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|pronunciation = Slizz-ahr
|pronunciation = Slizz-ahr
|classification = [[Gorr]]
|classification = [[Gorr]]
|subraces = None
|subraces = Makara, Devata, Mauli, Aksunna, and Anindriya
|nicknames =  
|nicknames =  
*Snake People (derogatory)
*Snake People (derogatory)
*Shapeshifters (sort of praising)  
*Shapeshifters (sort of praising)  
*Puppeteers (praising)
*Puppeteers (praising)
|languages = [[Zasta]], and whatever [[Language]] they pick up in the societies they emulate
|languages = [[Zoram]], based on real-life Sanskrit
|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.
|naming = Sanskrit
 
|distinction = Serpent-folk shapeshifters
|distinction = Highly intelligent snake-like shapeshifters
|maxage = 1000 years
|maxage = 180 years
|height = 5’ - 6’
|weight = 100 - 160 lbs in their natural state
|eye = Any.
|hair = Any.
|skin = Any.
|}}
|}}
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 Race to have continuously existed on [[Aloria]], the Slizzar are of serpent-like shapeshifters that are rarely seen in their natural form, mingling with other societies for both benign and nefarious purposes. Some claim that the Slizzar have been around since before even the fall of the [[Seraph]], though it is hard to prove. For centuries, and sometimes even millennia, the Slizzar closed their holy city-state [[Sassrakkand]] off from the outside world, content to exist in luxury and ignore the woes of others. Following the last [[Void Invasion]], the Slizzar have once again spread into the wider world, shape shifting among the locals to fit in. Some assist with research, others taste the delights of other cultures, and some yet quietly nudge decisions made in high positions of authority to their benefit.
==Core Identity==
===Introduction===
[[File:Slizzareyes.png|260px|thumb|right|Slizzar are proud of their dragon-purple eyes, and frequently let it shine through despite shapeshifting. They do hide it when they want to avoid being identified as a Slizzar however.]]
[[File:645px-Fullfemaleslizz22.png|260px|thumb|right|Most Slizzar have a dominant and subdominant color scheme beyond their dark gray or black scales. These colors are usually very vibrant and consistent with their "hair".]]
[[File:615px-Semishifted2.png|260px|thumb|right|Some Slizzar make their Birth Shape more humanoid to ward off accusations of being a literal snake, and reduce bigotry towards them, though it rarely works.]]
[[File:438px-Fullshapeshift2.png|260px|thumb|right|Scales are considered beautiful by the Devata Slizzar, who frequently incorporate them into their appearance, even while shapeshifted because they don't need to hide.]]
[[File:C49ab524b1sss6bccbf2ab605623b4373c1.png|260px|thumb|right|Many Devata Slizzar work as courtesans, keeping their purple eyes which usually guarantees that a client is going to have a great time and be fully understood.]]
[[File:69458ae3d5ab412dbf6cdc38d1c1b219.png|260px|thumb|right|Due to a lack of gender or sex expectations, Slizzar just pick whatever trait they like the look of (or need in the moment) to compose their appearance.]]
[[File:34468ce0f1f99bf809d667fa35e18a22.png|260px|thumb|right|Despite being able to combine any race's traits together, Devata and Mauli generally stick to what looks realistic for the race they are mimicking.]]
[[File:Mauliart.jpeg|260px|thumb|right|A Mauli's true appearance is regal and refined-- but few ever see it.]]
To be a Slizzar is to be a shapeshifter that is always highly keen on understanding the world and the people around them, but to inversely be extremely misunderstood by that world and those people. The Slizzar have a terrible reputation due to their natural ability to shapeshift, and the actions of some of their number. While many Slizzar enjoy the luxuries of life over politics, a few of them have steered global politics to such a degree that it caused great trouble to even the [[Regalian Empire]], resulting in generational hate and fear for this seductive and sometimes subversive [[Race]]. Slizzar in Regalia should expect to experience extreme opposites, both to be ridiculed and spat on, but also to be desired and a frequent party invitee. They have great potential for fun and debauchery, but also great evil and manipulation.
===Isolationism===
The Slizzar are by nature isolationist, at least within their holy city Sassrakkand. Slizzar do not settle other regions, their race numbers are always roughly the same (never becoming higher than a few dozen thousand), and they make no colonies. When the world goes through a period of great chaos, the Slizzar perform their Great Recall, during which the Slizzar around the world have limited time to return (with any non-Slizzar family they want to take with), before the shield of Sassrakkand is closed, and the city closes off to the outside. This risk and flight response carries over to the Slizzar. If a Slizzar’s identity has been Burned as they call it, they abandon that identity and shapeshift into another to leave their problems behind.
===Birth Shape vs Shapeshifting===
To the Slizzar, the concept of Birth Shape (the body they were born with) versus shapeshifted body is a hot topic for debate. To many of the non-politically involved Slizzar, showing one’s Birth Shape is not that big of a deal, because there is no inherent risk towards it besides a negative reaction from bigots in Regalia. Among the more politically active Slizzar, especially the manipulators, showing one’s Birth Shape is considered a great weakness and personal risk. They believe that when their potential enemies know what their Birth Shape looks like, they will be easily discovered, as their foes will be able to sample their behavior traits that are difficult to mask between appearances. As such, among the more subterfuge focused Slizzar, showing one’s Birth Shape is considered very personal and a carelessness that they cannot afford.
===The Great Game===
To the politically active Slizzar, controlling, manipulating, and steering events to their benefit through political manipulation is called The Great Game. Many Slizzar participate in The Great Game, attempting to climb political ladders to try and reach close to the top. A Slizzar would never draw so much attention to themselves as to seize the actual highest position, and are most content in the background of actual authority, always gently nudging them into a direction of their liking without even being noticed. There is never truly a great plan of scheme behind this, especially with the disappearance of Zaalaanzaal, the Slizzar patron [[Dragon]], the Slizzar simply do the Great Game because it’s a great deal of fun, and to many of them, a good kind of stress that gets the blood pumping with excitement. There are however plenty of Slizzar who also think The Great Game is a waste of time or even just evil. This approval is especially noted among the Devata Slizzar who would prefer to live harmoniously with other Races, and more often receive negative experiences because of hate-mongering over what the Mauli Slizzar did. Despite all this however, and despite all the disapproval, they would never reveal a Mauli’s actions on purpose, or out another Slizzar to non-Slizzar.
==Design==
===Subraces===
There exist several Slizzar subraces, each of them having varying skills and Abilities that affect how they interact with the world. Each Subrace acts and looks slightly differently, explanations are outlined in the next sections. The following Subraces exist:
* '''Makara Slizzar''' are the craftsmen, workers, and soldiers of the Slizzar Race. Makara Slizzar have no shapeshifting Abilities save for their tail. Makara Slizzar in Regalia roam around in their birth shape, as they cannot shapeshift away from it.
* '''Devata Slizzar''' are the artists, socialites, administrators and adventurers of the Slizzar Race. The Devata Slizzar have extensive shapeshifting Abilities. Debata Slizzar in Regalia roam both in their birth shape and shapeshifted forms. Some even combine the two, showing their Slizzar eyes and some patches of scales to show that they are Slizzar underneath a Race’s appearance.
* '''Mauli Slizzar''' are the commanders, spies, manipulators and saboteurs of the Slizzar Race. Mauli Slizzar have extensive shapeshifting Abilities and more. Mauli Slizzar rarely show their birth shape to anyone, even other fellow Slizzar, as among them, showing one’s birth shape is considered a weakness and vulnerability. Only the closest of confidantes will ever witness a true Mauli’s appearance.
* '''Aksunna Slizzar''' are a non-Serpent Slizzar subrace. Aksunna Slizzar have some shapeshifting Abilities, and are essentially Half-Slizzar (Half-Slizzar don’t exist). Aksunna Slizzar are not able to shapeshift away from their birth shape as they were born, however frequently use their limited shapeshifting to change their own appearance.
* '''Anindriya Slizzar''' are a technical fifth subrace with iridescent glowing scales, however the Anindriya Slizzar are unplayable, as there are only ever six of them, and they are part of server deep-lore actors in Progressions. While other Slizzar can shapeshift, they are somehow incapable of imitating Anindriya Slizzar scales, no matter how much they try.
===Slizzar reproduction===
Slizzar are by nature a gender-less and biological sex-less Race. Even though they understand the concept of gender presentation through the social constructs of other Races, it has never applied to them. Furthermore, Slizzar are incapable of reproducing with their own Race, requiring members of their Race to shapeshift into that of another Race, and reproduce through a female member of that Race. When they do a couple of things happen:
* Slizzar gestation is extremely short, 10 days in fact. Slizzar can however artificially cause this period to take much longer, as long as a normal gestation period for that Race would take, to mask the fact that the children would be Slizzar.
* Slizzar always produce twins. One of the twins is always Aksunna Slizzar, while the other can be either Makara, Devata, or Mauli Slizzar. They are however born entirely based on the mother and father’s genetic makeup, and do not appear as Slizzar.
* When both twins become 18 years old, their Slizzar identity manifests through a series of dreams and visions that also teach them how to use their powers. The Makara, Devata, or Mauli Slizzar never has a choice in the matter, they always become Slizzar and shed their non-Slizzar appearance to become their true Slizzar self.
* The Aksunna Slizzar has a choice however. If the Aksunna accepts and embraces Slizzar society, they remain Aksunna Slizzar and have their Slizzar Racial Abilities and Specials. If within a month however they reject Slizzar society and identity, they will no longer be Aksunna Slizzar, and become of the Race of their mother, and gain that Race’s Abilities and Specials as if a full member of that Race.
* This growing up process can be sped up in certain scenarios, but the shapeshifting Abilities never manifest before age 18. In order to read more about how Slizzar families work and understand the speed-up process, refer to the Family Views section of this article.


