Fiction:The Firmament/Crocodilian

"Watch yourself when entering the swamp. Should you see a large lizard in the water, keep your eyes up. Should you see a large lziard walking on two legs, though... Run. Run as quickly as you can."

- Anonymous

Crocodilians, or crocodilefolk, are a race of mighty humanoids who resemble bipedal crocodiles of many species. Found through the marshlands and swamps of Dryadala, Gromkazul and Ruchera, these hulking barbarians live in isolated tribes who are typically hostile to all outsiders. While most are not malevolent, they are generally considered very difficult to approach.

Appearance
Crocodilians come in four variants; most resemble a bipedal alligator, with stout limbs, massive tails and an aggressive disposition, however some are born with traits of true crocodiles, sporting greater size and sharper features, while others are born as smaller but more agile caimans. Others, rarer than their kin, possess the thin snout of a gharial and are prized for their greater attunement to magics than others. The type of a crocodilian is not determined by their parents; all eggs laid by a female can hatch into any of the four forms of crocodilian, with the race itself having no control of what eggs hatch into what type.

History
The origins of the crocodilians are unknown. According to their own myths, they were once common crocodiles who were given intelligence by their spirits of nature. Due to their barbaric and xenophobic culture, they have never united into a single people in their history. Certain theories say the lizardfolk descend from crocodilians, but there is no known kinship between the two races.

Culture
Crocodilians are a tribal race who lives in communities made up of hundreds of individuals led by a powerful crocodile chieftain who is advised by an elder gharial shaman. True crocodiles make up the warriors of a tribe, while alligators, having the most 'average' body frame, make up the most numerous tribesfolk and work force. Caimans, having the smaller size and greatest dexterity, typically serve as scouts and hunters, while gharials are shamans who maintain the spiritual and supernatural customs of a population. Crocodilians of all kinds possess a strong link with their animal counterparts, allowing them to tame them and use them as livestock as easily as Humans would handle cattle.

Religion
Most crocodilians worship nature as a whole, emphasizing the swamps they call home, the rivers and lakes of the world, the sun, the moon and the stars. There are no true deities associated with the race. Ancestral worship is also a common practice of their people. Darker and more violent crocodilian tribes have been seen forsaking such ideals and associating themselves with demon lords, being attracted to the most aggressive and dangerous ones such as Druacath.

Language
Crocodilians speak a distinct dialect of Draconic which sports much hissing, an adaptation which suits their crocodile-like snouts. This dialect has many similarities to the Merovaren tongue, which is believed to descend from it.

Relations with other races
Crocodilians are usually exceptionally xenophobic, forbidding other races from traversing their territory, much less approaching their tribes. While not entirely unreasonable, crocodilians have very little patience for outsiders and generally only accept their presence after they either appease them with gifts or prove themselves mighty enough to match them in strength, a boast few can make. This sentiment is also shared with others of their own kind; crocodilians of other tribes are rarely welcomed, as they are typically vanguards of an invasion.