Kecuala

Kecuala
Unknown
Alignment	True Neutral
Divine Rank	Dead Deity
Pantheon	Scalykind
Portfolio	Lizardfolk, Civilization, Knowledge, Art, Magic, Technology
Domains	3E: Scalykind, Knowledge, Magic, Creation, Artifice, Mind, Commerce, Community, Meditation, Trade 4E: Arcana, Civilization, Creation, Knowledge 5e: Arcana, Forge, Knowledge
Home Plane	Semuanya's Bog (Outlands)
Worshippers	Lizardfolk
Favoured Weapon	Unknown

Kecuala is a lesser racial god of the lizardfolk in Dungeons & Dragons. Mate of Semuanya, the hermaphroditic Kecuala is very different from its apathetic and instinct-driven counterpart; Kecuala is a god of thought and the mind, of advancement, technology and social growth. Whereas Semuanya acts without thinking, Kecuala thinks first and acts second, embracing the power of its mind.

This deity first appeared in the article "Ecology of the Lizardfolk" in Dragon Magazine #335. Here, it was but a minor entity, mentioned in passing as part of the lizardfolk creation myth; it justified the notoriously primitive nature of the lizardfolk by having Kecuala be demonized, stating that lizardfolk are the result of Kecuala falling from grace by thinking so much that its indecision ultimately split it into two lesser beings, in contrast to the spiritual purity of the bestial, instinct-driven Semuanya. This left Kecuala as mostly a footnote in the wide list of D&D spirits, gods and mystical entities... until Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition presented an alternative. In Dungeon Magazine #208, a sidebar in the adventure "Captain Slygo's Treasure" presented the Cult of Kecuala, claiming that the lizardfolk of the Nentir Vale world had once risen to a mighty civilization under the worship of Kecuala as a martyr-god, seeking to follow in his example and embrace the powers of thought and civilization. This empire, sadly, fell into ruin when the warlike and anti-intellectual Cult of Semuanya rose up amongst disaffected commoners and plunged the empire into ruin, demonizing intelligence and reducing lizardfolk to the primitive savages they are today.

Since this is such a striking contrast to the tired cliche of lizardfolk as primitive screwheads, naturally, it's been enshrined here (along with some hypothetical godly stats) for world-builders to take advantage of and explore in their own settings.

The Cult of Kecuala Sidebar

In the days of legend, the lizardfolk deity Semuanya lived with its mate Kekuala in the great Bog of Semuanya. Over time, Kekuala became more and more distracted by abstract and cerebral matters, until ultimately the god split into two entities: male and female. These two were the first mortal lizardfolk. The death of the deity was deemed a marvelous sacrifice by the early lizardfolk, and they resolved to honor it.

A great empire of the lizardfolk arose, one dedicated to matters of the intellect, knowledge, and abstract philosophy. This empire covered vast territory, and the temple on Blood Anchor Island was just one of its many centers of worship and learning.

Eventually, the golden age of the lizardfolk empire came to an end. The ruling class had become removed from the common lizardfolk and were failing to deal with their concerns. A rival philosophy became more powerful, that of the more warlike cult of Semuanya. The ways of Kekuala proved too abstract to deal with the practical concerns of fighting battles, and eventually they were abandoned, leaving shamans of Semuanya in charge. The way of Kekuala was forgotten.

The lizardfolk empire is a largely forgotten piece of history. The rise of the cult of Semuanya forbade all reference to it in their oral traditions, and memory of it has faded. The ruins on Blood Anchor Island are one of the few remnants of this ancient civilization’s achievements.