==Physical and Mental Characteristics==
===Mental Characteristics===
[[File:Slizzareyes.png|260px|thumb|right|Slizzar have a great deal of variety with their eyes in both Birth and Glamor Form.]]
* '''Makara Slizzar''' are a very mixed bag. Generally speaking, Makara Slizzar are disciplined and hard workers. Especially the soldier Makara take their task very seriously, and they are also very nationalistic. It is hard to find a Makara Slizzar that does not have superior allegiance to Sassrakkand. Makara Slizzar often assist the Mauli Slizzar, but don’t partake in their political games.  
[[File:645px-Fullfemaleslizz22.png|260px|thumb|right|The Slizzar’s head in Birth Form reminisces of a snake combined with a humanoid face.]]
* '''Devata Slizzar''' are generally more laid back. Devata just enjoy life and try to enjoy the other Races and Cultures around the world. They just want to have fun, and try to squeeze out of any hostile situations they encounter, preferring to avoid negativity. Devata generally love other people, and avoid Mauli games of power when they can, though respect their craft.
[[File:615px-Semishifted2.png|260px|thumb|right|Slizzar can change their Birth Form to be more humanoid.]]
* '''Mauli Slizzar''' are the Slizzar to watch out for. They are manipulative, secretive, and above all, love being in control of others and playing mind games with others. Mauli are suspicious, don’t like trusting others, and keep their identity well hidden, even from (pretend) friends and loved ones. Mauli Slizzar sometimes look down on the other subraces, but still want to protect their brethren.
[[File:438px-Fullshapeshift2.png|260px|thumb|right|Some Slizzar choose to apply Slizzar visual features even to Glamor Form.]]
* '''Aksunna Slizzar''' are a mixed bag, just like the Makara Slizzar, but more notably because they often inherit the personality traits of the Race of their mother. Aksunna Slizzar are generally more detached from Slizzar society, but the ones that are around Slizzar society tend to support the Mauli Slizzar in much the same way the Makara Slizzar do without getting overly involved.  
===Slizzar Forms===
===Physical Characteristics===
Slizzar are by nature Shapeshifters, allowing them to change appearances at will and with a high degree of authenticity. Slizzar by nature have two types of forms, but each form has a wild range of variance and customizability. Their first form is called their Birth Form, the way they are born, and the second form is their Glamor Form, which is a mimic form of other characters or a more personalized appearance.  
* '''Makara Slizzar''' are true to nature, and can best be described as Snake-people. The Makara Slizzar are covered head to toe in black scales, with various colored patches on their forehead, cranium, nose, neck, and shoulders. They appear strongly snake-like, with a forked tongue, and a double-hinged jaw and a wide mouth. The most notable aspect of the Makara Slizzar is that many of them go through life with the lower body of a snake, as they lack traditional legs. While the Makara can shapeshift their snake-tail into legs and feet, many of them choose to go through life purely in the snake form. Another trait of the Slizzar is their hair, which appears like a bundle of tendrils colored similarly to the patches of scales, which they can move around with the same flexibility as fingers. Makara Slizzar, like all other subraces in their natural form (excluding Aksunna) have purple snake-like pupils.  
====Birth Form====
* '''Devata Slizzar''' have a natural appearance that is identical to the Makara Slizzar, but there are a few subtle changes. Devata Slizzar have extensive colored scaly patches on their stomach and chest area, while their cranial and chin bone protrusions tend to be longer and more exaggerated than those of the Makara Slizzar. Obviously however, Devata Slizzar make frequent use of their shapeshifting, and as such can practically look like anything.
In their Birth Form, the Slizzar appears most snake-like. They have no legs, instead having a lower body that is that of a snake from the waist down, a tail that is three times as long as their body, and coils and slithers behind them as they move around at normal walking speed. The rest of their body is however also covered in scales, a humanoid torso with humanoid arms leading to a head that resembles a combination between a snake and a more humanoid face. Some Slizzar in their Birth Form have no “hair”, while others have a bundle of snake-like tendrils, each with a snake head at the end that can move around independently as if sentient itself. This snake hair is in fact not sentient, and even if these tendrils have eyes, the Slizzar cannot see through them, however they can move them in whatever way they like and make them imitate actual snakes. These snake “hair” tendrils can be painlessly cut off, and regrow, and grow much like real hair. In their Birth Form, Slizzar are not capable of growing facial hair, and for all intents and purposes look a-gendered, having no gender dimorphism or distinguishable gender-coded specific body parts. With their snake lower body, the Slizzar cannot quite run at the speed of Ailor, instead slithering at a jogging speed, but are able to swim very quickly in the water, faster than most races, except Mai-Allar. Additionally, they can form pseudo-gills in any variant of their Birth Form, allowing them to breathe under water for extended periods of time, up to 48 hours at a time, after which they must re-surface for air. While in their Birth Form, Slizzar have some flexibility over their appearance. They can, for example, fuse apart their snake-tail and gain humanoid legs, which resets their movement speed to Ailor-kind. They can even choose to go somewhere in the middle, by keeping a much smaller tail, and having two humanoid legs to stand on. Furthermore, they can adjust their head to appear more humanoid, yet retaining the unhinged jaw, and are also able to make the snake “hair” tendrils appear more like dreads instead of actual snakes. These changes can occur instantaneously and painlessly, though when chased, it becomes harder to change in and out of legs, since the Slizzar do have to stand still while making changes to their appearance. While in their Birth Form, they can also split their arms and gain an additional set of arms, though this is purely just aesthetic, and confers no combat advantages beyond the fact that they can hold objects in their second set of arms. Finally, while in Birth Form, Slizzar are also able to change their entire upper body into Glamor Form, leaving only their lower body that of a snake. Even though their upper body appears in Glamor Form, this is still considered Birth Form, as the difference between these two forms is dictated by what the legs (or absence of them) looks like. Slizzar hair colors and scale colors and patterns are completely free game. That is to say, they can literally be any color, any hue and any pattern. The Snakes “hair” can be one consistent color different from the “skin” scales, or exactly the same, or have a different pattern. The eyes can have any color, white scaled Slizzar exist in equal measure to blue scaled, red scaled and black scaled Slizzar. Some have patterns, others have one smooth color, and others have gradients. Some have snake-hair to their hips, others only just beyond the ears. Despite shape shifting in their Glamor Form however, Slizzar can never change the colors of their Birth Form on their body, even if they can shift around various features. Shifting their snake hair from snakes to dreadlocks will not change the color or pattern, nor will their eye color change.
* '''Mauli Slizzar''' have a natural appearance that is rarely seen, and some would say that is a great shame. Mauli Slizzar look identical to Devata Slizzar, except for one point. While Devata Slizzar have black scales, Mauli Slizzar have shimmering silver scales and a pair of Silver-Dragon horns protruding from their skull to the back. Mauli Slizzar spend 99% of their time shape shifting however, so a Mauli will rarely if ever show their natural self to anyone.  
====Glamor Form====
* '''Aksunna Slizzar''' have no Racial appearance. Their physical characteristics are dictated by the Race of their mother. Aksunna Slizzar, despite being a Slizzar subrace, have normal eye-colors of their mother’s Race. They can however manifest snake-like pupils.  
Slizzar are able to change their appearance at will and mimic any other race, or even combination of races across their entire appearance. At a glance, a Slizzar can appear like an entirely different person, changing gender, race, body shape, bodily components etc. This is called the Glamor Form (when this change also includes their legs that is). From top to bottom, in Glamor Form, Slizzar are able to combine Qadir hair with [[Eronidas]] skin tone, an Altalar face with Cielothar ears, the body hair of an Avanthar, the body shape of a Lesara, with furred and digitigrade Asha legs. If they however want to be more subtle, they might also just mimic an Ailor or an Altalar in their entirety, or choose be an Altalar that only differs from the members of the actual race, with Maraya ears. At its core, Slizzar are able to mimic any combination of races or individual race to the letter and indistinguishable to the naked eye, though appearing like a combination of races does set off some alarm bells, and those familiar with racial theory will be able to tell that an impossible combination of races, is in fact a Slizzar. Additionally, on top of this infinite combination of other races, Slizzar are also able to manifest small appearance aspects of their Birth Form, onto their Glamor Form. This might include patterns of scales on parts of their face, manifesting their Birth Form eyes, and even the snake “hair”, including coloring said snake “hair” with whatever color of hair they picked for their Glamor Form (the only exception to not being able to change colors from the Birth Form). Even though [[Url]] and [[Manathar]] are not Races, Slizzar can still mimic them. The Slizzar cannot mimic the [[Wylathar Kathar]].


====Common traits between Forms====
==Racial Abilities and Specials==
Either in Birth form of Glamor Form, Slizzar do not visually age beyond the age of 18, which is when they mature into adults, and all of their Abilities properly manifest. Unlike Yanar, Slizzar do have a biological sex that they are born with, but much like Songaskians, gynandromorphism exists, allowing both male and female Slizzar to carry children. When Slizzar reproduce, either with a non-Slizzar (in Birth or Glamor Form) or an actual Slizzar, children are always born in pairs of two, identical twins. Why this occurs, is not known, but it does differ per parent. Two Slizzar parents give birth to two identical Slizzar children, who in their Birth Form look identical, down to their scale patterns, besides a particular orientation of scales on their forehead, which is how they are told apart. If a Slizzar reproduces with a non-Slizzar however, one child is born as a Glamor Form Slizzar, and is in all aspects a Slizzar, while the other twin is born belonging to the race of the non-Slizzar parent, in all aspects not a Slizzar. If born from a non-Slizzar parent, the child will live in Glamor Form until the age of 18 when their identity of Slizzar is revealed to them on instinct and they gain their Abilities, or if they are told beforehand that they are a Slizzar and taught how to be a Slizzar by a Mentor, though even if taught before the age of 18, they still cannot use any Racial Abilities until the age of 18. Slizzar who do not wish to reproduce can manually suppress their fertility, thus never requiring contraception. Slizzar have one consistent Physical Stat across all Forms, but their Body Shape is malleable in both Birth and Glamor Form to whatever they want, the same goes for Body Fat, and also Character Height, though Character Height must remain consistent with racial limitations. That being said, both in Glamor and Birth Form, Slizzar only ever have access to the Racial Abilities of the Slizzar. Even if they are 100% Avanthar in appearance during Glamor Form, they can never gain the Avanthar Racial Abilities. Note: It is not permitted to identify a Slizzar based on the lack of their Racial Abilities. Challenging a Slizzar to perform Racials they do not have, or having a “gotcha” moment when a Slizzar is unable to use the Racials of the race they are imitating, is metagaming.
===Makara===
===Slizzar Personalities===
====Abilities====
There exist three distinct types of Slizzar. The first type of Slizzar, is Socialite Slizzar that while not necessarily co-operating with other Slizzar, let other Slizzar know who they are, and enjoy the company of their own race. Socialite Slizzar often work with other Slizzar on common plots and plans, but can also do things on their own independently. They may form friendly rivalries with other Slizzar, but generally speaking are positively pre-disposed to other Slizzar. Socialite Slizzar have a wider variety of personalities, but on average do have a sense of racial superiority over other races, as they do see themselves as the manipulators and puppeteers of world politics. The second type of Slizzar is the Wilder Slizzar, which involves all Slizzar that have not undergone typical Slizzar society raising, or were born entirely seperate, expelled, or orphaned in the wide world outside Sassrakkand. Wilder Slizzar are not expelled from Slizzar Society, they are always welcome to be re-introduced by a Slizzar Mentor, though more often than not choose not to, or to continue operating on the fringes, sometimes working with other Slizzar, sometimes not. Socialite Slizzar are not hostile to Wilder Slizzar, but Wilder Slizzar are not always friendly to Socialize Slizzar, seeing them as self-righteous and know-it-all. Wilder Slizzar generally have more unpredictable personalities, more fit to whims and fancies that aren't consistent with their planning, and less likely to even engage in plots or schemes, more-so just enjoying their racial Abilities to be hedonistic, or enjoy life to the fullest extent. The final type of Slizzar, is the Eremite Slizzar. Eremite Slizzar despise Slizzar society and the entire idea of co-operating with other Slizzar for schemes. While Socialize Slizzar and Wilder Slizzar don't necessarily dislike Eremite Slizzar, they sometimes dismiss them as fanatics and Nessrassian radicals (even if they do not follow Nessrassian tenets). Eremite Slizzar are extremely secretive and protective over their identity, they do whatever and anything they can to hide their identity, and refuse under any circumstance to work with other Slizzar. Eremite Slizzar tend to be more cruel, domineering and backhanded, acting very two-faced to otherwise more genuine Wilder Slizzar or ambivalent Socialite Slizzar. To be an Eremite Slizzar is usually a decision taken later in life, meaning that most Eremite Slizzar were once Socialite or Wilder Slizzar. By far, the majority of the Eremite Slizzar were once Wilder Slizzar, who could not re-integrate into Slizzar society, and saw weakness and stagnancy in the Slizzar that co-operate, believing that Slizzar should naturally be solitary schemers and puppeteers, and consider to even let one person know their true identity and plans to be a fatal weakness. Despite all these contrasting groups, Eremite, Wilder and Socialite Slizzar all come together celebrating religious festivals, even if they are not Nessrassians, purely for a sense of heritage and self-preservation, as these gatherings of Slizzar usually involve one or two loose-tongued Slizzar groups talking a bit too openly about their plans with an Eremite Slizzar listening in and plotting their demise for their own amusement.
 
