The Slann

=The Slann Empire= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/slann-mage-priest.gif The Slann are the last of a dwindling race that has existed for countless thousands of years. They were the favoured servants of the Old Ones, and travelled across the stars with their god-like masters. Favoured for their considerable intelligence and magical abilities, they now rule the Lizardmen as a caste of Mage-Priests.

Large, unearthly creatures, the Slann are quite unlike anything else in the world. Their heads are large to match the mighty intellect held within, and their eyes are bulbous and all-seeing. They can live for thousands of years, and their bodies become more bloated with the passing centuries. They perceive time differently to the short-lived mortal creatures of the world, and slip into extended periods of contemplation and thought that can last decades, or even centuries at a time.

Endlessly they ponder the meaning of time and the mysteries of the universe. To their attendants they often appear to be in a sleep-like trance, with signs of life limited to the occasional blink, yet the Slann are more truly aware of the magnitude of the universe than any other being in the world. When the Slann stir from their meditative states, they often declare an enigmatic prophecy or proclamation that Skink attendants dutifully attempt to record. Often these statements require careful study and interpretation, and the true meaning may not become apparent for a thousand years or more.

=The Saurian= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/saurus-old-blood-2.gif

Saurus are ferocious creatures, bred by the Old Ones specifically for the purpose of war and protection. From the moment they are grown enough to crawl from the spawning pools, they know how to fight and conduct warfare. The longer Saurus live, the tougher and more ferocious they become. Their scales become thicker and harder and their warlike instincts become more honed. The ancient Oldbloods are awesome, instinctive close combat fighters. One will often lead a Lizardmen army into battle against their foes. Although not as old as the ancient Oldbloods, many Scar-Veterans have been alive for several thousand years. They are tremendously strong, vicious fighters, and as such often lead Lizardmen regiments.

=The Temple Gaurd= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/temple-guard.gif

When a Slann accompanies the army, he will often be joined by his personal Temple Guard. The Temple Guard are a variant spawning, a subspecies of Saurus created to protect the Slann. They are spawned with more heavily armoured scales than other Saurus, and instinctively have an unshakeable resolve to guard the Slann at any cost - they do so with utter determination until death overcomes them.

=The Skinks= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/skinks.gif

Skinks are small, agile, intelligent creatures bred by the Old Ones from the giant amphibious creatures that have inhabited the Lustrian swamps since the dawn of time. In times of war, Skinks often take up their weapons to fight alongside Saurus. They are stealthy and swift creatures, and can be deadly when using their favoured weapons, in particular the blowpipe, against an unwary foe.

=The Saurions= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/saurus-warriors.gif

Mighty Saurus Warriors form the basis of the armies of the Lizardmen, for it is they who were created specifically for the purpose of warfare by the Old Ones. Saurus are spawned in dark pools in the caverns beneath the temple-cities. From the moment they are grown enough to crawl from the spawning pools, they know how to fight and conduct warfare. Many are the accounts of the Saurus launching perfectly timed ambushes and manoeuvres, even when it might seem to an outside observer that there was no communication amongst the Saurus themselves.

Entire spawnings occasionally produce Saurus Warriors that have slightly different natural abilities and skills than their brethren. Some say that the Old Ones foresaw the future, and could predict when warriors with particular skills would be needed, and so the seemingly random spawnings are all part of the Old Ones' careful calculations. These spawnings are regarded as blessings from the gods themselves, sent to assist the Slann in their sacred duty.

http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/saurus-cavalry.gif

One of these spawnings that has become more common in the temple-cities in the last decades is the birth of Saurus Warriors that come into the world instinctively knowing how to ride and control the dangerous Cold Ones. These creatures are vicious and dim-witted, and make powerful mounts for those able to ride them. It is believed that it is the blessing of Tzunki becoming manifest in the jungles that allows these Saurus to ride Cold Ones, and an indication that these fast-moving warriors will be necessary in the coming wars.

=The Kroxigor= http://uk.games-workshop.com/lizardmen/miniature-gallery/images/kroxigors.gif

The Kroxigor are cousins of the Saurus, bred for their brute strength and power. They are large, powerful creatures, yet their intellect and speech abilities are very limited. Nevertheless, they obey their instructions diligently, showing that they understand rather more than might be thought from their brutish appearance.

They are terribly strong creatures, able to bear enormous loads, and in battle are given heavy weapons to smash the enemy with. These weapons are often chained and bound to the arms, wrists and tails of the Kroxigor so that they do not drop them, for the most natural and instinctive way for Kroxigor to fight is with their massive clawed hands and teeth. The Kroxigor are heavily armoured with natural scaling, and bony protrusions protect their stooped backs.