Cold Sun Federation

Humans have no memory of the Age of Demons. Even the ancient elves were born long after the overlords were bound in Khyber. But the lizardfolk were there when fiends sacrificed couatl on obsidian altars. Their race is as ancient as the giants or the dragons themselves.

During the long uprising, the lizardfolk of ancient Q’barra aided the couatl in their struggle. Toward the end of that war, the couatl planted a seed in the collective unconscious of their lizardfolk allies to ensure that they would always remember the horrors of the past. To this day, when the lizardfolk of Q’barra sleep, they dream of the Age of Demons. They dream of the battles their ancestors fought. They dream of dragonfire and radiant serpents. And they dream of Masvirik, the demon overlord known as the Cold Sun.

The lizardfolk of Q’barra call themselves the Masvirik’Uala. The direct translation of this is the Cold Sun Federation, but the settlers who interact with the lizardfolk have long misinterpreted this name. The Masvirik’Uala aren’t the Federation of the Cold Sun— they are the league that stands against it. Their shared dreams define their culture, and they stand ready to face the overlord should he rise again. They fight the Poison Dusk whenever their paths cross. And they watch over the web of light that the great serpents planted in the earth–the dawn shards, dragonshards charged with the light of the Silver Flame.

Source: Dungeon 185

The lizardfolk remember the dawn of time when dragons soared in the skies overhead and all was in order. Then the sun’s warmth faded. As it turned into a dark orb hanging in the sky, their kin grew cruel and savage. Masvirik, the Cold Sun, pulled on the minds of the lizardfolk, pitting them against each other. Vicious fiends boasted of their power, sacrificing rainbow-winged serpents—the couatl— on obsidian altars. Before long, those winged serpents who escaped sacrifice arrived with a host of dragons, clashing with the fiends in the skies above the jungles. The couatl cleansed the festering corruption of Masvirik, and the lizardfolk joined them in the battle against their fiendish oppressors. 

When victory was in sight, the couatl joined together, dissolving their bodies to form a pure silver flame to bind the Cold Sun beneath his volcano. This binding also captured the dreams of the lizardfolk. For tens of thousands of years, the lizardfolk have been dreaming the same shared dreams: lessons of the past woven together with prophecies and wisdom of the couatl. The lizardfolk of today literally remember the battles of dragon and demon and, as such, can never forget the evil that they stand against. Their dreams teach them of the dusk shards and that their duty is to ensure that the bound fiends never escape to the sunlit world.

As untold years passed, the lizardfolk anchored themselves to the past through their nightly dreams. Though others came and went, settling the land temporarily before being washed away by the sands of time, the lizardfolk did not record their presence—the dangers of Masvirik and the ancient past are all that matter to them. These fleeting empires might have divided the lizardfolk temporarily, but the lizardfolk knew that territorial conflict risked too much. Thus, they chose to simply exist around the temporary kingdoms.

 In time, a Q’barran empire grew farther than before, but rather than displaying strength it invited disaster. The warmth of the sun faded as the draconic guardians of the ancient city fell to Masvirik’s corruption. Masvirik’s corruption spread, capturing the hearts and minds of dragonborn, lizardfolk, and kobolds alike. Troglodytes emerged from the shadows to serve their master and progenitor, a nearly unbound overlord. 

However, the couatl foresaw this, and a web of light spread across the land, infusing the dragonshards with the power of the Silver Flame to create the dawn shards. Warmth returned to the sky, and the lizardfolk fought back, working with their dragonborn allies to rebind the escaped fiends and contain the Poison Dusk.

Today, the lizardfolk see disaster looming once again. At first, the softskinned settlers were just another group of colonizers, living on the land before eventually being consumed by the jungle—another era of ruins for future colonizers to explore. Then, a decade ago, half-orcs with strange magic began to collect the dragonshards and grind them up, weakening the web of light created by the dawn shards and freeing fiendish spirits from the dusk shards. The half-orcs brought with them not only many more settlers but also great machines to trawl the earth, harvesting the dragonshards in numbers the lizardfolk had never imagined. For many tribes, there was only one explanation—the softskins were eager and willing servants of Masvirik and must be driven from Q’barra at any cost.