==Summary of Racial Abilities==
All Abilities are listed in detail on the [[Ability List]] Page. Additional rules applied to those Abilities are recorded in the table below. Aesthetics for Abilities may be dictated by the players, as long as the Ability Name is mentioned in the Emote, which is mandatory for Ability use.
{| class="wikitable"  
{| class="wikitable"  
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
Line 46: Line 67:
! Ability Range
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Slizzar Shift I
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Slizzar Immune
| Mythic Shift
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Self
| Grants the user Slizzar Shift I
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Immune | The user is immune to any Slizzar Racial Abilities or Slizzar Specials. This effect can be turned off if the user wants to.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Flux Shift I
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Forced Restraint
| Mythic Shift
| Restraint Power
| Self
| Self
| Grants the user Flux Shift I
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip:  Forced Restraint | The user has to get up to 1 block distance of a Target person before activating this Ability. When activated, both the Target and the user become immobilized, and neither can attack or use Abilities or Mundane Techniques, however both can still talk. If the target is attacked by a third party, this effect is broken, but the attack is guaranteed to hit. This Ability has a 1 hour cooldown, and can be held for up to 5 minutes.
}}
| {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Modifier | The Slizzar coils around the person with their snake-tail. Using Abilities or Mundane Techniques on the Target will also duplicate the effect on the Slizzar, but regular attacks will pass through without harming the Slizzar.}}
|-
|}
====Specials====
* '''Slizzar Aging:''' Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
* '''Makara Shapeshifting:''' Makara Slizzar only have access to partial shapeshifting. The limits of their shapeshifting are confined to their tail. Normally, Makara Slizzar have the lower body of a snake, and the upper body of a humanoid. They can however shift this snake's lower body into two separate legs, or two separate legs and a thinner snake-like tail.
* '''Serpentine Head:''' Makara Slizzar are more serpent-like than the other subraces of Slizzar. Their (normally) tendril hair is capable of being shifted into snake-like hair, making each tendril strand an actual snake with a snake-head that can move independently. These heads cannot attack, but can be interacted with aesthetically, and spit (non venom) at others.
* '''Makara Bonding:''' All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Makara Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a great friend, an ally, and an indispensable partner in work and battle”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Dexterity while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
* '''Tail powered swimming:''' Makara Slizzar are more naturally in-tune with their snake-physiology than the other subraces of Slizzar. As such, Makara Slizzar are capable of moving at the speed of aquatic Allar while underwater. This means that they can out-swim any other Race that does not also have the same swimming speed as an aquatic Allar.
*'''Makara Tongue''': Makara Slizzar may choose two additional languages (not Ancient Languages) to speak and understand for free from the [[https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Language_Point_Buy#Language_Table|Language Table]]. They can use these languages outside of having the Point Buy invested for that Pack.
 
===Devata===
====Abilities====
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Ability Name
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Flux Shift II
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Slizzar Immune
| Mythic Shift
| Constant Passive
| Self
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
| Grants the user Flux Shift II
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Immune | The user is immune to any Slizzar Racial Abilities, Slizzar Specials, or Slither Magic classified Spells. This effect can be turned off if the user wants to.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Flux Shift III
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Altered Power
| Mythic Shift
| Constant Passive
| Self
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
| Grants the user Flux Shift III
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Altered Power | If the user has 2 or less Magic Spell Packs bought from Point-Buy, these Spells become a  dimension clarified in the modifier, instead of Void or Exist. Having 3 or more Magic Spells defaults all of them to Void or Exist. This still makes the user an Occult, however they will be Occult of the dimension specified in the Modifier.
}}
| {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Modifier | Slizzar make use of Altered Power to change two Magic Packs into Primal. This makes them a Primal Occult if they have 2 or less Magic Packs.}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Flux Shift IV
|}
| Mythic Shift
 
| Self
====Specials====
| Grants the user Flux Shift IV
* '''Slizzar Aging:''' Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
* '''Deveta Shapeshifting:''' Devata Slizzar have access to complete shapeshifting that allows them to change a great deal of things about their body, and also doubles as a disguise, allowing them to change their appearance and become unrecognizable. They are able to change Race, sex, gender presentation, Body Shape, Body Fat, and every visual aspect about themselves by combining aspects of different Races. They can change Body Height, Age appearance, Hair length and texture and color, Skin markings and Tattoos and Scars, and most bone structures. It is not possible for them to add extra limbs or become quadrupedal however, as they must retain a humanoid appearance, though they can mimic any mutation without actually being mutated.
* '''Social Progress:''' While on mission in Progressions, Devata Slizzar are naturally more successful when engaging in social interactions, or interactions that require seduction and social infiltration. When submitting orders, ensure that the processor is aware that the character is a Devata Slizzar even without reading the Character Application, and be sure to also mention under which name the Character is going, if they are hiding their identity.
* '''Mind Surging:''' A Devata Slizzar can target another person and telepathically pry their mind for what their ideal romantic partner would look like. This Special immediately fails to work if the target is already actively romancing another person. If they are not, however, the data can be asked in DM, after which the other person should respond with a rough description.
* '''Deveta Bonding:''' All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Devata Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a devoted lover, a faithful spouse, or a devoted fan that is smitten with one’s work”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Charisma while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
*'''Deveta Tongue''': Deveta Slizzar, when shapeshifted into the base (meaning, the majority of their body is of that Race) of another Race, have an automatic translating ability even if they do not speak that language. For example, if a Slizzar shapeshifts to look mostly like a Songaskian, they can suddenly understand Sofaal, and speak it perfectly, even if they did not know Sofaal prior, and it also all still sounds like their native tongue in their head. When they shapeshift away, this understanding and speaking of Sofaal also disappears. This also extends to Ailor cultures, whatever the main spoken tongue of the thing is they try to imitate.
 
===Mauli===
====Abilities====
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Ability Name
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Flux Shift V
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Slizzar Immune
| Mythic Shift
| Constant Passive
| Self
| Self
| Grants the user Flux Shift V
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Immune | The user is immune to any Slizzar Racial Abilities, Slizzar Specials, or Slither Magic classified Spells. This effect can be turned off if the user wants to.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Mind Surge I
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Bonded Telepathy
| Control Power
| Info Power
| Emote Distance
| N/A
| Grants the user Mind Surge I
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Bonded Telepathy | The user may target another person creating a telepathic bond. These two may now telepathically communicate (via in-game Direct Message) across vast distances. This Ability has a 1 week cooldown before it can be applied to someone else, and only 1 person can ever be bonded to.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Mind Surge II
|}
| Control Power
====Specials====
| Emote Distance
* '''Slizzar Aging:''' Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
| Grants the user Mind Surge II
* '''Mauli Shapeshifting:''' Mauli Slizzar have access to complete shapeshifting that allows them to change a great deal of things about their body, and also doubles as a disguise, allowing them to change their appearance and become unrecognizable. They are able to change Race, sex, gender presentation, Body Shape, Body Fat, and every visual aspect about themselves by combining aspects of different Races. They can change Body Height, Age appearance, Hair length and texture and color, Skin markings and Tattoos and Scars, and most bone structures. It is not possible for them to add extra limbs or become quadrupedal however, as they must retain a humanoid appearance, though they can mimic any mutation without actually being mutated.
* '''Master Spies:''' While on mission in Progressions, Mauli Slizzar are naturally more successful when engaging in espionage interactions, or interactions that require roguery or subterfuge of some kind. When submitting orders, ensure that the processor is aware that the character is a Mauli Slizzar even without reading the Character Application, and be sure to also mention under which name the Character is going, if they are hiding their identity.
* '''Serpentine Puppeteer:''' Mauli Slizzar are masters of manipulation and puppeteering. If another player gives strict OOC consent to have their Character mind-controlled, a Mauli Slizzar can establish a mind-enslavement on another person that gives them complete control. The target is still aware of the world around them and the Slizzar cannot affect their perception of reality, but any command that the Slizzar issues must be obeyed by the target. This mind enslavement can only be removed by any Exorcism-like mechanic or Ability. If a player revokes consent, the mind-control is off-screen cured. Players have the freedom to discuss additional limitations on mind control.
* '''Mauli Bonding:''' All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Mauli Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a loyal subject, a puppet to control, or a minion to command for one’s bidding”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Charisma while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
*'''Mauli Tongue''': Mauli Slizzar, when shapeshifted into the base (meaning, the majority of their body is of that Race) of another Race, have an automatic translating ability even if they do not speak that language. For example, if a Slizzar shapeshifts to look mostly like a Songaskian, they can suddenly understand Sofaal, and speak it perfectly, even if they did not know Sofaal prior, and it also all still sounds like their native tongue in their head. When they shapeshift away, this understanding and speaking of Sofaal also disappears. This also extends to Ailor cultures, whatever the main spoken tongue of the thing is they try to imitate.
===Aksunna===
====Abilities====
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Ability Name
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Mind Surge III
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Slizzar Immune
| Control Power
| Constant Passive
| Emote Distance
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
| Grants the user Mind Surge III
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Immune | The user is immune to any Slizzar Racial Abilities, Slizzar Specials, or Slither Magic classified Spells. This effect can be turned off if the user wants to.
}}
| N/A
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Mind Surge IV
| style="background-color:#b2adcf;" | Primed Defense
| Control Power
| Direct Touch
| Grants the user Mind Surge IV
|-
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Mind Surge V
| Control Power
| Constant Passive
| Constant Passive
| Grants the user Mind Surge V
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
|-
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Primed Defense | Once every 24 hours, the user is immune to the first mundane (non Ability and non Mundane Technique) attack emote used on them, allowing them to inexplicably avoid it.}}
| style="background-color:#dfe0ef;" | Puppet Control I
| {{#simple-tooltip: Slizzar Modifier | While doing so, the Character’s body slithers to avoid the incoming attack like that of a snake, even if they are not one. }}
| Control Power
| Direct Touch
| Grants the user Puppet Control I
|-
|-
|}
|}


==History==
====Specials====
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.  
* '''Aksunna Aging:''' Aksunna do not enjoy the 1000 year aging of the Slizzar, but do have their aging affected somewhat. Their aging is the same as their mother’s aging speed, however they look forever young, stopping their visual aging anywhere between 18 and 27 years old. This also means that at more advanced age, their body does not start deteriorating, and they can still move around as dexterously as they did when they were young. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
 
* '''Aksunna Shapeshifting:''' Aksunna Slizzar only have very limited shapeshifting. They are unable to shapeshift away from the race of their mother, and whatever shapeshifting they do, it never counts as a disguise, meaning they are always recognizable. Within these constraints however, they can change the following aspects about themselves: Body shape, Body Fat, Body Height, Hair color and length and texture, Skin markings and tattoos and scars, eye color, facial hair length and color and texture and masculine or feminine body shape traits, but not so far as to change sex.  
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.  
* '''Aksuna Bonding:''' All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Aksunna Slizzar, Bonding means “To have someone to see the world with, to experience everything, and go far”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Wisdom while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
 
* '''Aksuna Folelsa:''' Aksunna Slizzar can choose a person and try to telepathically force a pseudo friendship with this person. Using this Special on a person requires consent. You should send this person a DM on Discord or in-game asking them if your Character can fake a friendship between your Characters, explaining why you would like to do this and for what story/rp reasons. If they player accepts, then the Aksunna Slizzar will appear to this person like an old friend. The person will have vague memories of them growing up together or going to the same school together, whatever needs to exist to make it believable. This effect remains permanent either until the friendship has enough meat on bones to become “real”, or the Slizzar attacks the Target after which the effect is instantly broken. This Special exists in a realm of “Fair Use”, meaning there is no real limit, but going overboard may result in Lore Staff putting a hard limit on a Character’s use of this Special. It should primarily be used to encourage roleplay involvement with consent for people who have a hard time making friends, not to cheat and manipulate information.  
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.
*'''Aksunna Tongue''': Aksunna Slizzar may choose two additional languages (not Ancient Languages) to speak and understand for free from the [[https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Language_Point_Buy#Language_Table|Language Table]]. They can use these languages outside of having the Point Buy invested for that Pack.
 
