The Tsor-Shota (TSOR
SHOW-TAH, singl. "Tsor Shotak") or "Giant Mountain Lizard", is a heavy, slow
moving lizard native to the mountains of
Northern Sarvonia. They primarily
can be found in the Imlith, Celeste and Prominent Mountain ranges. The lizard's
extremely tough and scaly hide is often used as armour by the reclusive
Kaaer'dár'shín
human tribe while the
lizard meat is often dried and stored for consumption during the tribe's
winter months. Despite the lizard's unsightly
appearance and dangerous bite, it is a shy animal and is rarely seen by
travelers.
Appearance.
The Tsor-Shotak lizard averages over three
peds long, from the tip of
its snout to the tip of the tail, with the males easily weighing nine
hebs and females weighing up
to six hebs. The
lizards possess thick, muscular bodies covered in dark
brown to black scales. They lie flat upon the ground when still but when they
move, they pick themselves up on their legs and crawl with their bodies fully
off the ground while dragging their tail. Their legs are heavily muscular with
wide padded clawed feet that are approximately one palmspan across and toes with
which to grip and hold the steep mountainous rocks of their homeland. Their
heads are well over a fore
in length with a blunt snout and two large nostrils at the tip. The
lizard's eyes are small, dark beady looking organs.
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Image description. The Giant Mountain Lizard of the Imlith, Celeste
and Prominent Mountains of Northern Sarvonia. Especially its hide is often
sought and used for armour by the Kaaer'dár'shín. Picture by
Seeker. |
The Tso-Shotak's tongue and mouth are noteworthy in that the
lizard's bite is nearly always fatal, causing a
infection that will eventually kill whatever has the misfortune to be bitten,
even if they escape immediate death. The anima's fully opened mouth is wide and
is capable of seizing and holding prey much larger than itself. The many rows of
teeth line the upper and lower jaw and are small with each tooth only one
nailsbreadth in length.
Light green saliva coats the animal's tongue and mouth. It is this saliva that
causes the infection when seeped into an open wound. The
lizard's tongue is a dark pink in colour, approximately two
palmspans in length, which
is used to flick in and out of crevasses and holes to detect food. The
lizard uses the tongue to smell odours in the
air.
The
lizard's tail is almost as
long as its body, slightly under a
ped in length. The tail is
used for balance when the
lizard runs, climbs trees or
even for self defense. The
lizard often uses its tail as
a weapon when it swings it with the goal of
tripping or sending its opponent off balance so the animal can bite its throat
or belly.
The main parts of the Tsor-Shota's body that the
human
Kaaer'dár'shín
tribe finds useful is the
lizard's hide and meat. The
hide is mostly black in colour, and quite tough to penetrate, almost like a
turtle's shell. However, when cured with salt
water and the sap from the tulmine
tree, the hide can be made flexible enough to actually be crafted into an
armoured vest for a human to wear. The hide
provides protection for the
lizard from the sharp rocky
mountain surfaces where the
lizards live but also allows
the
lizard a surprising amount of
flexibility. The hide scales are small, almost beady in appearance, arrayed in
different patterns of varying degrees of brown, black and dark grey.
Special Abilities.
Tsor-Shota lizards possess two unique methods of defense. The first is the
tough, elastic hide. The hide is flexible and difficult to tear or stab through
and this provides excellent protection from the hard gravel and sharp rocks that
the lizard frequently travels upon. This hide has also
been adapted for use as armour by the
Kaaer'dár'shín tribe.
The lizard's second method of defense is a highly
infectious bite. The Tsor-Shota will rarely fight to bring down large prey and
instead use its bite to infect it and slowly weaken it. The
lizard's mouth and teeth are coated with a powerful, poisonous saliva that
enters the bite wound of prey and infects the victim over a period of three to
four days. The site of the infected bite turns red and swells causing extreme
pain in the victim. Within those few days, the victim ceases to be able to
breath and slowly dies. The lizard's acute sense of
smell allows it to track down the dying prey and eat it without struggle.
Territory.
The Tsor-Shota are generally found in three major mountain regions of
Northern Sarvonia - the
Celeste, the Prominent and the
Imlith mountain ranges and plateaus. They are not found elsewhere as they do not
travel for long distances and crave solitary living among the caves and
crevasses of mountainous terrain.
The lower areas of the mountain sides are where the lizard
can be found. They do not generally venture much higher than about three
strals as they do not prefer
the colder mountain tops. The lizards prefer to live in
heavily brushy areas where they can hide and where the soil is softer for
burrowing. Small caves and rocky holes are favourites. The
lizard will visit lakes and streams in lower mountain areas for drinking,
but will rarely make a den near any major water
source. Ideally, if a high mountain stream can be found, most likely a group of
lizards will be living nearby. Anywhere dry, arid and
rocky with few large trees are where the lizard prefers
to live.
Habitat/Behaviour.