Source: Scales of Q'barra

Age of Demons

The lizardfolk were present in Khorvaire during the Age of Demons. They were there when the dragons clashed with the overlords and were there when the couatl sacrificed themselves to bind the overlords within Khyber.

When the dragons and the couatl revolted against the might of the overlords, the lizardfolk joined them. Towards the end of that ancient conflict, the couatl created the shared dreams of the lizardfolk to ensure they would remember the horrors they faced, and the consequences that would follow if the overlords were ever to be released again.

Following the binding of the overlords and the sacrifice of the couatl, the lizardfolk spread out to occupy much of eastern Khorvaire, primarily Q’barra and the Talenta Plains.

Dragons Come to Q'barra

Roughly 14,000 years ago, an army of dragonborn traveled from Argonessen and landed on the peninsula that would later be known as Q’barra. Most people are unaware of the reason, but the dragonborn’s own legends indicate that they came to Khorvaire accompanying the black dragon Rhashaak, who had been tasked with guarding Haka’torvahk, the prison of the overlord Masvirik. These dragonborn named themselves the Trothlorsvek, or “defenders of the Prophecy” in Draconic.

The legends of the Trothlorsvek state that Rhashaak accompanied them to Khorvaire, and their own empire in eastern Khorvaire lasted for thousands of years. If this

is true, and the Rhashaak that currently resides in Haka’torvahk is the same black dragon that accompanied the Trothlorsvek, then this would make Rhashaak older than most dragons in history. It’s possible that the records of the Trothlorsvek are inaccurate, either about the longevity of their empire or that the Rhashaak that currently guards Haka’torvahk is the same dragon with whom they arrived in Q’barra. It’s also possible that Rhashaak found some way to extend his life.

The lizardfolk of the region remembered the dragons and their role in the conflict with Masvirik, and so these groups didn’t come into conflict, at least not initially. Over generations, the dragonborn began to forget the reason that they came to Khorvaire, and tensions with the lizardfolk grew as the dragonborn pursued visions of grandeur.

Scales Clash with Dhakaan

During the Age of Monsters, when the Dhakaani Empire was at the height of its power, the lizardfolk resided in much of eastern Khorvaire. Like many others, the lizardfolk of the Talenta Plains clashed with the expanding Empire of Dhakaan. They were ultimately pushed back into the Endworld Mountains, then eventually across them into Q’barra.

Over time, the original dragonborn colony had grown and expanded, and after thousands of years the dragonborn had grown restless. The Trothlorsvek were a martial culture, waiting for a battle that might never come. Some believed that their skills were being wasted, and Rhashaak was neglecting their power. At first the dragonborn warred with the lizardfolk tribes of Q’barra, but the lizardfolk’s guerrilla tactics were a poor match. So, the Trothslorvek set their sights beyond the Endworld Mountains.

It was across the mountains that the Trothlorsvek encountered the Empire of Dhakaan, a worthy challenge for the warrior people. The conflict between the Dhakaani and the Trothlorsvek lasted for years, and the dragonborn managed to carve out their own empire in the Talenta Plains and the Blade Desert. However, the dragonborn had forgotten the reason they originally came to Khorvaire, which would undo their empire.

Masvirik Awakens

Rhashaak had been holding Masvirik back in a spiritual battle of wills for longer than any dragonborn could remember. Approximately 9,000 years ago the balance of power between dragon and fiend shifted, as the overlord regained consciousness and struggled free of its bonds. Rhashaak was forced to directly confront the fiend, resulting in an apocalyptic battle that could have levelled Q’barra. Rhashaak was alone, and mortal. He knew that he had no chance of defeating the overlord in single combat. He was also aware that even if he did somehow manage to destroy Masvirik’s corporeal form, it would just reform hours later.

The wards around Haka’torvahk prevented both dragon and fiend from leaving, but Masvirik didn’t need to leave to influence the region around the city. The fiend’s malign influence exploded out from Haka’torvahk as if the volcano had erupted, corrupting dragonborn and lizardfolk alike. This created the Poison Dusk and the dusk shards in Q’barra.

