A Queen Shakalaka and one her subjects. Though usually their masks are sealed shut.
Type: Demihuman
Habitat: Nearly anywhere (only in the Reptile Kingdom)
Diet: Omnivorous, eats anything.
Disposition: Simple, Ill-tempered, Childish, Arrogant, Cowardly, Crafty (Courageous, Devoted, Loyal and Helpful)
Long ago a clan of goblins immigrated into the Reptile Kingdom, these goblins faced many trials and hardships, however they persevered in eeking out a living in savage wilderness, and after many generations these goblins had adapted and become a new race. a race known, as the Shakalaka.
The Shakalaka are on of the few races unique to the Reptile Kingdom that isn't a Reptile, the Shakalaka has undergone a number of changes in order to survive. Most notably is that, while their height remains the same, their bodies have become more developed, causing them to have the appearance of a small woman, not a child. They commonly have tanned skin and often have tribal symbols painted on themselves and the clothes they wear are always skimpy tribal clothing, rags, hides, or pelts used as bikinis or loin clothes, grass or leaf skirts ect. Even in the snowy mountains and blister volcanoes they wear very little clothing and seam unaffected by the cold or heat and in other places it isn't uncommon to go topless or even nude. However, there is one thing all Shakalaka will always wear no matter the circumstances, and that is their masks. All Shakalakas wear a large mask at all times, constantly covering their face from view. They only remove their mask when bathing or when changing masks and they only do this in absolute privacy because of this few people will ever know what a Shakalakas face looks like. The most common mask seen amongst the Shakalaka is a Jack 'o Lantern esq design carved out a pumpkin and frequently painted.
While Shakalakas are well adapted to their home in the Reptile Kingdom, however, well adapted does not necessarily mean that they are anywhere close to the top of the food chain. While they are still stronger than the average human, amongst other Reptile Kingdom mamono, they are feather weights. Far too weak to contend with the more powerful predators and they are easily out maneuvered by the smaller ones, the Shakalaka had create many new strategies to survive
First among these strategies is stealth. While Shakalakas are wide spread throughout the kingdom, they are among the surprisingly difficult mamono to find. They have master the art of digging, and commonly go underground when traveling for long distances, safe from the fangs of large and dangerous predators. Their villages always well hidden, more importantly they are built in such a way that when on the verge of being discovered, the Shakalaka can pack the whole thing up and escape down underground in a matter of hours. As an early warning system against intruders, they Shakalaka will have sentries posted in all directions, often miles starting miles away, these Sentries, and all other Shakalaka are masters of camoflage, often a Shakalaka sentry hides partially underground and is indistinguishable from a simple stone or mushroom as they silently observe everthying that goes on around them.
The second strategy the Shakalaka employ is one that they have been quite well known for, they are extremely territorial and have a very bad temper. Anything that comes too close could find itself subject to their wrath. When provoked Shakalakas attack with great ferocity and enthusiasm, often hurling themselves into a fray. However, Shakalakas fo not fight with anything that even resembles skill, and the weapons they carry are nost often clubs or brocken swords scavenged from fallen adventures, making their ferocious attacks more comical than threatening to a serious fighter. However between the frightening masks Shakalakas wear, their ferocious attacks, and their savage attack style, even predators that could kill a Shakalaka with ease will go elsewhere in search for less crazy prey.
The third strategy that Shakalakas make use of, is their cowardice. When faced with a foe that they know they cannot defeat or when on the verge of defeat, a Shakalaka will immediately flee, and they are perfectly will to abandon nearly anyone or anything to ensure their own survival. Afterall, it's easier to make an excuse for your own cowardice than do battle with something that can step on you without even realizing that you're there.
The final adaptation that the Shakalaka have made when moving is the craftyness they show in nearly all scenarios. They usually have a variety of tools at their disposal, mostly dirty tricks to defeat their foes. Explosives, poison gas, sleep gas, and stink bombs are all commonly carried by Shakalakas. Disguising a small explosive as some sort of useful or valuable item is also common practice amongst the Shakalaka. They have also invented a style of dance with magical effects, which they use to heal and boost themeselves and their companions. There are also a few who have built custom masks, not only for aesthetics but also to add functionality, some have added simple tools such as a whetstone to sharpen blades or an air canister to stay underwater for longer, others have created much more complex and eveb magical designs, such as systems to magnify sounds to improve their tracking abilities or an apparatus that allows them to unleash incredibly loud roars and/or mimic the fireballs used by dragons on a much smaller scale. To list all of the mask designs invented by Shakalakas would likely require a sort encyclopedia all its own so suffice to say that the designs and uses of Shakalaka masks vary a great deal.
