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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.
| Slizzar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Race | |
| Pronunciation | Slizz-ahr |
| Classification | Gorr |
| Subraces | None |
| Common Nicknames | Snake People, Shapeshifters, Puppeteers |
| Languages | Zasta, and whatever Language they pick up in the societies they emulate |
| Naming Customs | 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. |
| Racial Traits | |
| Distinctions | Highly intelligent snake-like shapeshifters |
| Maximum Age | 180 years |
| Height | 5’ - 6’ |
| Weight | 100 - 160 lbs in their natural state |
| Eye Colors | Varying purple in natural forms, everything else in 4th form. |
| Hair Colors | Varying colors in natural forms, everything else in 4th form. |
| Skin Tones | Any and all colors, usually one dominant and one sub-dominant color with varying patterns or none in different colors. |
Physical & Mental Characteristics
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
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
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 or Manathar. They also do not gain any of the racial traits, abilities or any changes to their Proficiencies.
Complete Form
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.
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.
Slizzar Personalities
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.
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.
Slizzar Abilities
Sensation Surge
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 Bonding
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 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.
Keystone of Sassrakkand
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.
Summary of Racial Abilities
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Form | Racial Shift | 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. |
| Mobile Form | Racial Shift | 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. |
| Mimic Form | 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Culture
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.
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.
Slizzar Culture
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.
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.
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.
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.
Slizzar Religion
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.
- For more information on Nessrassian, click here
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.
- 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.
- Slizzar greatly appreciate fruit, and have even been known to include flowers in their diet.
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