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{{Info races
{{Info Lineage
|image = 645px-Fullfemaleslizz22.png
|name = Slizzar
|pronunciation = Slizz-ahr
|test = Ajneya (in Zoram)
|classification = [[Gorr]]
|test2 = [[File:Slizzarflag.png|80px]]  
|subraces = None
|test3 = '''Motto:''' "Without balance, a World undone."
|nicknames = Snake People, Shapeshifters, Puppeteers
|image = Remakeslizzarsplash.png
|languages = [[Zasta]], and whatever [[Language]] they pick up in the societies they emulate
|state = Sarakand
|naming = Dependent on whatever society they are in, yet often contains many L’s, S’s and Z’s. Many Slizzar abandon their real name and only reveal this to those they really trust.
|ruler = The Duarchy
 
|suzerain = None
|distinction = Highly intelligent snake-like shapeshifters
|languages = [[Zoram]], Common
|maxage = 180 years
|religion = [[Draconism]]
|height = 5’ - 6’
|first_recorded = Pre-Allorn
|weight = 100 - 160 lbs in their natural state
|demonym = Slizzar
|eye = Varying purple in natural forms, everything else in 4th form.
|hair = Varying colors in natural forms, everything else in 4th form.
|skin = Any and all colors, usually one dominant and one sub-dominant color with varying patterns or none in different colors.
|}}
|}}
Hailing from the forbidden city of [[Sassrakkand]] come the Slizzar, a very rare and highly politically distinguished [[Race]] of shapeshifting infiltrators. Millions of people around the world live their entire lives without ever seeing a Slizzar, and yet the actions of Slizzar reverberate through history, sometimes right under the noses of historians who are missing the right clues to zone in on the true puppeteers of the strings of history. Slizzar remain one of the most fascinating, yet reviled Races all over the world, because of their ability to seamlessly merge into existing societies and hierarchies, and start working their way up fairly quickly and efficiently. They are known to play games of life and death over politics with others to such a high degree that accusing a successful and quickly rising politician as being a shapeshifter has almost become common practice, even in the [[Regalian Empire]]. Slizzar are inherently solitary, avoiding a communal existence like the other Races, yet where their cooperation does occur, it is done with surgical precision and respectful observance of the balance of power. In fact, the Slizzar are so obsessed with creating a balance of power between them all that any country, or society, can become an entirely unwitting plaything of a Slizzar using the locals as chess pieces in idle entertainment. It is as such no surprise that Slizzar are called master manipulators and schemers, and that their reputation always precedes them.
Perhaps the oldest kin to have continuously existed on [[Aloria]], the Slizzar are serpent-alien-like shapeshifters that are rarely seen in their natural form, mingling with other societies for both benign and nefarious purposes. The Slizzar have been around since before [[Cataclysm]], as far back as the [[Seraph]] Civilization era, when their creation was judged a crime against the laws of creation between the [[Dragon]]s, causing their creator and patron God Nox to be banished. The Slizzar still continue his vision for the world, a people with unique skills and abilities that secretly and subtly guide events and history to their designs, for the betterment and benefit of the continued existence of all. While this mission may sound inherently benign, Slizzar are masters of infiltration and manipulation due to their shapeshifting powers, always leaving those who were put out of play to wonder: did they just face a shapeshifter? Was the last person I spoke to secretly someone else? All valid questions are raised when paranoia strikes, in the wake of the plots and machinations of these enigmatic and secretive people.  
 
==Physical & Mental Characteristics==
[[File:Slizzareyes.png|260px|thumb|right|The eye colors of three Slizzar Forms, from natural at the top, Mobile in the middle, and Mimic at the bottom. Every male and female has these same eye colors.]]
[[File:645px-Fullfemaleslizz22.png|260px|thumb|right|A Natural Form Slizzar. There is no distinguishable difference between a female or male Slizzar in their natural form.]]
===Slizzar Forms===
All Slizzar have three distinct forms that they can exist in, and a more malleable fourth form that has given them their shape shifting nickname. Each form has a very different appearance, so each different form will be compared in relation to each other.
====Natural Form====
In their Natural Form, the way they are born (from a union between two Slizzar, who carry a child and give birth after 12 months of gestation) the Slizzar appear most snake-like. They have no legs, instead their lower body is that of a snake, while their upper body has a humanoid torso, humanoid arms, and a snake head with tendrils that resemble hair, but coil and slither around as if they are snakes without heads. Their skin consists of scales that can be of any color, with any pattern, though most Slizzar have one dominant outer color and a softer inner color, with variance for stripes and other patterns in a tertiary color. This skin feels very smooth to the touch, and does not molt, unlike other snake-like creatures. The snake tail makes Natural Form Slizzar fairly slow on land, only capable of moving at walking speed, or slightly above that. In water however, they are able to swim faster than most non-aquatic Races. This tail is the length of their humanoid legs, plus half the length of those legs.
 
The head of a "natural form" Slizzar consists of an elongated face with exposed nostrils rather than a nose of cartilage and flesh, and a massive, hinged mouth that can open both vertically along the lips as well as vertically along the center of the chin. Slizzar don’t need to open their mouth to be audible while speaking. In fact, while their forked tongue might habitually flick out from time to time, it's rare to see them with an open mouth. The forked tongue is not actually functional like it would be in normal snakes, but rather is part of a Slizzar’s elaborate body language and provocation towards another Slizzar, using a tongue slipping in and out to proverbially challenge them. Underwater, Slizzar have a breathing capacity that is able to filter small amounts of oxygen from the water, though it does not make them aquatic. Essentially, Slizzar can take small amount of oxygen from water, but not in a good enough degree that it would sustain them forever, essentially causing them to drown extremely slowly. They can stay underwater for 3 days before properly drowning as such. Slizzar heads have hard skull extensions stretching from their cheekbones and forehead to cover parts of their "hair" which can often be seen or interpreted to be like a crown. They appear like ears as well on the sides of the head, though don’t actually function as them since Slizzar ears are smaller orifices elsewhere.
 
Slizzar don’t visibly age, neither in their natural state or any of their other Shifted Shapes. They grow from an infant to an adult, and then much like the Altalar, simply show no signs of aging even when they perish from old age, though this does not mean that Slizzar cannot look older than they actually are in shifted forms. Slizzar almost entirely lack sexual dimorphism in their natural forms, meaning that gender is indiscernible unless they shape shift. Slizzar have two shape shifted stages which are explained below. Shifting between forms takes less than three seconds, is painless, and can be done multiple times a day. The Slizzar does not gain or lose [[Physical Stat]] while changing into the first form, and it sticks to their natural [[Body Shape]].
 
====Mobile Form====
[[File:615px-Semishifted2.png|260px|thumb|right|A Mobile Form female Slizzar]]
The Mobile Form of the Slizzar is the second shifted form, which is theorized to have been a hunting or quick movement adaptation of their natural body, which is rather slow on land. In the mobile form, the first noticeable difference is that the snake tail has been replaced by two legs and a tail, which are all roughly the same length and width, though the tail is a bit longer so it drags on the floor. The other main noticeable difference is that the head is shaped more like that of an [[Ailor]] or [[Nelfin]] with more [[Human]]-like distinguishable features, essentially appearing as a hybrid. Furthermore, while in the Mobile Form, the Race starts taking on more conventional gender-based body shapes, like female curves and male broadness. Facially, the Slizzar’s hinged jaw remains, though it takes on a far more humanoid shape. A small nose is formed, and ears form by the sides, while the cranial crown decreases in size. Their “hair” remains tentacles-like in structure, but behaves more like real hair, losing its limited movement capabilities and hanging more naturally. Their eyes become much smaller, while a bone chin protrusion becomes larger, and their forehead gains a pattern of floral-pattern like formations. While their mouth remains closed, the Mobile Form could easily be mistaken for a Kathar from a distance. While in the Mobile Form, the Slizzar lose their aquatic speed, but become almost just as agile as a [[Varran]], certainly being much more flexible and acrobatic than the other Races. The Slizzar does not gain or lose Physical Stat while changing into the second form, and it sticks to their natural Body Shape.
====Mimic Form====
[[File:438px-Fullshapeshift2.png|260px|thumb|right|A Mimic Form female Slizzar]]
The Mimic Form of the Slizzar is the third shifted form, in which they mimic the appearance of a particular Race, but can certainly still be identified to be Slizzar. Why the Slizzar developed this form is unclear to Scholars, but socially speaking, Slizzar sometimes use this form when they try to make a dramatic reveal of themselves as a shapeshifter, or when they feel they have become accepted in the society they live in, but want to still bring homage to their own Race by existing as a more acceptable hybrid than the Mobile Form which very much favors general humanoid traits as opposed to unique racial appearances. The Mimic Form is always the same for any Race shifted into. For example, if a Slizzar changes into a Mimic Form of an Ailor, that Ailor-like form will always look the same, and if they changed into an [[Orc]], that Orc-like form will always look the same. Additionally, Races that are visually rather similar (like Altalar and Ailor), appear very similar in their Mimic Forms too. For example, if the Slizzar has an upturned nose and thin lips with high cheekbones, this will be the same between the Ailor and Alltalar form, save for the ears and eyebrows that change from Ailor to Altalar form.


While in this form, the Slizzar mimics the general facial features of that Race, stays consistent for the gender they are, and gain a skin tone that is usually very average for that Race, or anything within their spectrum. What still identifies them as Slizzar however, is that their eyes stay the same as they are in the first and second forms. Furthermore, they also have patches of scales as if their skin shifts from scales into humanoid skin halfway through, particularly on their cheekbones, their forehead and their ears, as well as their neck and shoulders and back. On the rest of their body, patches may occur on the legs and arms anywhere. The Slizzar does not gain or lose Physical Stat while changing into the second form, and it sticks to their natural Body Shape. Heights may vary however based on the racial limitations set on the sample Races. Furthermore, Slizzar are unable to shift into [[Url]], [[Manathar]] or [[Wyldwarped Kathar]]. They also do not gain any of the racial traits, abilities or any changes to their [[Proficiencies]].
==Design==
As Shapeshifters, Slizzar do not truly have one set appearance, save for their natural Slizzar appearance. Slizzar natural appearance is quite snake-like, with a body covered in black, gray, white, or silver scales, some slizzar have the lower body of a snake, legs, or the lower body composed of both legs and a snake tail. Slizzar may have have horns colored like their scales on their head, the head itself which looks quite alien compared to the other humanoid Races, with a flat nose, double-hinged jaw, and a series of cranial and jaw protrusions forming unique features that are different for each Slizzar. It is thus important to stress, that even if they have the body of a snake, their head is not snake-like at all. Slizzar usually have a dominant and secondary color, the dominant color being the majority of their hair and shoulders, while their secondary color adds contrast to their neck and some of their hair, particularly close to their cranium. These colors can be any combination, though are usually quite vibrant. All Slizzar have slitted purple eyes and dark sclera. While Slizzar are shapeshifters, they can never change this base Slizzar appearance.  


====Complete Form====
===Shifting===
The Complete Form of the Slizzar is the fourth and final form, and arguably the most interesting from an academic point of view. The Complete Form of the Slizzar allows them to completely change their body into that of another Race, and then to completely modify their appearance into whatever they like of that Race, whether it be the shape of their face, their height, the color and shape of their hair, their skin markings, gender, tattoos, eye colors, body hair, scars, Body Shape or [[Body Fat]] (though they do not gain any functional Physical Stat while doing so). There is no way to detect whether a person is a Slizzar in the Complete Form aside from them willingly surrendering this form and changing into one of the other forms. The Complete form is very useful, because it predisposes the Slizzar to change into someone else whenever things get too tense for them, or to also change their appearance to appeal more to individuals to assist in their work. Sometimes, Slizzar can in fact live entire double-lives, changing into one form in the morning and back into the other by noon to fulfill a set of other activities. If a Slizzar in a Complete Form copulates with another Race, they can carry a baby of that Race to full term just the way that Race would. The Slizzar don’t gain any racial abilities, specials, traits or proficiency changes when changing their Complete Form to any Race however. It is important to note that Slizzar are always able to tell a Complete Form Slizzar from a real person of that Race. It is however extremely looked down upon for Slizzar to reveal this information to non-Slizzar, almost to the point that the offending Slizzar basically becomes an unforgivable Race-traitor that all other Slizzar should work towards dismantling.  
Shifting is the term Slizzar use when they change appearances. While it is in theory possible for Slizzar to play the lottery and appear randomly each time, most Slizzar use so-called Templates, which are pre-set designs of appearances they strongly remember, and can thus reliably re-create. Slizzar all treat shapeshifting very differently. Some Slizzar never shapeshift, preferring to be out in the open as their birth self, while others are always shapeshifted, to avoid detection. Then some combine a mixture of the two, or those who reveal their identity as a Slizzar on some Templates, but not on others. How a Slizzar feels about Shapeshifting and their Templates, depends on the Slizzar, and their ideology, and the motivations for what they do. Some Slizzar may benefit from revealing their true identity to their strongest allies for the benefit of trust, while others keep their identity completely hidden so as to always have an escape route available if things go bad. Exact rules on Shapeshifting are defined in the Heritage Traits. Keep in mind that Shapeshifting overall is incredibly powerful and flexible in Roleplay, but also meaningful OOC. If you find that your Character is not being trusted by the people around them, experiment with a bit of open-ness about their Slizzar identity. We have found that players who retain 100% secrecy as a Slizzar, have a hard time making meaningful IC connections because it OOC sucks for other players to emotionally invest in Characters that are deceiving theirs. That is technically Metagaming, but this feeling is still very strong, and we do not blame them.  


