The Mahkim are a four-armed reptilian race of Zanaga, and the inheritors of the lizardman empire. Once they were the martial scions of the lizardmen, and the legacy of those glorious days remains in their advanced tactics, unique weapons, and jungle combat skills. While those lizardmen who remain are primitive descendants who remember little of their ancestors’ glory, the Mahkim have lost little of their culture. Many tribes of Mahkim dwell upon ancient roads or in the shadow of an old lizardman temple, protecting these structures from the agents and war parties of the nagas, who are eager to steal their secrets.
Adventurers may find themselves allies or enemies of the Mahkim, depending on whether they come seeking their guidance or to plunder their eggs. Clutches of these milky-green orbs fetch a high price in the ports of Terrinoth and Al-Kalim, where their healing properties are well known. Mahkim are the masters of the inland waterways and guides without peer, which can come in handy when trying to avoid naga hunters in the depths of the old lizardman empire. Explorers sometimes recruit Mahkim warriors or hunters, the race’s young having a reputation for striking out on their own to make their fortune.
The largest Mahkim village, and the spiritual center of their people, rides on the back of the huge crocodile Ravin. This vast beast is worshipped as a god by the Mahkim, and it bears them throughout Zanaga across rivers and lakes, though they must constantly feed its massive appetite. When challenged or wronged, Mahkim warriors paint the god’s likeness on their hides and cry out his name as they charge into battle. These same devotees then devour their fallen enemies, each gulp of meat another prayer to their god.
Mahkim Warriors
Makhim warriors are as fierce as any in Zanaga, and they have adapted to the environments they fight in. Most employ weapons that only a four-armed fighter could wield, like the dagger-like dolochs they wear as gauntlets. They also employ leather slings which they twist and swing to send a missile flying with tremendous momentum. Makhim are seldom encountered alone; they usually travel in great war parties, some scouting ahead, others staying to the shadows. At first glance, their opponents might believe they face but a few of the reptilian creatures, at least until the jungle comes alive with a cacophony of hissing war cries.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth