A Thunder Lizard diorama displayed in Warhammer Chronicles 2004.
A Thunder Lizard is a species of reptile native to the tropical continent of Lustria that is so large that it dwarfs even the mighty Stegadon.
The Thunder Lizards' tread shakes the earth and their deafening roar can be heard for miles, hence their name. They devastate the jungle as they pass through it, a miles-long trail of broken trees and trampled vegetation marking their passage. They are omnivores, capable of consuming their own weight in vegetation in a single day. Woe betide those brave or stupid enough to stand in their way.[1a]
While enormous sauropods stretch their necks to pluck creatures out of the upper most branches, the plodding Thunder Lizards actually penetrate above the canopy, seeking to swallow entire cloud banks, altering weather patterns for miles around in order to charge the fearsome attacks they use to kill their prey.[3a]
When they charge, it is virtually impossible to stay upright, let alone react with any discipline, and they will pay no attention to things that might frighten other creatures, ploughing on towards the enemy without thought or care of what happens around it.[1a] It is said that the only beast in all of Lustria that can make a Stegadon alter its course is the colossal Thunder Lizard, although a bull Stegadon sufficiently riled might well offer challenge, and in its fury may even drive the enemy off.[3b]
History[]
Fortunately for the Lizardmen, Thunder Lizards are rare and the jungles of Lustria so massive that the two species seldom come into contact. Should a Thunder Lizard's distant roar be heard, then runners will be sent to the nearest temple-city and the populace roused lest the beast's path takes it near. A Thunder Lizard passing through a temple-city is akin to a natural disaster of the kind that sunk the settlement of Chupayotl. The chief defence against a Thunder Lizard charge is for a Slann mage-priest to bring his formidable arcane powers to bear on the creature's simple mind, forcing it to turn aside from the city and take an alternative path through the jungle.[2a]
There has been one instance in which a Thunder Lizard could not be turned aside. During the time of the Slann Lord Amoxixan's second ascension, a Thunder Lizard was observed locked in deadly combat with some form of sea monster that had risen from the depths and come inland from the Tarantula Coast. The combat between the two creatures lasted an entire cycle of the moons, and destroyed vast swathes of the jungle.[2a]
At the last, the combatants smashed through the outer limits of Xlanhuapec. Though many Slann pooled their magical powers, the mage-priests were unable to penetrate the beasts' frenzied minds to steer them clear. When the warring beasts had finally passed on, entirely unaware of the destruction they had wrought in their passing, the ancient Temple of the Lost had been destroyed, along with countless numbers of the irreplaceable relics that had been housed within since before the time of the Great Catastrophe.[2a]
Game History[]
There are no official illustrations or miniatures that represent the Thunder Lizard in official Warhammer products. In Warhammer Chronicles 2004, Phil Kelly used various non-Warhammer dinosaur toys to represent the Great Lizards "army" of the Dragon Isles, including an Ankylosaurus magniventris as a Thunder Lizard, displayed above.[1a]
Trivia[]
The Thunder Lizard is likely based on the Brontosaurus (brontē meaning "thunder" and sauros meaning "lizard"), a large, herbivorous, quadrupedal Dinosaur, notable for its long neck and tail.