Ever since they returned to Branchhold, Wetport Lapule never faded from his mind. Chief Jaan dreamed of the place, and there are times he daydreamed of it. He could it little glimmers of it in Branchhold.
There were many other lizardfolks in the world of Mountainworld that did the old ways. Jaan saw it, when he saw new groups of migrants. He wanted to try it, but his heart was unsure whether the matrons would support him. He summoned the matrons, and asked them for their views.
He didn’t conduct a vote. He wasn’t that daring. He still couldn’t let go of his role as Chief, and as Chief, his role was to decide. Perhaps one day, where the next generation of lizardfolks were all strong, powerful lizards, he would have to relinquish his role and decide by vote.
But for now, he asked for views.
And he listened.
To his surprise, it was the eldest of the matrons, the oldest one that found Wetport Lapule to be a model worth following. She was most enamored with the idea of a great Lizardfolk city. A lizardfolk nation that even the greatest of humans or the other races would fear.
It was ego.
Pride.
She had pride in lizardfolk.
They wanted that. They wanted to have pride. There was a saying lizardfolks heard too often.“In battle, one man is worth many lizardfolk.”
It was true, of course. But it was also an insult that gnawed at them personally. That each of them was worth less than a man. But now they know that this was not the only way.
“No one in our world tried to walk the path of the strong lizardfolk.” The eldest matron declared. “If the gods grant us the vision of how it was done, then it must have been for a reason.”
Jaan thought that was a little on the nose. Aeon guided them there for a reason. Education. In fact, he even felt maybe this was what they wanted. So he challenged the matron then. Even if he would have accepted it normally. “What if this is what the Great Tree wants us to do. We’re falling into its trap. It wants us to be like the lizards of Wetport Lapule.”
The matron nodded. “But if we are strong, who cares whether what the Great Tree wants? Do you not forget why we moved away from our old home? Because we couldn’t protect ourselves from the demons or the old kings. Every war, we send our younglings away to war, where only a few out of hundreds return. Why? What for? What mother would do that to their child, if it is not a necessity?”
“Younglings are younglings. They live, and they die. Those were your words, matron. They are not true Lizardfolk until they return from war.” Jaan called out the matron then. It was hypocritical of her too. She wasn’t one to care about younglings. In fact, she was the cruelest of them all.
The other matrons looked at the eldest, a little surprised.
But she answered. “We do what we need to do to survive, Chief Jaan. Our hearts cannot take it to lose so many of our own for wars fought by others. So we respond with cruelty. We kill ourselves to allow it to happen. But do you not see that the other way is better? We could be like the other races. We could have strong children.”
“And this price- you will pay for it?” Jaan remembered her words. “We will lose our traditions. We will stop being the lizardfolks of Mountainworld, but more like the lizardfolks of Wetport Lapule.”
“Yes. I rather have one child who can step into the heavens, than a hundred who will die in the wars. The traditions can burn in the depths of the hellfire swamps if they don’t work.”
“matron!” It was another matron who rebuked the old matron. “That is too much. Our traditions brought us where we are today.”
“And they will be inherited by the millions of lizardfolk rotting away in their villages all over Mountainworld.” The matron countered. “How many times have you met a famous lizardfolk, only to find them lacking?”
The unspoken answer was all the time. Famous lizardfolk on Mountainworld was at most level 70, and even at level 70, they were weaker than their peers.
“Remember that [lady]?” The matron looked at Jaan. “The class one?”
Of course he remembered. She was a living goddess. Just like that Lizard Valthorn. Kafa. Now that was a living god walking amongst the lizardfolk.
“I will trade her for any famous person. No. All of them.” The matron said. “If we had someone like her, we’d finally be able to build the foundations for a proper lizardfolk nation.”
“But we don’t.” Jaan countered.
“Alas.” The matron said. “We have you.”
Jaan frowned. “I’m still the Chief, matron. I’ll let that insult slide, this time.”
“But the foundation must be built. We must try. The first generation of new lizardfolks will set the path for generations later. Then, Mountainworld will witness the rise of a new kind.”
Jaan sighed. “It sounds like you agree with it.”
The matron nodded. The rest of them were a mix.
Jaan closed his eyes, and decided to go for a walk.
After a while, he felt he needed more evidence. This was such an upheaval for the lizardfolk way that he needed to be sure. So, he asked for another trip to Wetport Lapule.
***
The Valthorn guardian of Branchhold repeated , and then he checked the travel approvals. “We have a travel vacancy in two months. Come back and arrange your move. You will only be able to return after six weeks.”
