Valkrionn
The Hamster King
Here is a slightly improved background for them, that I just added to the Bezeri Design Wave (Google Wave FTW!):
Background
The lizards were originally a Mazatl splinter-group, from just before the Age of Ice, who lived in a coastal jungle/swamp village, making most of their living from fish already... Fortunately for them, several masters of Body/Water magic lived among them when the Age of Ice began. Seeing no other option to save themselves but abandon land entirely, they began modifying their own bodies.... Eventually, they discovered one of the last cities of the Tsaayiq'an, a dying race of Toad-men who had been nearly obliterated by the encroaching Ice. The Tsaayiq'an were dying out because they were Cold-blooded, and could not maintain a high enough rate of activity to hunt their food after the AoI began. The two races joined forces, using the magic of the Lizards to save them both (becoming Warm-blooded in the process), although the Tsaayiq'an remained the highest caste due to their more advanced society. Over the centuries since, the two cultures have merged, utilizing the best of both... The agility, adaptability, and numbers of the Lizards, and the tremendous arcane aptitude of the relatively rare Toad.
In order to survive the Age of Ice, they literally dwelt under the ice. Decades would go by without a single Bezeri emerging onto the surface.... Until the Ice finally began to retreat. They only emerge onto land if absolutely necessary, either for Trade (Many materials aren't available in the water, and they can't forge metals at all) or for War. Even now, some of them never see the surface at all, though that is rare.
They are opposed to both the White Hand, representing the death of their lands and many of their people, lost to the ice, and the Overlords, which they view as a spreading corruption in the Oceans. All other religions are open to them, barring the Ordo Machinarum... Rather than fire and steam, they use biological systems.
They are not evil, but ARE arrogant, viewing the 'lesser' races with disdain. They have a heavy focus on a caste system, and view most outsiders as Dyunil'een, or Caste-less. This does not mean they mistreat outsiders, per se, but that they view them as 'less than' themselves. The few exceptions to this would be the Mazatl, POSSIBLY the Cualli though I doubt it, and coreligionists... In the lore, this would be the Elves. I could see them as Lawful Neutral, rather than Good, but I think their opposition to the White Hand and a new Age of Ice COULD keep them Good.... So no Evil minor/emergent leaders, but a Good one fits.
Are the Bezeri related to the Aifons in any way?
Short answer, NO!
Longer answer: The Bezeri are essentially my answer to using an interesting mechanic, that of an aquatic civ, in a way that both does NOT revive the Aifons and is believable. Personally, I like my background here. They are not the Aifons, they are not the lizards made from Aifons; In fact, they are descended from Green Lizardmen, not Blue (Who are actually grey, with a blue stripe on the chest), and hence the ancestors of the Lizards are actually Elven in origin. They have absolutely zero ties to the Aifons... other than the fact that the Tsaayiq'an would have traded with them, and likely know what actually happened to them. Nothing firm will ever be known, though... I won't change the Aifon story one way or the other. It's not really that I dislike the Aifons... I just didn't want to revive them. In my opinion, that either messes with the lore too much or utilizes a half-breed race... Which is fine, but I don't think they'd be FULLY aquatic, like I want.
The lizards were originally a Mazatl splinter-group, from just before the Age of Ice, who lived in a coastal jungle/swamp village, making most of their living from fish already... Fortunately for them, several masters of Body/Water magic lived among them when the Age of Ice began. Seeing no other option to save themselves but abandon land entirely, they began modifying their own bodies.... Eventually, they discovered one of the last cities of the Tsaayiq'an, a dying race of Toad-men who had been nearly obliterated by the encroaching Ice. The Tsaayiq'an were dying out because they were Cold-blooded, and could not maintain a high enough rate of activity to hunt their food after the AoI began. The two races joined forces, using the magic of the Lizards to save them both (becoming Warm-blooded in the process), although the Tsaayiq'an remained the highest caste due to their more advanced society. Over the centuries since, the two cultures have merged, utilizing the best of both... The agility, adaptability, and numbers of the Lizards, and the tremendous arcane aptitude of the relatively rare Toad.
In order to survive the Age of Ice, they literally dwelt under the ice. Decades would go by without a single Bezeri emerging onto the surface.... Until the Ice finally began to retreat. They only emerge onto land if absolutely necessary, either for Trade (Many materials aren't available in the water, and they can't forge metals at all) or for War. Even now, some of them never see the surface at all, though that is rare.
They are opposed to both the White Hand, representing the death of their lands and many of their people, lost to the ice, and the Overlords, which they view as a spreading corruption in the Oceans. All other religions are open to them, barring the Ordo Machinarum... Rather than fire and steam, they use biological systems.
They are not evil, but ARE arrogant, viewing the 'lesser' races with disdain. They have a heavy focus on a caste system, and view most outsiders as Dyunil'een, or Caste-less. This does not mean they mistreat outsiders, per se, but that they view them as 'less than' themselves. The few exceptions to this would be the Mazatl, POSSIBLY the Cualli though I doubt it, and coreligionists... In the lore, this would be the Elves. I could see them as Lawful Neutral, rather than Good, but I think their opposition to the White Hand and a new Age of Ice COULD keep them Good.... So no Evil minor/emergent leaders, but a Good one fits.
Are the Bezeri related to the Aifons in any way?
Short answer, NO!
Longer answer: The Bezeri are essentially my answer to using an interesting mechanic, that of an aquatic civ, in a way that both does NOT revive the Aifons and is believable. Personally, I like my background here. They are not the Aifons, they are not the lizards made from Aifons; In fact, they are descended from Green Lizardmen, not Blue (Who are actually grey, with a blue stripe on the chest), and hence the ancestors of the Lizards are actually Elven in origin. They have absolutely zero ties to the Aifons... other than the fact that the Tsaayiq'an would have traded with them, and likely know what actually happened to them. Nothing firm will ever be known, though... I won't change the Aifon story one way or the other. It's not really that I dislike the Aifons... I just didn't want to revive them. In my opinion, that either messes with the lore too much or utilizes a half-breed race... Which is fine, but I don't think they'd be FULLY aquatic, like I want.