The Slizzar are also able to combine the Complete Form with the Natural Form. In such a way, their upper body from the hip up is whatever they want it to be, and of whatever race they want it to be, but from the hip down, they have their natural snake body replacing their legs. This form is rarely used, but does offer the Slizzar a means to become more aquatic without losing their Complete Form look in the transition. Obviously though, anyone seeing the snake lower body will immediately know they are a Slizzar. It is also important to note that while Slizzar can change their own appearance to look like whatever they want within the racial framework, they cannot under any circumstance reproduce an already existing person. For example, they might mimic a person's appearance by adopting parts of their appearance, but something will always be off upon closer inspection, like scars missing, an eye shape off, or a nose bridge not quite right. While Slizzar have a great deal of control over their appearance, they are unable to perfectly mimic an existing appearance.
==Heritage Traits==
===Slizzar Personalities===
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description. Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons). Slizzar cannot be included in Mixed Heritage Characters, as there is no such thing as a Half-Slizzar.
Slizzar are known to be excellent advisers, tacticians, and spies. They are able to analyze a situation objectively, without emotional attachments, and calculate the best outcome. This makes them an incredible calculative Race, prone to extreme selfishness and competitiveness. Some cases of Slizzar co-operation in duo’s do exist however, especially when it is mutually beneficial for them to do so in order to attain a position of power. This mental psyche is mostly bred by their religion, which advocates self-betterment at the expense of others, but they are also very dead-set on ensuring each Slizzar has their own “corner of the world” to control, and as such can sometimes team up against more powerful Slizzar to knock them down a peg and ensure no Slizzar becomes more powerful than another.
===Free Packs===
* Slizzar gain the Magic version of the [[Adapt_Point_Buy#Mindcontrol_Pack|Mindcontrol Pack]] but it counts as non-Magic for free, or choose one pack from [[Command Point Buy]].
* Slizzar gain the Magic version of the [[Adapt_Point_Buy#Shapeshift_Pack|Shapeshift Pack]] but it counts as non-Magic for free, or choose one pack from [[Chem Point Buy]].


Indeed, Slizzar have an obsessive need and want to make sure all Slizzar have a fair piece of the political playing field, and that this distribution is equal and does not result in overlap where Slizzar start fighting over the same people. They try to create an even playing field, so that when the actual manipulation games begin, that the only people who end up being the victims are the puppets, and so that measuring who is winning becomes easier, the acts performed towards that being a form of religious worship. A major reason they use the Keystones is to confer about ongoing events, or to plan against a major risk factor together. Additionally, such conferences are useful to oust a traitor, even if the traitor is technically likely present, and aware of such a conference. In such a case, it essentially becomes a trial and the jury are all the other Slizzar, in which the accuser attempts to prove the case that the traitor has betrayed their honor code and Sassrakkand in turn.
===Mechanics===
===Slizzar Abilities===
* Slizzar are immune to any type of mind control or mind scrying from mortals, particularly Mind Control, but also Mechanics that would result in thralling, emotion-reading, emotion influencing and so forth. Additionally, if someone is actively attempting to do any of these things to a Slizzar, that Slizzar becomes aware of the attempt, and who is attempting it.  
====Sensation Surge====
* Slizzar can perfectly mimic Afflictions and Affinities, including Transformations and even the aesthetics of Abilities and Mechanics, even if they do not actually work that way. For example, a Slizzar can perfectly mimic the appearance of a Vampire and then use fake Vampire teeth to engage in fake blood drinking. There is no way to distinguish this from the real thing, meaning Slizzar can seamlessly infiltrate groups. Anyone attempting to call out a Slizzar for not being authentic in their mimicry of something they are not, is engaging in meta-gaming. Note, however, this does not actually give them the Mechanics. They can for example summon Archon-like wings if they are mimicking Archon, but that does not give them flight or the function as described in the Archon Mechanic.  
Slizzar are able to apply a small amount of mind influence on others by directing their Sensation Surge on them. Sensation Surge can be applied to only one person at any given time, and this person must be within 5 blocks of them for Sensation Surge to be applied. While Sensation Surge is applied, the Slizzar is able to send mental notes and cues to the target, who will receive these as thoughts in their mind entirely involuntarily (but not in such a way that it would rouse suspicion). Sensation Surge does not urge a person to do something, or give them the desire to do it, it just creates the impression in their mind that they thought of it themselves, and that they probably want to do it, but whether they end up actually doing it is still up for the person in question to decide. Sensation Surge can also be used to direct emotions and feelings onto a person, but they arrive more in general sentiments rather than actual explicit emotions. Again, the person in question has to mentally agree to essentially follow that sudden feeling, or to overrule it. Sensation Surge can only be applied to one person, and must be switched with several seconds delay when changing from one person to another within range. As soon as Sensation Surge linking is switched, all old suggestions that the person hadn’t already committed to disappear from their mind. Essentially, Slizzar can, while Sensation Surge linked, create suggestive thoughts in the minds of their targets, but not mind control them.  
* Slizzar have an advanced network of off-screen politicians and Nobles under their control. As a result, whenever an Imperial Assembly is called, Slizzar are able to sit in the noble section of the Assembly, and their votes count for 2 Votes instead of one. Votes are always cast as "Aye" or "Nay", in order to use this mechanic, the Slizzar must say "Aye (a:Political Power)" for the vote to work. Additionally, Slizzar can be embedded into Noble Families, attaching to their Family-Leader as either an Ally or Manipulator. So long as both the Family Leader and the Slizzar are present at the same Imperial Assembly (in absentia or proxy voting does not count), the Family Leader may also use this Mechanic (but must be sure to use the formatting described above for it to count). Additionally, for this to count the Slizzar must self-register as embedded into a particular Noble Family through the Ticket Bot. It is not possible to stack this effect multiple times for multiple Slizzar embedded.
====Slizzar Bonding====
* Slizzar have an advanced network of bureaucrats, bankers, and other wealthy persons they can call upon, to give them access to the new wealth of the Regalian Empire. Firstly, this means they have access to an off-screen wealth that is close but not equivalent to registered Aristocrats. It essentially means Slizzar are wealthy, and have money to throw around. Secondly, it creates a situation where Slizzar can "claim" Noble Countryside Estates. These claims are not exclusionary, that is to say, we only have a limited number of Estates available, and multiple players trying to "claim" the same Estate. For this reason, we request players make use of the holographic display to indicate if players are already present, and suspend disbelief about who owns what Estate. Chances of multiple players trying to use the same Estate at the same time, is low.
Slizzar Bonding is an ability that the Slizzar can do with other Races that involves either a passive and slow gathering of mental information, or one sudden burst of voluntary information. When engaged in a conversation with another person who is not a Slizzar, a Slizzar will slowly start filtering out appeal or attraction traits that the person they are talking to has. To put it simpler: when talking to someone, a Slizzar will interpret or receive flashes of inspiration on what the other person finds attractive, and if the conversation is sustained for long enough (usually around an hour, which can also be done in multiple settings), they will have formed a complete picture of what the ideal physical appearance of that person’s partner would be. The second way this can be done, is if the other person willingly surrendered this information in one quick burst. This is usually done by proposing the transit of information by the Slizzar, and then the Slizzar and subject holding one of their hands together, which is considered a mental consent. This information then becomes useful, because it allows the Slizzar to apply the traits directly, or wait until they have all traits and apply them all at once with a Complete Form update or shift into this form. It is important to note, being in a person’s perfect physical partner ideal will not result in them magically falling in love with them. It will simply make the Slizzar hard to resist looking or catching glances at.  
* Slizzar are natural Persuaders with their ability to get into the heads of others. Any Persuasion Rolls done by a Slizzar, have their final Dice result increased by +1. This effect does not stack with other Mechanics that have the same effect on Persuasion Rolls.
====Slizzar Colluding====
Slizzar Colluding is a bit more difficult to grasp. A Slizzar can agree to form a collaborative relationship with another non-Slizzar which binds them in agreement, or a common goal. As such, they must reveal themselves to the non-Slizzar and somehow make them agree to either work towards the Slizzar’s goal, or pledge their support to the non-Slizzar’s plans and goals. If the subject agrees, the Slizzar gains a +10 boost of Proficiency Points of whatever Proficiency the colluder has the highest. Additionally, the colluder (which is what the non-Slizzar is referred to in this relation), is able to always tell the Slizzar apart from other Slizzar in their first, second and third forms, and while changing to a different person in their Complete Form, this person is still able to tell it is the same Slizzar in their mind. This relation can be broken at any time by either the Slizzar or colluder, but must be broken face-to-face, by stating that their cooperation has ended, which is immediately followed with a vision of their mental bond breaking. '''A Slizzar can only be in one Collusion at a time and attempting to form a second one produces no result.'''


====Keystone of Sassrakkand====
===Birth Rites===
Slizzar can communicate at a distance with each other in a most peculiar manner. What they do is related to a mini-artifact that all Slizzar can possess, called a Keystone of Sassrakkand. Keystones of Sassrakkand can appear very unappealing like just a rock, or a sharp pebble, and the exact origins are barely understood, because Slizzar refuse to talk about their nature. When a Slizzar uses this rock or pebble or stone on a mirror however, they slam the piece into the center of the mirror, causing it to fracture, the cracks producing shards of smaller mirrors still lodged in the frame. When doing this, it produces a temporary connection with all other Slizzar nearby, even if they are at that point not looking at a mirror or performing the same action. A representation of their face appears, one unique Slizzar for each broken shard of mirror, and they are able to speak to the person who summoned them as if they were all together in a conference room, even if the Slizzar in question are out in public or already talking to someone else, the conversation playing in their mind. These kind of Slizzar conferences are usually held to determine a number of things. The foremost reason why a Slizzar could have to call upon other Slizzar, is to agree between all Slizzar what the best way of dividing up the political playing field is where they operate. When the Slizzar are done talking, the one with the shattered mirror waves their hand, causing the Mirror to revert time on itself.
Because many Slizzar go through life entirely disguised and pretending to be a different people or society, their reproduction cycle could unintentionally reveal them. At a base line, all children born from at least one Slizzar parent will always be full Slizzar. In case this is not desirable, the Slizzar can perform the Birth Rites, in which they have more clearer control over how their offspring will be created, this allows them to dictate several different processes. Firstly, they can choose to have one or two children born. Secondly, they can choose for each child born, whether they will be born not-Slizzar (taking the Heritage from their biological parent, and whatever the Slizzar pretended to be), full Slizzar, or Delayed Slizzar. Delayed Slizzar will be born as not-Slizzar, but when they become 18 years old, are suddenly informed through visions and dreams about their true identity, and how to become a full Slizzar. If they agree and venture to the nearest Dragon Temple to connect with their true self, they become full Slizzar, if they reject for up to 12 months and never visit such a site, they will be not-Slizzar forever. It is also possible, if two children are chosen, to have each born differently, for example one as Delayed Slizzar, and one as not-Slizzar, or full Slizzar, or other combinations. Note, most Slizzar found in the world are Slizzar born tens of thousands of years ago. This is because Sarakand exists in a warped time-bubble where time can pass slower or faster than the world around it. Slizzar can in reality only become 300 years old, but many are from a different time.  