Despite their diminutive size and general cowardice, Shakalaka tend to be very arrogant. They frequently view themselves as beautiful and mighty warriors and frequently boast of their great deeds, usually greatly exaggerating and conveniently forgetting everything that detracts from the heroic persona they're trying to give themselves. Unlike other mamono who characterized by their arrogance, their arrogance does not stem from from their race. They do not believe that being a Shakalaka makes them innately better than everyone else. Instead they act as if they are superior not only to people of other races but to each other as well. Often poking holes into boastful claims and proving them to be nonsense while simultaneously making boastful and nonsensical claims of their own. This frequently sparks squabbles, often over trivial things and frequently spark rivalries with one another. These rivals will constantly be attempting to outshine eachother, ironically this often ends in the two becoming close friends, not that they would ever admit to being friends with one another.
Men who encounter Shakalaka in the field are often attacked. Those who are defeated by the Shakalaka are usually raped and dragged off to become their husbands, not unlike other mamono, however due to their childish arrogance, Shakalaka are quite susceptible to flattery, making this fate rather easy to avoid. Simply paying them a few compliments will pacify a raging Shakalaka almost immediately, often a person can even gain the Shakalakas aid with few honeyed words. A man should be cautious with how much he inflates a Shakalakas ego, lest she become infatuated with him and begin following him around seeking to "reward him for his good taste in recognizing her greatness" and marry him.
There is also a growing trend amongst Shakalakas to leave their village and joining civilization, specifically the hunters guild. They rarely become full fledged hunters but instead end up becoming the assistant to a hunter. By doing this they gain easy access to materials to make masks with, many adventures which they can use inflate their reputation as fierce warriors, and for those fortunate enough to work for a male hunter, a potential husband. These Shakalakas maintain their arrogance despite being in a subordinate position, often referring to their hunter as their "minion", claiming that the hunters victories were due to their expert guidance and treating success in even the most trivial tasks as bragging rights. If one of these Shakalakas happens to have a rival, then that rival will more than likely follow them to the hunters guild, leaving a single hunter having to deal with two Shakalakas bidding for his affection and constantly trying to one up the other.
Despite their arrogance these Shakalakas frequently prove to be quite devoted to their hunter. Even while calling the hunter "minion" they never falter in doing various drudge work or even in being used as bait. While they can rarely do any serious damage to a foe their hunter might face, they are surprisingly effective in support roles, using their various tools and magic dances to aid their hunter. They even construct a wide variety of masks which they use to further support their hunter in any number of scenarios. These Shakalakas have even been known to deny their cowardly nation and stand up against impossible odds for the sake of their beloved minion. Because of this the Hunters Guild has given the Shakalaka who join them a special rank of their own, the rank of Chum-Chum. (In defense of the Hunters Guild the name was the Shakalakas idea not theirs.)
The Shakalakas masks are a matter of great significance. Their face is an extremely private thing to them. Shakalakas will only peak out of their masks and look at someone directly when they have a great deal of romantic interest in that person, and the only time they will remove their mask in the presence of another is when they are alone with their husband. Because of this, the only people who knows what the face of one looks like are the men who marry them.
It should be noted that amongst the Shakalaka there is a rare subtype called a Queen Shakalaka. Queen Shakalakas are noticeably larger than the average Shakalaka both in overall and in the size of their breasts. Queen Shakalakas are also gain a drastic increase in strength and durability, sometimes to the point of being able to keep up with low ranking dragons. Because of this Queen Shakalakas invariably claim a leadership role amongst the Shakalaka and are one of the few things Shakalakas will show genuine respect for. Queens are also easily identified by having some form of fire built on top of their mask, usually a barbecue spit. Why they do this isn't known, most assume that their using the flames as some form of crown, however on top of this, they are actually capable of using the fire to scatter fire balls in all directions. Like all Shakalakas, Queens are extremely arrogant, and their great strength doesn't help, often they will refuse to take anyman who they don't recognize as strong, usually by testing him through battle. Fortunately, Queens tend to stay at the village where they can give out their orders and protect their followers instead of wander around the wilderness.
[First we had the skeleton, now we have the trick or treater/Jack 'o Lantern. the Shakalaka is based of the creature from monster hunter beari g the same name. I realize that this goes against my reptiles only rule, but these things are essentially canon fodder, their presence in the kingdom is explained, and I'm the king, I make the rules, so fuck the police. Information on the Reptile Kingdom and links to the other Reptile Kingdom mamono can be found here: (http://monstergirlencyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:The_Reptile_King/The_Reptile_Kingdom) You can also make suggestions there if you want, just follow the rules on that.
As per my norm, feedback and criticism is welcome and encouraged, so long as your criticisim is more than mindlessly insulting me, I want something useful out of it. So tell me what you think of her]