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.  
 
==Society==
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 outside of Nests and the Sole Slizzar roaming around. 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. In Regalia, Nests may often have a compound to live in together, but for the sake of their hidden identity, also choose to have houses of their own further away from their Nest Compound, which usually ends up being a Clandestine base of sorts. Slizzar have a strange level of loyalty to one another not quite found in other races, that allows Slizzar to completely dismantle and destroy another Slizzar’s plots and livelihood, but never lead to their death. If a Slizzar is accidentally responsible for another Slizzar’s near-death or impending death, they are tasked by Slizzar society to prevent it from happening. 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 only real sense of communal loyalty Slizzar have is to one another inside a Nest, and towards their Matron if they have one.  


===Culture===
==Language==
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. After they reach adult age, considered 18 in their society, they choose a mentor, who is usually a few decades or at the very least 10 years older. A Slizzar mentor teaches their student about the world at large and what dangers to find within, Slizzar culture, religion and other aspects of life, 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.
The Slizzar language is Zoram, which is based on real-like Sanskrit. Many other Races 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 very rare for Slizzar to have a surname, most Slizzar in fact 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 or Race’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.
==Religion==
Religious adherence among the Slizzar is truly a mixed bag. While other Races tend to be strongly religious or a-religious, the split in Slizzar society is 50-50. Even among the religious, there is a wide gap between the pious and the merely observing faithful. The Slizzar religion is called Nihsereya, or the faith or belief of many. Nihsereya as a religion is an off-shoot of [[Dragon Worship]], however it is quite distinct from [[Mussaktu]] and [[Loong Virtue]] in that it does not acknowledge the other Dragons at all. While for example in Loong Virtue, Dragons are acknowledged as Divine Entities but not actively worshiped or merely praised in words only, in Nihsereya, other Dragons are entirely disregarded as worthless.  


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 either parent, if both parents are Slizzar usually in Sassrakkand to be connected to their holy city, but otherwise anywhere outside of the general view of non-Slizzar to avoid complications with a snake-child being born. 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. Twin Slizzar are always kept together, both through the House of Mentors, as well as the choosing of a Mentor who guides them both. 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. Sometimes, the students may also choose a Mentor if their parents permit it, but in any and all cases, twin Slizzar gain the same Mentor.
Nihsereya is a monotheistic religion that nonetheless recognizes a more extensive throne of divine entities. At the very top of authority stands the [[Silver Scale Dragon]] Zaalaanzaal, who is the god-ruler of all Slizzar. It is said in Nihsereya that the city of Sassrakkand was built ten thousand years ago by Zaalaanzaal, and that this Dragon created the first Slizzar, a Race in this Dragon’s image to act as the secret stewards. In Nihsereya it is believed that while the other Dragons created other creatures and Races, Zaalaanzaal hid the Slizzar and their city-state of Sassrakkand with powerful Dragon-Magic from the other Dragons, so that the Slizzar could quietly observe and influence the world on the Dragon’s instructions. The Dragon believed after all that the other Dragons were fools for giving their creations free will and then letting them proliferate out of control and without restraint.  


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.  
Nihsereya preaches thus that Zaalaanzaal is the creator and protector and commander of all Slizzar, and that for nearly all those 10,000 years, this Dragon made its throne in the great Monument of Sassrakkand, the Silver Pyramid. Zaalaanzaal preached the need for Slizzar to silently and secretly control the flow of history, nudging certain Empires in certain directions, and generally counteracting the chaotic lack of oversight from the other Dragons on the living. Each time a Void Invasion occured, Zaalaanzaal would summon its Dragon magics again, and protect Sassrakkand while the world around it burned, ready to open the gates once more when the world calmed down, the other Dragons had re-populated it with new races and beings, and return to work. The reason why so many Slizzar no longer believe in Nihsereya is because Zaalaanzaal disappeared without warning around just before Cataclysm, after activating some of Sassrakkand’s greatest magical defenses, making it impenetrable to [[Aberrant]]s. As their master disappeared and no longer protected or commanded them, more and more Slizzar lost faith.  


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.
The Slizzar that remain, however, still observe the old modes of worship and tradition. They praise Zaalaanzaal’s name in their achievements and actions, and perform the rites of mirrors. Faithful Nihsereya believers have a number of mirrors in their homes, one of which is particularly personal to them, as they might spend long times speaking to this mirror. It is believed in Nihsereya that Zaalaanzaal resides behind every mirror, and always listens to anything the mirror can hear. As such, the faithful believe that by having a conversation with a mirror to bring them up to date on their plans or actions, they are keeping Zaalaanzaal personable, and make the Dragon more likely to bless them with success and wit. With the recent return of Dragons, many of the faithful of Nihsereya have turned to the other Dragons, in the hopes of discovering what happened to Zaalaanzaal, or better yet, to help the other Dragons find Zaalaanzaal’s bones, so that he may be revived as so many other Dragons have also, and retake the Silver Pyramid as its home. There existed other Silver Dragons that were also seen in Sassrakkand on occasion, but these were considered more like cousins of Zaalaanzaal, had no name in Nihsereya, and served no religious function, though were sometimes praised in collective worship.


===Religion===
[[Deep Sea Serpent]]s have some religious relevance also. It is said among the Nihsereya faithful that the Deep Sea Serpents are the children of the [[Teal Sea Dragon]]s, who are the natural rivals of the Silver Scale Dragons. As a result, many Nihsereya attempt to steer their manipulation and efforts at capturing, enslaving, or subjugating the Deep Sea Serpents for their own purposes. Mananya-Manya was one such Slizzar who managed to subjugate several Sea Serpents through unknown methods, using them against the enemies of the Essa Empire until the [[Regalian Navy]] slew the beasts in the final battle over the capital. Since then, the Deep Sea Serpents have been notably absent from the seas around Sassrakkand, though aquatic Allar in the area note their return from the depths, and as such, some Nihsereya followers have reactivated their attempts to enslave them to their will.
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, called Faith Syncretism. That being said, they will still and must always acknowledge the Nesrassian gods as the primary more important diety, accepting the secondary god(s) as only a temporary additional fulfillment of a Spiritual need that is not always present in the Nesrassian Faith, which is often depicted as quite ruthless and uncaring for their own people.  