==Summary of Racial Abilities==
==Sarakand==
{| class="wikitable"
[[File:Sarakand222233.png|center|1600px|caption]]
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd; color:#000000; width: 10%;"  | Name
===City Description===
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd; color:#000000; width: 10%;"  | Type
To understand the place of the Slizzar, one must understand the City of Eternal Twilight, Sarakand. Sarakand is the only Slizzar city-state in the world, and it is Slizzar homogenous, not allowing outsiders in unless they have some connection to the Slizzar. The city itself is extremely advanced, having buildings that reminisce of Seraph, second, third, and [[Meraic]] civilization architecture in them, that have accumulated over time. While Regalia is often treated as the jewel of the world, and this metropolitan is certainly far more massive than Sarakand, Sarakand itself as a city has existed for 70,000 years, which pales Regalia's mere centuries in comparison. Sarakand is built on a massive bastion wall surrounding the outer ring of aquatic farms. Further in are large buildings and Temples to the various Dragon Gods. Closer to the center are the Hallowed Towers, which are not residential, but large defensive Dragon-Magic structures that project a shield around the city in times of need, and control the passage of time around it. These installations were built by the Dragon God Nox, who defied the will of the Dragons by creating Sarakand and the Slizzar and was banished. At the center lies the Pyramidion, a Pyramid-like structure with a large gap in the middle from which the Mydion (city's power source) can be seen.  
! style="text-align: center; font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd; color:#000000;" | Description
===Defenses and Politics===
|-
Through powerful Dragon Magics, Sarakand and its direct ocean around it are caught in a permanent twilight, with the passing of time adjusted inside to slow down or speed up depending on the city's needs. This explains why the city has lasted for so long and survived numerous Void Invasions, having an innate ability to hide from the invasion in Time Magic, and being shielded. Sarakand is the seat of power of the two ruling factions and Duarchy Sovereigns of the Slizzar, the Herald of the Sun, and the Herald of the Moon, and holds a crucial place for most Slizzar who venture into the world as a safe harbor to return to. The two Factions being the Surya Court and the Marya Court, live in a harmonious balance in the city. Even if these are Factions in the traditional sense, unlike in Regalia, they do not compete with one another but complement and hold each other in balance to do as Nox instructed them, preserve the world despite the slow-to-act nature of the other Dragons. Each Slizzar in a coming-of-age time, will align with the Surya or Marya Court, and venture out into the world to seek their way to ply the crafts of their people on the other peoples of Aloria, to do their Dragon-God's bidding. Many Slizzar who retire from their work return to Sarakand, where they live our their final days in peace.  
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Natural Form
===Slizzar Factions===
| Racial Shift
====Surya Court, Guides of the Sun====
| A Racial Shift that gives the Slizzar their natural body form of an Athletic Body Shape, their serpentine tail and humanoid upper body. This body allows them to move at a normal walking speed, but also swim faster than most other aquatic Races and breath underwater for up to 3 days. The form can be entered with 3 seconds of Shifting, and Slizzar do not lose or gain Physical Stat when in this form.
[[File:Sunfrumpy.png|250px|caption|right]]
|-
The Surya Court is the Slizzar Faction that holds that the young peoples of Aloria need a kind and delicate guiding hand. Whether through small acts like helping individuals or families, or large acts through advising organizations or gently nudging whole countries or Empires in the right direction, the Surya Slizzar seek to be a hidden beneficial hand to the lives of others. Surya Slizzar lean more in the direction of being pacifist or at least vowing not to strike unless in defense of another or holy site, as Nox instructed them to guard the world from the Sin of Free Will. Because of the Sin of Free Will, the Surya Court believes that the other peoples of Aloria will not see calamity coming when it arrives on their doorstep, and need guidance from a higher hand of experience and skill to avert disaster, that being the eradication of all living beings on Aloria by another Void Invasion. Surya Slizzar are more inclined than Marya Slizzar to appear in their natural form without any shapeshifting, but are still keenly aware, that a Slizzar is something alien and frightful, and that the acts of the Marya Court still incite rage, thus holding onto their Disguises to perform their duties. A Surya Slizzar can divert to the Marya Court. This happens usually when a Surya Slizzar believes that the incompetence brought on by the Sin of Free Will is so profound, that their attempts to be benign in themselves are holding them back, and that their work would be much simpler if they used subterfuge and assassination to get their way. It is also possible for a Surya Slizzar to be so inundated with their work to the benefit of individuals, that they start losing scope of the bigger picture and drift away from Nox's work. Those are referred to as Surya Eclipse Slizzar.  
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Mobile Form
====Marya Court, Conspirators of the Moon====
| Racial Shift
[[File:Moonfrumpy.png|250px|caption|right]]
| A Racial Shift that gives the Slizzar their natural body form of an Athletic Body Shape and a more humanoid body shape. They now possess legs in addition to their tail, which is slightly longer than the legs, and have agility equal to that of most Varran while also being more flexible than other Races. The form can be entered with 3 seconds of Shifting, and Slizzar do not lose or gain Physical Stat when in this form.
The Marya Court is a Slizzar Faction that holds that the young peoples of Aloria need to be manipulated to prevent destruction. Whether through small actions inflicted on individuals or families, or large acts of puppeteering and subterfuge against countries or Empires, the Marya Slizzar seek to be a hidden malign existence for the benefit of life itself. Marya Slizzar lean more in the direction of violence as well as emotional and intellectual manipulation of facts, creating false perceptions of reality, and mind-controlling others to do their bidding. The Marya Slizzar believe that the other peoples of Aloria are so self-absorbed and occupied with the explosive nature of their short lives, that they cannot possibly be taught how not to blow up the world, and should be dominated to prevent them from doing so. To them, the Sin of Free Will is extremely literal, in that free will itself is evil, and the best that can be done for the world is to remove it from the people who wield power. Marya Slizzar, due to their subterfuge, are far more likely to always remain Disguised and have multiple fall-back personas to escape detection or reprisals in case they are uncovered. A Marya Slizzar can divert to the Surya Court. This happens usually when a Marya Slizzar believes that the suffering or resentment they might have left in their wake, in and of itself becomes the destruction or calamity they seek to avoid, and that their work would be much simpler if they were kind and cooperative instead. It is also possible for a Marya Slizzar to be so inundated with vanity, pride, or just relishing in the violence and manipulation, that they become more obsessed with the game of control and lose scope of the bigger picture of Nox's work. These are referred to as Marya Darkstar Slizzar.
|-
===Factional Nuances===
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Mimic Form
While in other people of Aloria factional politics might end up being bloody or contentious, it is very cooperative among the Slizzar. They believe strongly in the notion of balance, and that Nox created perfect balance among the Slizzar. As such, even if a Surya Slizzar is horrified by a Marya's actions, or if a Marya Slizzar has gone rogue as a Darkstar or left the cause as an Eclipser, Slizzar attempt in any circumstances to avoid violence or conflict with one another. Even if these factions are opposed ideologically, both factions appreciate and understand the value they bring in contract to one another, how some societies just cannot be helped with malignance, and how some societies just cannot be helped with benign guidance, in that all methods are needed to reach the end goal. This does not mean that Slizzar cannot criticize each other, or comment on each other's plots, just that they should not get in each other's ways to or make their work harder, unless they start intentionally obstructing the work of others. The outside world is aware of these Slizzar Factions, but Slizzar would do well never to reveal their alignment. After all, in Regalia, the Marya are well known to have orchestrated the long string of assassinations that followed after the [[Chrysant War]], in which many [[Ailor]] and Elven nobles perished as revenge for the destruction of the Essa Empire. It was the Surya who guided the hands of the [[Allar]] before this conflict, and it was the Marya who acted as the hand of revenge for their fallen brethren, to weaken the Regalian Empire and restore balance between the other Empires that were left. It should also be noted, that Faction membership, is not extremely strict. It is not impossible for a Surya Slizzar to need to be cruel sometimes, or a Marya Slizzar to be kind. Both are not moral absolutes, but more like guidelines that indicate intent rather than action. Each Slizzar will have to struggle with the moral implications of their actions, if they violate their own principles.  
| Racial Shift
| A Racial Shift that gives the Slizzar the ability to appear like a member of another Race, with the facial and bodily features of each. However, the Slizzar’s own facial traits remain between each Race, no matter what the Slizzar turns into. The Slizzar can also mimic the appearance of other/different Body Shapes starting here. The form can be entered with 3 seconds of Shifting, and Slizzar do not lose or gain Physical Stat when in this form.
|-
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Complete Form
| Racial Shift
| A Racial Shift that gives the Slizzar the ability to appear completely like a member of another Race, with the facial and bodily features of the form customizable by the Slizzar themself. These features include Body Shape, hair and eye color, skin tone, and more. The form can be entered with 3 seconds of Shifting, and Slizzar do not lose or gain Physical Stat when in this form.
|-
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Sensation Surge
| Racial Spell
| Slizzar can trigger subconscious thoughts in a single individual of a Slizzar’s choosing within 5 blocks of the individual Slizzar. The target can sense the thoughts, but it is their choice to accept, reject, or not act on them. The target of this power can be changed by the Slizzar with several seconds of delay before the new target begins to receive the subconscious thoughts.
|-
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Slizzar Bonding
| Racial Spell
| Slizzar can gather information about the most attractive or appealing traits from an individual target in two different ways. Either the Slizzar can gradually gather a complete profile of these traits over the course of an hour of conversation, or they can take it from the individual’s mind in a consensual sharing of information on the target’s part.  
|-
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Slizzar Colluding
| Racial Spell
| Slizzar can enter into a collaborative relationship with a non-Slizzar. There must be a common goal between the two and the non-Slizzar must be aware of the Slizzar’s identity. The Slizzar gains a +10 boost of Proficiency Points of whatever Proficiency the colluder has the highest investment in (excluding magic/sorcery/ritualism proficiencies). The colluder can also immediately identify their Slizzar partner no matter their form.
|-
| style="background-color:#ddf2dd;" | Keystone of Sassrakkand
| Racial Spell
| Slizzar are able to wield a Keystone of Sassrakkand, a small pale pebble, and forcefully slam it into the center of a mirror. The mirror will then crack, and in each crack of the mirror regardless of its size, all Slizzar nearby will be connected mentally. Slizzar can then mentally engage in the call with no ill effects to what they are doing at the same time, and should the Slizzar who used the mirror wish to end the call, they need only remove the Keystone which will immediately repair the mirror and cut off all Slizzar from one another.
|}


==History==
===The Duarchy Heralds===
Slizzar have existed in [[Hadar]] for what most scholars assume is thousands of years. The forbidden city of Sassrakkand features a very unique pyramid at the very center of the city, the silhouette of which is frequently depicted in a variety of south-eastern Altalar murals, leading many to believe it has existed at the very least in the beginning of the [[Allorn Empire]], and possibly even before that. The reason why even the Altalar referred to it as the forbidden city, was because they could never quite penetrate its walls. In fact, it is said that many of the late Allorn city-states mimicked the massive bastion walls around Sassrakkand which stood for centuries unassailed. Each time an Altalar would come up with a plan to assault the city, they or their family mysteriously disappeared, and an actual assault never materialized.  
The Duarchy Heralds are the two enigmatic entities known as Surya and Marya, who act like co-rulers of the Slizzar as a whole. Surya and Marya were made by Nox (causing some to conclude they are complex Dragon Magic Automata) to guide the Slizzar in his absence, as he foresaw his banishment by the other Dragons and made preparations. Surya and Marya have guided the Slizzar ever since and operate the basic functions of Sarakand itself. They reside only in Sarakand, but have immense magical power, and tower over all other inhabitants as they slowly wander the streets. During the day, they offer guidance to the younglings in large classes where their melodic telepathic voice teaches them about the world and their place in it, and at night they patrol the walls in opposite rotating circles to herald the switching of night and day. Surya and Marya are living embodiments of their respective ideologies, Surya teaches the Slizzar kindness and warmth, while Marya teaches them cruelty and violence, both having the capacity to project teachings and skills directly into the minds of their students. In some manner, foreigners might see them as Automata Monarchs, but they do not make decisions for the everyday societal organization, such as who gets food and what supplies are sent abroad. These tasks are taken care of by the city's Slizzar inhabitants, though they still speak for Nox, and can communicate his oracle predictions to the people.  


The city stood alone in Hadar for most of recorded Allorn history, though the Altalar were completely oblivious to the presence of Slizzar among their political elite, even to the very end of the Allorn Empire. In fact, to this day, the only evidence of Slizzar ever having been inside the Allorn Empire is through word of mouth from contemporary Slizzar. If any Slizzar did indeed exist among the Allorn, they likely died during the [[Wildering]]. The Altalar, who had several colonies in Hadaria, pulled out of the region around 300 BC to focus most of their military powers on combating the Ailor who had become more militarily capable and aggressive against their would be slave captors. This resulted in 250 years of practical isolation until 22 BC, when as a result of the [[Sendrassian Civil War]], a massive exodus of [[Allar]] arrived in the wild and untamed continent that was Hadaria. The land was filled with many jungles and a whole host of dangerous beasts, but considering what the Allar had just left, it was a paradise. The Allar were welcomed, less as friends but more so as tools for the Slizzar to use for their own good, and for the first time in their history, the Slizzar changed their strategy. Instead of being hidden and infiltrating, they chose to try and openly control the Allar, at first by softening them up to their presence, and later by pretending to integrate into their society as one of their lizard-kind, only to then turn and manipulate them into allowing them to absorb all the high positions of Allar politics.  
==Language and Naming==
The Slizzar language is Zoram, which is based on real-like Sanskrit. Many other people accuse the Slizzar of speaking with a lisp, but this is generally just bigotry. In fact, Slizzar are very articulate, and their language has a lot of strong consonants, meaning they hardly make noises that one would expect a snake to make. Slizzar are however capable of producing a rattle-snake-like sound at the back of their throat, which they frequently produce when in combat, or when they are about to attack someone, or as a way of warning others that they are annoyed or feel threatened. Slizzar naming customs also use real-life Sanskrit. It is rare for Slizzar to have a surname, most Slizzar only carry a single name, though they can sometimes adopt a surname for ease of use to the non-Slizzar members in their family. When they do, this surname is always from another culture's language. Here follows a list of example names for the Slizzar (they are all non-gendered because sex and gender don’t exist in Slizzar psyche).
* Achyut, Advait, Bhavin, Chittin, Girivar, Jatasya, Jaitra, Kush, Manav, Nandish, Parth, Prayag, Sambhav, Shivansh, Udit, Vibodh, Yug, Bhoomi, Chetaki, Gatha, Kaveri, Namasya, Paridhi, Shloka, Swara, Tavishi, Udita.  


