The Races of Avendar, Chapter III: The Srryn

An excerpt from the Races of Avendar, an in-game text found in the school of heroes, this chapter covers the srryn.

srryn: Section 1

The srryn are a race of cold-blooded, bipedal reptiles.  Covered with tough
scales and born with whip-like tails, they are cunning warriors who often
use their natural speed and strength to good advantage.  They mainly dwell
in swamps, lowlands, and deserts, and are well-known for their long history
as itinerant raiders of nearby settlements.  srryn leadership often comes
with age, predicated on the assumption that no incompetent would survive
that long.  

Despite their primitive trappings, the srryn are one of Avendar's oldest
races, with their rise coming shortly after the Sundering.  The earliest
written records of the srryn come from the aelin, concerning their
proclivity for raids and measures taken to combat them.  The aelin viewed
the srryn as utterly hopeless primitives, and considered them a nuisance at
best.  

According to the srryn, all reptiles were born to a powerful but
disinterested mother-deity called Fenthira.  This goddess laid many eggs
throughout the world of Avendar, and from each sprung different evolutions
of reptilian life.  One such egg was called Sythtys, which became a great
swamp south of the Dantaron river valley.  

srryn: Section 2

Powerful srryn rose and fell, but one of particular power was called
Sythrak.  It is said that it was through Him that the srryn race discovered
the magics of Fire.  This single event changed the course of both srryn and
Avendarian history, as it transformed a race of primitive, bickering
warlords into a force to be reckoned with.  

Cowing the humans who lived around them with the power of their newfound
magic, the srryn began a series of campaigns to unite their reptilian
factions.  As they clashed with more powerful and well-armed humans, the
srryn reached something of an impasse.  An exchange was brokered between
humanity and the srryn: the metal weapons and armor of the humans, for the
fiery magic of the srryn.  

The two races turned their attention to the longstanding master-race, the
aelin.  The srryn and their human allies came against the aelin with the
suddenness of an inferno, and reduced many of their cities to ashes.  The
massive destruction and countless deaths heralded the beginning of the War
of Fire, the most destructive conflict since the Sundering.  

srryn: Section 3

At first, it seemed the mighty aelin civilization would fall quickly, as one
by one their cities were overrun.  Once the aelin realized the nature of the
threat, however, they rallied their republic to face the invaders.  Using
their swordmastery and the relics of the fallen alatharya, the aelin
followed with a series of counterstrikes, pushing the srryn to a stalemate. 

The stalemate, however, was an untenable one.  The srryn and humans were
both virile races, swelling in numbers quickly.  Furthermore, their magic
was strong and plentiful.  Meanwhile, the aelin took time to renew
themselves, and their success depended on the rapidly fading power of
ancient artifacts, inferior weapons, and force of will.  

In the end, the srryn lines did not break until entirely new forces came
into play.  humans not allied with the srryn joined with a daring minority
of the aelin, and following the words of an alatharyan prophecy, embarked on
a journey to the far north to awaken the sleeping god, Jolinn.  The magics
of Water would lead to the War's end, with much of the world left in ruins. 
The srryn were driven back, many of them to Sythtys, where they hid
themselves from the victorious aelin and humans.  

srryn: Section 4

The rise of the Republic of Earendam left the srryn an isolated race. 
Sythrak, whose magics had kindled their collective will to dominate, was
forced aside by His brother, Sitheus.  He, in turn, encouraged, the srryn to
not give in to the easy temptation of quick victory, and instead hone their
skills for a renewed push for supremacy.  

They did so, content at first to occasionally raid or waylway what travelers
were fool enough to enter their domains.  In the early days of the War of
Night, the srryn kept Republican forces occupied in a lengthy and punishing
campaign under the direction of Sethyltheus the Elder.  Ultimately, their
role was trivialized by the unprecedented power of Void, which left twin
marks upon the srryn race: first, it proved that they had truly fallen from
prominence as Avendar's foremost aggressors; second, it revealed new
possibilities through which to subjugate the weak.  

Sythrak, angered by both His marginalization and the perceived failure of
the srryn during the War of Night, returned to Sythtys with a vengeance.  He
challenged Sitheus, proclaiming that the saurian lord was too weak to
overcome fragile warmbloods.  The two battled, and the immense fury of their
attacks caused fire to rain down over the swamps for months.  In the end,
Sythrak's rage was greater, and He utterly destroyed Sitheus' body.  He
banished the fallen lord's spirit from Sythtys forever, and proclaimed
Himself as the mire's true master.  

srryn: Section 5

In the ages since, srryn have integrated themselves more fully into
Avendarian society.  With the expulsion of Sitheus from the swamp, many
srryn have found themselves more willing to live outside of their most
famous racial home.  As well, new sects of srryn have arisen in the southern
wastes, and in the areas bordering the Crimson Sands.  If anything, the
conflicts have made them stronger and more diverse.  

Because of the conspicuous actions of some srryn in the service of the human
city-states during the modern era, the race has garnered, as a whole, a bit
of additional respectability.  They can be found as gladiators, shopkeepers,
or guards, or on the fringes of human society as bandit-kings.  No longer
universally feared, the srryn are still distrusted, and by no means ignored
by the other races of Avendar.