To make matters worse for Rhashaak, many of the dragonborn who were supposed to be aiding him had abandoned their posts at the prison to fight the Empire of Dhakaan. The influence of Masvirik washed over Q’barra, and the Trothlorsvek civilisation crumbled as the overlord’s influence turned them against each other. Those dragonborn that had expanded west of the Endworld Mountains rushed home to combat the influence of Masvirik, and their own corrupted kin. Rhashaak’s conflict with the fiend triggered the activation of a failsafe put in place by the couatl. As Masvirik’s power grew, a pulse of radiant energy washed across Q’barra, filling the region’s plentiful Eberron dragonshards with the light and power of the Silver Flame. This pulse of energy weakened the influence of the overlord and awakened the shared dreams of the lizardfolk. This event was the source of the dawn shards in Q’barra, which form a lattice of holy power binding the overlord and its minions.

The returning Trothlorsvek, together with the newly formed Masvirik’uala, went to war with the forces of the overlord. Though they pushed it back into its prison in Haka’torvahk. Rhashaak’s valiant stand against the fiend was over. By the time the fiend was rebound, it had wholly corrupted its draconic once-guardian. The dragonborn and the lizardfolk of Q’barra won against the forces of Masvirik, but at great cost. The Trothlorsvek empire was no more. Their dreams of conquest and expansion crushed by the reminder of their original purpose. On top of the corruption of the fiend, the Trothlorsvek also had to contend with the formerly conquered Masvirik’uala, who were not content to be servants any longer.

The Masvirik’uala had been infused with purpose. They had directly faced one of Khyber’s first children and they understood better than anyone what that meant. The failsafe of the couatl had intrinsically linked the lizardfolk to the Silver Flame, granting the entire species the same dreams and forming the basis of their new culture.

Over the next several thousand years, the lizardfolk spread out across Q’barra, occasionally warring with the remnants of the Trothlorsvek empire. Eventually, the situation stabilised and the trothlorsvek and lizardfolk now coexist in relative peace. Each afforded the space they need to thrive and both cultures aware of the consequences if they again forget their duty.

The Last War

The Masvirik’uala, and Q’barra, were largely ignored by the Kingdom of Galifar. The region was seen as inhospitable and without any useful natural resources. This changed during the Last War as King Jarot’s heirs warred over the throne. Many of the citizens of Galifar did not agree with the conflict, so instead chose to find a new home that would uphold the laws and traditions of Galifar.

Duke Ven ir’Kesslan of Cyre was granted the rights to settle what they believed to be the previously uninhabited region of Q’barra by King Connos. Together with other likeminded citizens, ir’Kesslan set sail with a fleet of ships and sailed along the coast to what they hoped would be their new home.

The fleet was diminished by pirates and natural disasters, so by the time they reached Adder Bay they had lost a third of their ships. The people were nevertheless determined that the journey and lives lost would not go to waste. So they came ashore and founded the city of Adderport, the first city of the nation of New Galifar.

The city of Adderport grew as refugees fleeing the war arrived. The city quickly grew too big to sustain itself, and so settlers expanded out from the city into surrounding regions to found new settlements. They very quickly learned that they had been mistaken. Q’barra was not uninhabited. The settlers were trespassing on land claimed by the Masvirik’uala. Attempts at settlements were attacked by the Masvirik’uala, unyielding and merciless with those who trespassed on their sacred grounds. The initial conflict would last for a year, with the settlers of New Galifar eventually pushing the lizardfolk back thanks to the edge granted by Galifaran arcane magic, which was a new weapon to the lizardfolk.