This political control galvanized to such a degree that one Slizzar, [[Miko Missa]], was declared Empress, who has in modern times been classified as a [[Mage]] post-mortem. The reason why the Slizzar accepted one of their own to become more politically powerful than all other Slizzar is unclear, but it is likely that along with the fact that they started being a public part of Allar society, the Slizzar simply started sampling new ideas and trying new things that they had not done for thousands of years, a decision that would inevitably come to harm them. The Slizzar power spectrum finally came crashing down when the [[Regalians]] invaded Hadar with their superior military equipment in the [[Chrysant War]]. The Slizzar were first weakened by the Humans, and then suffered full racial genocide at the hands of the betrayed Allar, who had since learned of the serpent’s puppeting ways. This resulted in a massive flight of Slizzar back to the forbidden city of Sassrakkand, which the Ailor laid siege to at the end of the Chrysant War. While the tactic of infiltration against Altalar had always been successful to avoid a full blown siege of their city, this tactic was of no avail to them against the Ailor. The Slizzar were both unprepared, because of their focus on the Allar, and also unable to quickly enough win over the Ailor, who with a much shorter life span than Altalar reacted to the world’s events much faster, faster than the Slizzar could catch up.
==Brief History==
===The Beginning===
Slizzar History, despite it spanning 70,000 years, is actually very short. Because of the afore mentioned time-warping of the city of Sarakand, large periods of history in which thousands of year passed, were experienced as mere days for the Slizzar in the city. Slizzar records show that the city was created by Nox in the latter century of the Seraph losing war against the Void Invasion. The Slizzar record clearly that this war lasted 1000 years, and that the war was an incredibly slow attrition war, because a single Seraph could hold off tens of thousands of Demons alone in the blink of an eye, and that Demons in most cases only won from the Seraph because they changed tactics which the slow-acting Seraph were not capable of reacting to. The records say that Nox was specifically in disagreement with the other Dragons about future plans for the continuation of life. Among Dragons exist the Laws of Creation, which dictate that Creation must never contain a spark of Creation itself (implying, a being that can re-make itself into whatever it wants), as this would bring them in closer proximity to godhood. Nox was of the opinion that Dragons would just continue creating flawed creations because of his objection to free will itself. Relenting that free will was still required in his own creation, because he knew that the Dragons would immediately banish him to the ether and deny him the ability to command his creations, Nox wove the first Slizzar into being, some of which are even still alive today due to Sarakand's time magic. In the time it took for the Dragons to banish him (as the Dragons were also slow to act), Nox had nearly a century to build Sarakand with his god-like Magic, and build Slizzar society from the ground up. When Nox was banished, the Heralds Surya and Marya took his place, the dome around Sarakand closed, and the city slumbered.


The Siege of Sassrakkand ended in a complete disaster for the Slizzar. With the loss of the Empress who was noted as one of the most powerful Slizzar at the battle of Fessa Huallo, and most of their Allar guardians dead or resentful of them, the city had no defensive garrison to speak of, or any weapons to defend the walls. The Ailor also used the terrifying fire-power of their battleships to pound the ancient bastion walls into submission, since the city was essentially built in sea-shallows, and could easily be reached by gunboats and even smaller frigates. The outer wall of the city crumbled after a week of non-stop shelling, after which the Ailor discovered that the city was actually made of 3 encircling walls, each ringing around the inner wall. The outer section of Sassrakand was broken, and this section of the city experienced massive flooding, resulting in destruction of almost forty percent of the city. The Slizzar fled to the inner level, which then experienced terrifying mortar bombardment. The Ailor could not reach into the inner city, as the rubble of the bastion wall prevented the ships from sailing into the interior, and soldiers could not launch an amphibious assault on the high towering walls. They then chose to simply bombard the second ring into submission. This bombardment did massive amounts of damage until massive smoke plumes obscured view into the city interior, and the ailor simply assumed the city would burn up from the inside and left, never to return.  
===The re-opening===
Sarakand remained closed for the entirety of the second and third civilization, with mere months passing inside the city, while Surya and Marya used their magics to determine the state of the outside world. They taught the Slizzar that which Nox could not with the time that was given, and the shield was first re-opened during the Meraic Empire days. For centuries, the Slizzar interfered with Meraic politics both seen and unseen, until the day that technological advances brought about machines that could detect and would hunt down shapeshifters. The Meraic civilization eventually progressed far enough to the point that the Slizzar knew that they would go extinct if they stayed, so many were called back to Sarakand's safety. When the Meraic felt secure in their expulsion, a huge dome-like structure was built around the city that would shroud Sarakand in darkness for a long time. The only light that shone on the horizon was the Mydion itself, giving the whole city a purple glow, that was normally basked in blue and orange light of the horizon poles. Over time, the Slizzar saw the dome crack and crumble in real time over the span of several years, while outside thousands of years passed as the city slumbered again.


With the near destruction of sixty percent of their city, the Slizzar learned a hard lesson. While the vast majority of them had survived the reprisals of the Allar and the Ailor genocide, they were seriously caught on the backfoot and pushed into a corner. The Slizzar thus decided to make a public display of power, a sign that they were beaten but not broken, and that they should not be so easily dismissed. In one final act of complete co-operation, all Slizzar in the Regalian Empire were recalled after assassinating the aristocracy of the Empire. In a short time span, as the [[Regalian Military]] sailed back to the capital to celebrate their victory, the sleeper agents and infiltrants in Ailor society were all activated at once, poisoning, strangling and stabbing the nobles of the realm in one massive concerted revenge attacks. Many notable politicians and important families lost numerous important members, the death toll was particularly high among the [[van Sherburne]] and [[Kade]] families, resulting most notably in the death of the niece of the Emperor, Princess [[Liliane Kade-Ivrae de Sange]]. It is said to this day that every noble family in the realm has at least one family member that was killed in this manner, inflicting a massive humiliating loss on the Empire that has not been rivaled since by any other enemy. The Slizzar came together in the leftover parts of Sassrakand and started rebuilding, eventually venturing out into the world again and rebuilding their network of infiltrant manipulators.
===The Allorn Stage===
Sarakand re-opened once more when every sign of the dome that was once built around their city had rotted away, now forming a ring of mountains around the city's surrounding sea as all the metal and stone had compacted and returned to dirt. The Slizzar once more ventured out into the world during the early days of the [[Allorn Empire]], when the [[Dewamenet]] still stood. It is here that the Slizzar were met with Regulus, who led a conclave of Crown Dragons to Sarakand, and temporarily disrupted all Magics and put Surya and Marya to sleep. It was here that he declared the Will of Conclave, that the creation of the Slizzar and Sarakand was a crime out of place and out of time, and that their existence was in violation of the laws of the world, but that their own laws could not compel them to drive the Slizzar to extinction. What the Slizzar refer to as the Allorn Stage, actually refers to this dictate by Regulus, which proclaimed the Slizzar's right to continued existence on a technicality, but that the Dragons would inflict the will of Umbra if ever they showed the intent to conquer the world. This proved perfect for Nox's pre-designed plans, as he had already anticipated the Allorn Stage, and codified into Slizzar culture that to desire the world, was to destroy it like all other Civilizations would.


It is commonly accepted nowadays that the Slizzar have infiltrated nearly every level of society among most Races, despite their small population number. In Regalia though, most of the memory of their assassinations have been forgotten, both because of the fact that remembering would be a painful humiliation, but also because the power void created by so many other nobles allowed for the catapulted rising of a new class of nobles who gained power from the series of events. In some cases, some of the detractors of these families would even allude to Slizzar helping these upstart nobles gain power, leading to their modern generally not-hostile yet distrusted view.  
From this point on, the dome would no longer close, even during the [[Fifth Void Invasion]], as the Slizzar had learned from the Meraic and Seraph days what they could not apply then, they would apply now. The world was in a better state for them to act, the Dragons had stopped creating species that would create globe-spanning Empires, and had instead produced many fractured societies and heritages all over. The Slizzar were able to mesh into many of them, and attempted to gently guide them away from the same calamity they had seen before, all the while Slizzar kept an eye out for any birds that were watching them in the name for Regulus, explaining why Slizzar may not always be fond of birds and think them judgmental. The Elves became aware of the Slizzar over time, causing several high-paranoia-induced periods in the later Allorn Empire during which there were many witch hunts. There are even Slizzar, who claim to have had instrumental roles in the Dewamenet-Elven War, and aided both in the destruction of the Elves, and of the Dewamenet. Towards the peak of Allorn power, their Magic became so great that many Slizzar had to flee back to Sarakand, to avoid being detected and executed.  


==Society==
===The Calm Era===
Slizzar society is a bit difficult to pin down, because Slizzar intrinsically do not live in a communal manner like other Races. While there are certainly still Slizzar within the walls of Sassrakkand, the vast majority live outside of these walls in the wide world, and have very little interactions with one another, aside from a careful balancing act maintained through snippets of communication with others. That being said, to say that Slizzar don’t have a society is far from the truth, it just presents itself in a different manner that other Races would not consider a society. Slizzar do live communally in the city of Sassrakkand, but very little is known about this city by outsiders, and Slizzar like it this way, because most Slizzar simply don’t talk about their lives as Slizzar, and instead prefer to focus on their infiltrant life, or what life is like outside of the forbidden city.  
The Calm Era, is anything but, but the term is frequently used to define the hope from the Slizzar that the dome should not have to close anymore, due an end to threats of Void Invasion. The city itself is still suspended in a slow-moving time bubble, where days inside amount to years outside, but this is considered rather slow, as prior dilations affected centuries. After retreating mostly from the Allorn Empire, the Slizzar interacted with the Allar, and the newly awakening [[Maraya]] who had some very obvious historical resentment towards them. Some Maraya in fact are extremely resentful, of the fact that Slizzar have incorporated Meraic architecture in their city, but did not save any Meraic people when the Void Invasion came (ignoring the fact that they built a giant dome over the city which denied them the ability to do so). During the Void Invasion itself, the Slizzar ventured out into the world in an attempt to help or bend the Elves into success, though their interactions are quite unclear. Some claim they influenced the [[Eronidas]], some claim they influenced the Cult of Dronnal, while some claim they influenced the [[Arken]] to do as they did. What exactly happens remains entirely unclear, as the Slizzar that claim these feats have no way of proving any of them, due to their disguised nature making them inherently undetectable to history.  


