History Characters / WarhammerLizardmen

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Wants to bring the world back into its proper course... and is perfectly willing to commit genocide on multiple races to do so. Then again, most of those races are AlwaysChaoticEvil, so KickTheSonOfABitch is invoked.

* DecadeDissonance: The Bretonnians may be medieval but these guys are barely out of the Stone Age. Not that they let that stop them -- that stone is every bit as nasty as steel when swung hard enough and Lizardmen don't even need it to kick your ass.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[IncrediblyLamePun You could say he.... kroaked]]]]

* PunnyName: It's fairly common for Lizardman characters to have names that are meant to phonetically resemble humorous phrases, such as Itzibitzi, [[TeenyWeenie Tenehuini]] (later changed to Tehenhauin, pronounced like "ten in one"), Tiktaq'to (and his Terradon mount Zwup) or Lord Kroak (a deceased Slann -- i.e., a frog who croaked).

[[Characters/WarhammerTheEmpire The Empire]] | [[Characters/WarhammerBretonnia Bretonnia]] | [[Characters/WarhammerDwarfs Dwarfs]] | [[Characters/WarhammerElves Elves]] ([[Characters/WarhammerHighElves High Elves]] | [[Characters/WarhammerDarkElves Dark Elves]] ([[Characters/WarhammerMalekith Malekith]]) | [[Characters/WarhammerWoodElves Wood Elves]]) | '''Lizardmen''' | [[Characters/WarhammerVampireCounts Vampire Counts]] | [[Characters/WarhammerTombKings Tomb Kings]] ([[Characters/WarhammerNagash Nagash]]) | [[Characters/WarhammerChaosGodsAndDaemons Daemons of Chaos]] | [[Characters/WarhammerWarriorsOfChaos Warriors of Chaos]] | [[Characters/WarhammerBeastsOfChaos Beastmen]] | [[Characters/WarhammerChaosDwarfs Chaos Dwarfs]] | [[Characters/WarhammerSkaven Skaven]] | [[Characters/WarhammerGreenskins Greenskins]] | [[Characters/WarhammerOgreKingdoms Ogre Kingdoms]] | [[Characters/WarhammerOtherFactions Others]]]]-]]]

A civilization of LizardFolk found in the jungles of [[TheSavageSouth Lustria and the Southlands]]. On the surface they are [[{{Mayincatec}} based on the Aztec and Mayan cultures]] but in truth, they are the former servants of the [[{{Precursors}} Old Ones]], their first creation even before the Elves, and the archenemies of Chaos. Coming in several kinds from the intelligent and magic-attuned Slann or the tough and phlegmatic Saurus warriors to the skittish Skinks, all Lizardmen try to fulfill the will of the Old Ones, having been at quite a loss since the Old Ones left before the Chaos Invasion. To this day the Slann attempt to decipher their will and strive to restore the former order of the world.

An ancient Skink shaman whose mastery of astronomy is unparalleled, to the point that the Slann Mage-Priests themselves have proclaimed him favored by the Old One Tepok, titled him the Astromancer of the Constellations, and bequeathed to him a Slabn Palanquin of his own to ride.

Despite their ultimately benevolent goal, the Lizardmen's methods leave them few allies. Dedicated with preserving the will of the Old Ones above all other considerations, the Lizardmen want to fight Chaos first and foremost. Moreover, many Lizardmen have found archenemies in the Skaven since they are a new race not created by the Old Ones and Clan Pestilens invaded Lustria. However, they are quite hostile at the idea of the younger races colonizing regions outside of the areas that the Old Ones designated for each race, and will try to stop them from doing so by outright force if it's deemed necessary by the Slaan.

** The small, agile and intelligent Skinks are amphibious, humanoid lizards who make up the majority of the Lizardman workforce and everyday leadership. Skink possess nimble figures, scaled skin, short tails, crested on their heads and have an aptitude for stealth that they use to ambush invaders. One skink sub-species, the rare Chameleon Skinks, resemble the lizards they are named after and share their ability to blend into the environment.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Chameleon skinks are extremely good marksmen, due in part to extensive training and in part to their ability to focus on two distinct things at the same time and to literally "zoom in" their vision. This allows them to shoot their darts with unerring precision, such as by sending them directly into the joints of a suit of armor or through a minuscule vision slit.

