Inac

My second real attempt at making a D&D character for my first run on Curse of Strahd, Inac very quickly became one of my favourite characters. 

One of my many cases of making a character from a 'bad' race and stubbornly making them sweet and kind while reworking a bunch of lore to force it to fit my vision because I'll be damned if I miss and opportunity to demand equality for the monsters and freaks.

Back Story

Inac hatched in a Lizardfolk tribe in the Nelanther Isles.  From the  start he was seen as a possible weakness, needing help to break free of his egg shell, small compared to his clutch mates and somewhat dull in  colour. Though his curiosity, fearlessness and ferocity towards prey did  give the clutch mothers some hope. So when the other young grew fast, doubling in size in their first year while Inac stayed small, he made up for it in tenacity.  

He did however continue to stand out, and not always in good ways. He showed too much curiosity towards the outside world, enamoured with what older tribesmen brought back from the mainland or took from the many pirates who they reluctantly shared the island chain with. Worthless, shiny rocks and bits of metal, books full of pages of scribbles and drawings of far off places that didn't matter. On top of that, he had a curiosity towards other life, both intelligent and animal. It became clear that he didn't see the world 'properly', viewing it as more than simply predator and prey. A wandering and curious mind was dangerous to himself and others in a brutal world where it was kill or be killed. 

 At 15 he and two of his clutch mates, both creatures of over 6 feet tall  while Inac had barely made 5'6", took their first trip to the outside world, to the city of Velen, a highly fortified port town on the coast, but who were accustomed to the occasional reptilian spring break. This was a routine excursion, something all the youth would eventually do to see how the rest of the world lived, experience the utter useless complexity of it and realize their own way was better. After all, living in homes of stone, bartering for goods and following their laws didn't promise those 'civilized' folk any more protection from the brutality of nature. 

Inac, however, was dazzled. He lost track of his companions for hours if not days at a time, exploring the city and getting to know the people, pushing himself to pick up the common language so he could communicate as he'd only known the most basic before his arrival. He ate new foods, drank new liqueur, met new people, heard new music and saw a brand new world.  There was so much more than hunting and killing and procreating, the only values he'd ever seen back home. He no longer wanted to just survive, he wanted to LIVE. His clutch mates of course mocked him, calling him weak willed, accusing him of being soft and stupid as to be so easily seduced by frivolous things. In the end, intentionally left him behind, daring him to find his own way home if he was really strong enough. But try as he might, there was no way back.  No one in their right mind was headed out to the Isles, not with the  infestation of pirates, and anyone willing to do so wasn't going out of the kindness of their heart. 

He tried swimming, convincing himself he should be able to, his people were made for swimming. But after nearly drowning in his second attempt, he gave up. He waited for some time after that, to see if someone would come back for him, take pity and bring him home if only to ridicule him publicly in front of the tribe, as long as he got home. But when three months passed he accepted they didn't want him back. There was no point in waiting. If life was going to be brutal and difficult, he may as well live it the way he wanted. And so, he set out to explore.