:*''For more information on Nessrassian, click [[Nessrassian|here]]
==Historical Interactions==
Because Slizzar live very long, and have been around for so long as a Race, their existence has impacted a variety of Races and Empires through the years. These do not strictly affect Racial interactions, but are relevant to old Characters.
* The Slizzar supposedly interacted with the Seraph, but next to nothing survives of this era. Zaalaanzaal always made the Slizzar burn all their records when a Void Invasion happened, and never speak of past interactions again, and as such, the information eventually died. Slizzar however will continue to insist that the surviving Seraph wall hieroglyphs are wrong, and that Seraph actually were centaur-like.
* The Slizzar didn’t interact much with the [[Second Civilization|Second]] and [[Third Civilization]], as Zaalaanzaal kept Sassrakkand closed off during much of this period. It speaks volumes to the fact that the second and third civilizations were likely very violent periods in the world as the Dragons were attempting to compensate for their mistakes with the Seraph.
* The Slizzar had more extensive contact with the [[Maraya]], and implications exist that the Maraya and Slizzar actually had very good relations. Much of the context is lost to this day, however it is believed that one of the six Anindriya Slizzar resides within the Homefleet.
* The Slizzar had extensive interactions with the [[Allorn Empire]], until the Allorn became aware of them, and banned the Slizzar with kill on sight. They attempted to besiege the city of Sassrakkand a number of times, and did massive damage to the outer city on their last attempt. This is part of the reason why Aberrants are banned from entering Sassrakkand (if they could even breach beyond the Dragon shield that surrounds the city). Heavy use of Magic shattered the Magic shield for a moment, allowing the Allorn Mages to lay waste to nearly a third of the city. This part of the city was later allowed to be flooded, and is now the third ring of the city, with flooded ruins remaining in this uninhabited part.
* The Slizzar extensively interacted with, and were also the principal founders of the [[Essa Empire]] among the [[Allar]]. Slizzar and Allar interactions go extremely deep, many of the ruling Digmaan have their own Slizzar advisor, or are being manipulated by one. Following the destruction of the Essa Empire at the hands of the Regalians, there was a pogrom to kill the Slizzar who were blamed for the loss, but when the Allar started integrating into the Regalian Empire, this hatred cooled, and the Slizzar quickly retook their position.
* The Slizzar had numerous interactions with the [[Sariyd]] and subsequent [[Qadir]], but generally despise them in the present era. The Qadir frequently attempted to abuse the Slizzar Honored Matron tradition to enter Sassrakkand as non-Slizzar, just to try and steal technology. Sassrakkand, while protected by Dragon Magic, has most of this Dragon Magic fueled by machines built by Zaalaanzaal. As such, Sassrakkand is considered the holy grail of Dragon tech to the Qadir, and something that they could use to finally lay waste to the Dragons in Farah’deen if only they could investigate the technology. Slizzar in turn have banned Qadir from entering Sassrakkand (even as Honored Matrons), and are always suspicious of their intentions.
* The Slizzar have only had recent interactions with the Regalian and [[Songaskian Masaya|Songaskian Empire]]s, while having no contact at all with the reborn Allorn Empire (as Slizzar are banned from it again on the penalty of death) and no contact at all with the Sihai realms to the east (as this is considered too far away). The Slizzar mostly affected the nobility following the Chrysant War, when revanchist Slizzar managed to convince a whole host of Allar and other Slizzar (with a high casualty cost to both also) to assassinate leading nobles across the Empire as a form of revenge. The loss of so many nobles all at once damaged the Empire, but did not cause it to crack in the long term, and as such, the Slizzar have shifted to infiltration.
==Families==
===Childhood===
Most Slizzar are raised outside of their own society, within the confines and childhood standards of the Race or culture that their non-Slizzar parent birthed them into. It is possible for a non-Slizzar mother to bring their children to Sassrakkand however. When a non-Slizzar gives birth to Slizzar children, and is aware of Slizzar society, the children’s identity, and wishes to immerse herself (or himself, in some cases, such as the Songaskians who are intersex) in Slizzar society and culture, such a “mother” is called “Honored Matron”. Honored Matron allows a non-Slizzar to essentially enter Sassrakkand, as the Slizzar cannot reproduce on their own, and consider a mother who is welcoming to their society and wishes to be included as something worth praising. It is important to note that this doesn't happen often however. Most Slizzar reproduce and then simply abandon their children, assuming that the visions and dreams will eventually lead them back to Sassrakkand, and it usually does. If a child is raised in Sassrakkand however, it usually lands more in a life of luxury and plenty, as Sassrakkand is often described as a paradise with no want.
===Romance and Gender Norms===
They don’t have them. 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 Race they were raised as, which can cause a modicum of gender dysphoria as they actualize their Slizzar identity. This is usually what causes Aksunna 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.
==Politics==
The Slizzar are formally led by Zaalaanzaal, who acts as both their highest figure of authority akin to the Regalian Emperor, religious entity akin to the Everwatcher (for Unionism) and general supreme being. Zaalaanzaal instructed the Slizzar in general sweeping commands, the details of which were usually hammered out by the Anindriya. The Anindriya Slizzar are a unique subrace of Slizzar, of which there can only ever be six. This is to say, while there are six of them, no Anindriya are born, and if one dies, then a new Anindriya is born somewhere to a Slizzar parent. The Anindriya usually pass their commands down to the Mauli, who in turn pass the orders down to all the other Slizzar. When Zaalaanzaal disappeared, the Anindriya essentially just filled that void by issuing orders of their own through a collective council, though by their claim, they will only hold the throne vacant for Zaalaanzaal’s return. Outside of Sassrakkand however, the Slizzar don’t really acknowledge the hierarchy of the Mauli, and they are freelancers just as much as any other Slizzar.
==World View==
* Slizzar attitudes towards Magic and the Occult are ambivalent. Slizzar have strictly banned Aberrants and Occult beings from entering Sassrakkand, and look down on any Slizzar who becomes Afflicted or becomes a Mage. That being said, they do appreciate the beauty of Magic, and especially the Devata enjoy the benefits of Magic in their lives of luxury and thrill experiences.
* One particularly daring Mauli Slizzar was Mananya-Manya that was declared Empress of the Essa Empire, though they were only called Empress by the Allar as the Allar language did not have a non-binary term. Their rule was short and competent, leading to the Allar dotingly calling them “Missa”, however the Chrysant War brought an end to their rule, and they disappeared shortly after the final battle, their memory acting as a deterrent to other Mauli to expose themselves like Mananya-Manya did.
*Due to the unique structure of Slizzar bodies, they “sit down” on their own coiled tails when the limb dominates the lower part of the body. When it splits into two legs and a tail, however, unique chairs allow for one to easily sit down, their tail put through a broad open area at the base of the chairback.
*Slizzar warriors often enjoy the use of bows rather than up-front combat weapons, though when they do get one-on-one melees, they engage in the use of the lethal Urumi (Sword whip) and Chakram (razor sharp circular blades), ancient tools used by the Slizzar for millennia.
*The culinary world of the Slizzar is eclectic, taking bits and pieces from across Aloria, and across time itself, as one of the few things to survive the purging of written records demanded of a Void Invasion was the culinary creations Slizzar learned from the outside world.
*Slizzar are naturally fond of edible flowers, and floral teas, but also have a heavy preference for seafood. A few more gluttonous Slizzar have been known to use their ability to unhinge their jaws to eat raw fish whole, as an effort of intimidation or to eat more and faster.
*The Slizzar have terrible relations with the nearby Minoor Nelfin. Not only do they see the Slizzar as offspring of the Deep Sea Serpents, which are the ultimate Demons to their society, but they generally mistrust the Race due to the old Allorn prejudices. There are few Minoor Slizzar, of any subrace, as a result, despite how open the Culture is to incorporating those willing to adapt.
*Slizzar who are interested in the arts are often well known for their musical ability, playing instruments not unlike those of the Suvial Altalar in most cases, to applause and enjoyment. This continues into the city of Sassrakkan itself, where singing is also key, used in the Mirror Serenade, a blessing upon the Silver Pyramid, and nearby mirrors, with the strange expectation that it will guide their god back to them through the infinitely reflecting realm.
*The connection between the Nasha of the Sundial Isles, and the modern Slizzar, is extremely unclear. Some Slizzar have made use of their cursory similarity to those beings of Allorn myth and ancient history to establish themselves in Suvial society, though they keep hidden to maintain the mystique.
*Aksunna Slizzar, born to a Slizzar and Songaskia parent, are still considered Songaskian even if they choose to accept their Slizzar heritage. This has led to a minor population of these unique beings to grow within Farah’deen.
*Some Slizzar find that a method of seeking revenge or sabotaging the Qadir from stealing technology from them, is to disguise as one themselves, and to seek out Qadir technological secrets. This gambit has yet to prove significant or detrimental to either society.
*The connection between [[Sapphire]]s and Zaalaanzaal goes beyond that the gemstone looks good in [[Silver]]. Slizzar society claims they are the god’s eyes, and so many Slizzar, even in disguise, will include iconography of an eye featuring a Sapphire in the middle.
*Adarrajya, a drug crafted decades ago as a result of the vanishing of Zaalaanzaal, is also known as the Mirror Tincture, because it produces a euphoric sensation in the body, and sees a Slizzar user transport into a realm of endless shifting mirrors and shapes, with them at the center. Non-Slizzar users, though, will have the sensation of being trapped in a mirror, and of needing to break the glass holding them within it.
*Slizzar enjoy being multilingual, not just because of their ability to jump forms between societies, and needing to learn new knowledge to hide, but because it is a point of social pride and bragging rights.
*The [[Ghor Ka Bloodscale]]s have a minor colony in the Slizzar holy city, where they serve the purpose of finding and disposing of vermin and pests which haunt the city’s streets and houses. As a result, many Slizzar are very pro-little lizards, and small reptiles are just about the only pet Slizzar keep (Slizzar do not engage in slavery if one ignores mind control).
*Slizzar do not commonly keep snakes as pets, no matter how many caricatures portray them as doing such. In fact, beyond small lizards, the [[Qarresh]], and other forms of native Hadar life, the Slizzar dislike caring for pets.
*Slizzar skin, bones, blood, and other body parts are highly sought after by alchemists, both Allar and not, with the only generally accepted donation being of blood. Slizzar who handle the remains of other Slizzar for profit are deeply reviled, and often end up hunted.
*Slizzar burials can often be tricky affairs. When they die, they revert out of their shifted form over the course of a few days, which can be a shock to friends, or even strangers, who find that the person in their life has suddenly been turned into a snake-person. For this reason, Slizzar bodies and their dead are often returned to Sassrakkand for entombment, even if one has been dead for decades.
*Deep Sea Serpent motifs exist among the Slizzar, but only ever in a bound manner. Instead of depicting them like a crest animal, they are always depicted with chains or bindings to illustrate their subjugation, which in turn represents Zaalaanzaal’s victory over the Teal Sea Dragons, who Zaalaanzaal reviles for hiding creation under the sea where they cannot go.


==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 his erratic behavior, with how sensible and calm most Kade Chancellors have been.  
* Slizzar frequently pretend like cutting off their tail or hair tendrils is a big deal. It’s an acceptable form of corporal punishment for them, as while the pain is unpleasant, these body parts regrow within 24 hours.  
*Slizzar tails or legs that have been cut off slowly grow back over the course of two weeks.
* Slizzar tails are remarkably dextrous, especially the tip. Some Slizzar have been known to be able to write calligraphy with their tail, using a special metal ring attached to hold the pencil.  
*Slizzar greatly appreciate fruit, and have even been known to include flowers in their diet.
* Slizzar abhor the usage of ink or paint to cover up the natural colors of their birth form. It is considered a form of self mutilation akin to self amputation.  
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[[category:Races]] [[category:Gorr Races]]
[[category:Races]] [[category:Gorr Races]]

Revision as of 22:46, 15 June 2022

Slizzar
645px-Fullfemaleslizz22.png
Race
Pronunciation Slizz-ahr
Classification Gorr
Subraces Makara, Devata, Mauli, Aksunna, and Anindriya
Common Nicknames
  • Snake People (derogatory)
  • Shapeshifters (sort of praising)
  • Puppeteers (praising)
Languages Zoram, based on real-life Sanskrit
Naming Customs Sanskrit
Racial Traits
Distinctions Serpent-folk shapeshifters
Maximum Age 1000 years

Perhaps the oldest Race to have continuously existed on Aloria, the Slizzar are of serpent-like shapeshifters that are rarely seen in their natural form, mingling with other societies for both benign and nefarious purposes. Some claim that the Slizzar have been around since before even the fall of the Seraph, though it is hard to prove. For centuries, and sometimes even millennia, the Slizzar closed their holy city-state Sassrakkand off from the outside world, content to exist in luxury and ignore the woes of others. Following the last Void Invasion, the Slizzar have once again spread into the wider world, shape shifting among the locals to fit in. Some assist with research, others taste the delights of other cultures, and some yet quietly nudge decisions made in high positions of authority to their benefit.

Core Identity

Introduction

Slizzar are proud of their dragon-purple eyes, and frequently let it shine through despite shapeshifting. They do hide it when they want to avoid being identified as a Slizzar however.
Most Slizzar have a dominant and subdominant color scheme beyond their dark gray or black scales. These colors are usually very vibrant and consistent with their "hair".
Some Slizzar make their Birth Shape more humanoid to ward off accusations of being a literal snake, and reduce bigotry towards them, though it rarely works.
Scales are considered beautiful by the Devata Slizzar, who frequently incorporate them into their appearance, even while shapeshifted because they don't need to hide.
Many Devata Slizzar work as courtesans, keeping their purple eyes which usually guarantees that a client is going to have a great time and be fully understood.
Due to a lack of gender or sex expectations, Slizzar just pick whatever trait they like the look of (or need in the moment) to compose their appearance.
Despite being able to combine any race's traits together, Devata and Mauli generally stick to what looks realistic for the race they are mimicking.
A Mauli's true appearance is regal and refined-- but few ever see it.

To be a Slizzar is to be a shapeshifter that is always highly keen on understanding the world and the people around them, but to inversely be extremely misunderstood by that world and those people. The Slizzar have a terrible reputation due to their natural ability to shapeshift, and the actions of some of their number. While many Slizzar enjoy the luxuries of life over politics, a few of them have steered global politics to such a degree that it caused great trouble to even the Regalian Empire, resulting in generational hate and fear for this seductive and sometimes subversive Race. Slizzar in Regalia should expect to experience extreme opposites, both to be ridiculed and spat on, but also to be desired and a frequent party invitee. They have great potential for fun and debauchery, but also great evil and manipulation.

