Roxam

While the underworld of Arnoc and the festering Sorrowlakes are the main hubs of the Lizardmen population, there are enclaves scattered across Teleria. One such clan survives in the Lost Isles, upon a jungle island that was formerly a Dragonkin stronghold. Now calling themselves the Speq'chaa, these Lizardmen were ancestor-revering isolationists. That was, until the spawning of Roxam. The day of Roxam’s hatching was filled with portents. A blazing star was seen to fall from the skies into the ocean, and a volcanic eruption on the far horizon threw up a pall of ash and debris that settled over the jungle canopy. If these signs were not obvious enough, it was immediately apparent that Roxam was no ordinary hatchling. Bony nubs protruded from the little Lizardman’s brow, growths that in time became great, curved horns. His skin, naturally rainbow colored, could change so that he resembled the environment around him. Considering this peculiarity, it was little surprise to the Speq’chaa’s elders when, at a young age, Roxam began to prophesy. At first his predictions were minor. He knew when the deluges that swept the island’s jungles would begin to fall, and he anticipated whether the fishing coracles would come back laden with fresh catches or bearing empty nets. Little time passed before, at his own request, Roxam was accepted into the priesthood that administered the Speq’chaa’s spiritual needs. He soon spoke of a time of great change, one that would both threaten the clan’s existence and open possibilities for a new and glorious future. These prophecies were treated with great concern by the clan’s leadership, for it was said that Roxam – now known as the Horned Priest – had never been wrong. He had foreseen the outbreak of the Scale-rot, his warning ensuring the Speq’chaa prepare to face the hideous disease. The Great Mudslide, too, came of no surprise to the clan thanks to Roxam's talents, and not one life was lost. Roxam’s prediction came true one morning when lookouts on the island’s clifftops reported seeing a ship on the horizon. It was a great edifice of timber and canvas that dwarfed the tiny coracles that were the clan’s only means of seafaring. The Speq’chaa gathered themselves in fearful expectation, but on Roxam’s advice, they did not take up arms or try to resist the sailors when they landed. They were Humans, creatures that existed in the stories that persisted in the clan’s memories, of a time when they had been unified with Dragonkin. The Humans were adventurers and merchants from the Kingdom of Kaerok, seeking fame and fortune in an exploration of the Lost Isles. Most had past dealings with Lizardmen but struggled to equate the miserable criminal gangs that infested the Free City of Arnoc with the proud Speq’chaa, who had succeeded in upholding some vestige of their imperial past. Of particular interest was the Speq’chaa’s gold, but the Lizardmen were too wise to give it over easily. During a debate with the clan’s elders, Roxam was able to convince them that they should send him forth with the Humans. There was a whole world waiting beyond the island – these visitors would certainly not be the last, and the Speq'chaa could not live in splendid isolation forever. For the sake of the clan, they had to know what was out there. The more they learned, the more ready they would be for when it came to them. The plan was set: Roxam, the Horned Priest, was to journey out across Teleria as the Speq'chaa's emissary. He would learn all he could of the world and return with the knowledge to the clan, where his advice could help steer their future. In exchange for a number of gold trinkets, the Kaerok merchants agreed to give him passage on their return voyage. Roxam therefore traveled into Teleria, taking with him the headdress that acted as the Speq’chaa’s mark of priesthood, as well as his twin curved khopesh blades. Upon landing in Kaerok, Roxam traveled to Arnoc, sneaking in thanks to his chameleonic talents, where he discovered the thousands of Lizardmen who lived in poverty beneath the city. Their plight struck him hard, as did the fates of the clans that lived in the Sorrowlakes when he eventually reached Peltas. His visions caused him to believe that there was much the Speq’chaa could teach these peoples about dignity and unity. Throughout his journeys, Roxam dutifully noted all he learned, with the hope that when he returned to his island home, he would be able to convince more of the Speq’chaa to visit their distant cousins in Anhelt and Peltas. Perhaps the Speq’chaa will be able to show their fellows on the mainland a society where they are neither downtrodden nor helpless, and remind them of a past when proud Lizardmen held in their palms the very destiny of the world.