The Zar'shuul

Although the Zar'shuul technically belong to a single reptilian race, they have evolved into three separate civilizations of vast physiological, cultural, and political difference. These differences have never lead to open warfare, but the factions of the Zar'shuul have no love for one another. Suspicion and mistrust abound; it is an exceptional rarity that an individual from any faction of the Zar'shuul would willingly associate with an individual from another faction.

The Great Schism
Although thousands of years have passed since the tribes of the Zar'shuul were divided by the Great Schism, a surprising number of records have been kept by all three tribes regarding their separation. The legend of the Great Schism has been inscribed on a series of three stone tablets, the Skarlect Stones. Each tribe possesses one Skarlect Stone, a portion of the larger whole that describes their combined history.

The first Skarlect Stone is kept in the Nsar'vek of Virdin, under the watchful guard of Sunpriest Rishox and the legion of Sunguard under the Sunpriest's command. Translated into the Common Tongue, the inscription on the first Skarlect Stone reads as follows:

''In the beginning, there was only the Void. Cold, dark, silent, and empty, the Void was all and all was the Void. From the Void, Asharai was born. The dark tendrils of Nothingness shaped Ashari and, from that same hueless ether, Asharai forged the Three Great Lights: the Stars, the Moon, the Sun. This act of Creation exhausted Asharai, who had been gifted but a fragment of the Void's power at birth. The Great Lights warmed the Void with their splendor and the weary Asharai was well-pleased.''

''Soon, the Great Lights despaired in their splendor, for they had nothing to shine upon. Gifted with a fragment of Asharai's power, they sought to conduct their own act of Creation. From the Void, the Stars wrought great expanses of rock and soil. Mountains, valleys and plains rose from the Nothingness and became the foundation of the world. The Sun saw this and thought that the world was yet cold and bleak. The Sun's Gift soon blanketed the world. Grasses, flowers, and trees sprung up to veil the barren land in their vibrance. Inspired by the Sun's Gift but yearning for the familiar comfort of the Void, the Moon poured the oceans over the great calderas and canyons. Their dark, cool depths paid homage to the Void from which all Creation had originated. This place of light was named Rai'shen by the Great Lights, and they were pleased.''

''Weary, the Great Lights rested. Soon, even the magnificent Rai'shen despaired, for their were no beings to marvel at its beauty. Gifted with a fragment of the power of the Great Lights, Rai'shen could not hope to create the wonders wrought by the Void, by Asharai, and by the Great Lights. But Rai'shen was patient, and chose to nurture worthy beings into existence over the coming eons. Small creatures, born from the sparks of the Moon's Gift, from the seafoam glittering crystalline in the Sun, soon swam within the womb of the ocean. Time passed and these creatures became other creatures. Generation after generation passed and those creatures grew, developed into other creatures. The great abundance of Rai'shen nurtured their growth and change. Men and Mer arose over time, shaped by the indulgences of Rai'shen, and the patient Rai'shen was pleased. ''

Weary and utterly spent, Rai'shen rested.

The second Skarlect Stone is kept in the Nsar'vek in Tirok'shol, under the protection of Warlord Skarvess. Translated into the Common Tongue, the second Skarlect Stone reads as follows:

''In the beginning, the Zar'shuul were scattered nomadic tribes in a place lost to time and memory. The tribes were united by a great conqueror, golden and resplendent of scale, who became the first Emperor of the Zar'shuul. Under the rule of Emperor Sin'dal, the Zar'shuul claimed vast swathes of land from the Grey Wastes to the Luminous Seas. When he had attained great age and wealth for the Zar'shuul, Emperor Sin'dal returned to the embrace of the Void.''

''In each progressive Brood, one golden hatchling was born to replace Emperor Sin'dal, but none could match the First Emperor's strategic genius and prowess on the field of battle. The Fourth Emperor, Nir'shai, came to power in his time and turned the Zar'shuul to an unspeakable purpose. Rebellion came from within in time, lead by the Sunpriest, the Trademaster, and the Warlord. With the amassed might of their followers behind them, they overthrew Emperor Nir'shai and his legions. ''

''Battered and exhausted, the Sunpriest, Trademaster, and Warlord came together to determine the fate of the Zar'shuul. It was agreed that their kind should split into separate tribes once more and never again allow the hatching of an Emperor. The tribes of Zar'shuul buried the broken pieces of their Empire and took to settlements elsewhere, far from each other. ''

''At the hatching of each Brood, there has always been a golden hatchling, fated to be the Emperor. Each hatchling has been slain, its blood staining the hatchery floor. In this way, peace has been kept for time immemorial. ''

The third Skarlect Stone is kept in the depths of Mohk'vir, kept under lock and key in the joint custody of The Oracle and Trademaster Dharvir. Its contents are unknown, even today. Some scholars in Virdin hypothesize that the third Skarlect Stone contains information regarding the creation of a Fourth Great Light in the depths of the Luminous Sea, but this is mere scholarly conjecture.

The Mor'shu: Dwellers in the Desert
The Mor'shu are a tribe of the Zar'shuul who dwell on the massive desert island that they call Mor'ashai.