A Slaan of the First Spawning said to have been the very first Slaan ever spawned upon the Old World, Lord Kroak was educated by the Old Ones Tepok and Potec on the natures of magic and time, and is said to have taught the first inklings of mage-lore to the eldest ancestors of the Elves. Making the supreme sacrifice at the fall of Itza, Kroak's spirit refused to die and he became the first of the Relic Priests, undead Slaan whose spirits cling to their bodies and whose power may still be called upon in desperate times.

Lord of the Solar City, Lord Mazdamundi is the oldest of those Slaan who still remain alive upon the world. The most active and militant of the remaining Slaan, Mazdamundi believes that the Lizardmen have failed to complete the first of the Old Ones' decrees -- the extermination of those races not part of the Great Plan. As such, he leads frequent crusades to wipe out those races he sees as not belonging in the world, such as Orcs, Skaven and Beastmen; only once all of the contaminating elements have been removed can the Slaan hope to bring the Old Ones' Great Plan back on course.

An ancient Skink shaman whose mastery of astronomy is unparalleled, to the point that the Slaan Mage-Priests themselves have proclaimed him favored by the Old One Tepok, titled him the Astromancer of the Constellations, and bequeathed to him a Slaan Palanquin of his own to ride.

The sole survivor of the daemon-destroyed Pahuax, Oxyotl was a Chameleon Skink who was unintentionally sucked into the Realm of Chaos when his master, the Slaan Mage-Priest of Pahuax, Lord Pocaxalan, miscast a spell and tore open a rift. Saved by his chameleonic skin, Oxyotl scurried off into the daemon-haunted realm, seeking a way out. Seven thousand years later, he managed to escape, and has since become the foremost enemy of all daemons who dare to stride upon Lustria.

* BigGuyLittleGuy: Kroxigors have this dynamic with the diminutive Skins. They are spawned from the same birthing pools, and their units can be mixed together and fight in unison.

* NotSoExtinct: Chameleon skinks were believed to be extinct for a very long time, as their only spawning pools were located in Pahuax, a temple-city lost to Chaos during the Great Catastrophe, and the last of their kind perished in battle not long after. They have begun to reappear during the Age of Strife, first as isolated spawnings and then in greater and greater numbers, for reasons unknown, although the Skink Priests consider this to be a sign or warning from the Old Ones.

* PunnyName: It's fairly common for Sink characters to have names that are meant to phonetically resemble humorous phrases, such as Itzibitzi, Tenehuini (later changed to Tehenhauin, pronounced like "ten in one") or Tiktaq'to (and his Terradon mount Zwup).

* YouWereTryingTooHard: The Skink Priests, as the Skinks are the closest species to having free will among the Lizardmen (that will being, at most, a differing perspective on just ''how'' the Lizardmen will attempt to fulfill the One Ones' plans) some of which think up new religious practices and processes due to growing impatient from the Slann meditating to decide the next course of action to fulfilling the Old Ones' designs. The Slann inevitably put a stop to these practices the next time they impart their wisdom.

* ThemeNaming: The Skink heroes are named after references to their small size (Itzibitzi, Tenehuini etc). The dinosaur mounts for special characters are named after the [[{{Transformers}} Dinobots]].

* AncientArtifact: Surviving Old One artifacts are invariably technologically and/or magically beyond anything any modern species can create, and often incredibly powerful. Most factions aware of their existence tend to be very eager to get their hands on them, and keeping these out of the appendages of Chaos is a major concern for the Lizardmen. The less unique and world-shaking ones, such as the Engines of the Gods and Solar Engines, are instead used by the Lizardmen as instruments of war, although due to their age, rarity, irreplaceability and religious importance they are only brought out when their immense firepower is especially badly needed.
* AncientAstronauts: The Old Ones were extremely advanced, otherworldly beings who came to the ''Warhammer'' world in its ancient history, brought it out of its ice age, terraformed it into its present shape, created or uplifted its sapient species and brought magic to them.

