Drar-il-soq (best translated into Trollish as "Dictator Drar the First") is the current soq (dictator for life) of The Meritocratic Republic of the United People of the Pools.
Early life
Drar-castaq (Drar Fortress of Body is the best common translation, though it lacks certain cultural connotations) was born a Crocodilid Lizardfolk in Sacred Pool, auspiciously on the Day of First Spawn in the 181st year of the Third Age. He was an experiment of the breeding programme (referred to by the Priesthood as the "Draconic Spawning") to produce intelligent and strategic Crocodilid Lizardfolk, without diminishing the strength and ferocity of the race. This experiment produced mixed success ranging from the calculating, intelligent and powerful Drar, to the cunning, paranoid and brutal Hayk-ebasa-ged'wen. The Hand in the Water were soon to proclaim Drar their greatest success. Under the tutelage of his Guides, he scored amongst the highest of his generation in the Meritocratic Trials, so much so that he came to be a candidate in the Final Trial, the test of the thirteen most promising Lizardfolk in the UPP for who would become the next soq.
Drar was only the third Crocodilid to be considered for candidacy - it was widely accepted that Crocodilids served, as soldiers primarily, but also in a number of other physically demanding roles. Of the two others, one was an outside candidate over two centuries previous who won militaristic support but was never likely in the running. The second was more recent - roughly 40 years past - and had come much closer to il-soq, but had mysteriously disappeared shortly after entering the final four. The vast majority of il-soq have been Scalid Lizardfolk, with one or two Poolish Chameleon Lizardfolk in more recent years as the religious distaste for Chameleons has decreased.
The Final Trial
Drar started the Final Trial as a somewhat minor candidate, pushed by a certain minority of the Priesthood as a curiosity or a particularly favourable experiment, but not actively opposed.
To explain Drar's rise to prominence is to explain the state of UPP politics at the time, never an easy feat for an outsider. The UPP had been in a cold war with the Imperial Troll Empire Government for well over a century - a state of posturing, blockades, and the occasional minor skirmish that both sides seemed to lose the reports on. Since the fall of The Kingdom of Tir and The Siege of Mor'Koc, the "Great Long War" as it is referred to by the Poolish has smouldered, with minor but ineffectual flare ups from time to time. From even centuries before this, senior clergy members of the Hand have determined the Meritocratic Trials and especially the Final Trials, installing the soq to suit the Priesthood. However, many of the pre-war soq still ruled with near universal power once ordained, with the Hand unable to do more than whisper suggestions and orchestrate the occasional coup. Since the war, perhaps reacting to the presence of non-Lizardfolk amongst them, the horrific casualties of open warfare, or sheer opportunity to extend their reach, the Hand has taken to selecting weaker and more suggestible soq, whispering commands rather than suggestions and conducting more blatant coups and assassinations of those few soq who have turned out less than pliable. It should also be noted that the senior members of the Hand are largely rather old (often with their magic older than the usual maximum lifespan of a Lizardfolk), incredibly conservative, and anti-Imperial.
It is with this background that Drar entered the Final Trial. He made sure to speak openly of his traditional positions as he campaigned, appealing to militarists as a battle trained Crocodilid, and conservatives as a hardline traditionalist Dezraeli. His Southlands Purity doctrine - the statement that The Southlands belonged to the Poolish and no one but the Poolish fell on eager ears. The UPP had been suffering in the posturing under the (lack of) leadership of Gor-au-soq (Dictator Gor the 7th), who had quietly "choked on a grape" to make way for a new Final Trial. Gor-au-soq had been very much a yes man to the priesthood, hence his selection, but proved too ineffectual and lacking in ideas even for the most controlling of the Hand. Drar presented an intelligent and strategic possibility who by and large shared the same values as the Hand.
It was only after the first five candidates of the thirteen had been discarded (three for more conciliatory diplomatic positions, one for falling behind the others in the more academic tests, and one for a scandal involving a Blood Elf, a whip, and a bucket of butter) that Drar-castaq started to gain more of a following. Though the Hand have decision over the promotion of soq, they often try to follow or at least avoid spiting Poolish public opinion to prevent civil unrest. Many Crocodilids and even a fair few Scalids were wrapped up in Drar's militaristic talk; and despite his conservative positions, the idea of a Crocodilid soq seemed like a notion of change. As a candidate whose views lay in line with the clergy, and who seemed fairly manipulatable, the Hand were happy to permit this support, and two more candidates left the running in short order.
