Tulle Lizards

Physical Appearance

At seven feet tall, tulle lizards
intimidate even Wizards. Scales cover
Tulle Lizards' entire four-legged
bodies and can change color to match
the environment. Their faces almost
seem human, except for the scales,
razor thin pupils, and purple lips.
Green hair grows atop their heads. In
West New Pangaea, their irises are
orange.

Tulle lizards can be ridden, but their
scales will chafe riders' thighs if
not properly covered. To domesticate a
healthy tulle lizard, it must be
caught as a pup, before its fangs
break gum. Tulle lizard trainers hand
feed the pups a high protein gruel.

Claws extend from all four feet. Tulle
lizards can fall back on their rear
legs to claw at an attacker. A tulle
lizard's three to five feet long tail,
however, is much more powerful. When a
tulle lizard spins about, its tail
strikes with enough force to kill
small prey.

Glands under a healthy tulle lizard's
tongue produce a strong acid that
shoots out from its open mouth when
distressed. The acid can burn a hole
into flesh.

Tulle lizards can also use their
two-inch long fangs to snare prey.

Diet

Despite their sharp fangs, tulle
lizards are omnivores. They eat greens
and meat alike. Though healthy tulle
lizards hunt in packs, they aren't
fast enough to catch larger creatures
such as deer. Typically, tulle lizards
eat smaller prey, no larger than a
turkey.

Habitat

They were named after the tulle fog
that spreads from north Gildon in
winter. Tulle lizards prefer the cold.
Although they descended from reptiles,
tulle lizards are not cold blooded.
They have a four chambered heart and
closed circulatory system similar to
that of Humans. However, they cannot
sweat to cool themselves off,
therefore healthy tulle lizards
usually avoid hotter regions.

Their respiratory system lacks the
mechanisms to efficiently clean dust
from the air they breathe - thus their
preference for foggy weather.

Mereck's Disease

After Gildon attacked the Onyx Empire,
the Onyx Empress, Amarla, mutated an
avian virus to infect Gildon's tulle
lizard population. Tulle lizards at
that time were Gildon's national
symbol and graced Gildon's flag.

The virus spread by scale flakes on
the wind. Once inhaled, Mereck's
disease degrades the tulle lizard's
nervous system. An infected tulle
lizard will shake, frequently roll its
head about, and make nonsensical
noises. In the later stages of
infection, the tulle lizard's cavities
will leak dark viscous fluid; it's
movements will slow and body sag until
the creature collapses.

No cure has been found. Gildon removed
the tulle lizard from its flag and no
longer uses tulle lizards as mounts