* FantasyAliens: The Old Ones, AncientAstronauts who came from beyond the world and used their supernatural technology to terraform the planet and create most of the otherwise firmly DarkFantasy setting's sapient species. In the [[FanNickname Oldhammer]] lore, the Slann were this instead.

* {{Precursors}}: The Old Ones were the first great civilization to exist in the world, were creators of sapient species and wondrous artifacts that linger on to the present day. In the modern day, the Lizardmen view them as unfathomable, godlike folk and worship them as literal deities.

* RiddleForTheAges: The origin, nature and fate of the Old Ones. It's not known where they came from, beyond that it was from somewhere beyond the world. It's not known why they came to it, or why they chose to shape and alter it into its current form. It's not known what happened to them when the polar gates fell and Chaos came, if they lived or died, or where they went -- all is known is that they vanished and aren't coming back.

* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The Old Ones' technology was either magical in nature or so advanced as to be functionally indistinguishable from magic. Either way, they could create entire species and reshape geography to their whim, and the modern-day Lizardmen quite literally worship them as gods.

[[folder:Sotek, the Deliverer]]
The god of war and serpents, Sotek is a lizardman deity who has gained a considerable following among the Skinks despite the disapproval of the more conservative Slann. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, he has no mercy for the enemies of Lustria, and anything that stands in his path will be devoured. Tehenhuain is his first and greatest prophet, and Skinks chosen by Sotek are marked by bright red crests.

* KillItWithFire: The mummy of Lord Kroak is especially vulnerable to flaming attacks, being ''Flammable''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In 1st and 2nd edition, the Lizardmen's depiction and characterization is very different from the one they would adopt later on. The Lizard Men and Slann were distinct species, to begin with. The Slann were much more numerous, distinctly less corpulent, and highly militarized; they ruled a Mesoamerican empire that would serve as the basis for the later faction's aesthetics. The Lizard Men were primitive, brutish barbarians who, ironically enough, otherwise fit the same niche that the Skaven later filled -- they lived primarily underground, in a global system of tunnels deep below the diggings of goblins and dwarfs, and often fought with the other two races; they also raided the surface for slaves, kidnapping whole villages in the dead of night. The Lizard Men lived alongside Cold Ones, their bigger and nonsapient ancestors, and Troglodytes, giant, smelly and dimwitted relatives of theirs that were based on the ''D&D'' kind and which would later serve as the basis for the Kroxigors.

* FantasyAliens: The Old Ones, AncientAstronauts who came from beyond the world and used their supernatural technology to terraform the planet and create most of the otherwise firmly DarkFantasy setting's sapient species.

* TimeAbyss: Slann are functionally immortal, and no living Slann were created any earlier than before the Old Ones' departure many thousands of years ago.

* TheMagocracy: The Slann hold the highest authority in Lizardmen society, as they were designated to be the leaders by the Old Ones. However, the Slann spend most of their time pondering magical secrets and leave the day to day running to the Skinks.

* BladeOnAStick: Kroq-Gar wields the ''Revered Spear of Tlanxla'', a golden ornate spear that belonged to an Old One. It isn't particularly deadly (only giving +1 Strength on Grymloq) but heavily influences the outcome of a battle as each unsaved wound is counted as 2 wounds for resolving.

* PteroSoarer: Terradons are fairly straightforward Hollywood ''Pteranodon'', with the signature crests, great leathery wings and birdlike, clutching feet. Ripperdactyls are a much more aggressive, long-tailed and lizard-snouted kind, and are ferocious predators of land-bound targets.

* VestigialEmpire: Most of their temple-cities are in ruins, flooded, sunken or otherwise uninhabitable, and they've long lost the magical network that once connected them to the Southlands and other parts of the world. However, they're on the way back up; they've actually managed to reclaim one of their lost cities, and there are plans for the others.