Qael'tegrin

About
Qael’tegrin(s) \KAL-teg-rin(s)\ a generally tall (compared to humans) race of, best described as, lizard-like bi-pedal humanoids. Uniquely they have three fingers per hand, with no thumb. However the middle of the three fingers is opposable granting them the ability to pick up and grab things with a much stronger grip than that of an average human.

Skin colour, much like humans, is quite variant among separate clans. Some range from a pale burgundy-orange while others have a murky dark-green hue. Countless variants of everything in-between also exists.

While bi-pods Qael'tegrins only have two toes per foot, with a considerable amount of what humans would consider 'webbing' in-between the two making them exceptional swimmers. Long, swooping feet mean that their shins are actually angled upward while standing comfortably, and while their height is generally measured in this stance it's possible for them to increase in height by almost 3 feet when stretching, turning the average height of 9 feet, into a whopping 12.

History & Language
Much of ancient Qael’tegrin lore relies heavily upon their Aramythian background and runic language. Many centuries ago Qael’tegrins lived deep in the massive deciduous forests of Lumerelia, in burrows forged from brush, sticks and mud while other clans lived in the canopy in hollowed out trees accented with platforms and vine rope bridges to easily reach other trees. In many cases entire villages would be composed of both burrows and hollowed out trees, consisting of hundreds, sometimes thousands of Qael’tegrins per clan.

The earliest forms of Aramythian runes were discovered carved into pieces of diamond wood, and various stones. The alphabet consisted of 52 characters, 27 of which were common symbols representing items, and objects they used or saw every day. The rest of the symbols were used in combinations and patterns much like the English language, except is usually (though not required) to be written and read from top to bottom, left to right.

This simple way of life didn’t last however. Human society’s expansion ousted the Qael’tegrins from their villages in the late 6th era which led to a massive rebellion, sparking the beginning of the Six Day War, which led to genocide. Humanity of course prevailed, wiping out a large population of the Qael’tegrins, and due to their honourable nature in respecting those who defeat them, the remaining survivors joined human society. Inevitably this led to lot of discrimination and in some extreme cases, murder.

Reluctantly, over the next 200 years, the Aramythian language was completely changed to better suit common tongue, so that the minority of Qael’tegrins remaining could fit into a society still not willing to accept them. Because of their average life span however (which varies between 300-400 years), the old ways have not entirely been lost. Some of the more fortunate Qael’tegrins still read and write in ancient Aramythian runes, and still strongly believe in their very spiritual culture.