Pogodorn

"One of the most interesting communties I ever encountered was that of a small village a few days ride into the plains. The Pogodorn inhabitants lived a normal life, except that all of their buildings were entirely underground. While the coolness of the interior was nice for a traveler like me, they said it was to dissuade Cenison attackers. The onlt building above ground was a watchtower in the center of the village, where a scout could always see if Cenison were coming. Can't imagine why they don't move, but whatever" - Moctar Nahal, Yneratl merchant

The Pogodorn are a race that appear similar to bipedal and red-colored bearded dragon lizards, and they claim that their people were given sentience by a powerful dragon. Due to this, the revere dragons above all else, but are also protective of their smaller "kin". The Pogodorn are stouter than other reptilian or draconic races and tend to be about half a foot shorter than Varaiden. The Pogodorn also have scaly beards which they use for regulating heat and in courtship rituals, a feature unique to them. Being reptilian, they naturally do not have hair, having scales all across their body. Notably, unlike the Varaiden and Kobolds, they have the same type of scales surrounding their whole body, lacking the lighter stomach coloring of their distant kin. Pogodorn are very resilient to illness, though not to the extent as dwarves. They mostly inhabit the Red Plains and have some scattered populations in the surrounding regions, which is reasonable, considering their affinity for heat. They appear to be able to regulate their own body heat, which means they do not feel the effects of cold as much as others. Still, they prefer the warmth, which the Red Plains certainly provide. On the plains, they have to combat a number of creatures which possess affinities with fire, though none so powerful as a dragon. The Pogodorn use a number of these species as mounts.
The Pogodorn are a relatively open people, and tend to try to avoid fighting where they can. They maintain positive relations with their Yneratl neighbors for the most part, although it is not unheard of for Yneratl and Pogodorn to have skirmishes or even open warfare. Some Yneratl countries maintain an enslaved Pogodorn population which has its roots in these occasional wars, but the majority of the Beardona population in Yneratl lands is free. Despite occasional conflict with Yneratl, Pogodorn do have one neighboring species which poses quite a threat- the Cenison. They have frequent skirmishes with the more aggressive tribes of Cenison who seek to loot and pillage their towns. Though the mountains to their south protect them from the worst of these potential raids, the wide passages do let some raiding parties through.
Pogodorn enjoy sunning themselves and though they do not tan like races with skin, they can regulate their skin color slightly in order to absorb more or less sun, which means they typically have darker skin in the winter months when there is less sunlight. Their beards are able to change more than their skin, and so may be darker or lighter depending on the season. Additionally, like all reptilian races, the Pogodorn have the ability to enter a sort of suspended animation during which they need no food or water to survive. This can be useful when food and water is scarce, which does happen as the flora of the red plans can be temperamental. Beardonas usually make their homes from earth and clay, excavating basements or burrows and mixing the excavated dirt to make building materials. Pogodorn on the border with Cenison typically have more extensive burrows and smaller aboveground dwellings, due to the frequency of Cenison raids. Since Cenison struggle to reach underground strongholds, the Pogodorn store most of their valuables underground in these regions.
There are a few rare types of Pogodorn which can occur as a result of mutations. These Pogodorn  are usually considered to be especially holy, and are revered in the Pogodorn religion. Pogodorn have been documented as having two heads, two tails, a spiked tail, and with partially translucent scales, which makes their colors much brighter. Of these mutations, the Pogodorn with two heads are the most interesting, as some of these Pogodorn have only one brain, with the other head not possessing any intellect. However, the Pogodorn is still able to control its second head as a normal head and they are not in synch. The eyes in the brainless head, though not able to connect to the brain, apparently give the Pogodorn some sort of advantage.