effectively as their ancient masters. In times of war, the skinks take up weapons such as blowpipes and javelins and march to battle with their warrior cousins, lead by stronger Skink Chiefs.
There is also a sub-species of skinks, the chameleon skinks. They are slightly more aggressive creatures, and resemble Chameleons in the way they have bulging eyes that can look independently. They can also change skin color to blend in with their surroundings, and are patient hunters, sitting unmoving for hours waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Notable Skink: Tehenhauin the Prophet of Sotek, Tichi-Huichi
[edit] The Kroxigor
Kroxigor are heavy labourers in Lizardman cities, and can also be used to terrible effect in battle. Cousins of the Saurus, they are large, but fairly simple-minded, with their gigantic weapons typically chained to their wrists to keep them from dropping them during battle, due to their natural instinct to use their razor sharp claws and teeth.
In earlier editions of Warhammer, Kroxigors were able to join ranks with a unit of skinks, increasing the ferocity of the regiment while swinging their great weapons above the heads of their smaller kin, but as of the sixth edition of Warhammer Kroxigors are unable to form units with skinks, although they can charge through them to reach their enemies.
Notable Kroxigors: Nakai the Wanderer. Nakai is an albino Kroxigor with unusually thick skin, even for a Kroxigor. In the siege of one of the temple cities, Nakai held off five legions of daemons by himself until the arrival of reinforcements. He disappeared after the battle and was believed dead, but has reappeared numerous times since then, often arriving at a temple-city shortly before it is attacked. Unofficial material released by GW implies that he may actually be an avatar of Quetzl.
[edit] Beasts of War
The reptiles and dinosaurs that inhabit the jungles surrounding the ancient temples of the Old Ones are captured (usually collected as eggs), and are trained by skinks as beasts of burden or ferocious creatures ridden or prodded into battle. Such creatures are:
- Salamanders
- Lizards that can spray a burning, corrosive acid, they are used as living war machines, but are highly temperamental, and are known to eat their handlers on occasion. Tactically, their ability shoot on the move without penalty and good fighting characteristics lead many Lizardman generals to deploy them in the front line so they can fire while supporting advancing troops.
- Carnosaurs
- Large dinosaurs which are ridden by Saurus lords, they resemble a Tyrannosaurus rex. They are the dominant predator in the dense, harsh, jungles of Lustria.
- The stegadon is a large dinosaur used with a howdah fitted on its back. The howdah is either used as a carriage for a leader or, more often, fitted out with a massive crossbow similar to a "bolt thrower". The skink crew can also throw javelins from the howdah at the enemy. In appearance stegadons have features common to many herbivorous dinosaurs; tt resembles a Triceratops, but has horns along its neck frill like a Styracosaurus and its tail has a thagomizer on the end, like a Stegosaurus. They are vicious omnivores who will eat everything in their way, from tree trunks to Skinks that stand too close and a fight between two Stegadon is usually to the death, the winner eating the loser. The skulls of young stegadon are used to make ceremonial helms for the Temple Guards.
- Stegadons often function as flankers in Lizardman battle plans, where their high speed and substantial combat abilities allow them to defeat most enemy flanking units and threaten the center. Some generals alternately deploy them in the center, using their high-impact charge to support the main regiments.
- Cold Ones
- Thick-skinned, vicious, but stupid animals, they are used by both Saurus and Dark Elves as mounts. The Cold Ones also separate into two species, although the only difference is cosmetic(Lustria Cold Ones are more raptor shaped, with a head resembling a Saurus head). Saurus riders often have better luck riding Cold Ones as they are bred for the job.
- Horned Ones
- Cousins to the cold ones who are swifter, smarter and not as strong. They are found in the southlands and are ridden by skinks not saurus.
- Terradons
- Based on the pterodactyl, they are a tree canopy-dwelling species ridden into battle by Skinks. They are used for hit-and-run tactics, and the Skinks on top can hurl javelins down at those below.
[edit] Trivia
Many of the Lizardmen special characters ride Dinosaurs into battle. In a nod to the Transformers, each of their rides is named after one of the Dinobots, albeit with an Aztec-inspired respelling. The most obvious being Kroq-Gar's Carnosaur steed, Grimloq.
The Lizardmen are also in the Warhammer 40,000 universe; known as the Loaxatl. They have yet to make a major appearance and are rarely used.
The Old Ones also make an appearance in the Warhammer 40000 background; they are described as the original creators of all civilised races there also. The Slann are given an illustration in the 4th edition rulebook as well, wielding some form of Flamethrower
In 3rd edition of Warhammer Fantasy, the Slann were their own army with little mention of other lizardmen. Some old models may still be found on websites such as ebay
[edit] The Blessed Spawnings
On some rare occasions some skinks or saurus are spawned under the influence of one of the Old Ones.
- Tzunki: Tzunki is associated with water and the spawned under his influence may have sea green coloured skin and have gills and webbed hands.
- Sotek: Although the Great serpent Sotek isn't an Old One, he is in fact the only true lizardmen "God" in the conventional sense (a being created by the sub-consience of those who beleve in him) , skinks and saurus are still spawned under his influence. Those who are can be very furious fighters and have red skin, scales or crests.
- Quetzl: Those who are spawned under the warrior and protecter have more bony crests and they are hardier than others.
- Tlazcotl: Those skinks who have yellow crests or scales are blessed by Tlazcotl. Those who are, are just impassive as he is.
- Chotec: Those who are blessed by the solar one have an uncommon amount of energy that makes them keep going while other cold-blooded creatures would stop. They also have a fiery orange hue to their bodies.
- Haunchi: The jaguar one of the earth and night passes on the ability to pass through the thickest growth with ease.
- Tepok: Those who are blessed by the winged serpent have purple coloring and high resistance to magic.
- Itzl: Itzl's spawning is recognized by a large bony crest and they produce a musk that calm's Cold ones.
- Xhotl: Those ones who are watched over by Xhotl have a magic field protecting them that also strikes all those who harm the marked warrior.
- Blessed mark of the Old Ones: The rarest of all spawnings it is recognised by white or albino colouring. The are highly respected, for their fate must be important.
[edit] References
- Warhammer Armies Nigel Stillman and Friends, Games Workshop
[edit] External links
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| Major Games: | Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warmaster, Mordheim, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Man O' War, Warhammer Ancient Battles |
| Nations and races: | Bretonnia, Chaos, Chaos Dwarfs, Dark Elves, Dogs of War, Dwarfs, The Empire, High Elves, Kislev, Lizardmen, Ogres, Orcs & Goblins, Skaven, Undead (Tomb Kings & Vampire Counts), Wood Elves |
| Places: | The Old World, Araby, Cathay, Lustria, Ulthuan, Southlands, Naggaroth, Dark Lands, Albion, |
| People: | List of major characters |
| More: | List of creatures in Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer Fantasy deities, Lores of Magic |
