As Lizardmen, in particular Saurus, grow older, the scaly skin on their backs becomes harder and some plates ossify completely. Their scales become paler, taking on a tinge of white, a marking considered blessed by the Old Ones. The natural armour of the Lizardmen therefore improves with age, making the hoary old veterans harder to slay in battle, their scales thick and covered in lethal protrusions.[1a]