DRIZZAK

Drizzak: Scales of the Southern Concord
A Codex of the Drizzak Warclans
“Teeth first. Questions later.”
In the deepest reaches of southern Myrr’Kael—where the marsh hardens into black mud and the air tastes of iron—live the Drizzak.
Where the Crocren build huts above water, the Drizzak build in it.
Where the Crocren consult birds, the Drizzak consult scars.
They are the muscle of the Southern Concord.
The bite behind the whisper.
If Crocren are the mind of the south, Drizzak are its spine.
I. Children of Scale and Sun
The Drizzak are broad-shouldered reptilian folk—thick-scaled, ridge-backed, with heavy tails that carve trenches in soft earth. Their jaws are strong enough to crack bone. Their eyes do not blink often.
They bask at dawn.
They spar by noon.
They hunt by dusk.
Heat is sacred to them. They believe warmth sharpens instinct. Cold dulls it.
Unlike the Crocren, they receive no spirit birds at five scores.
They consider this a blessing.
“Birds talk too much,” one Drizzak captain once said.
“We prefer clarity.”
II. The Bloodline of the First Maw
Drizzak lore tells of an ancient progenitor known only as the First Maw—a colossal scaled ancestor who survived an age before memory. Some say he was dinosaurian in form, towering and thunder-footed. Others claim he was lean and fast, hunting through primordial reeds.
Whatever the truth, the Drizzak trace their lineage to survival itself.
They carry crests along their skulls and backs—bony ridges unique to each bloodline. These crests are sanded and polished as marks of adulthood. The sharper the ridge, the harsher the training endured.
A Drizzak without ridge marks is untested.
A Drizzak with a shattered crest has lived.
III. The Southern Compact
Drizzak villages are lower and heavier than Crocren settlements.
Mudstone fortifications.
Bone-pole watchtowers.
Fire pits dug below wind level.
They fish with weighted nets and hunt with barbed spears designed to pin massive swamp-beasts. Their war-formations resemble a closing jaw—front ranks lock shields, rear ranks thrust forward in waves.
They do not argue law.
They execute it.
Thus, when the Crocren formed the Southern Concord, the Drizzak aligned without hesitation.
“Speak,” said one Crocren Speaker.
“Strike,” replied a Drizzak Warchief.
Balance was achieved.
IV. The March North
When the southern wetlands began thinning, Drizzak scouts were first to notice prey migration. Fish patterns shifted. Larger predators drifted inland.
The Crocren studied the arcane currents.
The Drizzak sharpened their spears.
When Speaker Heshar declared the march toward Vaelthyr, Drizzak ranks moved as one.
They saw the Living Crown not as goddess, nor as myth.
They saw it as imbalance.
But they were not built for sky-war.
When Hawthryn spears fell from above, Drizzak shields could not answer altitude. Their strength lay horizontal, not vertical.
Retreat tasted bitter.
V. The Long War
Against the Groglings, the Drizzak found worthy opposition.
Groglings struck from reeds.
Drizzak held formation.
The war favored the Southern Concord for a time. Drizzak discipline and sheer numbers pressed forward relentlessly.
They did not leap.
They advanced.
They did not ambush.
They overwhelmed.
Victory seemed certain—until the sea roared.
When the MEGABROHDON breached and cannons tore through their riverposts, Drizzak discipline held longer than expected. Even under bombardment, their shield-lines formed. Even as Brohtaur charged and Brohlax anchored flanks, Drizzak fought until ordered retreat.
Defeat was not collapse.
It was delay.
VI. Firefly Distrust
When news spread that Groglings relied on fireflies for knowledge, Drizzak scoffed.
“Let insects guide them,” muttered a Drizzak captain.
“We prefer footprints.”
Though Crocren orchestrated the subtle manipulation of fireflies, Drizzak enforced it. Firefly-catchers were protected by Drizzak patrols. Crocren wove the distortion; Drizzak ensured its safety.
Drizzak do not spin lies well.
But they understand leverage.
VII. Rite of the Shed Skin
Every Drizzak undergoes the Rite of Shedding upon their first true victory in battle.
They retreat alone to a heated stone basin. They fast. They wait.
When their old scales loosen, they peel them free and present them before the clan.
The old skin is burned.
The new scales are named.
Each Drizzak carries that name until the next great trial.
To shed is to survive.
To survive is to grow harder.
VIII. The Present Maw
Today, the Drizzak remain bound to the Southern Concord. They patrol southern marshes and reinforce Crocren settlements. They train constantly—not because war is imminent, but because stagnation is weakness.
They do not seek conquest.
They seek preparedness.
If the Groglings fracture from internal discord, the Drizzak will not celebrate.
They will observe.
If Vaelthyr’s influence grows further south, they will march again.
Without birds.
Without riddles.
Only scale, bone, and forward pressure.
As one Drizzak Warchief carved into the mud-wall of his hall:
“Wisdom is valuable.
But when tide rises—
Teeth answer first.”