Surkh

Surkh was a small city on the north shore of the Deepwash in the shadow of the Deepwing Mountains in the Vilhon Reach. Surkh was the largest community of lizardfolk in the entirety of Faerûn.

Description
Surkh's population consisted mainly of lizardfolk who kept to themselves. Most of the lizardfolk lived in houses fashioned of baked mud bricks built around shades and communal pools.

Government
Surkh was ruled by a King, aided by a Tribal Council. In the late-14 century DR, the city's ruler was King Griss'tok, a powerful lizardman barbarian. The king was notable for his seclusion and knowledge of a single language – Draconic. The King's law was strict. Those convicted of serious crimes were served as a meal.

Trade
Surkh maintained good relations with the Emerald Enclave, and the cities of Lachom, Nimpeth and Lheshayl. There were no trade routes that passed through Surkh, a fact that contributed to its relative isolation.

Culture
One of the two major religions in Surkh was the worship of Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon, in her Undying Queen form. Despite the fact that the cult considered Surkh to be their territory, the Church of Tiamat was an underground cult. The clergy of the goddess never stopped recruiting new worshipers, constantly expanding the base.

A large, ancient dragon turtle, known as the Dragon of the Deeps lived in the Deepwash lake. Many in Surkh regarded death in its jaws as an honor. The reverence of the creature was so great in the lizardfolk city, that a sect that worshiped the dragon turtle sprang by the 14 century DR.

History
In the, the Cult of the Dragon clashed with Surkh's zealots of Tiamat during the cult's expansion to the South Faerûn. Tiamat's lizardfolk worshipers considered the Cult to be "trespassers" and drove the humans out. The defeat at the claws of Surkh's lizardfolk inspired dissidents within the Cult of the Dragon.

On an especially foggy morning in the, the shoes of the Deepwash were shaken by terrifying roars of the lake's fearsome dragon turtle. An aquatic battle raged between a younger dragon turtle who emerged from an underwater gate from the Undermountain and the lake's older habitat. The young invader was slain and the body was washed ashore in Surkh. The gore from the battle spoiled fishing in the Deepwash for several months that followed.

Rumors & Legends

 * Folk throughout the Vilhon Reach feared this city and it's man-eating lizardfolk.

Notable Locations

 * Arena of Scales, a vast amphitheater in the heart of the city, fashioned to look like a circle of carved stone dinosaurs with their necks, limbs and tails intertwined. Gladiatoral events were held here once a tenday.
 * Shrine of the First Lizard, a large temple dedicated to Tiamat, located beneath the city streets.

Organizations

 * Cult of Tiamat, a zealous group of lizardfolk who venerated the Queen of Evil Dragonkind. The cult was led by a human wyrmkeeper Deiros Forktongue in the late-14 century DR.

Individuals

 * Ssenidak Wyrmspear, the Fire of the First Lizard, a close ally of the Cult of Tiamat's Deiros Forktongue.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Undermountain: Stardock
 * Novels
 * Venom's Taste
 * Venom's Taste
 * Venom's Taste

Connections
Surkh