Five years later, representatives of the Twilight Walkers tribe approached Newthrone, the capital city of New Galifar, and sought an audience with King Sebastes ir’Kesslan. Communication with the lizardfolk was difficult, but after two weeks of discussions, the two disparate parties managed to agree to an accord they named the Newthrone Accords, or the Vhak Za’shata. These accords were a series of maps that outlined the lands that were of particular importance to the Masvirik’uala, and that they would fight to maintain. As long as the settlers of New Galifar avoided these regions, there was no reason for conflict with the Masvirik’uala. This has generally remained true since the signing of the Accords. The lizardfolk don’t understand the documents in the same way that the settlers do. To them the Accords are merely a statement of fact; ‘these are our lands, and we will fight to protect them’.

When the war ended in 996 YK, Q’barra was represented at Thronehold by King Sebastes ir’Kesslan and a representative of the Kar’hashan Trothlorsvek, High Elder Na’kala Flamebrow. The Masvirik’uala were not represented at Thronehold. It’s possible they don’t even care for the significance of it. They have no interest in greater Khorvaire as their purpose and focus are in Q’barra.

Hope

For decades, the peace between the settlers of New Galifar and the Cold Sun Federation has been uneasy but stable. The Poison Dusk remains a constant threat, but relations with the Masvirik’uala have been cordial. The Trothlorsvek even accompanied King Sebastes to Thronehold.

With the end of hostilities, the settlers discovered the region’s rich deposits of Eberron dragonshards. Some glow with an inner light and others are stained black, but they seem to function as any other Eberron dragonshard. This discovery drew House Tharashk to the region and led to independent frontier settlements outside of the lands permitted under the Newthrone Accords.

Worse than that, the removal of these dawnshards from Q’barra weakens the binding on Masvirik. The speed at which the mines were set up led the lizardfolk to one conclusion: the settlers were intentionally attempting to release Masvirik. The outsiders had fallen to the corruption of the Poison Dusk.

Retribution was swift, and the settlements in Hope are constantly dealing with aggression from the lizardfolk. This situation is worsened by the Poison Dusk, lizardfolk and other reptilian peoples corrupted by Masvirik, who attack the settlers indiscriminately. The settlers see no difference between the Poison Dusk and the Masvirik’uala. They lack the necessary context, and so just see lizardfolk attacking their settlements.

The lizardfolk know that removal of the dawn shards weakens the prison and destroying the dusk shards strengthens the fiend. They are taught this in their dreams, and they don’t understand how anybody could not understand. To the lizardfolk, it seems plain that these miners are corrupted by the Poison Dusk, and that they are intentionally trying to free the overlord. The lizardfolk know from thousands of years of experience that there is no reasoning with the corrupted.

This means that both the Poison Dusk and the Cold Sun lizardfolk are brutal when they attack settlements, leaving no survivors and taking the dragonshards. Confusingly, the Cold Sun lizardfolk don’t just take the36 dragonshards, but also destroy the mining equipment to prevent further mining of the shards.

This conflict between the settlers of Hope and the lizardfolk is still ongoing. The settlers of Hope have petitioned New Galifar for aid, but this has put King Sebastes in a difficult position. The settlers are in breach of the accord with the Masvirik’uala. Nevertheless, the army of New Galifar does help the settlers fight off the raids.

Superstition runs wild among the settlers about the ‘scales’, not helped by the fact that there are different groups of lizardfolk. The settlers don’t understand why the lizardfolk are attacking them, and the communication barrier has made it difficult for the lizardfolk to explain. Some believe that it is a result of the Mourning, that the lizardfolk view the settlers as weak. This viewpoint resonates with the settlers, many of whom are originally from Cyre.

House Tharashk has begun petitioning King Sebastes to declare war with the lizardfolk tribes and “push the scales into the sea”. Support for this is high among the settlers of Hope but varies within the cities of New Galifar. Many people remember the initial conflict with the lizardfolk, the brutal guerilla war. Depending on how they remember, they will have different ideas.

The ignorance of the settlers, and of House Tharashk, is dangerous. The Masvirik’uala are not superstitious, they are not savages, they are protecting Q’barra from an evil that is older than recorded history. They are the only ones who truly remember what happened the last time Masvirik was freed.

Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame

The lizardfolk of the Masvirik’Uala are a loose alliance of small tribes. They are hunters and gatherers who split to form new tribes any time their population grows to a level that cannot be supported by local resources. Many tribes are nomadic, but those that live in the areas rich in natural resources have established permanent villages.

The Masvirik’Uala have always kept their distance from settlers. There were clashes when the settlers first arrived, but the lizardfolk proved willing to cede certain regions to the outsiders.

Duke Venn brokered the Newthrone Accords, a series of maps establishing the regions the Masvirik’Uala held dear and would fight to maintain. The lizardfolk have no concept of legal documents. For them, the Accords were simply a statement of fact, not a binding document. Nonetheless, whenever the settlers have held to the territories of the Accords, there has been peace with the lizardfolk.

Now the peace has been broken. Masvirik’Uala lizardfolk are raiding caravans, killing prospectors, and attacking mining camps. Settlers have fought the Poison Dusk for decades, but this new wave of violence has shocked them with its brutality. When the lizardfolk are victorious in battle, they leave no survivors and no structure standing.

Lord Khalar of House Tharashk has condemned the lizardfolk as a threat to all the people of Q’barra. The facts are more complicated. Adventurers who investigate violent incidents will discover that all the attacks are tied to dragonshard mining. Only shard caravans are attacked. The villages that have been struck have all been supporting mining work, whether through House Tharashk or independent prospectors.

The most curious aspect is the fate of the shards themselves. The lizardfolk break every tool and kill every settler they find, but they leave behind large quantities of dragonshards. Among those leavings, there are never any dawn shards or dusk shards.

The attacks are carried out by nomadic tribes of lizardfolk. It is difficult to find these raiders in the deep jungles, though all of the tribes know of the violence. If questioned, a Masvirik’Uala elder will acknowledge the attacks and say that the warriors are “defending the light in the land.” The outsiders are “stripping the light away and spreading the darkness, but the Cold Sun will rise again.” Given that most outsiders know nothing of the ancient history of the region, most interpret the rise of the Cold Sun as a threat tied to the lizardfolk themselves, not realizing that the Cold Sun is actually what the lizardfolk seek to stop with their action.

The lizardfolk mean well. They oppose the horror they see in their dreams. But they do not understand the outsiders. In their minds, the miners are one with the Poison Dusk–servants of the Cold Sun who seek to extinguish the light and spread the dusk shards. Those who serve the Cold Sun must be eliminated.

Perhaps there is a way to forge an understanding between Tharashk and the Masvirik’Uala, but this won’t happen unless the prospectors are persuaded to abandon the lucrative trade in dusk and dawn shards. It will take more than scale superstition to accomplish that.

Source: Dungeon 185

Shared dreams define the culture of the Q’barran lizardfolk. The dreams bind the tribes together, but they have also kept lizardfolk culture stagnant; they live the same lives as their ancestors and model their actions on dreams.

The lizardfolk have no written language. Their most important stories and teachings come to them every night. The language of the tribes is an unusual and rather limited dialect of Draconic, and they are irritatingly concise in conversation. This is because of the shared dreams. Every lizardfolk has the same cultural references, and it is impossible for them to understand how an intelligent creature could fail to grasp these things. Thus, a lizardfolk priest will say “that one is Kurall’s Claw” when he means “that one is a traitor who will kill you in your sleep.” The priest doesn’t know how to say it another way, and he doesn’t understand why he’d need to—everyone knows the tale of Kurall’s Claw. Effects such as comprehend languages are of limited use; the communication gap is not a question of translation but of context.

This has defined interaction with the lizardfolk ever since humanity arrived in the region. It has led to many misunderstandings, so that both lizardfolk and settlers consider the others to be simpletons. Player characters have an opportunity to be the first explorers to bridge this gap and establish a new bond between lizardfolk and settlers.

Another aspect of the shared dreams can impact players: the Draconic Prophecy. The dreams are records of events, but they also hold messages from the couatl, who mastered the lore of the Prophecy long ago. If the player characters have a role in the Prophecy, the lizardfolk may know of it. Depending on the characters’ destiny, the lizardfolk may welcome them as heroes or greet them with inexplicable hostility. Though the Prophecy is never certain, this is an opportunity to set adventurers on a particular path. The Masvirik’Uala may know that the Stormchild with the Sixfold Scar must find the crystal sword and face the Black Wyrm in the Obsidian Tower. They don’t know for certain that the outsider will triumph in this battle with Rhashaak.

