The Official Guide to the Lizen Species

Part 9: Culture

Lizens have been around far longer than humans have, they are very social amongst each other and have lived together in packs/tribes for centuries. There are three types of cultures Lizens are a part of, those being; Wild, Tribal, and Civilized. There was a fourth, and that was 'Slave Life', but now that Lizen slavery has been abolished, that culture no longer exists, or it exists in secret.

Wild Lizens:
Wild Lizens are Lizens who are completely feral. They don't speak any human languages, don't wear any clothes, and don't stand up straight. Basically, they act like their Lizoraptor ancestors. Some of them swap from running on two legs to using their arms, usually for uphill running and climbing. Wild Lizens can live in packs, on their own, or with their mate/family. Groups of Wild Lizens aren't called tribes, they are packs. Wild Lizens are the closest living Lizens to Lizoraptors, a race that evolved into the Lizens centuries ago and no longer exist.

Tribal Lizens:
The main different between Tribal Lizens and Wild Lizens are that Tribal Lizens speak human languages and wear clothes. They can be feral or anthro, but most tend to be feral. Their clothing is also usually Lizen-made, along with any structures and weapons. Lizen society used to be tribe-based before they discovered that they could live with humans. Some tribes have taken over abandoned human towns, temples, and ancient civilizations. Most tribes have a monarchy system or a dictatorship, where either the Chief's heir becomes the new Chief after the current one dies or retires, or a new one is appointed before they die or retire. Some tribes are dedicated to worshiping one Saint and others just exist to not be slaves and to worship whoever they wish.

Civilized Lizens:
Civilized Lizens are Lizens who live with humans in society. They can live in the cities, have jobs and make their own money, and usually stand up straight like humans. They wear human clothes and do things similar to humans. Before 2019 they couldn't go to the same schools or public areas as humans and had to be muzzled when in cities, but nowadays they are free from that. They were then also allowed to build their own districts or towns out of the lands used for Lizen Rehabs, Facilities, and work camps. A lot of Lizens are civilized since Aripá, their god, introduced them to it centuries ago.

Slaves:
Lizen Slavery was abolished in 2019, but before then, many Lizens were slaves to humans. Lizen slaves were overworked for next to nothing in return and treated like cattle that could be replaced. Maines and Lab Rats were specifically bred/created to be slaves. Lizens who were slaves believed that their lives were meaningless and their only purpose was to work for their masters, which were humans. Sorcerers were slaves to the military, their power being used as a weapon. Many Lizen slaves were put under mind control when that was invented by an unknown being in Edmonton, Canada. Nowadays, Lizens are no longer slaves but can still work in the same places for more pay if they wish, though it does still exist illegally in some places.