Quetzlaka were a distinctly reptilian people native to the Scarred Isles south of Ealia. They were one of three ancestries created after the Withering, along with ak'arii and azu. Quetzlaka were amphibious and spent nearly as much time in the water as they did on land. Because they did not experience the same range of emotions as other ancestries, quetzlaka were often labelled as callous or uncaring. They were sometimes called quetz for short and may have been grouped with ak'arii and azu under the term wildkin.

Though quetzlaka stood upright like humans, they shared many similarities with reptiles like iguanas, chameleons, and geckos. They stood between five and six feet but were even taller if fully stretched out. Instead of any hair, quetzlaka were covered in small scales which might have been many shades of green, blue, or brown; many quetzlaka had two or more colours of scales on different parts of their body. Their eyes could be orange, yellow, red, or brown and bad black circular pupils. While living no longer than 60 years before dying of natural causes, quetzlaka would reach physical maturity in 10-13 years. In the final year of their life, they would experience lethargy and decreased physical strength.

Quetzlaka preferred to live near bodies of water, which they needed in order to breed. They hatched from eggs laid underwater in soft sand where they would live for up to a year while they developed. Quetzlaka bodies had to be externally warmed, typically by basking in the sun. They required warmth and humidity to survive. Being amphibious, quetzlaka were naturally proficient swimmers.

When compared to the other sentient peoples of Aedelor, quetzlaka experienced a significantly narrower range of emotions. It was rare for a quetzlaka to experience love, hatred, envy, or passion like others did. Because of this, they were often viewed as unloving or heartless. Despite what other peoples often thought of them, quetzlaka still developed bonds and ideals but they were more likely to be based on a position of logic or pragmatism rather than one of emotion.

Like their spiritual cousins, ak'arii and azus, quetzlaka were created at the behest of Artellan of Arborea in an attempt to control Aedelor's sea, land, and sky. Teocoatl was tasked with creating an ancestry that would rule over the sea. Ak'araj and Nasiba, each desiring to please Artellan more than the others, conspired together to sabotage Teocoatl's kin. Through their efforts, quetzlaka were robbed of their emotions and warmth at the moment of their creation. Fearing they would no longer be suited solely for the seas of Aedelor without their warmth, Artellan made Teocoatl's creation amphibious so that they could bask in the sun.

Quetzlaka were created at the end of the first century DC when Teocoatl sent a fragment of his shard into Aedelor. Landing in Nezahual, the resulting impact created a lake from which quetzlaka first emerged, which they called Teochi Atezcatl. For hundreds of years, they sought to fulfill their divine missive by migrating to several coastal locations in the Scarred Isles, the Emerald Isles, Mbakar, and even as far north as Lesser Antillia. With the aid of their god, they also gained mastery over fearsome dinosaurs which became central to their lifestyle, particularly in the Scarred Isles.

After the events of the Xotla-Tizano War left Teochi Atezcatl inhospitable in 388 DC, many quetzlaka were directed by their god to migrate to the southern Aemys Isles to rebuild their civilization. By 500 DC, quetzlaka held dominion over much of the Scarred Isles as well as the Aemys Isles. They also lived as minorities in Mbakar, Kamazar, western Islingar, and western Dalazar.