Surkh

Surkh, also referred to as the City of Lizards was a small lizardfolk city situated between the Deepwing Mountains and the northern shores of the Deepwash in the Vilhon Reach. Surkh was the largest community of lizardfolk in the entirety of Faerûn.

"I've heard there's a king that rules the lizard men down there, but he refuses to speak to anyone unless they can first speak his language. Oh, one more thing, magical means of communication aren't allowed. If you request an audience with the king and can't speak the language, guess who's for supper?"

- Adamar Session, bard of Starmantle

Description
Surkh's lizardmen population was considered to be the most advanced and civilized among other lizardfolk settlements of Faerûn. The city was inhabited mainly by lizardfolk and a small number of lizard kings, who kept to themselves. Most Surkhites lived in homes constructed out of baked mud bricks. Several habitats were built in shades and around communal pools.

Geography
The most notable feature of Surkh's location were beautiful fresh waters of the Deepwash lake. The city bordered the Spines of Surkh to the north. The mountains were used by Surkhites as a burial ground, dotted with shallow lizardfolk crypts and tombs. Directly to the southwest of Surkh laid the Rushing Hills and the territory of a thri-kreen Krakk't tribe.

The city was connected to the settlement of the Great Petrified Serpent of the Serpent Hills via a one-way Deepwing Portal, located in the outskirts of Surkh. Another portal in the city's vicinity was hidden in the water-filled tunnels underneath the Spines of Surkh – the underwater one-way gate opened there from the Dragon Eyrie.

Government
Surkh was ruled by a King, advised by a council of tribal chieftains. In the late-14 century DR, the city's ruler was highly revered King Griss'tok, a powerful lizardman barbarian. The king was notable for his seclusion and knowledge of a single language – Draconic. Griss'tok's law was strict; those convicted of serious crimes were served as a meal. Griss'tok's will was also rarely disputed, and the King could promote and demote members of his council on a whim.

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. The Free City of Lachom considered trade with Surkh to be significantly more desirable than with Arrabar.

The lizardfolk of Surkh lived off fishing and produced enough seafood to be traded and exported in limited quantity. Many of the locals worked as fishers, and the rest took on the mantles of soldiers and gladiators. Most work was done early in the morning and late in the evening, while lizardfolk avoided sweltering heat in cool pools during the day.

The inhabitants of Surkh were responsible for the creation of an innovative gawl crawler harvesting method. Gawl crawlers were ravenous green-colored worms that fed on berry bushes. Ingenious lizardfolk learned to unleash gawl crawlers on berry bushes and simply leaving baskets underneath. The worms consumed only stalks, making berries fall into the prepared baskets.

Culture
Similar to most lizardfolk communities, Surkhites followed the tribal clan tradition. However, King Griss'tok actively worked to weaken the tradition by issuing edicts that dictated tribal unifications and divisions. When disputes arose, lizardfolk of Surkh were bound to ritualistic gladiatorial combat. These battles were waged on a personal level, by representatives of various organizations or tribes, and via proxies. The Arena of Scales was used for this purpose as well as entertainment.

Despite reputation, humanoid gladiators of various races made profitable living in the Arena of Scales, significantly better paid than gladiators of Reth.

Surkhites were well known and feared by Scaleless Ones of the Vilhon Reach. The reputation was developed thanks to lizardfolk consuming intelligent humanoids as punishment for serious crimes and their consistent demand for gladiators who were forced into bloody battles. The defeated gladiators were also consumed.

Visitors of the City of Lizards needed to learn the Lizardfolk language in order to request a visit. Surkh also had several schools that offered Lizardfolk language classes for long-term inhabitants who stayed within the community for more than two years.

Surkhites shared none of celebrations nor festivals of any other races or communities of Faerûn. They did, however, have many exotic practices and rituals that were only revealed to those trusted by the lizardfolk.

Religion
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
Surkh was built in the by human immigrants from Lachom and what would later become the city of Nimpeth.

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 worshipers considered the cult to be "trespassers" and drove the out. The defeat at the hands of Surkhites inspired dissidents within the Cult of the Dragon.

In the, a group of Okothian sarrukh came to be chased by a dragon turtle that arrived through the hidden portal from the Dragon Eyrie. The creature chased sarrukh to the small town of Surkh, killing them and destroying the settlement in the process, sending surviving humans fleeing in terror.

Soon after, lizardfolk started migrating to the ruins of the town, attracted by rumors of worshipers of Semuanya battling a dragon in the depths of the lake. The lizardfolk settlers found sarrukh bodies and buried them in the Spines of Surkh, starting the tradition of using the peaks as a burial ground. Lizardfolk leaders also discovered sarrukh skin scrolls. Using the scrolls, lizardfolk started imitating the creator race and started improving and growing the city of Surkh. By the, a leader of the lizardfolk rose to the challenge of uniting several tribes under his rule. He was King Griss'tok's grandfather and the first King of Surkh. The first King created the first gladiatorial arena to remedy constant lizardfolk feuding. The First King's son, in turn, started the tradition of the strongest of the royal offspring to prove themselves as gladiators before earning the right to govern.

In the 14 century DR, lizardfolk of Surkh were plagued by illithid slavers who regularly emerged from caverns in the Spines of Surkh. Every time King Griss'tok's guards pursued aberrations, they found no trace of illithids nor their captives. In reality, slavers emerged from a psionic gate that connected the Spines with Oryndoll. The gates were used by the Tamer Creed and the Nourisher Creed to capture lizardfolk and transform them into slave tzakandi through larval implantation.

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.

By the, the worship of the Dragon Queen was rapidly growing across Surkh. The cult helmed most illicit activities in the City of Lizards, including smuggling, black market, slavery, all while remaining underground, hidden from open worship of Tiamat.

In the same year of 1373 DR, a group of young black dragons emerged from the Dragon Eyrie portal. Some believed that the dragons were searching for a long-lost artifact of some type, possibly stolen from Tiamat by the sarrukh centuries prior. Even though the black dragons were yet to show hostility towards Surkh, King Griss'tok was looking for adventurers capable of killing or repelling them away from the lizardfolk city before the clutch aged and became a danger. Griss'tok was afraid of angering Tiamat and her cultists by sending lizardfolk on the eradication mission.

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.
 * Temple of Eldath, one of two temples in the Vilhon Reach dedicated to the Quiet One. The temple was built overlooking the Deepwash
 * Temple of Lliira, a small temple dedicated to the Mistress of Revels.
 * Several minor shrines could be found in Surkh, including a shrine to Helm.

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