“Six weeks!” Jaan said. But ultimately, he arranged for another of the matrons to be in charge. In the safety of Branchhold, there really was nothing much for Jaan to do.
Branchhold was no village at the threat of monster attacks. Branchhold was in many ways, a fortified supercity. One of the matrons laughed. “Go, Chief. We’ll be free of your meddling for six weeks. Stay longer if you want.” The matron teased.
Without the existential threat of monsters or demons, Jaan had to admit he spent most of his time being a busybody, poking into the affairs of every other lizardfolk. He called it being ‘informed’ and ‘concerned’, but his matrons just said he was a busybody.
“Fine!” He frowned.
***
The day came. He nodded at the officer, and felt himself warp over. Treehome. The air. The stench or lack thereof. It was beautiful. It was the first time he traveled alone, and this time, all he got was a single Valthorn chaperon.
The chaperon was a lizardfolk from Treehome. “Greetings. I’m Solvis. Your assistant for the duration of your trip. Please, do as you please, my task is mainly to ensure your safety while you remain on Treehome.”
Jaan and Solvis’s claws met briefly. “Well met, Solvis. I’ll be headed to Wetport Lapule, and if I can, visit the other lizardfolk nations.”
Solvis nodded. “Certainly. Let me guide you to the beetle stations.”
“Please.”
***
Wetport Lapule once more, and Jaan rubbed his nose. The stench of the city had pretty much marked itself on his nose ever since the beetle entered one of the main freeways that led to the heart of the city.
He wouldn’t have a fancy rich man to guide him, this time. This, in many ways, was a personal trip. He wanted to see the city for himself. Whether it really was what he wanted to create back home.
Solvis merely grinned, when Jaan explained his quest. “I’m not sure what you are looking to find, Chief Jaan. This city- well, it’s quite like diving into the belly of a giant swamp monster. It stinks. If you want what lizardfolks could be, this isn’t it.”
Jaan chuckled, of course. The some lizardfolks of Treehome, themselves aspired for a different kind of life. Solvis spoke of those who migrated out of the Wetport and back to the small villages, where they tried to blend both the city and the old village ways of the lizardfolks. The irony was not lost on him.
Even if it was baffling. And hilarious.
There was an old saying among lizardfolks. Be happy with the tail you have. Not that anyone follows it anymore.
“Well, your quest starts here. District VI. The ports of the Wetport.” True to its name, the piers, the floors. Everything was wet. And slimy. The ships’ waves caused the slimy liquids of the sea to wash up and stick to the piers and the docks.
There were groups of lizardfolks wiping and cleaning, but only in one or two piers.
“Those are the more exclusive piers.” Solvis laughed. “When you’re rich, you can afford cleaning services and magical spells for your landing docks.”
Jaan frowned. “Are you able to help me- I don’t know- get in touch with some pirates? I want to speak to them, just to find out what’s life like here.”
Solvis shrugged. “Just go to a bar or a tavern, Chief Jaan. Pirates and scum aplenty. But, let me hold your money for you.”
“-what.”
“You’re going to get pickpocketed in a bar. Especially with your kind of money.”
Jaan had gotten used to the relative tameness of Branchhold, and realized he may have had a bit more than he expected. He decided Solvis’ advice was wise, and handed his pouch over, except for a little bit of coin.
At that point, another Valthorn agent appeared. He took the coin, and then vanished.
He gulped. “Who-”
“The city general assistant for Valthorns. We have folks like that in every city to help us out with mundane stuff like banking.”
“That- that was more like a spy.”
“You can call him that.” Solvis laughed. “Come. Let’s get you to the inn, and the innkeeper will have recommendations for the best bars for lowliest scums of the swamps.”
Jaan paused. “You- you don’t like the pirates very much?”
“They are a nuisance we tolerate.” Solvis said. “Much like every other nuisance on this damned planet.”
“Are we a nuisance?”
Solvis paused and laughed. “To be fair, everyone’s a potential nuisance. Aeon believes in the principle that nuisances promote growth. That’s why he tolerates it. The challenges created by nuisances are obstacles that others overcome, and so we gain levels. It’s- it’s part of a cycle. Without an adversary, we can’t improve and gain levels.”
“Oh.” Jaan said.
The innkeeper was more than happy to recommend a few famous taverns, but apparently some of them wouldn’t have an empty seat. Not for a nobody like Chief Jaan. High level Valthorns don’t usually participate in taverns, though most of these taverns would happily make space for them if needed.