Indeed, Race treason to a Slizzar is both dangerous and borderline unthinkable. While all Slizzar can detect each other’s presence when they are disguised, no Slizzar would venture to expose another, or risk being declared a Race-traitor, and having all nearby Slizzar turn to try and ruin them, or even kill them. The honor code between the Slizzar that binds them as a Race dictates they must drop everything they are doing and eradicate disloyalty to each other wherever it finds them. It could as such be said that the Slizzar don’t have a formal society, but rather more a secret society that exists very loosely under the fabric of other Races. Within Sassrakkand, there are no political leaders, this egalitarian self-investment is consistent throughout, and most Slizzar simply look after themselves, or in some way their descendants, for whom they might have a fondness, though not one that would stop them from competing against them in the game of influence and manipulation.  
===The Essa Era===
===Culture===
The Essa Era defines the Cataclysm to the modern day roughly speaking, that highlights the Essa Empire as a focal point. During this period, the Slizzar attempted to use both Surya and Marya Factions to create an Empire led by them, combining both benign and malign ideologies. Essa was a quickly rising Empire, rising so quickly that it drew the ire from the Regalians, those Ailor with their paranoid ideas about the shapeshifter Empress of Essa. Refusing to bend, the Essa Empire was brutally invaded by the Regalian Empire, which was technologically more advanced than the Allar were. The War turned less into a genuine Imperial conquest, and more into a bloodbath where Regalian fleets caused massive civilian casualties in indiscriminate bombing of coastal cities and attacks on civilian shipping. The Essa Empire was eventually destroyed when the capital was conquered, and the Surya fled back to Sarakand, while the Marya enacted their revenge on Regalia. In the modern day, Slizzar are deeply loathed and mistrusted, because of the external perception that they are all snake deceivers and killers, but the reality is far more nuanced. While there was tyranny and manipulation in Essa, the Empress herself was Surya, and the leading castes all had benign intentions to the Allar, albeit with the caveat that they decided the Allar would be more beneficially ruled by them, than by themselves. There are hundreds if not thousands of Slizzar spread all over the world, with several tens of thousands still living in Sarakand, but many of them continue to hide, as their shapeshifting skills now more than ever draw unwanted attention.  
Slizzar culture is incredibly subtle, since many of the individual actions taken as custom or tradition, can be attributed to other Races. Indeed, Slizzar don’t engage in much cultural expression like other Races do, and a lot of their quirks and expressions of identity are easily mistaken to belong to someone else’s culture. The most important person in a Slizzar’s life, sometimes even more so than their Slizzar mate (though the line between them can often blur) is their Slizzar Mentor. The Slizzar grow up remarkably quickly, their body and mind is developed to that of an adult within 6 years of birth, after which they choose a mentor, who is usually a few decades or at the very least 10 years older. A Slizzar Mentor teaches the Slizzar the ways of their abilities (since they spend the first 6 years in their Natural Form) and explain to them the ways of the Slizzar, while also honing their skills through teaching. Most Slizzar who learned things in Sassrakkand, learn their Proficiencies from their Mentor, and continue to hone those skills later in life to perfection. Mentors remain important figures to look up to in a Slizzar’s life, and a Slizzar will generally speak fondly of their Mentor.
==Conflicts & Alliances==
A lot of MassiveCraft's lore is constructed around conflicts that are based on religious, historical, or societal grievances. This section aims to set out the various conflict and alliance points for the Lanlath, while also attaching some nuance so that there is wiggle room for players to not get stuck in endless loops of arguing the basics of societal conflict without clear Character Development or Resolution.
* '''Ailor:''' Ailor, due to being some of the most short-lived people on Aloria and their explosively energetic and active personalities, are often prime target for the Slizzar, whether for benign or malign reasons. Many Ailor harbor extreme paranoia to Slizzar, sometimes even suspecting relatives of having been replaced by these infiltrates. This is all based on historical events, as directly after the Chrysant War, many sleeper agent Marya Slizzar struck out, killing hundreds of Regalian Nobles to weaken Regalia after winning the war against their kin. This habit for assassination among the Slizzar, is one deeply feared and mistrusted by Ailor.
* '''Dwarves:''' [[Dwarves]] have a deep-seated loathing for Slizzar that is not historically justified, but just an extension of their brutal honesty and directness culturally speaking, that clashes with Slizzar habits to lie and deceive.  
* '''Suvial:''' [[Suvial]] see the Slizzar as rivals, notably the Marya, because they engage in the same type of political manipulation, it's just that the Slizzar are far better at it. The Suvial are constantly searching for ways to reveal shapeshifters, and naturally have a predisposition to discover Slizzar engaging in political intrigue, and then to try and beat them at their own game as a form of competition.
* '''Kathar:''' Despite many Slizzar working against the interests of the [[Kathar]], and them being entirely responsible for the waves of assassinations among the Kathar nobles, they are held in high esteem, particularly for this reason, as well as the fact that they believe Slizzar make the best courtesans and advisors. The Slizzar have historically made ample use of this by constantly destabilizing the [[Dread Empire]] and preventing it from really expanding despite the large hosts of Demons in their service.
* '''Allar:''' Slizzar and Allar relations are rather contentious and often dependent on the individual. The two people made up the two halves of the Essa Empire, a state which was guided by the Surya Slizzar to give the Allar seeking a way out of Sendrassian Evolism a safe place to develop and flourish. Yet, at the same time, the Allar were also manipulated and bent into service by the Marya Slizzar who used their mind control over Allar Digmaan to establish in effect dictatorships over regions of the Empire. In the calamity that was the Regalian Invasion, both people died side by side, but it was the Slizzar who could return to the safety of Sarakand which withstood repeat Regalian attempts to assail the city, while the Allar languished in occupation and second-rank citizen status for years before Regalian properly integrated them. As such, individual Allar may hate, or adore Slizzar, depending on their perspective.


Slizzar do take other Slizzar as partners, but the relationship sometimes blurs between lover and partner in proverbial crime, and sometimes it gets more confusing when that partner ends up being their mentor. It is not uncommon for mentors to become partners with their students when their studies are complete (usually around 12 years after having become an adult Slizzar). Slizzar partners can also live far away from each other and remain loyal to one another in a bond that is not always physical. Some Slizzar couples can go without physical intimacy for decades, but have an unbreakably strong emotional connection that expresses itself in extremely emotional feelings. Children of Slizzar unions are carried to term by the mother, usually in Sassrakkand since they consider children born outside of their forbidden city to be lost. Lost children can still be made not-lost as long as they are brought back to the city within 2 years of being born, and then continue to live in the city at least until their Mentor is chosen. A lost Slizzar is not in any way distinguished from other Slizzar, besides that they do not possess the object required to smash mirrors and communicate with other Slizzar, nor can they be contacted in this way. They essentially exist in a blind-spot to Slizzar society and don't participate in their grand game of manipulation. The children are usually taken care of for one year by the parent, after which they are given to the House of Mentors, where a group of currently retired and no longer teaching mentors of advanced age will raise them between the ages of one years old and six years old, though the parents can still be very much involved in this process. Even after raising, parents become a model to look up to, and are frequently used as a motivation tool for the Mentors to encourage their students to excel and surpass the performances and achievements of their parents. Slizzar culture in such a way is very much focused around the concept of the child out-doing the parent, a stark contrast to many other Ailor cultures where respect for elders can sometimes border on accepting their parental superiority and not exceeding them. The Elders choose a Mentor for the Slizzar from the pool of eligible Mentors, though Mentoring does not have to take place in Sassrakkand, it can happen "on the road" out in the wide world, and there is no clear end-date for Mentoring. Each Mentor may identify that a Slizzar has learned enough and can be free from their guidance.  
==Religions==
* '''[[Draconism]]:''' Draconism is the obvious choice for any Slizzar. They are one of the few people on Aloria who have either direct or near direct interactions with their own creator, and a very clear blueprint for their existence. It is important to note however, that even if Nox imparted a resentment towards the other Dragons for "doing creation wrong", he did impart respect and worship of their other qualities, onto the Slizzar. The Slizzar are not pure Nox worshipers who ignore all other Dragons, they understand the nuance that each of these Dragons also has great other qualities and things worthy of worship, but that they can make shortsighted decisions about the future that they cannot see. As such, Slizzar should always be worshiping all Dragons, though pay exceptional service to Nox.
* '''Others:''' Because of the strong interwoven role of Draconism in their creation and being, it is very rare to find Slizzar who are not Draconism worshipers. While it is possible to run into a Slizzar who is worshiper of [[Unionism]], [[Estelley]], [[Evolism]], [[Khama]], or [[Fornoss]], this is usually only because they grew up outside of Slizzar society and simply never learned about their true identity, or became Marya Darkstar Slizzar and were seduced by the Void Gods of Evolism or the Vola of Fornoss. It is exceptionally strange for a Slizzar to be Khama worshipper, as they might have helped liquidate the Dewamenet Empire.


Slizzar cultural quirks are far and wide in between, but some are fairly consistent. Firstly, Slizzar love smells, incense is a very common way Slizzar use to surround themselves with floral scents, but particularly chrysanthemum flowers and water lilies are very important to them. It is said that a specific type of water lily grows all over Sassrakkand, and the sweet scents remind them of home, which is why many Slizzar enjoy the smell of flower based incense. The Slizzar also have a heightened affinity for dancing, and turning their body in ways that other Races find alluring. To the Slizzar themselves, these dances are just a mode of entertainment, sometimes even bordering on religious theatre, as the movements are meant to represent their [[Deep Sea Serpent]] deities, but the unknowing and ignorant other Races just see these dances as alluring and sensual belly-dancing. Slizzar furthermore also love the feeling of fur, the exact reason why being unknown, but the sensation of fur between their fingers is like giving a cat a scratching pole. Many Slizzar wear clothing that has some form of fur lining, or wearing actual pelts or a fur coat. Slizzar actually do not enjoy wearing revealing clothing or silks, because they believe it might reveal too much of their intentions and their body language.  
==Culture==
===Nox's Banishment===
Nox's Banishment is a major pivotal point and origin-story relation for many Slizzar, but at the same time it is an unsolvable conflict. The Slizzar are aware that if the Dragons notice them trying to free Nox in any way, that Regulus's Dictat may become more violent and unpleasant for them, just like the Dragons turned on the Sariyd. Nox's banishment was part of his plan, so many Slizzar opt for the opinion that he does not want to be saved, and that whatever he did to be trapped in the ether but still be able to interact with the world indirectly through mirrors, is actually a preferred state of being. Other Dragons, who are still physical, can only project their presence or awareness in a singular form, and can only ever physically be in one place at once. Nox however, despite being limited to speech and influence on the mind when looked at, can interact with the whole world, because mirrors exist in every house, every pond, every lake, and every shiny object. As such, even if they would like Nox to return to give them guidance, the Slizzar accept that his banishment was actually just an upgrade to his ability to affect the world to his own designs, and make peace with this reality. Their primary objective is to support him in what he does and continue their own work to ensure balance between all Factions and peoples in the world, and prevent the next Void Invasion.  