Drar was still not the frontrunner - a charming Scalid named Bakau-haug had maintained a moderate position, and persuaded many of both the lay-Lizardfolk and more importantly several high ranking members of the Hand to accept his arguments. However, around this point in proceedings, Bakau disappeared. This was not unusual for the Final Trial - occasionally one or two candidates chickened out, or they displeased the Hand in some way and were quietly disposed of. What was unusual were the ongoing rumours that Bakau had been killed and eaten by his rival Drar.
Despite (or perhaps because of - the UPP still actively participates in ritualistic cannibalism) this event, Drar slowly became the favourite over the next few tests. Another two candidates left the Final Trial, and another disappeared though without the unsavoury rumours. The final three were Drar-castaq, and two Scalids - Vaq-ne'jok, a strong academic and liturgical tester, but slightly less popular; and Juq-be'vau, a tiny Scalid with a surprisingly strong sorcerous talent. It was around this point that something highly unusual happened however. Juq spoke up and encouraged both his supporters among the Priesthood (who would make the decision) and the Poolish populace (who would live with it) to instead support Drar's candidacy. It was only a matter of days from this declaration that, at the age of 19, Drar-castaq was ordained Drar-il-soq.
Politics
Since his ordination, Drar's politics can be described as a careful battle between the Head and the Hand (soq also translates to Head in the Imperial tongue). Despite some muttering about sorcerers, Drar has kept his former competitor Juq by his side as a trusted advisor. The new soq has taken on other advisors from outside the Hand in an official governance role - initially as experts in their particular position, but as time has gone on, in positions traditionally but not mandatorily held by senior priests. Drar has fed the Hand a lot of titbits in this time, reinforcing the military, pushing for more Crocodilids to be trained and spawned, and giving devout speeches for Dezrael as their Lord.
However, the il-soq seems to have taken the trickster God's teachings to heart and not in the way the priests intend. He quietly entered negotiations with the Empire, as well as opening some surreptitious trade routes out of the Southlands. He placed experienced Crocodilid generals in command of UPP military forces, instead of High Chaplains. Drar has even relaxed heresy laws, reducing sentences for belonging to fringe religious groups such as the Hooded Hand from immediate execution to increased taxation. It is believed this last one was the start of the present souring of relationships between the Head and the Hand, and possibly the cause of the Grey Lake Incident.
The Grey Lake Incident was an assassination attempt on Drar whilst he was staying in the town of Grey Lake - possibly to be close to The Frontier Dams for discrete negotiation purposes. Some speculate that this event was planned by the more militant Imperial factions pushing for a reignition of open warfare, or perhaps the removal of a competent and decisive soq. Others even blame outside factions, like the Person Removal Union attempting to disadvantage their geopolitical rivals. It seems most likely however that the simplest solution is the correct one, and the attempt was made by certain elements of the Hand after the relaxation of heresy laws. Thirteen assassins descended upon Drar and Juq where they were staying, and a bloodbath ensued. Juq emolliated almost half of them, and Drar butchered the rest with his Obsidian axe and his own bare hands. The final assassin managed to land a blow across Drar's snout before he died, and the soq insisted upon cooking and eating this one before he got medical treatment for the large facial gash, leading to it scarring badly.
This did little to deter Drar however, and scarcely six months afterwards he came to an agreement with the Empire, formalised as the Peace Treaty and Trade Agreement between the UPP and the Troll Empire. It seems that this Treaty has acted as deliberate provocation to the Hand, and many talk of an open civil war between the Head and the Hand. The il-soq looks to have been preparing for this however, with most of the UPP military now under the command of loyal Crocodilid generals; various formerly heretical groups actively in support; and agreements for Imperial auxiliaries to provide aid.
It remains to be seen if Drar will hold to the terms of this agreement once he has quashed the Hand. While the Empire would make a dangerous foe, the il-soq has never abandoned the Southlands Purity doctrine (though does avoid mentioning it around Imperial dignitaries). Perhaps this is another ruse to consolidate his power and support across the UPP, or perhaps he has instead pulled the wool over the eyes of an overstretched Empire. Only time will tell...