Unable to decide where to go, Jaan sat in the inn’s dining area. It was quiet. Most lizardfolks used the inn as a place to sleep. Daytime was time for business. Evening was time for drinks and mingling with powerful lizards.
He looked around. The inn itself was rather well decorated, if dated. But Jaan glanced at the innkeeper, a lovely old lizardfolk lady, and realized, maybe he should start somewhere nearby.
“Actually- Madam, I’ll buy you a drink if you’d talk to me.”
The innkeeper, madam Squama, gladly obliged. “Why, I don’t really need an excuse to drink with my guests.” She laughed.
“How long have you been here, Madam Squama?”
“Call me Miss Squama. I refuse to believe I’m 70.” The madam of the inn laughed.
“You’re 70! Wow?” Jaan was surprised. He was old himself, having seen wars and death of his own. But Miss Squama was older than the matron. He sighed. “I’m Jaan. Tell me, were you here from the beginning?”
She laughed. “No. No one alive is still here when the Wetport began. It’s been here for as long as it has, but it was still a city. There were many kings and old lizard lords that ruled from this city.”
“-really?”
“The Wetport used to be home to three separate lizard kingdoms. On this side with the old lizard city of- I can’t remember the name, I believe it’s Lapa or something. Then there’s the Pula clan of lizards on that size. Then there’s the Mirrin clan somewhere further upstream, along the river that meets the Lapula bay. Ancient history. They all died.”
“Oh.” Jaan said. That sounded very much like their own lizard kingdoms.
“What changed- do you know how this place became- well, this?”
“Rottedlands incident.” Miss Squama explained. “And the subsequent lizardfolk repopulation program. I was one of them. So that answers your question. I wasn’t here. I was brought here by the repopulators.”
Jaan soon got a rather extensive overview of the history of Wetport Lapule. The city went through many ups and downs. Mostly downs, due to typical lizardfolk infighting. Then, the Rottedlands occurred, and vast amounts of Lizardfolks died overnight.
The Order decided that they wanted to restore lizardfolk population through vast breeding programs, and selected Wetport Lapule, then the cities of Pula and Lapa, as one of the suitable habitation grounds of the new lizardfolks.
The Order was way too strong for the local lizard kings to resist, and those that attempted to resist were swiftly killed. In the end, the Order gave the old royal families noble titles similar to the other nations, a cut of the bay’s taxes, and in exchange, the old families relinquished the management of the entire bay.
It made those old families rich. But as with all typical lizardfolk families, that money was squandered away in internecine struggle, and within the past hundred years, only one or two heirs of the original three royal families remained.
The vast repopulation program, the privateer project, Aeon’s swamp expansions, and the one of the Valthorn’s naval academy, somehow caused the stars to align, and the Wetport Lapule’s status as the de facto capital of the lizardfolk was sealed around four decades ago.
Jaan stared, realizing that the city came to be due to luck.
“How much of this bay is our choice?”
“All?” Madam Squama laughed. “Many chose to move here. The Repopulation Program ended decades ago, and the Wetport has tripled since! Most of those who are here, came here on their own will. People like me, we’re the minority.”
Solvis, who was happily listening. “It means Madam Squama is filthy rich. The old pioneers still receive Order stipends.”
Squama frowned. “Shh. Don’t say that part out loud!”
Jaan appreciated the lesson, of course. It was context. It explained how it all came to be. But it didn’t answer the doubt in his heart. “-do you think- do you think this Wetport made lizardfolks better?”
It was Madam Squama’s turn to stare at the middle-aged Chief of the Branchhold’s lizardfolk. “Better? I don’t know about better. If you ask the youth, they’ll tell you it's better here than the villages. Here, they have opportunities. They have jobs. They have a chance to make something in a larger market. But if you ask those like me, some of us miss the quiet life of the villages.”
Jaan frowned. He remembered his nomadic life in the villages. “I’ll say none of my matrons miss the villages much. It’s a life of constantly fearing for demons or the human kingdoms, and breeding younglings for other people’s wars.”
The innkeeper looked horrified. “Which part of the Central Continent are you from? Lizardfolk villages were officially direct protectorates of the Order since- since eight decades ago, and lizardfolk youngling forced drafts by non-lizardfolk nations were banned around the same time.”
Solvis clarified. “He’s a visitor from the other world, maam.”
Squama’s eyes widened. “Oh the burning Aeons! So that’s why you have a Valthorn bodyguard! You’re an actual otherworld lizardperson! I must call my friends! They will want to meet you!”
