Scientific Battleonia
by damselindigital

Lizard Wizard, Drakel Share Common Ancestor

 

Willow Creek, Battleonia, September 16th – Newly unearthed remains help shed some light on the origins of the lizard wizard.

 

Over a year ago, a landslide within the Dwarfhold Mountains had archaeologists clamoring in excitement. The shifting of the rocks had provided a previously undiscovered cavern with an entrance. Of course, this was not found until later, when a small band of hikers accidentally stumbled across what appeared to them to be some sort of old and discarded hovel. Fortunately, they did not disturb the site overly much and reported the sighting when returned to civilization.

 

Since then, the area has been the source of many new specimens, artifacts, and, of course, speculation. As the unearthing of the site continued, even more locations were discovered, stretching across the western side of the mountain range and the project continued to grow. Some discovery and theory was released to the public, but a true report had not been seen until yesterday, which marked the official publication of these findings.

 

What has the scientific community most excited is the discovery of a series of skeletons, buried under layers of rock and dirt. Scientists revealed that these were not the remains of simply one generation, but quite a large number. Unfortunately no single skeleton was wholly intact, but a general anatomical description has been compiled over the months by experts. Magical dating techniques, though somewhat inaccurate, have also provided some information in regards to the migration of what scientists now feel confident as saying are the ancestors of the lizard wizard.

 

It is now believed that the wizards, many thousands of years ago, had a common ancestor with today’s Drakel. However, for some reason, a number of this race was driven into the mountains where they became somewhat isolated, though whether by necessity or choice is unclear. Over time they turned to wind magics, unsurprising in the harsh conditions of the mountains. The skeletal record clearly reveals that over the centuries their legs became vestigial as their proficiency with the winds grew and they mastered wingless flight.

 

Some number of centuries ago, perhaps even a millennia or more, the lizard wizards, now resembling physically what we have come to know in the modern era, descended from the mountains and migrated out into the forests. Scientists are still trying to determine what exactly caused this mass exodus, though they suspect it likely that the population was growing too large for the sparse mountainous region to support. Thus, they retreated to areas with more abundant food sources.

 

It seems likely that some time during this transitory period, the lizards acquired a taste for mosquitoes, something that has made them a rather popular companion to many households and adventurers. Researchers are still hopeful that more might yet be unearthed to help clarify what occurred to spark these changes. However, for now, we must be content with this new revelation in the history of the much adored lizard wizard.