Sauro-Taru

The Sauro-Taru(lit "Lizard People") were a race of semi-sentient reptilian creatures that inhabited the Greater Continent during the Mage Wars and into the Golden Age.

Physical Description

The Sauro-Taru were large, lizard-like creatures. Covered in scales, they were usually light or dark green, but sometimes blue or even brown on color. They Are generally considered bipedal, but could use their arms and moved very quickly as quadrupeds. They possessed opossable thumbs and were quite dexterous.

They are often said to be amphibious. Sauro-Taru can swim and are able to hold their breath for extended periods(believed to be up to an hour), but they do not have the ability to actually breath water.

Diet

Most contemporary accounts of the Sauro-Taru point to them being omnivorous, with some even claiming they were carnivores. However, modern studies of Sauro-Taru remains have concluded that they were in fact herbivores. They subsisted primarily on crops grown by humans, which the Sauro-Taru would then steal. They were not adept gatherers, and thus could barely survive when not living near cultivated farmlands.

It is believed that the omnivore conclusion was made based on observations: Sauro-Taru were frequently seen killing other animals, even fish in their territory, and would always attack humans on sight. However, no confirmed accounts indicate that they actually ate the meat.

Intelligence

They were created artificially through magic, probably for use as foot soldiers, and as such had high, though limited intelligence. They are capable of adapting and learning to an extent, and have a limited spoken language. It is thought that they may have a written language in the form of crude pictograms, but none of the pictograms have ever been accurately ascribed to them.

Culture

Sauro-Taru lived in large groups called Colonies. They would build primitive raised huts out of sticks and mud, and were able to construct crude tools and weapons. They could weave baskets, and even had a(now lost) technique for rendering them water-tight. Where metal was available, they showed an ability to craft it into knives and spears(though they could not refine metal themselves). They could also make stone points.

Religion

Sauro-Taru are known to have practiced some form of religion. They had a ceremonial lifestyle, and were observed to construct shrines and carry out various rituals. Unlike Viverren, the Sauro-Taru possessed no known magic. Since their language was never interpreted, the name of their god or gods is unknown, and the exact nature of these ceremonies remains a mystery. Modern scholars have theorized that this practice was likely some sort of offering to their original creators, however this is pure conjecture.

History

Sauro-Taru were created artificially during the Mage Wars, probably during the early First Chaotic Period. Much like the Viverren, they were used as low-grade soldiers by various groups, cannon fodder that were easy to train and cheap to replace. However, by the Intermediate Period they had largely become nuisance creatures, inhabiting areas around cities and villages. Famously, the Marcon Alliance would release swarms of Sauro-Taru around enemy settlements, however this tactic was widely inneffective, as a ten year old with a sharpened stick could usually defeat of Sauro-Taru, and most villagers were adept at killing them.

During the Second Chaotic Period, Sauro-Taru were found mostly along the Barrier Range and along rivers of the Agras Plain, the the Sword Coast. They were seldom seen inland, away from reliable water sources. Usually they inhabited areas around cities and villages, or even lived in sewers when these were available. Many stories tell of epic battles between the Sauro-Taru and equally uninteligent Viverren.

By the early Golden Age, Sauro-Taru had been classified as a nuisance animal, and private citizens were urged to hunt down and slaughter them. As Sauro-Taru hunting had been a common passtime during the Mage Wars, the people had little trouble seeing to it. The delibrate hunting, combined with urban expansion and the use growing use of pesticides, led to the extinction of the Sauro-Taru by A.Y. 1231.

Preservation

Numerous examples of Sauro-Taru were preserved either by taxedermie or with the use of chemical fixing agents and very large jars. Artifacts from their colonies, and even whole nests. Many examples were still available for study well into the Ages#The Sixth Age. No live specimens were ever kept in captivity.

Possible Survival

Unconfirmed accounts claim that Sauro-Taru were seen in the Barrier Range as late as A.Y. 1787. If the creatures migrated across the mountains, they could easily be alive and well in the uninhabited territory of the formed Marcon Alliance.