Tsor-Shotak lizards spend most of their time underground in burrows, caves and
abandoned dens from other animals. The lizards prefer
dark, damp places to live and sleep during the daylight hours and hunt at night.
The lizards will typically search until they find a den
or nest and if it is empty, they will quickly move to take it over. If eggs or
young of another animal resides in the den, the lizard
will waste no time eating the easy prey and make a home for themselves.
The animals prefer to live in clustered groups of rocks and brush away from
sight. During mating season, the females will gather in small groups and remain
together within large dens while the males fight for mating rites. Once mating
season is over, the males and females go their way to live and hunt alone. They
are solitary creatures, usually taking a den for a lifetime and only search for
another when the food within their territory becomes scarce or to find more room
for laying eggs.
The
lizards are aggressive when
provoked and are most alert and roaming at night. During the daylight hours, the
lizards will burrow or crawl
deep within a hole or crevasse and it can be quite difficult for hunters to find
them. When cornered or captured, the
lizard will thrash its heavy
tail and attempt to bite with its powerful jaws. The
lizard, however, is slow
moving and slow to attack and a quick, agile hunter can easily dodge their
attacks.
Diet.
The Tsor-Shota are meat eaters and will feed upon living or dead flesh. They
hunt during the evening and night, crawling over and under burrows and caves
searching for nests with eggs or young. They prefer small to medium sized
rodents and birds. The lizards are slow moving and will
usually not give chase to fast moving prey. They will lie in wait and ambush any
passing prey by quickly lunging at it and biting it in throat or belly. Once
bitten, the lizard holds on to the prey with its jaws
while its poisonous saliva enters the wound and begins to cause an infection.
The prey then can be allowed to escape, but not for long. Within three days
(depending on its size), the prey will succumb to the bite's infection and begin
to slow down. Usually, the area of the bite will swell and become inflamed while
the animal experiences increased fatigue and pain. Once incapacitated, the
lizard has only to find the dying prey and eat it. The
Tsor-Shota eats large meals infrequently and once they eat their limit in food,
they are not required to eat again for several weeks or months.
Mating.
The Tsor-Shotak lizard's mating season is in spring during a period of three to
four months from the months of
Changing Winds to Rising Sun.
During this time, the male lizards seek out any females
and begin their courting ritual by grunting and swinging their tails from side
to side in rapid succession. When two males encounter each other, they will
fight for domination over any females nearby. The winner of this contest,
usually not fatal, will win the right to mate with as many females as he is
able. The losing male is forced to move on to a new territory. Should he be
lucky enough to find any uncontested females, he must first win them over with
the mating "dance" before being allowed to mate.
The females are pregnant for about four months before laying eggs during late
summer and early fall. The female will forage alone and find a damp, empty
burrow and rest quietly for many days. She will be alert, but will not hunt
during this time. Then, over a period of several hours, she will lay her eggs.
Usually a typical nest will contain three to four eggs. She will stay with the
eggs in the nest until they hatch five months later in the spring the following
year.
The young look like tiny versions of their parent. They are born alert and full
of energy and venture from the nest early.
Usages.
The Tsor-Shotak lizards are used primarily for their meat, which is said to have
a stringy and heavy consistency, but also said to be quite tasty when cooked
over a spit or dried and salted. When dried, the meat can last for many days and
provides excellent nourishment for the nearby tribes who hunt it and store the
dried meat for the winter months.
The hide of the lizard is
also used primarily by the
Kaaer'dár'shín tribe for body armour and cover for their shields. The animal
is killed and skinned and the hide is set to dry for several days. Once it is
dried, the hide is stretched and tied together and worn over clothing and tied
further around the warrior's waist, arms and neck. The dark coloored hide armour
provides an excellent method of hiding in the dark and is also tough and
flexible enough to withstand the rigours of hand-to-hand battle.
Myth/Lore.
The name Tsor-Shotak means "tough skin" in the old tongue of the
Kaaer'dár'shín.
This human tribe has made use of the
lizard for many generations and
guards the known lizard's hunting and living
territories from others who would want to also use the animal as a resource for
themselves. It is also known that the
Ashz-Oc orc tribe utilizes the lizard's hide for a type of armor, but it is
the
Kaaer'dár'shín
who have mastered hunting and using this lizard to its fullest.
The
Kaaer'dár'shín
have an old fable about the Tsor-Shota that is told to young
warriors by the tribal shaman. It goes something like this:
"The Tough Lizards are gifts to us from the gods. They provide all we need to
live. They give us hide to soften the blows of our enemies. They give us meat to
feed our hungry bellies. They strike hard and fast! Their enemies fear them for
they know that certain death lives within their bite. Be as the Tsor-Shota! Mind
your ways, but be ready, for the enemy may come as a thief in the night and you
will be called upon to strike them low. Watch as your enemies cower and
flee... watch as they whimper and cry. Watch as they die a slow death. Be as the
Tsor Shota! Tough, deadly and without mercy."