The only expressions of Slizzar culture occur during the month of January, when most Slizzar return to Sassrakkand to celebrate communality. The exact sequence of events in Sassrakkand is unknown to outsiders, but every night is filled with communal singing to the moon as the moon rises above the city and reflects on the white marble of the walls and the cascading water that flows into, around and inside the city. This communal singing is sometimes so grand that it can be heard far outside the walls, lucky listeners describing it as a song bordering between melancholy and sadness, yet with a hopeful twist and a spark of passion to it.  
===Families and Romance===
===Religion===
Slizzar don't do Gender. The supposition of gender experience, expression, or identity is entirely nonexistent, and rules to do with romance are equally nonexistent, as the social constructs relating to these norms were never developed in Slizzar society. It is however possible that a Slizzar learns a gender identity from the heritage or culture they were raised as, which can cause a modicum of gender dysphoria as they actualize their Slizzar identity. This is usually what causes some Delayed Slizzar to reject Slizzar society and abandon their Slizzar heritage, being unable to console their old identity with the idea that their identity was merely a temporary fake, and that they are genderless and sexless. Equally, just because there are no gender norms, does not mean a Slizzar cannot prefer monogamy due to learned behavior from their childhood. To some effect, how a Slizzar is raised can affect their future opinions on things. Slizzar in Sarakand are raised with the intent to serve Nox's will as creator and God in all. Surya and Marya act like surrogate parents that teach and raise children, though biological parents can also have a role in shaping the personality of the child. Children born outside of Sarakand can still be brought there to be taught, but may sometimes need to be instructed in other societies. In such cases, how they grow up, and whether they know at all about Nox and their purpose, depends on who trains and raises them. A Slizzar who is entirely existing outside of their heritage society, is called a Lonestar Slizzar. Lonestar Slizzar are not strictly reviled by other Slizzar, and can in theory be re-connected with their destiny, but can be considered loose cannons and unpredictable because they are not bound by the golden rules that all other Slizzar obey in balance and duty.  
The Slizzar follow the [[Nessrassian]] Faith: the faith of the giant Deep Sea Serpents. This faith has several gods embodied as various snakes which represent various aspects of a Slizzar’s personality. This religion is central in their life, for it guides their actions, and in hopes of becoming successful, they worship and offer tribute to their gods who they constantly aspire to become. It can be said as such that the Nessrassian Faith is less a religion, and more a life view or life philosophy. Still, the Slizzar worship the Sea Serpents as divine beings—and would even bow to the living ones if, or when, they surface. Many of their life choices and actions are woven into this concept of worship, whether it be manipulating others, succeeding in a plot, or rearing their puppets to have a mock-conflict with another Slizzar and prove the better manipulator by winning over the other. Within their home however, the Slizzar do not engage in active worship, and in some cases, Slizzar have even been known to accept a secondary faith, their Race being the only one known in Aloria that does this. Because the Sea Serpents are more of a form of intangible divinity within their own personality, they sometimes crave additional spiritualism and find that being part of a spiritual community of another Race of society can be just as fulfilling, if not assist in their sometimes lonely lives when they feel isolated and away from their Mentor and their parents.
===Clothing===
Slizzar derive much in the way of influence from Elven and [[Ithanian]] Ailor clothing styles, those two including the most flowing and comfortable robes that can sit fluidly between different shapes that the Slizzar like to take. Just like there is some telling similarity between the Slizzar and Suvial scripts, so too is there a little similarity between preferred way of dress, with the Slizzar having a love of richly decorated, colorful, and layered fabrics that serve as a sort of statement of identity to the wearer. Outside of that, much of Slizzar fashion is in a way utilitarian between the many shifts that their time is inevitably spanned between, though there are some Slizzar who like to play a game of call-signs with one another in terms of clothing patterns both so subtle and just repetitive enough to flag what they are to other Slizzar who are playing the game of politics with them in the same place at the same time. Very, very rarely, will a Slizzar occasionally cheekily engage in historical reconstructionism by donning the costume of a dead or destroyed civilization just to remember the good old days when they meddled in it, with this usually being reserved for the company of other Slizzar at house-parties. That said, Slizzar might full well be the only people in the world whose tailors could tell you exactly what the Meraic, [[Sarnan]], and sunken Sundered Principalities dressed like, and make all their clothes with the same pair of hands.
===Art===
Much like with clothing, the Slizzar have a cornucopia of different artistic styles collected from all around the world, but they also have their own. Slizzar are absolutely masterful workers of blown liquid glass, creating mosaics that lack the tiles, pieces of smooth and continuous glasswork that seem to bleed perfectly from color to color with an almost psychedelic effect. They tend to arrange these as a sort of individual viewing experience with a large series of mirrors that contrast the position of the viewer in relation to the piece, sometimes placing them outside it, sometimes visually within it. The Slizzar like to see their artwork as an interpretive experience, with the interpretation changing drastically depending on the arrangement of the mirrors, the time of day, and how many people are in the room. While these pieces were in the past hard to bring out of Sarakand because they implied the one who owned them to be a Slizzar, the looting of Ailor nobles from various Slizzar estates in the Chrysant War has meant that nowadays it is possible to enjoy these works without suspicion. That it was the greed of wartime enemies that made this possible, is a fact that the Slizzar enjoy very, very much.
===Cuisine===
The Slizzar have a complex cuisine that combines local Hadarian fish and wild plants with some of the jungle fruit that is common on the outlying islands like hearty plantains, only, they are sometimes frustrated that they have to change up their recipes all of the time when geopolitical conditions change or they must seal Sarakand to skip forward in time. However, generally speaking, the Slizzar have a refined native palate with a lot of fresh seafood and complicated plating usually assisted by Leytech automata. Since Sarakand has not closed off for a while now, though, Slizzar cuisine has been largely stable. Older Slizzar or those who have found a way to persist through the ages, however, stereotypically lament the loss of a particular blue plant from the Meraic era called Qalejara by the Maraya that gave a tang to fish soup that no modern plant can quite match. There are hundreds of attempted alchemical substitutes in the modern day to Qalejara flowers, some Meraic, some Slizzar, and some Allar who are just trying to help when asked to, but nothing is as good as the real thing, which the Maraya and Slizzar (despite the presence of some resentment) sometimes help each other try to recreate.


:*''For more information on Nessrassian, click [[Nessrassian|here]]
==Recommended Playstyle==
This section will be provided by another Lore Staff member at a later date.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*It is rumored that one Slizzar once managed to worm their way to the chambers of Chancellor [[Morgann Kade]]. There is no physical evidence of this ever having occurred, but it would explain their erratic behavior.  
* Accusations of snakehood, are merely societal bias against the animal known as a snake, and the fact that Slizzar have tails and slitted eyes. There are no real other comparisons.  
*Slizzar tails that have been cut off slowly grow back over the course of two years, so long as the cut occurred below knee level.
* Somehow, at the center of all calamity or glory, there is always at least one Slizzar hidden. At least, that is what everyone thinks, and the Slizzar prefer it that way.
*Slizzar greatly appreciate fruit, and have even been known to include flowers in their diet.
* Nox actually despises the idea that Slizzar have free will, but had to accept this reality to make them function without him. For now, it is an unspoken discomfort.  
{{Races}}
{{Peoples}}
{{Accreditation
{{Accreditation
|Artists = MonMarty
|Artists = MonMarty
|Writers = MonMarty, HydraLana
|Writers = MonMarty
|Processors = HydraLana
|Processors = FireFan96
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[[category:Races]] [[category:Gorr Races]]
[[category:Heritages]]

Latest revision as of 00:46, 14 October 2024

Slizzar
Ajneya (in Zoram)
Motto: "Without balance, a World undone."
Nation StateSarakand
RulerThe Duarchy
Other PresentNone
LanguagesZoram, Common
ReligionDraconism
First RecordedPre-Allorn
Demonym(s)Slizzar

Perhaps the oldest kin to have continuously existed on Aloria, the Slizzar are serpent-alien-like shapeshifters that are rarely seen in their natural form, mingling with other societies for both benign and nefarious purposes. The Slizzar have been around since before Cataclysm, as far back as the Seraph Civilization era, when their creation was judged a crime against the laws of creation between the Dragons, causing their creator and patron God Nox to be banished. The Slizzar still continue his vision for the world, a people with unique skills and abilities that secretly and subtly guide events and history to their designs, for the betterment and benefit of the continued existence of all. While this mission may sound inherently benign, Slizzar are masters of infiltration and manipulation due to their shapeshifting powers, always leaving those who were put out of play to wonder: did they just face a shapeshifter? Was the last person I spoke to secretly someone else? All valid questions are raised when paranoia strikes, in the wake of the plots and machinations of these enigmatic and secretive people.

Design

As Shapeshifters, Slizzar do not truly have one set appearance, save for their natural Slizzar appearance. Slizzar natural appearance is quite snake-like, with a body covered in black, gray, white, or silver scales, some slizzar have the lower body of a snake, legs, or the lower body composed of both legs and a snake tail. Slizzar may have have horns colored like their scales on their head, the head itself which looks quite alien compared to the other humanoid Races, with a flat nose, double-hinged jaw, and a series of cranial and jaw protrusions forming unique features that are different for each Slizzar. It is thus important to stress, that even if they have the body of a snake, their head is not snake-like at all. Slizzar usually have a dominant and secondary color, the dominant color being the majority of their hair and shoulders, while their secondary color adds contrast to their neck and some of their hair, particularly close to their cranium. These colors can be any combination, though are usually quite vibrant. All Slizzar have slitted purple eyes and dark sclera. While Slizzar are shapeshifters, they can never change this base Slizzar appearance.

Shifting

Shifting is the term Slizzar use when they change appearances. While it is in theory possible for Slizzar to play the lottery and appear randomly each time, most Slizzar use so-called Templates, which are pre-set designs of appearances they strongly remember, and can thus reliably re-create. Slizzar all treat shapeshifting very differently. Some Slizzar never shapeshift, preferring to be out in the open as their birth self, while others are always shapeshifted, to avoid detection. Then some combine a mixture of the two, or those who reveal their identity as a Slizzar on some Templates, but not on others. How a Slizzar feels about Shapeshifting and their Templates, depends on the Slizzar, and their ideology, and the motivations for what they do. Some Slizzar may benefit from revealing their true identity to their strongest allies for the benefit of trust, while others keep their identity completely hidden so as to always have an escape route available if things go bad. Exact rules on Shapeshifting are defined in the Heritage Traits. Keep in mind that Shapeshifting overall is incredibly powerful and flexible in Roleplay, but also meaningful OOC. If you find that your Character is not being trusted by the people around them, experiment with a bit of open-ness about their Slizzar identity. We have found that players who retain 100% secrecy as a Slizzar, have a hard time making meaningful IC connections because it OOC sucks for other players to emotionally invest in Characters that are deceiving theirs. That is technically Metagaming, but this feeling is still very strong, and we do not blame them.

Heritage Traits

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description. Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons). Slizzar cannot be included in Mixed Heritage Characters, as there is no such thing as a Half-Slizzar.

Free Packs

Mechanics

  • Slizzar are immune to any type of mind control or mind scrying from mortals, particularly Mind Control, but also Mechanics that would result in thralling, emotion-reading, emotion influencing and so forth. Additionally, if someone is actively attempting to do any of these things to a Slizzar, that Slizzar becomes aware of the attempt, and who is attempting it.
  • Slizzar can perfectly mimic Afflictions and Affinities, including Transformations and even the aesthetics of Abilities and Mechanics, even if they do not actually work that way. For example, a Slizzar can perfectly mimic the appearance of a Vampire and then use fake Vampire teeth to engage in fake blood drinking. There is no way to distinguish this from the real thing, meaning Slizzar can seamlessly infiltrate groups. Anyone attempting to call out a Slizzar for not being authentic in their mimicry of something they are not, is engaging in meta-gaming. Note, however, this does not actually give them the Mechanics. They can for example summon Archon-like wings if they are mimicking Archon, but that does not give them flight or the function as described in the Archon Mechanic.
  • Slizzar have an advanced network of off-screen politicians and Nobles under their control. As a result, whenever an Imperial Assembly is called, Slizzar are able to sit in the noble section of the Assembly, and their votes count for 2 Votes instead of one. Votes are always cast as "Aye" or "Nay", in order to use this mechanic, the Slizzar must say "Aye (a:Political Power)" for the vote to work. Additionally, Slizzar can be embedded into Noble Families, attaching to their Family-Leader as either an Ally or Manipulator. So long as both the Family Leader and the Slizzar are present at the same Imperial Assembly (in absentia or proxy voting does not count), the Family Leader may also use this Mechanic (but must be sure to use the formatting described above for it to count). Additionally, for this to count the Slizzar must self-register as embedded into a particular Noble Family through the Ticket Bot. It is not possible to stack this effect multiple times for multiple Slizzar embedded.
  • Slizzar have an advanced network of bureaucrats, bankers, and other wealthy persons they can call upon, to give them access to the new wealth of the Regalian Empire. Firstly, this means they have access to an off-screen wealth that is close but not equivalent to registered Aristocrats. It essentially means Slizzar are wealthy, and have money to throw around. Secondly, it creates a situation where Slizzar can "claim" Noble Countryside Estates. These claims are not exclusionary, that is to say, we only have a limited number of Estates available, and multiple players trying to "claim" the same Estate. For this reason, we request players make use of the holographic display to indicate if players are already present, and suspend disbelief about who owns what Estate. Chances of multiple players trying to use the same Estate at the same time, is low.
  • Slizzar are natural Persuaders with their ability to get into the heads of others. Any Persuasion Rolls done by a Slizzar, have their final Dice result increased by +1. This effect does not stack with other Mechanics that have the same effect on Persuasion Rolls.

Birth Rites

Because many Slizzar go through life entirely disguised and pretending to be a different people or society, their reproduction cycle could unintentionally reveal them. At a base line, all children born from at least one Slizzar parent will always be full Slizzar. In case this is not desirable, the Slizzar can perform the Birth Rites, in which they have more clearer control over how their offspring will be created, this allows them to dictate several different processes. Firstly, they can choose to have one or two children born. Secondly, they can choose for each child born, whether they will be born not-Slizzar (taking the Heritage from their biological parent, and whatever the Slizzar pretended to be), full Slizzar, or Delayed Slizzar. Delayed Slizzar will be born as not-Slizzar, but when they become 18 years old, are suddenly informed through visions and dreams about their true identity, and how to become a full Slizzar. If they agree and venture to the nearest Dragon Temple to connect with their true self, they become full Slizzar, if they reject for up to 12 months and never visit such a site, they will be not-Slizzar forever. It is also possible, if two children are chosen, to have each born differently, for example one as Delayed Slizzar, and one as not-Slizzar, or full Slizzar, or other combinations. Note, most Slizzar found in the world are Slizzar born tens of thousands of years ago. This is because Sarakand exists in a warped time-bubble where time can pass slower or faster than the world around it. Slizzar can in reality only become 300 years old, but many are from a different time.

Sarakand

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City Description

To understand the place of the Slizzar, one must understand the City of Eternal Twilight, Sarakand. Sarakand is the only Slizzar city-state in the world, and it is Slizzar homogenous, not allowing outsiders in unless they have some connection to the Slizzar. The city itself is extremely advanced, having buildings that reminisce of Seraph, second, third, and Meraic civilization architecture in them, that have accumulated over time. While Regalia is often treated as the jewel of the world, and this metropolitan is certainly far more massive than Sarakand, Sarakand itself as a city has existed for 70,000 years, which pales Regalia's mere centuries in comparison. Sarakand is built on a massive bastion wall surrounding the outer ring of aquatic farms. Further in are large buildings and Temples to the various Dragon Gods. Closer to the center are the Hallowed Towers, which are not residential, but large defensive Dragon-Magic structures that project a shield around the city in times of need, and control the passage of time around it. These installations were built by the Dragon God Nox, who defied the will of the Dragons by creating Sarakand and the Slizzar and was banished. At the center lies the Pyramidion, a Pyramid-like structure with a large gap in the middle from which the Mydion (city's power source) can be seen.

