Trok

Trok is an outcast lizardfolk warrior, covered in tattoos, with an unhealthy relationship to Gatza: he is something of a recovering addict, who remains somewhat estranged from his family. He lives on the beach north of the Drowned Flats neighborhood of Hamri. He is a skilled tattoo artist, and his animal tattoos give him strength and power.

He grew up in a nearby lizardfolk salt marsh village, a promising young star. The family for generations has specialized in ritual wrestling matches that accompany a traditional rite of passage among the salt lizardfolk of the western Mawakel Peninsula, when a young lizardfolk warrior receives their first tattoo. Trok was well-known as a talented wrestler and was gaining a reputation and name for himself in the community for his feats.

He was also very close to his great-grandmother, Sokara, a legendary tattoo artist. She taught him to master the delicate art of making the tattoo inks and breathing magic into finely stippled designs on the scales. This work is often traditionally done under the influence of a carefully controlled dose of the ritual preparation of gatza tea, to allow the voices of the ancestors to guide the magic in the inks.

When she passed on, Trok was despondent, quit fighting, and turned to gatza. Moving away from home, he befriended Ryu, a local human hunter, who helped him find better sources of gatza closer to the sea. For a time he lived alone on the beach, addicted to gatza, trying to reach Sokara, his health wasting away. Gradually he developed relationships with some of the humans of the town, partially emerged from his haze, and came to serve a role as a sea watcher, using his extraordinary powers to make rescues, salvage wrecks, and defend the harbor.