Dragonshards play a vital role in lizardfolk society. Masvirik’Uala lizardfolk wear dawn shards as jewelry, and they embed the shards in weapons or tent poles. Villages deep in the jungle often have pits of dusk shards. Despite the seemingly casual attitude toward these, lizardfolk place a high value on the shards when trading or selling them. It is difficult for them to explain their reasons in terms explorers understand. Like so many things, to the lizardfolk, their reasons are common knowledge. Dawn shards hold the light; dusk shards channel the darkness and must be kept away from the Poison Dusk.

While the lizardfolk and the dragonborn both oppose the Poison Dusk, they rarely work together. The dragonborn consider the lizardfolk to be superstitious primitives, while the lizardfolk have the same problems communicating with the dragonborn as with humans. Besides that, they still remember that it was the first failing of the dragonborn that nearly unleashed Masvirik ages ago.

Source: Dungeon 185

Religion

The lizardfolk of Q’barra follow a mix of couatl-inspired and even older primal ideologies. The importance of the sun for warmth and life plays a central point in both, as Masvirik’s defining feature is stealing the warmth from the light. Lizardfolk spellcasters wield both divine and primal magic in combat against the Poison Dusk and to guide their tribes.

Almost all lizardfolk villages have a pit full of dusk shards, which colonists generally see as some kind of holy collection. While the colonists are not completely wrong—the dusk shards are kept in pits for religious reasons—it is not out of any holy reverence. Rather, the lizardfolk collect dusk shards to keep them out of enemy hands, ensuring that the fiends trapped in the shards remain there. House Tharashk has been eyeing these dusk shard pits greedily, unaware of the terrible consequences that would be unleashed if they were to grind the dusk shards into residuum.

Language

Nominally, the lizardfolk of Q’barra—like the rest of its scaly inhabitants—speak Draconic, although perhaps with a less polished tone than what is taught to the wizards of Arcanix. But while a wizard with the comprehend languages spell can easily understand the literal meaning of what the lizardfolk are saying, the actual meaning is enshrouded in metaphor and reference.

The lizardfolk’s language has spent eons developing around references to their shared dreams, rendering them unintelligible to other groups. To draw a real-world comparison, the question “What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow” is not meant literally—it’s a reference to Monty Python, with a predefined response (“African or European?”) and is making a statement about silly hypotheticals (in the original, the idea that a coconut could have arrived in medieval England via a migratory swallow).

To implement this metaphor-soaked language in play, roll on the Lizardfolk Phrases table whenever a lizardfolk character needs to reference a new abstract or complicated idea, then take note of the result and what it’s supposed to mean. Neither the game master nor the players need to know the actual story of the reference—just what it means. “We do not embrace T’karr” might mean “That person is a traitor and we never trust traitors.” Alternatively, “We do not embrace T’karr” could be a story about never giving up hope in the face of adversity. The background for why the embrace of T’karr is a story about betrayal or not giving up hope is irrelevant in the immediate context of the player characters, who are first confronted with understanding the meaning of the phrase. To maintain verisimilitude, reuse phrases in similar situations to give the appearance that this is a fully fleshed out culture. One additional advantage of this strategy is it cannot be metagamed—even a player with this supplement won’t have a glossary they can use to decode the lizardfolk’s language.

Lizardfolk Phrases

Source: Scales of Q'barra

The lizardfolk of the Masvirik’uala are a loose alliance of roughly twenty-four tribes. They are largely huntergatherers, so the tribes split whenever their population grows too large for an area to sustain. Many of the tribes are nomadic and travel across Q’barra, but there are permanent settlements in regions particularly rich in natural resources.