Isolationism

The Slizzar are by nature isolationist, at least within their holy city Sassrakkand. Slizzar do not settle other regions, their race numbers are always roughly the same (never becoming higher than a few dozen thousand), and they make no colonies. When the world goes through a period of great chaos, the Slizzar perform their Great Recall, during which the Slizzar around the world have limited time to return (with any non-Slizzar family they want to take with), before the shield of Sassrakkand is closed, and the city closes off to the outside. This risk and flight response carries over to the Slizzar. If a Slizzar’s identity has been Burned as they call it, they abandon that identity and shapeshift into another to leave their problems behind.

Birth Shape vs Shapeshifting

To the Slizzar, the concept of Birth Shape (the body they were born with) versus shapeshifted body is a hot topic for debate. To many of the non-politically involved Slizzar, showing one’s Birth Shape is not that big of a deal, because there is no inherent risk towards it besides a negative reaction from bigots in Regalia. Among the more politically active Slizzar, especially the manipulators, showing one’s Birth Shape is considered a great weakness and personal risk. They believe that when their potential enemies know what their Birth Shape looks like, they will be easily discovered, as their foes will be able to sample their behavior traits that are difficult to mask between appearances. As such, among the more subterfuge focused Slizzar, showing one’s Birth Shape is considered very personal and a carelessness that they cannot afford.

The Great Game

To the politically active Slizzar, controlling, manipulating, and steering events to their benefit through political manipulation is called The Great Game. Many Slizzar participate in The Great Game, attempting to climb political ladders to try and reach close to the top. A Slizzar would never draw so much attention to themselves as to seize the actual highest position, and are most content in the background of actual authority, always gently nudging them into a direction of their liking without even being noticed. There is never truly a great plan of scheme behind this, especially with the disappearance of Zaalaanzaal, the Slizzar patron Dragon, the Slizzar simply do the Great Game because it’s a great deal of fun, and to many of them, a good kind of stress that gets the blood pumping with excitement. There are however plenty of Slizzar who also think The Great Game is a waste of time or even just evil. This approval is especially noted among the Devata Slizzar who would prefer to live harmoniously with other Races, and more often receive negative experiences because of hate-mongering over what the Mauli Slizzar did. Despite all this however, and despite all the disapproval, they would never reveal a Mauli’s actions on purpose, or out another Slizzar to non-Slizzar.

Design

Subraces

There exist several Slizzar subraces, each of them having varying skills and Abilities that affect how they interact with the world. Each Subrace acts and looks slightly differently, explanations are outlined in the next sections. The following Subraces exist:

  • Makara Slizzar are the craftsmen, workers, and soldiers of the Slizzar Race. Makara Slizzar have no shapeshifting Abilities save for their tail. Makara Slizzar in Regalia roam around in their birth shape, as they cannot shapeshift away from it.
  • Devata Slizzar are the artists, socialites, administrators and adventurers of the Slizzar Race. The Devata Slizzar have extensive shapeshifting Abilities. Debata Slizzar in Regalia roam both in their birth shape and shapeshifted forms. Some even combine the two, showing their Slizzar eyes and some patches of scales to show that they are Slizzar underneath a Race’s appearance.
  • Mauli Slizzar are the commanders, spies, manipulators and saboteurs of the Slizzar Race. Mauli Slizzar have extensive shapeshifting Abilities and more. Mauli Slizzar rarely show their birth shape to anyone, even other fellow Slizzar, as among them, showing one’s birth shape is considered a weakness and vulnerability. Only the closest of confidantes will ever witness a true Mauli’s appearance.
  • Aksunna Slizzar are a non-Serpent Slizzar subrace. Aksunna Slizzar have some shapeshifting Abilities, and are essentially Half-Slizzar (Half-Slizzar don’t exist). Aksunna Slizzar are not able to shapeshift away from their birth shape as they were born, however frequently use their limited shapeshifting to change their own appearance.
  • Anindriya Slizzar are a technical fifth subrace with iridescent glowing scales, however the Anindriya Slizzar are unplayable, as there are only ever six of them, and they are part of server deep-lore actors in Progressions. While other Slizzar can shapeshift, they are somehow incapable of imitating Anindriya Slizzar scales, no matter how much they try.

Slizzar reproduction

Slizzar are by nature a gender-less and biological sex-less Race. Even though they understand the concept of gender presentation through the social constructs of other Races, it has never applied to them. Furthermore, Slizzar are incapable of reproducing with their own Race, requiring members of their Race to shapeshift into that of another Race, and reproduce through a female member of that Race. When they do a couple of things happen:

  • Slizzar gestation is extremely short, 10 days in fact. Slizzar can however artificially cause this period to take much longer, as long as a normal gestation period for that Race would take, to mask the fact that the children would be Slizzar.
  • Slizzar always produce twins. One of the twins is always Aksunna Slizzar, while the other can be either Makara, Devata, or Mauli Slizzar. They are however born entirely based on the mother and father’s genetic makeup, and do not appear as Slizzar.
  • When both twins become 18 years old, their Slizzar identity manifests through a series of dreams and visions that also teach them how to use their powers. The Makara, Devata, or Mauli Slizzar never has a choice in the matter, they always become Slizzar and shed their non-Slizzar appearance to become their true Slizzar self.
  • The Aksunna Slizzar has a choice however. If the Aksunna accepts and embraces Slizzar society, they remain Aksunna Slizzar and have their Slizzar Racial Abilities and Specials. If within a month however they reject Slizzar society and identity, they will no longer be Aksunna Slizzar, and become of the Race of their mother, and gain that Race’s Abilities and Specials as if a full member of that Race.
  • This growing up process can be sped up in certain scenarios, but the shapeshifting Abilities never manifest before age 18. In order to read more about how Slizzar families work and understand the speed-up process, refer to the Family Views section of this article.

Mental Characteristics

  • Makara Slizzar are a very mixed bag. Generally speaking, Makara Slizzar are disciplined and hard workers. Especially the soldier Makara take their task very seriously, and they are also very nationalistic. It is hard to find a Makara Slizzar that does not have superior allegiance to Sassrakkand. Makara Slizzar often assist the Mauli Slizzar, but don’t partake in their political games.
  • Devata Slizzar are generally more laid back. Devata just enjoy life and try to enjoy the other Races and Cultures around the world. They just want to have fun, and try to squeeze out of any hostile situations they encounter, preferring to avoid negativity. Devata generally love other people, and avoid Mauli games of power when they can, though respect their craft.
  • Mauli Slizzar are the Slizzar to watch out for. They are manipulative, secretive, and above all, love being in control of others and playing mind games with others. Mauli are suspicious, don’t like trusting others, and keep their identity well hidden, even from (pretend) friends and loved ones. Mauli Slizzar sometimes look down on the other subraces, but still want to protect their brethren.
  • Aksunna Slizzar are a mixed bag, just like the Makara Slizzar, but more notably because they often inherit the personality traits of the Race of their mother. Aksunna Slizzar are generally more detached from Slizzar society, but the ones that are around Slizzar society tend to support the Mauli Slizzar in much the same way the Makara Slizzar do without getting overly involved.

Physical Characteristics

  • Makara Slizzar are true to nature, and can best be described as Snake-people. The Makara Slizzar are covered head to toe in black scales, with various colored patches on their forehead, cranium, nose, neck, and shoulders. They appear strongly snake-like, with a forked tongue, and a double-hinged jaw and a wide mouth. The most notable aspect of the Makara Slizzar is that many of them go through life with the lower body of a snake, as they lack traditional legs. While the Makara can shapeshift their snake-tail into legs and feet, many of them choose to go through life purely in the snake form. Another trait of the Slizzar is their hair, which appears like a bundle of tendrils colored similarly to the patches of scales, which they can move around with the same flexibility as fingers. Makara Slizzar, like all other subraces in their natural form (excluding Aksunna) have purple snake-like pupils.
  • Devata Slizzar have a natural appearance that is identical to the Makara Slizzar, but there are a few subtle changes. Devata Slizzar have extensive colored scaly patches on their stomach and chest area, while their cranial and chin bone protrusions tend to be longer and more exaggerated than those of the Makara Slizzar. Obviously however, Devata Slizzar make frequent use of their shapeshifting, and as such can practically look like anything.
  • Mauli Slizzar have a natural appearance that is rarely seen, and some would say that is a great shame. Mauli Slizzar look identical to Devata Slizzar, except for one point. While Devata Slizzar have black scales, Mauli Slizzar have shimmering silver scales and a pair of Silver-Dragon horns protruding from their skull to the back. Mauli Slizzar spend 99% of their time shape shifting however, so a Mauli will rarely if ever show their natural self to anyone.
  • Aksunna Slizzar have no Racial appearance. Their physical characteristics are dictated by the Race of their mother. Aksunna Slizzar, despite being a Slizzar subrace, have normal eye-colors of their mother’s Race. They can however manifest snake-like pupils.

Racial Abilities and Specials

Makara

Abilities

Ability Name Ability Type Ability Range Ability Description Modifiers
Slizzar Immune Constant Passive Self Grants the user Slizzar Immune

N/A
Forced Restraint Restraint Power Self Grants the user Forced Restraint

Slizzar Modifier

Specials

  • Slizzar Aging: Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
  • Makara Shapeshifting: Makara Slizzar only have access to partial shapeshifting. The limits of their shapeshifting are confined to their tail. Normally, Makara Slizzar have the lower body of a snake, and the upper body of a humanoid. They can however shift this snake's lower body into two separate legs, or two separate legs and a thinner snake-like tail.
  • Serpentine Head: Makara Slizzar are more serpent-like than the other subraces of Slizzar. Their (normally) tendril hair is capable of being shifted into snake-like hair, making each tendril strand an actual snake with a snake-head that can move independently. These heads cannot attack, but can be interacted with aesthetically, and spit (non venom) at others.
  • Makara Bonding: All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Makara Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a great friend, an ally, and an indispensable partner in work and battle”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Dexterity while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
  • Tail powered swimming: Makara Slizzar are more naturally in-tune with their snake-physiology than the other subraces of Slizzar. As such, Makara Slizzar are capable of moving at the speed of aquatic Allar while underwater. This means that they can out-swim any other Race that does not also have the same swimming speed as an aquatic Allar.
  • Makara Tongue: Makara Slizzar may choose two additional languages (not Ancient Languages) to speak and understand for free from the [Table]. They can use these languages outside of having the Point Buy invested for that Pack.

