SIAE Registration Protocol N° 2023/00696
Chameleons
The Chameleon people can be generally compared to a blend of Ndebele Nguni society and members of Chamaeleonidae biological family.
Chameleons are one of the twelve races of anthropomorphic reptiles that populate Yanìs, and are grouped in the subgenus of Saurians together with Geckos, Iguanas and Lizards.
Physically, they are very small, and among the smallest Anthro races at all, with an average height of around 2.5 feet and a negligible weight, often less than 10/15 kg. Scaled skin is usually bright green, with some showing traces of blue and yellow. Females are generally smaller and males are much more vibrantly colored than females. Furthermore, males are easily recognized by the presence of three horns on their head, while females have only one. Both hands and feet have only two fingers used as a pincer to firmly grasp tree branches. Hands have two claws on the outer finger and three on the inner one, while in feet, these numbers are reversed. Their eyes can rotate and focus independently of each other, and thus, without moving, chameleons are able to observe their surroundings at 360°. They have an incredibly long tongue and are able to extend it very quickly. They reproduce by oviparity, and thus, females lay a pair of eggs in a grass basin after fertilization has occurred through sexual acts.
The social subdivision of the Chameleon people includes three large castes hierarchically structured: The zansi caste represents the descendants of their Ancestral Princes' firstborn and are considered as the aristocracy. The enhla caste represents the descendants of the other sons of the Princes and are considered commoners. The last one, very low in numbers, is instead the hole caste, descendants of their Princes' lastborn, who tried to kill his father and was exiled. This is the reason why his descendants are considered as serfs. Authority over each tribe is assumed by a chief called ikozi, assisted by a group of senior counselors, the amaphakathi. Then, there's the kgosikgolo, leader, and ruler of all tribes, who is also considered the high keeper of the Ancestral Princes' cult. Furthermore, the Chameleon people, strictly linked to ancient cults, have always taken on the task of guarding the mythical Forge of the Eternals, which gives power to druids.
Being a strictly arboreal people, their cities are built on treetops, with small semi-permanent houses in wood and mud connected by suspension bridges, cable cars, and pulleys for descent and ascent. In addition to their enticing musical traditions, the Chameleon people have also developed a specific form of mural painting with large geometric motifs and bright colors, but practiced almost exclusively by females and mostly painted on houses' external walls. Particularly renowned is also their natural skill in mesmerism magic, both in terms
of hypnosis and illusions.
They speak Erpeton language, common to all Anthro reptile races, a harsh, hissing language, spoken mostly in the southern hemisphere of the planet (perhaps an Arabic gibberish).
Religiously they are mostly devoted to Vael Nhor (deity of magic and memories), Sia Mori (deity of arts and dreams), and Caamiran (deity of law and justice), but they are still strongly linked to traditional Lohudonist and Druidic cults.
Their ancestral princes were Sotho and Sikazi, who taught their race the fundamental use of aesthetics as a form of communication. They are in fact famous for changing their skin's color as a manifestation of certain physiological conditions or emotional states. In the life of a chameleon, it is always important to openly show one's feelings and emotional states throughout one’s skin color: hiding them is often considered unbecoming or even felonious.
