Slith

History

The slith are amongst the oldest of the known races, yet are amongst the
last to rise to prominence. In an age when the druids were still seeking to
organize their ranks, they sent a young druid named Kharandor to a small
inlet south of what is now the city of Val Miran. His task was to survey the
land and various creatures surrounding the inlet.

On the beach of the inlet he found a nest containing a dozen eggs, unlike any
he had ever spotted before. Of the originator of the nest there was no trace;
the druid assumed that the being must have come from the sea, which connected
to the inlet via submerged caves. Kharandor monitored the eggs closely. After
a few days they finally hatched, but to his alarm there were only eight
hatchlings left when he returned the next morning. Whether some predator
had eaten them, they had been carried off by some unfavourable current, or
the hatchlings had fallen prey to their nestbrothers remained a mystery.

It would take years for the hatchlings to resemble the slith we know, but
these infantile beings were sentient, and quick. Of the first eight, six
survived to their full form. Of the first six, four were females. These four
females would lay hundreds of eggs before the end of their lifetime, leading
to massive numbers of slith inhabiting what is now known as Drktshyre wood.

Their presence here wrecked havoc on the ecosystem. They hunted with such
immense prowess as had never been seen before. The lesser creatures were
driven to the point of extinction when such a superior foe was so awkwardly
thrust into their midst. What made matters worse, the Slith appeared to be
extremely intelligent and in a very short time learned to fashion weapons from
crude instruments. The spear, once considered an inferior weapon, became a
tool of destruction in their agile hands.

As the inlet soon would no longer sustain their young in such numbers, the
druid guild advised the slith to move north, where they could have more direct
access to the sea, and could fish. So, for a time, the Slith took a home in
Val Miran. Here, the slith were not welcomingly accepted. Their beast-like
appearance, preference for raw food, and vast numbers made them a constant
nuisance to the people of Val Miran, and in time, they came to believe them
to be dark and evil, mostly due to their misunderstanding of civilized ways.

So, when the great purge happened within Val Miran, the Slith were not spared.
The entire city of Val Miran was besieged, and the evil factions were driven
out. The dark guilds, temples and squares where evil had once been prevalent
were burned to the ground. Perhaps mistakenly, or perhaps not, the Slith were
also driven from Val Miran. They fled north, into the forest of Elium. However,

far from water, and their primary source of food - fish, they soon grew both
unhappy and unhealthy. Both cities, north, and south, had access to water,
yet both refused them entrance. Eventually, the Slith grew desperate and tired
of their outcast status, and took over the city of Falen Dara by force, slaying
nearly all humans within, and declaring the city home to the Slith populace
of Aabahran.

There were many resources within Falen Dara, but they were brought about by
a commerce system and economy the slith had little understanding for. Without
trade, the Slith people experienced famine, shortly following a period of
extreme wealth. Entitlement, followed by deprivation, is almost always a
formula for violence. Food became scarce, and the city was no longer a safe
place to be. Crime arose at such a high rate and in such a short time as had
never been seen before. Then a select few rose to power who called themselves
the Crimson Cartel, because their leaders' scales had a reddish tinge. There
was not nearly enough food for all of them, so their solution was simple.
Those with red scales, like themselves, could eat. Those without the coloring
could not. A tiny tinge of red, the only uniting factor amongst those who took
power, became the only way of distinguishing the haves from the have-nots.
They reigned terror upon the city.

In the night, however, a small group of blue scaled Slith fled the city, and
returned to the city state of Val Miran. They became a gang of their own, and
waged war against the Crimson Cartel with ferocity, but left the city to them.
They would enter by night, slay as many cartel members as they could, and then
flee back into the city of light. Enraged, the cartel began to kill off all
who were believed to have a connection to them, and at the end, the weakest
connection- the color of their scales - became a mark of death within Falen
Dara. Within a year, all slith with blue scales were either buried, rotting in
the sea, or living within Val Miran. Those who had neither blue nor red scales
were allowed to live in Falen Dara as slaves to the higher class, and only
allowed to breed amongst themselves.