Devata

Abilities

Ability Name Ability Type Ability Range Ability Description Modifiers
Slizzar Immune Constant Passive Self

Grants the user Slizzar Immune

N/A
Altered Power Constant Passive Self

Grants the user Altered Power

Slizzar Modifier

Specials

  • Slizzar Aging: Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
  • Deveta Shapeshifting: Devata Slizzar have access to complete shapeshifting that allows them to change a great deal of things about their body, and also doubles as a disguise, allowing them to change their appearance and become unrecognizable. They are able to change Race, sex, gender presentation, Body Shape, Body Fat, and every visual aspect about themselves by combining aspects of different Races. They can change Body Height, Age appearance, Hair length and texture and color, Skin markings and Tattoos and Scars, and most bone structures. It is not possible for them to add extra limbs or become quadrupedal however, as they must retain a humanoid appearance, though they can mimic any mutation without actually being mutated.
  • Social Progress: While on mission in Progressions, Devata Slizzar are naturally more successful when engaging in social interactions, or interactions that require seduction and social infiltration. When submitting orders, ensure that the processor is aware that the character is a Devata Slizzar even without reading the Character Application, and be sure to also mention under which name the Character is going, if they are hiding their identity.
  • Mind Surging: A Devata Slizzar can target another person and telepathically pry their mind for what their ideal romantic partner would look like. This Special immediately fails to work if the target is already actively romancing another person. If they are not, however, the data can be asked in DM, after which the other person should respond with a rough description.
  • Deveta Bonding: All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Devata Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a devoted lover, a faithful spouse, or a devoted fan that is smitten with one’s work”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Charisma while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
  • Deveta Tongue: Deveta Slizzar, when shapeshifted into the base (meaning, the majority of their body is of that Race) of another Race, have an automatic translating ability even if they do not speak that language. For example, if a Slizzar shapeshifts to look mostly like a Songaskian, they can suddenly understand Sofaal, and speak it perfectly, even if they did not know Sofaal prior, and it also all still sounds like their native tongue in their head. When they shapeshift away, this understanding and speaking of Sofaal also disappears. This also extends to Ailor cultures, whatever the main spoken tongue of the thing is they try to imitate.

Mauli

Abilities

Ability Name Ability Type Ability Range Ability Description Modifiers
Slizzar Immune Constant Passive Self Grants the user Slizzar Immune

N/A
Bonded Telepathy Info Power N/A Grants the user Bonded Telepathy

N/A

Specials

  • Slizzar Aging: Most Slizzar are capable of reaching an exceedingly high age, nearly 1000 years. While aging, in their natural form, Slizzar also do not visually age beyond what they look like at age 18. Due to superstitions and paranoia towards Slizzar however, few Slizzar actually reach this age. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
  • Mauli Shapeshifting: Mauli Slizzar have access to complete shapeshifting that allows them to change a great deal of things about their body, and also doubles as a disguise, allowing them to change their appearance and become unrecognizable. They are able to change Race, sex, gender presentation, Body Shape, Body Fat, and every visual aspect about themselves by combining aspects of different Races. They can change Body Height, Age appearance, Hair length and texture and color, Skin markings and Tattoos and Scars, and most bone structures. It is not possible for them to add extra limbs or become quadrupedal however, as they must retain a humanoid appearance, though they can mimic any mutation without actually being mutated.
  • Master Spies: While on mission in Progressions, Mauli Slizzar are naturally more successful when engaging in espionage interactions, or interactions that require roguery or subterfuge of some kind. When submitting orders, ensure that the processor is aware that the character is a Mauli Slizzar even without reading the Character Application, and be sure to also mention under which name the Character is going, if they are hiding their identity.
  • Serpentine Puppeteer: Mauli Slizzar are masters of manipulation and puppeteering. If another player gives strict OOC consent to have their Character mind-controlled, a Mauli Slizzar can establish a mind-enslavement on another person that gives them complete control. The target is still aware of the world around them and the Slizzar cannot affect their perception of reality, but any command that the Slizzar issues must be obeyed by the target. This mind enslavement can only be removed by any Exorcism-like mechanic or Ability. If a player revokes consent, the mind-control is off-screen cured. Players have the freedom to discuss additional limitations on mind control.
  • Mauli Bonding: All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Mauli Slizzar, Bonding means “To have a loyal subject, a puppet to control, or a minion to command for one’s bidding”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Charisma while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
  • Mauli Tongue: Mauli Slizzar, when shapeshifted into the base (meaning, the majority of their body is of that Race) of another Race, have an automatic translating ability even if they do not speak that language. For example, if a Slizzar shapeshifts to look mostly like a Songaskian, they can suddenly understand Sofaal, and speak it perfectly, even if they did not know Sofaal prior, and it also all still sounds like their native tongue in their head. When they shapeshift away, this understanding and speaking of Sofaal also disappears. This also extends to Ailor cultures, whatever the main spoken tongue of the thing is they try to imitate.

Aksunna

Abilities

Ability Name Ability Type Ability Range Ability Description Modifiers
Slizzar Immune Constant Passive Self

Grants the user Slizzar Immune

N/A
Primed Defense Constant Passive Self

Grants the user Primed Defense

Slizzar Modifier

Specials

  • Aksunna Aging: Aksunna do not enjoy the 1000 year aging of the Slizzar, but do have their aging affected somewhat. Their aging is the same as their mother’s aging speed, however they look forever young, stopping their visual aging anywhere between 18 and 27 years old. This also means that at more advanced age, their body does not start deteriorating, and they can still move around as dexterously as they did when they were young. Additionally, All Slizzar can detect whether a person is a Slizzar or not, merely by looking at them. This works on all Slizzar sub-races, with the exception of Mauli Slizzar, who are able to hide their Slizzar identity even from their own Race.
  • Aksunna Shapeshifting: Aksunna Slizzar only have very limited shapeshifting. They are unable to shapeshift away from the race of their mother, and whatever shapeshifting they do, it never counts as a disguise, meaning they are always recognizable. Within these constraints however, they can change the following aspects about themselves: Body shape, Body Fat, Body Height, Hair color and length and texture, Skin markings and tattoos and scars, eye color, facial hair length and color and texture and masculine or feminine body shape traits, but not so far as to change sex.
  • Aksuna Bonding: All Slizzar seek to bond themselves to non-Slizzar in some way. For each subrace, the nature of this Bonding is slightly different. For Aksunna Slizzar, Bonding means “To have someone to see the world with, to experience everything, and go far”. Every first day of the month, the Slizzar may choose a Bonded Partner. This Bonded Partner receives +1 Wisdom while the Slizzar is within Emote Distance of them. (does not need to be recorded on the Character Application).
  • Aksuna Folelsa: Aksunna Slizzar can choose a person and try to telepathically force a pseudo friendship with this person. Using this Special on a person requires consent. You should send this person a DM on Discord or in-game asking them if your Character can fake a friendship between your Characters, explaining why you would like to do this and for what story/rp reasons. If they player accepts, then the Aksunna Slizzar will appear to this person like an old friend. The person will have vague memories of them growing up together or going to the same school together, whatever needs to exist to make it believable. This effect remains permanent either until the friendship has enough meat on bones to become “real”, or the Slizzar attacks the Target after which the effect is instantly broken. This Special exists in a realm of “Fair Use”, meaning there is no real limit, but going overboard may result in Lore Staff putting a hard limit on a Character’s use of this Special. It should primarily be used to encourage roleplay involvement with consent for people who have a hard time making friends, not to cheat and manipulate information.
  • Aksunna Tongue: Aksunna Slizzar may choose two additional languages (not Ancient Languages) to speak and understand for free from the [Table]. They can use these languages outside of having the Point Buy invested for that Pack.

Language

The Slizzar language is Zoram, which is based on real-like Sanskrit. Many other Races 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 very rare for Slizzar to have a surname, most Slizzar in fact 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 or Race’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.

Religion

Religious adherence among the Slizzar is truly a mixed bag. While other Races tend to be strongly religious or a-religious, the split in Slizzar society is 50-50. Even among the religious, there is a wide gap between the pious and the merely observing faithful. The Slizzar religion is called Nihsereya, or the faith or belief of many. Nihsereya as a religion is an off-shoot of Dragon Worship, however it is quite distinct from Mussaktu and Loong Virtue in that it does not acknowledge the other Dragons at all. While for example in Loong Virtue, Dragons are acknowledged as Divine Entities but not actively worshiped or merely praised in words only, in Nihsereya, other Dragons are entirely disregarded as worthless.

Nihsereya is a monotheistic religion that nonetheless recognizes a more extensive throne of divine entities. At the very top of authority stands the Silver Scale Dragon Zaalaanzaal, who is the god-ruler of all Slizzar. It is said in Nihsereya that the city of Sassrakkand was built ten thousand years ago by Zaalaanzaal, and that this Dragon created the first Slizzar, a Race in this Dragon’s image to act as the secret stewards. In Nihsereya it is believed that while the other Dragons created other creatures and Races, Zaalaanzaal hid the Slizzar and their city-state of Sassrakkand with powerful Dragon-Magic from the other Dragons, so that the Slizzar could quietly observe and influence the world on the Dragon’s instructions. The Dragon believed after all that the other Dragons were fools for giving their creations free will and then letting them proliferate out of control and without restraint.

Nihsereya preaches thus that Zaalaanzaal is the creator and protector and commander of all Slizzar, and that for nearly all those 10,000 years, this Dragon made its throne in the great Monument of Sassrakkand, the Silver Pyramid. Zaalaanzaal preached the need for Slizzar to silently and secretly control the flow of history, nudging certain Empires in certain directions, and generally counteracting the chaotic lack of oversight from the other Dragons on the living. Each time a Void Invasion occured, Zaalaanzaal would summon its Dragon magics again, and protect Sassrakkand while the world around it burned, ready to open the gates once more when the world calmed down, the other Dragons had re-populated it with new races and beings, and return to work. The reason why so many Slizzar no longer believe in Nihsereya is because Zaalaanzaal disappeared without warning around just before Cataclysm, after activating some of Sassrakkand’s greatest magical defenses, making it impenetrable to Aberrants. As their master disappeared and no longer protected or commanded them, more and more Slizzar lost faith.

The Slizzar that remain, however, still observe the old modes of worship and tradition. They praise Zaalaanzaal’s name in their achievements and actions, and perform the rites of mirrors. Faithful Nihsereya believers have a number of mirrors in their homes, one of which is particularly personal to them, as they might spend long times speaking to this mirror. It is believed in Nihsereya that Zaalaanzaal resides behind every mirror, and always listens to anything the mirror can hear. As such, the faithful believe that by having a conversation with a mirror to bring them up to date on their plans or actions, they are keeping Zaalaanzaal personable, and make the Dragon more likely to bless them with success and wit. With the recent return of Dragons, many of the faithful of Nihsereya have turned to the other Dragons, in the hopes of discovering what happened to Zaalaanzaal, or better yet, to help the other Dragons find Zaalaanzaal’s bones, so that he may be revived as so many other Dragons have also, and retake the Silver Pyramid as its home. There existed other Silver Dragons that were also seen in Sassrakkand on occasion, but these were considered more like cousins of Zaalaanzaal, had no name in Nihsereya, and served no religious function, though were sometimes praised in collective worship.

Deep Sea Serpents have some religious relevance also. It is said among the Nihsereya faithful that the Deep Sea Serpents are the children of the Teal Sea Dragons, who are the natural rivals of the Silver Scale Dragons. As a result, many Nihsereya attempt to steer their manipulation and efforts at capturing, enslaving, or subjugating the Deep Sea Serpents for their own purposes. Mananya-Manya was one such Slizzar who managed to subjugate several Sea Serpents through unknown methods, using them against the enemies of the Essa Empire until the Regalian Navy slew the beasts in the final battle over the capital. Since then, the Deep Sea Serpents have been notably absent from the seas around Sassrakkand, though aquatic Allar in the area note their return from the depths, and as such, some Nihsereya followers have reactivated their attempts to enslave them to their will.

Historical Interactions

Because Slizzar live very long, and have been around for so long as a Race, their existence has impacted a variety of Races and Empires through the years. These do not strictly affect Racial interactions, but are relevant to old Characters.

