Alrighty here's my base conceptual model for this.



1. The Saurials were originally a slave race of the Sarrukh, and they were made from Thunderers (the Forgotten Realms' term for dinosaur )

2. They were made for specific tasks which is why different Thunderers were used.

3. They filled the humanoid niche during that ancient time.

4. There was a sundering like event that split it off from the rest of the realms and became it's own dimension (still working on a proper name).

5. The Saurials eventually threw off their chains and basically dominate their own dimension, not unlike humans. Whether other races exist in the Saurial home world, remains to be seen.

6. The Saurial home world isn't so much a look back in time as an alternative timeline. it is also a place to pull back favorite forgotten realms monsters from previous editions that fit the overall theme.

7. Saurials breed quickly, live as long as Dwarves and while generally a good race, have become an invasive species since they returned to the forgotten realms.

8. Since the Sundering, they have returned to the Lost Vale, which they discovered empty, save for the symbol of the Zhenterium on a tree in the south (drawing upon my love of history by parodying the colony of Roanoke) and have come out of the wood work in far greater numbers then expected.

9. They are determined to never be driven out again from their home away from home.

10. Moander was a minor splinter of Shar (not unlike what happened with Selene and Mystra) that is dead, but his god fragments are now being fought over by Lloth, Shar, and Jubilex for their own schemes.

11. Grypht (the Hornhead Saurial in the Finder Stone's trilogy) is still there, but very old and will not be around for too much longer. It is unsure whether the Lost Vale will survive without him. It's like losing Elminister for Shadowdale. Heck one of the quests I'm leaving is trying to find a way to increase his lifespan that he'll actually accept.



How's that for a base?