Defenses and Politics

Through powerful Dragon Magics, Sarakand and its direct ocean around it are caught in a permanent twilight, with the passing of time adjusted inside to slow down or speed up depending on the city's needs. This explains why the city has lasted for so long and survived numerous Void Invasions, having an innate ability to hide from the invasion in Time Magic, and being shielded. Sarakand is the seat of power of the two ruling factions and Duarchy Sovereigns of the Slizzar, the Herald of the Sun, and the Herald of the Moon, and holds a crucial place for most Slizzar who venture into the world as a safe harbor to return to. The two Factions being the Surya Court and the Marya Court, live in a harmonious balance in the city. Even if these are Factions in the traditional sense, unlike in Regalia, they do not compete with one another but complement and hold each other in balance to do as Nox instructed them, preserve the world despite the slow-to-act nature of the other Dragons. Each Slizzar in a coming-of-age time, will align with the Surya or Marya Court, and venture out into the world to seek their way to ply the crafts of their people on the other peoples of Aloria, to do their Dragon-God's bidding. Many Slizzar who retire from their work return to Sarakand, where they live our their final days in peace.

Slizzar Factions

Surya Court, Guides of the Sun

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The Surya Court is the Slizzar Faction that holds that the young peoples of Aloria need a kind and delicate guiding hand. Whether through small acts like helping individuals or families, or large acts through advising organizations or gently nudging whole countries or Empires in the right direction, the Surya Slizzar seek to be a hidden beneficial hand to the lives of others. Surya Slizzar lean more in the direction of being pacifist or at least vowing not to strike unless in defense of another or holy site, as Nox instructed them to guard the world from the Sin of Free Will. Because of the Sin of Free Will, the Surya Court believes that the other peoples of Aloria will not see calamity coming when it arrives on their doorstep, and need guidance from a higher hand of experience and skill to avert disaster, that being the eradication of all living beings on Aloria by another Void Invasion. Surya Slizzar are more inclined than Marya Slizzar to appear in their natural form without any shapeshifting, but are still keenly aware, that a Slizzar is something alien and frightful, and that the acts of the Marya Court still incite rage, thus holding onto their Disguises to perform their duties. A Surya Slizzar can divert to the Marya Court. This happens usually when a Surya Slizzar believes that the incompetence brought on by the Sin of Free Will is so profound, that their attempts to be benign in themselves are holding them back, and that their work would be much simpler if they used subterfuge and assassination to get their way. It is also possible for a Surya Slizzar to be so inundated with their work to the benefit of individuals, that they start losing scope of the bigger picture and drift away from Nox's work. Those are referred to as Surya Eclipse Slizzar.

Marya Court, Conspirators of the Moon

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The Marya Court is a Slizzar Faction that holds that the young peoples of Aloria need to be manipulated to prevent destruction. Whether through small actions inflicted on individuals or families, or large acts of puppeteering and subterfuge against countries or Empires, the Marya Slizzar seek to be a hidden malign existence for the benefit of life itself. Marya Slizzar lean more in the direction of violence as well as emotional and intellectual manipulation of facts, creating false perceptions of reality, and mind-controlling others to do their bidding. The Marya Slizzar believe that the other peoples of Aloria are so self-absorbed and occupied with the explosive nature of their short lives, that they cannot possibly be taught how not to blow up the world, and should be dominated to prevent them from doing so. To them, the Sin of Free Will is extremely literal, in that free will itself is evil, and the best that can be done for the world is to remove it from the people who wield power. Marya Slizzar, due to their subterfuge, are far more likely to always remain Disguised and have multiple fall-back personas to escape detection or reprisals in case they are uncovered. A Marya Slizzar can divert to the Surya Court. This happens usually when a Marya Slizzar believes that the suffering or resentment they might have left in their wake, in and of itself becomes the destruction or calamity they seek to avoid, and that their work would be much simpler if they were kind and cooperative instead. It is also possible for a Marya Slizzar to be so inundated with vanity, pride, or just relishing in the violence and manipulation, that they become more obsessed with the game of control and lose scope of the bigger picture of Nox's work. These are referred to as Marya Darkstar Slizzar.

Factional Nuances

While in other people of Aloria factional politics might end up being bloody or contentious, it is very cooperative among the Slizzar. They believe strongly in the notion of balance, and that Nox created perfect balance among the Slizzar. As such, even if a Surya Slizzar is horrified by a Marya's actions, or if a Marya Slizzar has gone rogue as a Darkstar or left the cause as an Eclipser, Slizzar attempt in any circumstances to avoid violence or conflict with one another. Even if these factions are opposed ideologically, both factions appreciate and understand the value they bring in contract to one another, how some societies just cannot be helped with malignance, and how some societies just cannot be helped with benign guidance, in that all methods are needed to reach the end goal. This does not mean that Slizzar cannot criticize each other, or comment on each other's plots, just that they should not get in each other's ways to or make their work harder, unless they start intentionally obstructing the work of others. The outside world is aware of these Slizzar Factions, but Slizzar would do well never to reveal their alignment. After all, in Regalia, the Marya are well known to have orchestrated the long string of assassinations that followed after the Chrysant War, in which many Ailor and Elven nobles perished as revenge for the destruction of the Essa Empire. It was the Surya who guided the hands of the Allar before this conflict, and it was the Marya who acted as the hand of revenge for their fallen brethren, to weaken the Regalian Empire and restore balance between the other Empires that were left. It should also be noted, that Faction membership, is not extremely strict. It is not impossible for a Surya Slizzar to need to be cruel sometimes, or a Marya Slizzar to be kind. Both are not moral absolutes, but more like guidelines that indicate intent rather than action. Each Slizzar will have to struggle with the moral implications of their actions, if they violate their own principles.

The Duarchy Heralds

The Duarchy Heralds are the two enigmatic entities known as Surya and Marya, who act like co-rulers of the Slizzar as a whole. Surya and Marya were made by Nox (causing some to conclude they are complex Dragon Magic Automata) to guide the Slizzar in his absence, as he foresaw his banishment by the other Dragons and made preparations. Surya and Marya have guided the Slizzar ever since and operate the basic functions of Sarakand itself. They reside only in Sarakand, but have immense magical power, and tower over all other inhabitants as they slowly wander the streets. During the day, they offer guidance to the younglings in large classes where their melodic telepathic voice teaches them about the world and their place in it, and at night they patrol the walls in opposite rotating circles to herald the switching of night and day. Surya and Marya are living embodiments of their respective ideologies, Surya teaches the Slizzar kindness and warmth, while Marya teaches them cruelty and violence, both having the capacity to project teachings and skills directly into the minds of their students. In some manner, foreigners might see them as Automata Monarchs, but they do not make decisions for the everyday societal organization, such as who gets food and what supplies are sent abroad. These tasks are taken care of by the city's Slizzar inhabitants, though they still speak for Nox, and can communicate his oracle predictions to the people.

Language and Naming

The Slizzar language is Zoram, which is based on real-like Sanskrit. Many other people accuse the Slizzar of speaking with a lisp, but this is generally just bigotry. In fact, Slizzar are very articulate, and their language has a lot of strong consonants, meaning they hardly make noises that one would expect a snake to make. Slizzar are however capable of producing a rattle-snake-like sound at the back of their throat, which they frequently produce when in combat, or when they are about to attack someone, or as a way of warning others that they are annoyed or feel threatened. Slizzar naming customs also use real-life Sanskrit. It is rare for Slizzar to have a surname, most Slizzar only carry a single name, though they can sometimes adopt a surname for ease of use to the non-Slizzar members in their family. When they do, this surname is always from another culture's language. Here follows a list of example names for the Slizzar (they are all non-gendered because sex and gender don’t exist in Slizzar psyche).

  • Achyut, Advait, Bhavin, Chittin, Girivar, Jatasya, Jaitra, Kush, Manav, Nandish, Parth, Prayag, Sambhav, Shivansh, Udit, Vibodh, Yug, Bhoomi, Chetaki, Gatha, Kaveri, Namasya, Paridhi, Shloka, Swara, Tavishi, Udita.

Brief History

The Beginning

Slizzar History, despite it spanning 70,000 years, is actually very short. Because of the afore mentioned time-warping of the city of Sarakand, large periods of history in which thousands of year passed, were experienced as mere days for the Slizzar in the city. Slizzar records show that the city was created by Nox in the latter century of the Seraph losing war against the Void Invasion. The Slizzar record clearly that this war lasted 1000 years, and that the war was an incredibly slow attrition war, because a single Seraph could hold off tens of thousands of Demons alone in the blink of an eye, and that Demons in most cases only won from the Seraph because they changed tactics which the slow-acting Seraph were not capable of reacting to. The records say that Nox was specifically in disagreement with the other Dragons about future plans for the continuation of life. Among Dragons exist the Laws of Creation, which dictate that Creation must never contain a spark of Creation itself (implying, a being that can re-make itself into whatever it wants), as this would bring them in closer proximity to godhood. Nox was of the opinion that Dragons would just continue creating flawed creations because of his objection to free will itself. Relenting that free will was still required in his own creation, because he knew that the Dragons would immediately banish him to the ether and deny him the ability to command his creations, Nox wove the first Slizzar into being, some of which are even still alive today due to Sarakand's time magic. In the time it took for the Dragons to banish him (as the Dragons were also slow to act), Nox had nearly a century to build Sarakand with his god-like Magic, and build Slizzar society from the ground up. When Nox was banished, the Heralds Surya and Marya took his place, the dome around Sarakand closed, and the city slumbered.

The re-opening

Sarakand remained closed for the entirety of the second and third civilization, with mere months passing inside the city, while Surya and Marya used their magics to determine the state of the outside world. They taught the Slizzar that which Nox could not with the time that was given, and the shield was first re-opened during the Meraic Empire days. For centuries, the Slizzar interfered with Meraic politics both seen and unseen, until the day that technological advances brought about machines that could detect and would hunt down shapeshifters. The Meraic civilization eventually progressed far enough to the point that the Slizzar knew that they would go extinct if they stayed, so many were called back to Sarakand's safety. When the Meraic felt secure in their expulsion, a huge dome-like structure was built around the city that would shroud Sarakand in darkness for a long time. The only light that shone on the horizon was the Mydion itself, giving the whole city a purple glow, that was normally basked in blue and orange light of the horizon poles. Over time, the Slizzar saw the dome crack and crumble in real time over the span of several years, while outside thousands of years passed as the city slumbered again.

The Allorn Stage

Sarakand re-opened once more when every sign of the dome that was once built around their city had rotted away, now forming a ring of mountains around the city's surrounding sea as all the metal and stone had compacted and returned to dirt. The Slizzar once more ventured out into the world during the early days of the Allorn Empire, when the Dewamenet still stood. It is here that the Slizzar were met with Regulus, who led a conclave of Crown Dragons to Sarakand, and temporarily disrupted all Magics and put Surya and Marya to sleep. It was here that he declared the Will of Conclave, that the creation of the Slizzar and Sarakand was a crime out of place and out of time, and that their existence was in violation of the laws of the world, but that their own laws could not compel them to drive the Slizzar to extinction. What the Slizzar refer to as the Allorn Stage, actually refers to this dictate by Regulus, which proclaimed the Slizzar's right to continued existence on a technicality, but that the Dragons would inflict the will of Umbra if ever they showed the intent to conquer the world. This proved perfect for Nox's pre-designed plans, as he had already anticipated the Allorn Stage, and codified into Slizzar culture that to desire the world, was to destroy it like all other Civilizations would.

From this point on, the dome would no longer close, even during the Fifth Void Invasion, as the Slizzar had learned from the Meraic and Seraph days what they could not apply then, they would apply now. The world was in a better state for them to act, the Dragons had stopped creating species that would create globe-spanning Empires, and had instead produced many fractured societies and heritages all over. The Slizzar were able to mesh into many of them, and attempted to gently guide them away from the same calamity they had seen before, all the while Slizzar kept an eye out for any birds that were watching them in the name for Regulus, explaining why Slizzar may not always be fond of birds and think them judgmental. The Elves became aware of the Slizzar over time, causing several high-paranoia-induced periods in the later Allorn Empire during which there were many witch hunts. There are even Slizzar, who claim to have had instrumental roles in the Dewamenet-Elven War, and aided both in the destruction of the Elves, and of the Dewamenet. Towards the peak of Allorn power, their Magic became so great that many Slizzar had to flee back to Sarakand, to avoid being detected and executed.