  • The Slizzar supposedly interacted with the Seraph, but next to nothing survives of this era. Zaalaanzaal always made the Slizzar burn all their records when a Void Invasion happened, and never speak of past interactions again, and as such, the information eventually died. Slizzar however will continue to insist that the surviving Seraph wall hieroglyphs are wrong, and that Seraph actually were centaur-like.
  • The Slizzar didn’t interact much with the Second and Third Civilization, as Zaalaanzaal kept Sassrakkand closed off during much of this period. It speaks volumes to the fact that the second and third civilizations were likely very violent periods in the world as the Dragons were attempting to compensate for their mistakes with the Seraph.
  • The Slizzar had more extensive contact with the Maraya, and implications exist that the Maraya and Slizzar actually had very good relations. Much of the context is lost to this day, however it is believed that one of the six Anindriya Slizzar resides within the Homefleet.
  • The Slizzar had extensive interactions with the Allorn Empire, until the Allorn became aware of them, and banned the Slizzar with kill on sight. They attempted to besiege the city of Sassrakkand a number of times, and did massive damage to the outer city on their last attempt. This is part of the reason why Aberrants are banned from entering Sassrakkand (if they could even breach beyond the Dragon shield that surrounds the city). Heavy use of Magic shattered the Magic shield for a moment, allowing the Allorn Mages to lay waste to nearly a third of the city. This part of the city was later allowed to be flooded, and is now the third ring of the city, with flooded ruins remaining in this uninhabited part.
  • The Slizzar extensively interacted with, and were also the principal founders of the Essa Empire among the Allar. Slizzar and Allar interactions go extremely deep, many of the ruling Digmaan have their own Slizzar advisor, or are being manipulated by one. Following the destruction of the Essa Empire at the hands of the Regalians, there was a pogrom to kill the Slizzar who were blamed for the loss, but when the Allar started integrating into the Regalian Empire, this hatred cooled, and the Slizzar quickly retook their position.
  • The Slizzar had numerous interactions with the Sariyd and subsequent Qadir, but generally despise them in the present era. The Qadir frequently attempted to abuse the Slizzar Honored Matron tradition to enter Sassrakkand as non-Slizzar, just to try and steal technology. Sassrakkand, while protected by Dragon Magic, has most of this Dragon Magic fueled by machines built by Zaalaanzaal. As such, Sassrakkand is considered the holy grail of Dragon tech to the Qadir, and something that they could use to finally lay waste to the Dragons in Farah’deen if only they could investigate the technology. Slizzar in turn have banned Qadir from entering Sassrakkand (even as Honored Matrons), and are always suspicious of their intentions.
  • The Slizzar have only had recent interactions with the Regalian and Songaskian Empires, while having no contact at all with the reborn Allorn Empire (as Slizzar are banned from it again on the penalty of death) and no contact at all with the Sihai realms to the east (as this is considered too far away). The Slizzar mostly affected the nobility following the Chrysant War, when revanchist Slizzar managed to convince a whole host of Allar and other Slizzar (with a high casualty cost to both also) to assassinate leading nobles across the Empire as a form of revenge. The loss of so many nobles all at once damaged the Empire, but did not cause it to crack in the long term, and as such, the Slizzar have shifted to infiltration.

Families

Childhood

Most Slizzar are raised outside of their own society, within the confines and childhood standards of the Race or culture that their non-Slizzar parent birthed them into. It is possible for a non-Slizzar mother to bring their children to Sassrakkand however. When a non-Slizzar gives birth to Slizzar children, and is aware of Slizzar society, the children’s identity, and wishes to immerse herself (or himself, in some cases, such as the Songaskians who are intersex) in Slizzar society and culture, such a “mother” is called “Honored Matron”. Honored Matron allows a non-Slizzar to essentially enter Sassrakkand, as the Slizzar cannot reproduce on their own, and consider a mother who is welcoming to their society and wishes to be included as something worth praising. It is important to note that this doesn't happen often however. Most Slizzar reproduce and then simply abandon their children, assuming that the visions and dreams will eventually lead them back to Sassrakkand, and it usually does. If a child is raised in Sassrakkand however, it usually lands more in a life of luxury and plenty, as Sassrakkand is often described as a paradise with no want.

Romance and Gender Norms

They don’t have them. 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 Race they were raised as, which can cause a modicum of gender dysphoria as they actualize their Slizzar identity. This is usually what causes Aksunna 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.

Politics

The Slizzar are formally led by Zaalaanzaal, who acts as both their highest figure of authority akin to the Regalian Emperor, religious entity akin to the Everwatcher (for Unionism) and general supreme being. Zaalaanzaal instructed the Slizzar in general sweeping commands, the details of which were usually hammered out by the Anindriya. The Anindriya Slizzar are a unique subrace of Slizzar, of which there can only ever be six. This is to say, while there are six of them, no Anindriya are born, and if one dies, then a new Anindriya is born somewhere to a Slizzar parent. The Anindriya usually pass their commands down to the Mauli, who in turn pass the orders down to all the other Slizzar. When Zaalaanzaal disappeared, the Anindriya essentially just filled that void by issuing orders of their own through a collective council, though by their claim, they will only hold the throne vacant for Zaalaanzaal’s return. Outside of Sassrakkand however, the Slizzar don’t really acknowledge the hierarchy of the Mauli, and they are freelancers just as much as any other Slizzar.

World View

  • Slizzar attitudes towards Magic and the Occult are ambivalent. Slizzar have strictly banned Aberrants and Occult beings from entering Sassrakkand, and look down on any Slizzar who becomes Afflicted or becomes a Mage. That being said, they do appreciate the beauty of Magic, and especially the Devata enjoy the benefits of Magic in their lives of luxury and thrill experiences.
  • One particularly daring Mauli Slizzar was Mananya-Manya that was declared Empress of the Essa Empire, though they were only called Empress by the Allar as the Allar language did not have a non-binary term. Their rule was short and competent, leading to the Allar dotingly calling them “Missa”, however the Chrysant War brought an end to their rule, and they disappeared shortly after the final battle, their memory acting as a deterrent to other Mauli to expose themselves like Mananya-Manya did.
  • Due to the unique structure of Slizzar bodies, they “sit down” on their own coiled tails when the limb dominates the lower part of the body. When it splits into two legs and a tail, however, unique chairs allow for one to easily sit down, their tail put through a broad open area at the base of the chairback.
  • Slizzar warriors often enjoy the use of bows rather than up-front combat weapons, though when they do get one-on-one melees, they engage in the use of the lethal Urumi (Sword whip) and Chakram (razor sharp circular blades), ancient tools used by the Slizzar for millennia.
  • The culinary world of the Slizzar is eclectic, taking bits and pieces from across Aloria, and across time itself, as one of the few things to survive the purging of written records demanded of a Void Invasion was the culinary creations Slizzar learned from the outside world.
  • Slizzar are naturally fond of edible flowers, and floral teas, but also have a heavy preference for seafood. A few more gluttonous Slizzar have been known to use their ability to unhinge their jaws to eat raw fish whole, as an effort of intimidation or to eat more and faster.
  • The Slizzar have terrible relations with the nearby Minoor Nelfin. Not only do they see the Slizzar as offspring of the Deep Sea Serpents, which are the ultimate Demons to their society, but they generally mistrust the Race due to the old Allorn prejudices. There are few Minoor Slizzar, of any subrace, as a result, despite how open the Culture is to incorporating those willing to adapt.
  • Slizzar who are interested in the arts are often well known for their musical ability, playing instruments not unlike those of the Suvial Altalar in most cases, to applause and enjoyment. This continues into the city of Sassrakkan itself, where singing is also key, used in the Mirror Serenade, a blessing upon the Silver Pyramid, and nearby mirrors, with the strange expectation that it will guide their god back to them through the infinitely reflecting realm.
  • The connection between the Nasha of the Sundial Isles, and the modern Slizzar, is extremely unclear. Some Slizzar have made use of their cursory similarity to those beings of Allorn myth and ancient history to establish themselves in Suvial society, though they keep hidden to maintain the mystique.
  • Aksunna Slizzar, born to a Slizzar and Songaskia parent, are still considered Songaskian even if they choose to accept their Slizzar heritage. This has led to a minor population of these unique beings to grow within Farah’deen.
  • Some Slizzar find that a method of seeking revenge or sabotaging the Qadir from stealing technology from them, is to disguise as one themselves, and to seek out Qadir technological secrets. This gambit has yet to prove significant or detrimental to either society.
  • The connection between Sapphires and Zaalaanzaal goes beyond that the gemstone looks good in Silver. Slizzar society claims they are the god’s eyes, and so many Slizzar, even in disguise, will include iconography of an eye featuring a Sapphire in the middle.
  • Adarrajya, a drug crafted decades ago as a result of the vanishing of Zaalaanzaal, is also known as the Mirror Tincture, because it produces a euphoric sensation in the body, and sees a Slizzar user transport into a realm of endless shifting mirrors and shapes, with them at the center. Non-Slizzar users, though, will have the sensation of being trapped in a mirror, and of needing to break the glass holding them within it.
  • Slizzar enjoy being multilingual, not just because of their ability to jump forms between societies, and needing to learn new knowledge to hide, but because it is a point of social pride and bragging rights.
  • The Ghor Ka Bloodscales have a minor colony in the Slizzar holy city, where they serve the purpose of finding and disposing of vermin and pests which haunt the city’s streets and houses. As a result, many Slizzar are very pro-little lizards, and small reptiles are just about the only pet Slizzar keep (Slizzar do not engage in slavery if one ignores mind control).
  • Slizzar do not commonly keep snakes as pets, no matter how many caricatures portray them as doing such. In fact, beyond small lizards, the Qarresh, and other forms of native Hadar life, the Slizzar dislike caring for pets.
  • Slizzar skin, bones, blood, and other body parts are highly sought after by alchemists, both Allar and not, with the only generally accepted donation being of blood. Slizzar who handle the remains of other Slizzar for profit are deeply reviled, and often end up hunted.
  • Slizzar burials can often be tricky affairs. When they die, they revert out of their shifted form over the course of a few days, which can be a shock to friends, or even strangers, who find that the person in their life has suddenly been turned into a snake-person. For this reason, Slizzar bodies and their dead are often returned to Sassrakkand for entombment, even if one has been dead for decades.
  • Deep Sea Serpent motifs exist among the Slizzar, but only ever in a bound manner. Instead of depicting them like a crest animal, they are always depicted with chains or bindings to illustrate their subjugation, which in turn represents Zaalaanzaal’s victory over the Teal Sea Dragons, who Zaalaanzaal reviles for hiding creation under the sea where they cannot go.

Trivia

  • Slizzar frequently pretend like cutting off their tail or hair tendrils is a big deal. It’s an acceptable form of corporal punishment for them, as while the pain is unpleasant, these body parts regrow within 24 hours.
  • Slizzar tails are remarkably dextrous, especially the tip. Some Slizzar have been known to be able to write calligraphy with their tail, using a special metal ring attached to hold the pencil.
  • Slizzar abhor the usage of ink or paint to cover up the natural colors of their birth form. It is considered a form of self mutilation akin to self amputation.

Accreditation
Writers MonMarty
Artists MonMarty
Processors HydraLana, MonMarty, Okadoka
Last Editor HydraLana on 06/15/2022.

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