Jaan instantly felt like he had outed himself as a circus freak. “That won’t be necessary, Madam Squama. I’d like to visit in peace.”
“Nonono- I have a friend. He’s been curious since forever, and he’s been waiting in line for a ticket to visit. He’s been cursing those damned tour quotas every year.”
Jaan glanced at Solvis. “Tour quotas?”
“There’s a limited number of travel slots between worlds. It’s a lottery. But there are different schemes-”
“But I got it-”
“Outbound travel from Treehome’s really popular with the nobility.” Solvis said. “Inbound travel- less so. Eventually it’ll be a lottery on both ends.”
Squama ran to a crystalline rock and tapped in some things. “Hey old Vurvis! Come to my inn now! There’s an actual lizardfolk from the other world here!”
“-what! Really? I’ll be there!”
Squama walked to the magical shelf, and took out two more bottles of wines. “Since old Vurvis is coming, gotta open up the old swamp wines. Made from real Snake blood!”
Solvis squirmed. “Not my thing.”
Squama offered it to Jaan. Jaan took a sniff and it smelled absolutely like vomit. “No thanks.”
Old Vurvis walked in barely ten minutes later. He looked like a war hero, with scars throughout his body, and some of his claws were missing. “Old Vurvis! This is Jaan! He came from Mountainworld!”
Vurvis’s eyes looked at Jaan, examining every part, absolutely bewildered. “Holy cow. It really is a Mountainworld lizardperson! You even have distinct bumps in your shoulders.”
“There’s a bump in his shoulders?!” Both Solvis and Squama asked at the same time.
Jaan didn’t realize it, but now that he did, the bone structures of the lizardfolks were slightly different. Hidden under armor and shoulder plates, it wasn’t an easily visible difference. “Huh.”
Vurvis stared. “Have you ever tried breeding or mating with our world’s lizardfolk? Do you know whether it’s possible to mate?”
Jaan couldn’t believe it. “-wha- no. I have not tried.”
Squama gave Vurvis a glare. “Old Vurvis! So that’s why you wanted a trip to the other world! You wanted to touch scales with some damned alien lizard folks?!”
Vurvis immediately looked offended. “Nonono! It’s truly an academic question!”
“Then why is it your first damned question?!”
Jaan and Solvis just glanced at each other while the two bickered for a bit. The two old lizards were clearly very old friends. The two eventually calmed down.
“I apologize. It was something that’s on my mind ever since the Order revealed the presence of the other worlds. I’ve been curious to meet other lizardfolks. You see, I used to be a Pirate, but then, along the way, I realized I was fascinated by all these old remains and lizard bones, and so I left piracy and joined one of the Magical Research Institutes as an independent research assistant, focusing on lizard bones.”
Squama clarified. “It means he’s the mage’s bodyguard, most of the time, even though he tries to do his own research as well.”
“Hey! I’m a Level 26 [Lizard Bone Analyst] and a Level 34 [Pirate Warrior]!”
Jaan paused, and asked. “You are allowed to take two main classes?”
The three lizardfolks present now gave Jaan the judgy stare. But it was Vurvis who intervened. “Ah! That makes sense. Pre-Rottedlands, village Lizardfolks also didn’t have role flexibility. To answer your question, Chief Jaan, yes. We do. City lizardfolks can change jobs and roles.”
“But- how do the villages ensure their needs are met?”
“We pay.” Vurvis explained. “There’s a lizardfolk merchant’s guild that helps to match [classes] to jobs, and so lizardfolks move around to fill the role, and if the pay’s no good, they leave.”
Jaan was surprised, but then, realized, there was no village chief to stop them. In Mountainworld, every villager reported their class to the village chief. The village chief would then assign tasks in accordance with their class, and if they developed new classes, the village chief could reassign them. But that hardly happens.
The idea of lizardfolks moving from village to village to work? That was even more wild.
Lizardfolks of Mountainworld stuck to their own cities, and when the village moved, almost all moved together. Those that didn’t, would find a new village.
“In that kind of world- what do village [chiefs] do?” Jaan asked, wondering how his own job would change.
Vurvis drank the old snake wine like water. He burped. The stench almost made Jaan vomit. “I believe they just coordinate jobs, hirings, resources. As long as everything runs, who cares, right?”
“But there’s no- that sounds as if there’s no relationship between the chief and the village-”
“That is a drawback.” Vurvis acknowledged.
Jaan didn’t like that. That was power taken away from him. If every lizardfolk had no loyalty to the village- then- who were they loyal to?
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