As each subgroup bread only amongst itself, the color of their scales became
more defined. The red in the red scales became brighter, the blue became more
than just a shade. The others, it seemed, without mating with the blue or the
red, turned a shade of green. Abilities became prominent in their subgroup as
well. The red, living in the city, began to experience heightened vision able
to penetrate better the horrible rot and pollution of their city, which
eventually manifested itself into a second set of eyelids which allowed them
to better protect their eyes from the filth they created. The green slith,
after suffering decades of slavery, consuming the corpses of dead to survive,
became able to eat almost anything. The blue, however, due to their proficiency
with surprise attacks, became excellent at hiding their form.

It went on like this for over a hundred years: constant war, mayhem, and
destruction. Finally, a leader amongst the blue slith petitioned the royalty
of Val Miran for aid in the retaking of their city. His proposal was accepted,
and a sceptre glowing with the power of the sun, and burning all that it
touched was given to him. He was told that with this sceptre he could rule
his city, and that any who challenged that rule would be reminded, that the
very bastion of light supported his rule, on the condition that there would be
no more prejudice, and no more slavery.

And so it was. The Asp King arose, and in a single day he swept his forces
through the city and retook what he believed was his. He took over the palace
and replaced the guard. He emptied the jail, and began administering the new
law. So it is, now, that the people known as the slith, now inhabit the great
city north of Elium, and live in peace, for now. Racism is still rampant in
the cities, and the red have seen leaders that threatened to shake the power
structure, but so far, have not.

In the ensuing time of peace another blue-blooded slith, famed for his battle
prowess and pure-mindedness, rose to power. For only the second time ever,
one Sir Loucheran was appointed Regent of the Crown, leading the faction of
Knight.

Usual Height

Shorter than a human, when hunched forward roughly four to six feet; taller
when standing fully upright, but this stance is painful for the slith.

Hometown

Falen Dara

Religion

The slith are not deeply religious, in general, but will pay homage to a deity
if they believe he helps them. In this light, the worshiping of combat in a
ritualistic form is common, but they hold few of the ideals. In addition to
this, they sometimes worship guile, but most would not be hesitant to change
gods if it seemed more advantageous. During the early age of the Slith, they
were easily beguiled into the dark religions in lieu of reward by the Shamans
and Dark Clerics of the age, but in modern times, their loyalty to those
religions is not strong.

Physical Features

Like a lizard, the slith have a long body. Their backs, head and arms,
sometimes even their whole bodies, are covered in thick scales which
distinguish which line they are descended from. Their trademark tails are
long and thickly muscled, which allows them to strike at their foes and either
wrap it around their ankle and pull away, or quite simply lash at a vulnerable
part of their body. Their frames are usually described as wiry, but athletic.
Their eyes are set about six inches apart on their head, giving them the
ability to look in two directions at the same time, but they cannot see
objects very well if directly in front of them. Their teeth are often conical
shaped, and are almost always yellowed. Instead of a nose, they have two
simple slits in their face, which means they have virtually no sense of smell.

Able to shed their skin as a decoy when they need to flee from their foes they
can become very defensible if needed. Since Sliths are cold blooded, they
are not visible on the infrared spectrum as well as see with infravision.

Society

The slith live in one city, under the strict rule of their King. Within this
city, their numbers merge together physically, but not mentally. Racism is
abundant in every corner of Falen Dara. It is understood that certain colored
slith stay away from certain areas. Outside of their home city, slith often
take on the role of mercenaries, serving the highest bidder or go out
adventuring in their own right.

Relationships with Other Races

Slith are generally intimidated by creatures larger than them and pay little
heed to creatures smaller, and so almost all of their dealing is with
equivalently sized creatures. In general, the Slith are not social creatures.
Their markets are open to any who wish to do business, but they seldom
seek out customers, or anyone, for that matter.

The blue slith have been long friends of the elven race, though the elves have
shown little reciprocity. They look up to them as ideals of what their race
could be, even if they do not actively try and live in a similar way.
The red slith, on the other hand, despise the elves and think of them as
threats. They ally themselves with their dark counterpart, the drow, and a
select few have attempted life within Xymmerria, but faced with the contempt
and disregard drow show other races, they found such a life difficult.