The culture of the lizardfolk is defined by their shared dreams, a gift (or a curse) bestowed upon them by the couatl. These dreams bind the tribes together in shared purpose, but they have also led to a kind of cultural stagnation. The dreams teach them how to live. The dreams haven’t changed, so they live the same lives that their ancestors did. Lizardfolk have no written language, as their history is recorded in their dreams.

Dragonshards play an important role in the society of the lizardfolk. Normal Eberron dragonshards are used in place of many other materials. They wear jewelry and other ornamentation made from these shards and use them to create their weapons and tools. The lizardfolk store the dusk shards within deep pits in the jungle, which are understood to be dangerous due to the fiends bound within. Settlers attempt to trade with the lizardfolk for these dragonshards, but the lizardfolk always refuse, unable to explain the danger. The lizardfolk generally don’t use metal, instead fashioning their clothes, tools, and weapons from hide, bone, wood or dragonshards.

Communication and Dreams

The lizardfolk speak a dialect of Draconic, but are difficult to communicate with even for those that speak the language. The shared dreams of the lizardfolk mean that every single one of them knows the same references and stories. They don’t understand how other creatures can lack this context. They communicate ideas using metaphors referring to these stories. This barrier to communication exists even with comprehend languages or tongues. The spells translate the literal meaning, but the references and metaphors remain.

This difficulty in communication has been the defining problem in interactions between the lizardfolk and the other groups. The largest misunderstanding is perhaps the meaning of their name. Masvirik’uala translates to “Cold Sun Federation” in Common, which the lizardfolk understand to mean that they oppose the Cold Sun. The settlers read their name as the Federation of the Cold Sun, that the Cold Sun is something they serve or rally around.

The actions of the lizardfolk don’t always make sense, either. Their shared dreams aren’t just a record of their history, but also a means of communication with the couatl. The lizardfolk receive messages from the couatl, guiding their actions and giving them hints of the Draconic Prophecy. They don’t necessarily understand why, instead acting in faith that it is the correct thing to do.

Religion

While the lizardfolk might seem to be a druidic culture, like the shifters of the Eldeen Reaches, this isn’t the case. The lizardfolk channel the force of light that holds back the darkness of the Cold Sun, the force that binds the overlords in Khyber and granted Tira Miron the power to face Bel Shalor.

To say that the lizardfolk worship the Silver Flame would be inaccurate. They were there when it was created by the couatl and, thanks to their dreams, even the modern lizardfolk remember that moment. Instead, the lizardfolk serve and use the Silver Flame. It is the power that holds back the darkness, and they are its agents in the world. The Silver Flame empowers the lizardfolk much like it does the paladins elsewhere. Lizardfolk mystics are akin to clerics and paladins, channeling the divine power of the Silver Flame in their conflict against the Poison Dusk and the Cold Sun. They know the Silver Flame as the First Light.

The lizardfolk do revere the couatl. They honor the ancient sacrifice that gave mortal life a free future. The couatl continue to communicate with the lizardfolk via their dreams, albeit never directly. Instead, the dreams provide the lizardfolk with guidance that they believe to be from the couatl. It could be easy for a lizardfolk to view their dreams as a curse, confining them to a life of conflict with an ancient evil. But they don’t see it that way. It’s simply how life is.

The lizardfolk are one of the few peoples on Eberron that clearly know the Age of Demons. They experience the horror in their dreams, and they know what it was like to live under an overlord. Though they weren’t changed like the Shulassakar, the lizardfolk have been connected to the Silver Flame since its creation, thanks to the couatl. Masvirik’uala lizardfolk do not dream in Dal Quor like most creatures do. Instead, their dreams are within the Silver Flame itself. The lizardfolk cannot be influenced by the quori or other fiends in their dreams as this makes them inaccessible.

Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame

The Masvirik’Uala are a primitive folk. They do not forge metal tools. They fashion their armor from hides, and their weapons are made from wood, bone, and dragonshards. Despite their primitive appearance, lizardfolk mystics are skilled at the art of enchanting weapons, so Masvirik’Uala champions may have powerful magical weapons and dragonshard augments.

