"Tell you all you want to know about 'Lizardkin?' That's a bit like lumping Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Folke, Half-Orc and Hew-mons together as 'hairy people with awkward mammary glands.' Alright, alright, don't get testy. I guess I see your point.

"Lizardkin is what you colonists refer to the collective bunch of Kobolds, Lizardfolk, Trogdoylte, Ghrom, and other citizens of the Glith Empire, who mostly are reptilian humanoids. The Yammassee, or Yuan Ti, are a native human tribe, although since they are at least half-snake, I suppose they too can loosely qualify as Lizardkin.

"Instead of breaking down the individual races, let it suffice to say the Glith Empire is much more organized than the colonists. Everyone has a place, or caste. You are born into a family, and the family name means what job you do. Mostly. Most Trogs are soldiers. The Lizardfolk are farmers and laborers, our most numerous citizens. The frog-like Ghrom are healers, seers, and raise exotic pets. As for Kobolds, well, we do the work no one else wants. Couriers, sewer workers, street cleaners, scavengers, servants, lower level bureaucrats. You get to break from your caste only if by personal order of the Emperor Glith, or if you demonstrate sorcerer ability. We believe that any one with magical inclinations must have dragon's blood in them, so we get to rule. Glith is quite prolific, taking the form of the occasional Lizardfolk , Trog, or rare Kobold, and taking consorts of his choosing. The children of Glith, well, vary. Some, like me, exhibit the ability to manipulate a few spells. Others are half-dragons, with the ability to breathe chlorine gas, have stronger scales, and perhaps even can fly. The half-dragons are the ones that battle for supremacy, fighting each other for power. It is not uncommon for a DragonChild to overthrow another DragonChild for the rule of a province. It happens all the time. Survival of the fittest, and all that.

"But let's get on the interesting part. Kobolds are the most resourceful of the lot, if you ask me. We try to follow the Kobold Way, a code of conduct for scavengers. Basically, you don't fight anything too large unless you have overwhelming numbers. Live and fight another day. A quite advanced philosophy, if you ask me.

"We are typically three and a half feet tall, and our dialect of Draconic does not sound like we are barking like dogs. That's a settler's myth. We also don't steal babies. That's a complete misrepresentation. You see, the native Hew-mons and Kobolds used to have a peace treaty of sorts. We would exchange infants of our rulers every hundred years, as a sign of trust. Well, the Hew-mons forgot about the deal. So there we are with the Chief's daughter, and they don't come for one of our hatchlings; they come with their hatchets! So it was all a big misunderstanding.

"Yes, I've heard about the Kobold who took a Hew-mon baby from the Keep last year. She was just deranged, half-blind. Probably thought the little critter was one of her own. Think nothing of it. A misconception, I tell you.

"There are quite a few cultural differences between the colonists and the Lizardkin. The whole taboo about eating kittens would have been nice to know before hand. Our pets tend to be creatures that can protect the home. Like raising an owlbear cub, or the giant bees at Rook Outpost."

"Anyway, it's pretty much an ogre-eat-ogre world for the so-called 'Lizardkin.' That's why I'm here. I am not a 'deserter,' just a political refugee. And I may the first, but I'm sure there's more to come. Especially with trading finally opening up with Rook Outpost. Our honey is already quite in demand, I understand. And let's face it, you colonists will need our help to survive the Wild Lands."