Background: Saurian Ancients

Factions & Magic

The Saurian Ancients are believed to have used magic
longer than any other race. The relationship of the
Cuatl with magic is like breathing air – their pampered
bodies reflecting the degree to which their mind has
focused upon its use in spell craft. No longer requiring
the words or gestures, they are able to act and
communicate telepathically and through others. Paradoxically,
they value order and structure to such an
extent that some of the wilder paths of magic are beyond
philosophical acceptance, maybe even beyond
intellectual grasp. Yet the paths they are able to use,
they employ with exceptional skill, while making use
of Skink practitioners to connect with their environment
and the many beasts which complement their
civilisation.

Sources

ic and least understood of all the Elder Races, many believe the Saurians built sophisticated civilisations when the Elves were still wearing animal fur. The oldest works I possess name these enigmatic jungle dwellers as Venerable Ones. It is rumoured theirs was a cold, cruel reign, and the younger races looked upon them as tyrants. The time of the Saurians and the Dawn Age ended when they were cast down by Elves and Dwarves, or else swallowed by the sea in some cataclysm of that turbulent time.
Ruins that remain, even in the heart of Vetia, at- test that Saurians built structures which eclipse all to come since. Their magics were capable of connecting continents and effecting change on a global scale. Their descendants endure, yet they are a shadow of what they once were, scattered among isolated jungle valleys. Reports from colonial expeditions claim they remain timeless in physical appearance, as if copied from the carvings of their crumbling temples. They still eschew steel in favour of bronze, yet their hides are tough as mail, their poisons defy all healers, and their soldiers act with an unnerving unity of purpose.

Sir, on behalf of Empress Sophia I hereby grant you a commission of 5,000 men and 27 galleons forthe purpose of re-establishing control of the imperial colony of Aguadulce. You will set sail this summer to Virentia, where you will refortify and expand the encampment, and oversee the plantations’ immediate return to productivity.
As you know, the colony was recently abandoned after an encounter with a local species of giant reptile. This is what we know:
The ancient creatures known as saurians were thought to be nothing but legend until Captain Fernando Cabeza reported several sightings in the jungles around Aguadulce. The reptilians walk on two legs, carry weapons and other tools, and have appeared in varying forms, most growing to around 4 feet. When the animals reportedly provided our colonists with food during their first winter, Cabeza determined that their size and lack of intelligence made them perfectly suited to working in the plantation.
After several months of successfully capturing and harnessing the labour of many such creatures, Cabeza reported a number of plantation workers struck down by poisoned darts. The rep-tiles used a fast-moving, shifting formation that made it difficult to return fire.
The camp soon came under full-scale attack; the garrison of 300 mercenaries and the other colonists wereordered back behind the palisades. Using pistols and crossbows, the enemy were temporarily forced back,
but soon returned in larger numbers, using what Cabeza described as “a huge, be-spiked monster”to break down the wooden defences. Only a handful of men returned to the ship.
This report no doubt explains the much larger expeditionary force with which you have been entrusted. The colony at Aguadulce
is much too profitable to abandon – yourservices to the Destrian Empire are of the utmost importance to its future. The Empress herself has expressed an interest andwill be notified of your progress. She expects great things.
— Letter from Minister Lord Raul Llerenato Colonel Sabino Virgen, 956 A.S.