The Calm Era

The Calm Era, is anything but, but the term is frequently used to define the hope from the Slizzar that the dome should not have to close anymore, due an end to threats of Void Invasion. The city itself is still suspended in a slow-moving time bubble, where days inside amount to years outside, but this is considered rather slow, as prior dilations affected centuries. After retreating mostly from the Allorn Empire, the Slizzar interacted with the Allar, and the newly awakening Maraya who had some very obvious historical resentment towards them. Some Maraya in fact are extremely resentful, of the fact that Slizzar have incorporated Meraic architecture in their city, but did not save any Meraic people when the Void Invasion came (ignoring the fact that they built a giant dome over the city which denied them the ability to do so). During the Void Invasion itself, the Slizzar ventured out into the world in an attempt to help or bend the Elves into success, though their interactions are quite unclear. Some claim they influenced the Eronidas, some claim they influenced the Cult of Dronnal, while some claim they influenced the Arken to do as they did. What exactly happens remains entirely unclear, as the Slizzar that claim these feats have no way of proving any of them, due to their disguised nature making them inherently undetectable to history.

The Essa Era

The Essa Era defines the Cataclysm to the modern day roughly speaking, that highlights the Essa Empire as a focal point. During this period, the Slizzar attempted to use both Surya and Marya Factions to create an Empire led by them, combining both benign and malign ideologies. Essa was a quickly rising Empire, rising so quickly that it drew the ire from the Regalians, those Ailor with their paranoid ideas about the shapeshifter Empress of Essa. Refusing to bend, the Essa Empire was brutally invaded by the Regalian Empire, which was technologically more advanced than the Allar were. The War turned less into a genuine Imperial conquest, and more into a bloodbath where Regalian fleets caused massive civilian casualties in indiscriminate bombing of coastal cities and attacks on civilian shipping. The Essa Empire was eventually destroyed when the capital was conquered, and the Surya fled back to Sarakand, while the Marya enacted their revenge on Regalia. In the modern day, Slizzar are deeply loathed and mistrusted, because of the external perception that they are all snake deceivers and killers, but the reality is far more nuanced. While there was tyranny and manipulation in Essa, the Empress herself was Surya, and the leading castes all had benign intentions to the Allar, albeit with the caveat that they decided the Allar would be more beneficially ruled by them, than by themselves. There are hundreds if not thousands of Slizzar spread all over the world, with several tens of thousands still living in Sarakand, but many of them continue to hide, as their shapeshifting skills now more than ever draw unwanted attention.

Conflicts & Alliances

A lot of MassiveCraft's lore is constructed around conflicts that are based on religious, historical, or societal grievances. This section aims to set out the various conflict and alliance points for the Lanlath, while also attaching some nuance so that there is wiggle room for players to not get stuck in endless loops of arguing the basics of societal conflict without clear Character Development or Resolution.

  • Ailor: Ailor, due to being some of the most short-lived people on Aloria and their explosively energetic and active personalities, are often prime target for the Slizzar, whether for benign or malign reasons. Many Ailor harbor extreme paranoia to Slizzar, sometimes even suspecting relatives of having been replaced by these infiltrates. This is all based on historical events, as directly after the Chrysant War, many sleeper agent Marya Slizzar struck out, killing hundreds of Regalian Nobles to weaken Regalia after winning the war against their kin. This habit for assassination among the Slizzar, is one deeply feared and mistrusted by Ailor.
  • Dwarves: Dwarves have a deep-seated loathing for Slizzar that is not historically justified, but just an extension of their brutal honesty and directness culturally speaking, that clashes with Slizzar habits to lie and deceive.
  • Suvial: Suvial see the Slizzar as rivals, notably the Marya, because they engage in the same type of political manipulation, it's just that the Slizzar are far better at it. The Suvial are constantly searching for ways to reveal shapeshifters, and naturally have a predisposition to discover Slizzar engaging in political intrigue, and then to try and beat them at their own game as a form of competition.
  • Kathar: Despite many Slizzar working against the interests of the Kathar, and them being entirely responsible for the waves of assassinations among the Kathar nobles, they are held in high esteem, particularly for this reason, as well as the fact that they believe Slizzar make the best courtesans and advisors. The Slizzar have historically made ample use of this by constantly destabilizing the Dread Empire and preventing it from really expanding despite the large hosts of Demons in their service.
  • Allar: Slizzar and Allar relations are rather contentious and often dependent on the individual. The two people made up the two halves of the Essa Empire, a state which was guided by the Surya Slizzar to give the Allar seeking a way out of Sendrassian Evolism a safe place to develop and flourish. Yet, at the same time, the Allar were also manipulated and bent into service by the Marya Slizzar who used their mind control over Allar Digmaan to establish in effect dictatorships over regions of the Empire. In the calamity that was the Regalian Invasion, both people died side by side, but it was the Slizzar who could return to the safety of Sarakand which withstood repeat Regalian attempts to assail the city, while the Allar languished in occupation and second-rank citizen status for years before Regalian properly integrated them. As such, individual Allar may hate, or adore Slizzar, depending on their perspective.

Religions

  • Draconism: Draconism is the obvious choice for any Slizzar. They are one of the few people on Aloria who have either direct or near direct interactions with their own creator, and a very clear blueprint for their existence. It is important to note however, that even if Nox imparted a resentment towards the other Dragons for "doing creation wrong", he did impart respect and worship of their other qualities, onto the Slizzar. The Slizzar are not pure Nox worshipers who ignore all other Dragons, they understand the nuance that each of these Dragons also has great other qualities and things worthy of worship, but that they can make shortsighted decisions about the future that they cannot see. As such, Slizzar should always be worshiping all Dragons, though pay exceptional service to Nox.
  • Others: Because of the strong interwoven role of Draconism in their creation and being, it is very rare to find Slizzar who are not Draconism worshipers. While it is possible to run into a Slizzar who is worshiper of Unionism, Estelley, Evolism, Khama, or Fornoss, this is usually only because they grew up outside of Slizzar society and simply never learned about their true identity, or became Marya Darkstar Slizzar and were seduced by the Void Gods of Evolism or the Vola of Fornoss. It is exceptionally strange for a Slizzar to be Khama worshipper, as they might have helped liquidate the Dewamenet Empire.

Culture

Nox's Banishment

Nox's Banishment is a major pivotal point and origin-story relation for many Slizzar, but at the same time it is an unsolvable conflict. The Slizzar are aware that if the Dragons notice them trying to free Nox in any way, that Regulus's Dictat may become more violent and unpleasant for them, just like the Dragons turned on the Sariyd. Nox's banishment was part of his plan, so many Slizzar opt for the opinion that he does not want to be saved, and that whatever he did to be trapped in the ether but still be able to interact with the world indirectly through mirrors, is actually a preferred state of being. Other Dragons, who are still physical, can only project their presence or awareness in a singular form, and can only ever physically be in one place at once. Nox however, despite being limited to speech and influence on the mind when looked at, can interact with the whole world, because mirrors exist in every house, every pond, every lake, and every shiny object. As such, even if they would like Nox to return to give them guidance, the Slizzar accept that his banishment was actually just an upgrade to his ability to affect the world to his own designs, and make peace with this reality. Their primary objective is to support him in what he does and continue their own work to ensure balance between all Factions and peoples in the world, and prevent the next Void Invasion.

Families and Romance

Slizzar don't do Gender. The supposition of gender experience, expression, or identity is entirely nonexistent, and rules to do with romance are equally nonexistent, as the social constructs relating to these norms were never developed in Slizzar society. It is however possible that a Slizzar learns a gender identity from the heritage or culture they were raised as, which can cause a modicum of gender dysphoria as they actualize their Slizzar identity. This is usually what causes some Delayed Slizzar to reject Slizzar society and abandon their Slizzar heritage, being unable to console their old identity with the idea that their identity was merely a temporary fake, and that they are genderless and sexless. Equally, just because there are no gender norms, does not mean a Slizzar cannot prefer monogamy due to learned behavior from their childhood. To some effect, how a Slizzar is raised can affect their future opinions on things. Slizzar in Sarakand are raised with the intent to serve Nox's will as creator and God in all. Surya and Marya act like surrogate parents that teach and raise children, though biological parents can also have a role in shaping the personality of the child. Children born outside of Sarakand can still be brought there to be taught, but may sometimes need to be instructed in other societies. In such cases, how they grow up, and whether they know at all about Nox and their purpose, depends on who trains and raises them. A Slizzar who is entirely existing outside of their heritage society, is called a Lonestar Slizzar. Lonestar Slizzar are not strictly reviled by other Slizzar, and can in theory be re-connected with their destiny, but can be considered loose cannons and unpredictable because they are not bound by the golden rules that all other Slizzar obey in balance and duty.

Clothing

Slizzar derive much in the way of influence from Elven and Ithanian Ailor clothing styles, those two including the most flowing and comfortable robes that can sit fluidly between different shapes that the Slizzar like to take. Just like there is some telling similarity between the Slizzar and Suvial scripts, so too is there a little similarity between preferred way of dress, with the Slizzar having a love of richly decorated, colorful, and layered fabrics that serve as a sort of statement of identity to the wearer. Outside of that, much of Slizzar fashion is in a way utilitarian between the many shifts that their time is inevitably spanned between, though there are some Slizzar who like to play a game of call-signs with one another in terms of clothing patterns both so subtle and just repetitive enough to flag what they are to other Slizzar who are playing the game of politics with them in the same place at the same time. Very, very rarely, will a Slizzar occasionally cheekily engage in historical reconstructionism by donning the costume of a dead or destroyed civilization just to remember the good old days when they meddled in it, with this usually being reserved for the company of other Slizzar at house-parties. That said, Slizzar might full well be the only people in the world whose tailors could tell you exactly what the Meraic, Sarnan, and sunken Sundered Principalities dressed like, and make all their clothes with the same pair of hands.

Art

Much like with clothing, the Slizzar have a cornucopia of different artistic styles collected from all around the world, but they also have their own. Slizzar are absolutely masterful workers of blown liquid glass, creating mosaics that lack the tiles, pieces of smooth and continuous glasswork that seem to bleed perfectly from color to color with an almost psychedelic effect. They tend to arrange these as a sort of individual viewing experience with a large series of mirrors that contrast the position of the viewer in relation to the piece, sometimes placing them outside it, sometimes visually within it. The Slizzar like to see their artwork as an interpretive experience, with the interpretation changing drastically depending on the arrangement of the mirrors, the time of day, and how many people are in the room. While these pieces were in the past hard to bring out of Sarakand because they implied the one who owned them to be a Slizzar, the looting of Ailor nobles from various Slizzar estates in the Chrysant War has meant that nowadays it is possible to enjoy these works without suspicion. That it was the greed of wartime enemies that made this possible, is a fact that the Slizzar enjoy very, very much.

Cuisine

The Slizzar have a complex cuisine that combines local Hadarian fish and wild plants with some of the jungle fruit that is common on the outlying islands like hearty plantains, only, they are sometimes frustrated that they have to change up their recipes all of the time when geopolitical conditions change or they must seal Sarakand to skip forward in time. However, generally speaking, the Slizzar have a refined native palate with a lot of fresh seafood and complicated plating usually assisted by Leytech automata. Since Sarakand has not closed off for a while now, though, Slizzar cuisine has been largely stable. Older Slizzar or those who have found a way to persist through the ages, however, stereotypically lament the loss of a particular blue plant from the Meraic era called Qalejara by the Maraya that gave a tang to fish soup that no modern plant can quite match. There are hundreds of attempted alchemical substitutes in the modern day to Qalejara flowers, some Meraic, some Slizzar, and some Allar who are just trying to help when asked to, but nothing is as good as the real thing, which the Maraya and Slizzar (despite the presence of some resentment) sometimes help each other try to recreate.

Recommended Playstyle

This section will be provided by another Lore Staff member at a later date.

Trivia

  • Accusations of snakehood, are merely societal bias against the animal known as a snake, and the fact that Slizzar have tails and slitted eyes. There are no real other comparisons.
  • Somehow, at the center of all calamity or glory, there is always at least one Slizzar hidden. At least, that is what everyone thinks, and the Slizzar prefer it that way.
  • Nox actually despises the idea that Slizzar have free will, but had to accept this reality to make them function without him. For now, it is an unspoken discomfort.
Peoples of Aloria
Central Peoples
• Ailor • Narim • Solvaan •
Northern Peoples
• Dwarves • Isldar • Sihndar • Urlan •
Eastern Peoples
• Skyborn • Sihai • Dragonkin •
Southern Peoples
• Allar • Bralona • Maraya • Slizzar •
Western Peoples
• Asha • Eronidas • Fin'ullen • Kathar • Lanlath • Maquixtl • Suvial • Yanar •
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Last EditorMonMarty on 10/14/2024.
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