While their appearance often leads adventurers to assume that theirs is a druidic culture, lizardfolk devotions draw on divine power, not primal spirits. They revere a nameless force of light that holds back darkness, symbolized by the silhouette of a winged serpent encircling a stylized, black sun. A student of religion who observes them long enough may recognize the truth: they are devoted to the Silver Flame. As such, Masvirik’Uala lizardfolk may use class templates for any divine or martial class.

They possess a surprising talent for battle derived from endless dreams of war, and the Savage Berserker, Devastator, and Battle Champion templates are all appropriate for their champions.

Masvirik’Uala lizardfolk make use of snares and traps around their villages. They are also adept at planting dragon’s breath geodes in chokepoints, where lizardfolk spellcasters can detonate them to catch multiple enemies in the burst.

Source: Dungeon 185

The oldest government in Khorvaire, the Cold Sun Federation consists of a mix of nomadic and settled peoples. The federation does not have a central government, instead they convene a council of tribal leaders whenever a particularly troublesome development arises, a rare occurrence as significant internal conflict and dissent is almost inconceivable due to their shared dreams.

The Cold Sun tribes are led by members who consider themselves a first amongst equals, placing their people's needs before their own in servant leadership. As such, leadership does not carry many privileges; instead, it is marked by responsibilities. Here, the relative simplicity of their lives is an advantage, as—in sharp contrast to the prospectors drawn to the region—they do not yearn for endless resources and wealth.

When Duke ir'Kesslan and his followers arrived in Q'barra and realized that the lizardfolk were intelligent. He reverted to his training as a Cyran diplomat in the hope that he could negotiate with them. Maintaining Cyre's lengthy eastern border with the Talenta plains required recognizing the autonomy of the tribes while asserting the strength and dominance of Cyre. Even more so than the nomadic halfling tribes, the lizardfolk mentality, beliefs, and values were deeply alien to the people of the Five Nations. Furthermore, while the halflings had over a millennium of engagement with human diplomats, dealings with the lizardfolk were genuinely novel. Simply put, the lizardfolk do not understand the Newthrone Accords in the same way that the settlers do. There are no ancient dreams of lizardfolk lawyers poring over wills and contracts to determine their meaning and, as such, the lizardfolk do not put great stock in such agreements.

Several tribes are presented here as examples—they are not intended to be definitive.

Kepeskvaex

The Kepeskvaex embrace the semiaquatic nature of the lizardfolk perhaps more than any other tribe. They live in the northernmost reaches of Q’barra, along the coast of Stormwreck Bay in the Basura Swamp. This isolated tribe has a significant fleet of small boats. In addition to using them for fishing, the Kepeskvaex use their boats to venture out into Stormwreck Bay and conduct raids on coastal settlements in southern Lhazaar. The shamans of the Kepeskvaex are particularly talented with storm magic and use it to protect their fleet from counterattack and pursuit. It’s possible the Cloudreavers of Lhazaar derived their techniques from this tribe.

Athear’ossalur

The Athear’ossalur live within the boundaries of New Galifar. A friendly and diplomatic tribe, King Sebastes’ court has held a position for an ambassador from the tribe since the founding days of New Galifar and the original treaty negotiations. After initial frustrations in attempts at communication, both parties retreated into overly simplistic discussions, believing the other to be incapable of higher-level discourse. With the recent uptick in tensions, both sides have renewed interest in trying to make a new treaty. However, even if King Sebastes and the current lead diplomat, Ambassador Noach, were to remove the communication barrier, getting the other softskins and scales of Q’barra to follow the terms of any treaty would be a tremendous diplomatic undertaking.

Sjakmolik

The Sjakmolik are one of the largest lizardfolk tribes in Hope. The growth of settler communities in Hope, in addition to dragonshard prospecting, has seeded serious problems for the Sjakmolik, as their hunting grounds and accessible clean water sources have been shrinking. However, the Sjakmolik are committed to staying in the region as they hope that one of the manifest zones in the area might be used to reinforce the ancient bindings and combat the rising influence of the Poison Dusk.

Source: Scales of Q'barra