Asabi

Asabis, also known as laerti, were reptilian humanoids that dwelt in the desert.

Nomenclature
"Asabi" was the Bedine word for this creature. In the Common tongue, they were called "laerti," which had its origins in Netheril. "Laerti" was the term they called themselves.

Subraces
There were two different subraces of asabi: standard asabi and stingtail asabi. The two subraces were capable of interbreeding.

Description
Asabis stood about seven feet tall on two legs. They had long tails. Their scales were gray to brown color, and they had light green or dun undersides. They had narrow, sloping skulls. Their eyes were very large, egg-shaped, and yellow, and they had forked tongues. Their limbs projected out at sharp angles, making their movements awkward to typical humanoid observers; however, they could move as easily on four limbs as two, balancing with their long tails.

It was very difficult to tell a male and female asabi apart.

Asabis never wore armor heavier than aramor.

Combat
Asabis liked to hide themselves in the sand and jump out at their targets. They were quite skilled at jumping and could jump 15 to 20 feet. Typical asabi fighters carried scimitars and light crossbows.

Society
Asabis dwelt in tribes and often allied themselves with evil creatures. They often served as mercenaries or slaves. They were nocturnal creatures, and as such were typically only ever encountered at night.

Free asabi tribes were ruled by either a war leader or a council of elders.

Ecology
Asabis only ate the soft tissue of their prey, leaving the rest to dry under the sun. They were omnivorous and also consumed fungi that grew in the desert caves they inhabited. A delicacy among the asabis were the taproots of oasis plants.

Locations
Asabis were found in deserts, particularly in the Anauroch. They made up seventeen percent of the population of Anauroch in 1372 DR. They were particularly common in the caverns in Azirrhat. Asabis could also be found in the desert areas of Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden.

History
Asabis were created by the sarrukh and served them in Isstosseffifil in Oreme.

Many asabis served the phaerimm as slaves in Anauroch. In 1360 DR, asabi mercenaries allied with the Zhentarim in an attempt to dominate trans-Anauroch trade, an attempt that was thwarted by the Harper Lander and Bedine tribes.

Novels

 * The Parched Sea
 * Condemnation

Computer games

 * Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide