Difference between revisions of "Nagas"

Revision as of 09:36, 25 March 2011

The naga Negeyari and her friend Enishi taking a welcome rest. Picture by arseniquez and used with artist's permission. For larger version visit arseniquez's gallery

Nagas are half human, half snake people. A wide variety of species and sub-species of nagas exist on Felarya. From the enigmatic diamond nagas to the rare Hydranagas with three human bodies attached together, there are far too many to be listed properly. Their size varies a lot, ranging from 6 feet "head to ground", to about "120 feet head to ground", with very different body lengths. Smaller nagas are the most common type, though in Felarya, the term "naga" tend to refer to the giant specimens who are, obviously, infinitely more dangerous and feared. Indeed, giant nagas pose an enormous threat to adventurers in the jungle. They are fast and very agile predators, surprisingly silent for their size and possess huge appetites. They love to ambush convoys and small groups of humans. A typical giant naga eats about 5 humans a day to stay healthy, and many more in order to feel satiated. They eat animals if the hunt is going poorly, and some have even included fruits and vegetables in their diet.

Felaryan nagas possess two stomachs. The smaller one is situated in their human half and is used for small preys, while a much bigger one is situated withing their snake body. A naga eating a small prey would only use the first stomach, as it would be a waste of energy to "warm up" the larger one. In that case the food arrives in the large stomach already digested, so the large stomach just acts like an intestine and moves the food along to the intestines proper. A naga that ate something bigger, however, would require the use of the bigger stomach, so the smaller stomach stretch and let big meals pass through, as if it were simply a section of the naga's throat. Theorically, all nagas are able to swallow very large preys, unhinging their jaws and possessing very extensible throat and stomach. However, in Felarya many of them are used to eat small preys, leading to these mechanism to atrophy somehow. Some nagas like Crisis are almost unable to use them any more. Nagas have very strong stomachs. Not only it can digest just about everything, but it's very resistant to damage as well. Once an unfortunate adventurer finds himself trapped inside one, there is really only one thing that can happen...

In battle, nagas mostly use their tail, along with their bare fists and sometimes a weapon. A naga's tail is tremendously strong, and can do great damage when swung, crushing their foes between the ground and their tough scales. In spite of their physical powers nagas are usually peaceful towards other creatures and are not really a war-like race. The major exception is when dealing with dridders, who have been their natural enemies since time immemorial. Most nagas are potentially powerful spell casters, though their talent appears rather late in their life (aside from ice and emerald nagas, to whom magic is as natural as breathing). Nagas usually have a favored element, which means that they feel more at ease and focused when in contact with that element. They are also more prone to learn magic based around this element, and more resistant to being damaged by it as well.

Small Nagas

A much more common variant than their giant cousins but encountered less, "small nagas" which are approximately human-sized, are very elusive. As the majority of them are loners, similar to their giant cousins, they prefer to avoid confrontations with groups, especially those consisting of humans. Their skins sell well in certain markets, and there are plenty of people harboring a grudge against their larger cousins to justify hunting them for such means. Most smaller nagas tend to give Negav a wide berth as a result of these bad relations, and so the humans living there are widely unfamiliar with them.

Like their giant counterpart, small nagas are able to swallow creatures their size and so are dangerous to humans. However they will only attack human-sized prey when they are sure they have a place to safely digest without their movement handicapped by a bloated tail. To a giant predator, a small naga that's just eaten a big meal is a very easy and filling catch. Therefore they are rather careful about attempting to eat such comparably large prey, and may consider for some time the circumstances before deciding to eat you or not, conversing all the while. Some clever small nagas are able to get away with eating humans often as long as larger suspects are blamed, but many more would rather keep away. Like nekos, they often prey on tinies. Small nagas sometimes form far-between villages, which are rather rare.

Known nagas grouped by elemental alignment

Nature: Crisis, Namesta, Terra

Ice: Rin, Aniya

Lightning: Anna, Masumi

Fire : Scala

Earth: Aurora, Garnet, Kaiten

Water: Vivian, Saya

Wind : Fiona

Unaligned/alignment not known: Katrika, Malika, Jissy, Kai, Queztal, Monty, Ajab

The naga Galya, playing with fire. Picture by arseniquez and used with artist's permission. For larger version visit arseniquez's gallery

Hydranagas

A very rare, almost legendary species of naga. They are said to live in the deepest northern parts of Felarya, areas that very few explorers have ever reached. According to the tales describing them, hydranagas have a multi-colored snake part and three humans bodies attached together, each of them with their own personality and skills. For example, a hydranaga could be composed of a patient and quiet strategist, a fierce and impulsive warrior and a cute and shy spell caster. This makes hydranagas an extremely powerful and versatile creature when the three bodies are in accord, which is not always a given... Like one could guess, hydranagas have an enormous appetite. As a matter of fact, the tales talk mostly about hydranagas that were pushed out of their zone by hunger, and who ended up rampaging and gorging themselves on entire villages before leaving once satiated.

Diamond Nagas

Like hydranagas, they are a very rare species. Diamond nagas only live in caverns, or near minerals, and your best chance to meet one would be to find the legendary crystal forest. Diamond nagas are the absolute bane of spell casters. Their entire body acts like a magical lightning rod, pulling spells off course and reflecting them back at the caster. With a little concentration, the diamond naga can also absorb the spell to strenghten their own magic. They are excellent spell casters themselves possessing a strange and always very unpredictable magic, based on "real illusions" and transmutation. Diamond nagas also have the ability to turn part of their body into pure diamond for a few seconds. For example, a diamond naga punching an enemy would transform their fist into diamond just before impact.

A diamond naga manipulating some mysterious and powerful energies with her mage friend. Picture by Shyguy9 from his Deviantart gallery

Pit Nagas

Pit nagas have demonic blood, and thus they sport various demonic features such as horns, spiked golden scales, and sometimes red skin. It's not uncommon for some specimens to have additional pairs of arms as well. Pit nagas usually live deep underground and possess perfect night vision. Like one would figure, they are very friendly with demons in general and succubi, especially the silver ones. It's common for a pit naga to have a pact with a succubus so that they can summon each other if needed. Pit nagas are formidable warriors. Unlike other nagas, they don't use their tail very much, instead preferring bladed weapons like sabers. Their snake-like reflexes and speed combined with their great strength make for a deadly combination. Moreover, their dark blue blood has a very strange and rare property of "pain reflection". In short, if you draw the blood of a pit naga, you will suffer the exact same pain as it suffers, including dying, if you kill the naga. Obviously, confronting them is a job much more suited to an elemental spellcaster than a swordsman. Lightning-based magic seems to work particularily well against them. Pit nagas on Felarya very rarely come to surface, unless they are really starving, and even then, they would usually just use their pact with a succubi to be transported to their location and hunt together. Pit nagas are dreaded by elementals and ghosts for their natural ability to see and feed on wandering spirits.

Gorgons

Gorgons are an uncommon breed of human-sized nagas. They mostly live in rocky deserts or in ruins, where they can keep a proximity with mineral surfaces. They possess snakelike eyes with slitted pupils, and sharp fangs. Gorgons are mostly known for having living snakes for hair, though different theories are circulating about this trait. Some scientists believe that these snakes are actually just organic tissues made to look like snakes, while others consider them to be some kind of symbiote which attaches itself to the naga's head early on. Whatever the truth is, these snakes have fangs and they definitely can bite. The other trait that makes Gorgons famous is their petryfying gaze, though it tends to be greatly exaggerated. A Gorgon can indeed turn a human-sized creature into a statue, but this is rarely a permanent effect and not lethal, unless the statue is broken..

Ironically, one little known ability of the gorgons is their most powerful one : they are fortune-tellers of sorts. Every gorgon has great natural skills in divination magic, while allow them to see things in the future. Though it's not set in stone, so to speak, they can see a multitude of futures for one person, depending on what choices they take. They rarely offer this service for free though, in view of how much energy it saps from them. They most likely will ask for some rare items in exchange, as they love collecting them. Overall Gorgons are a rather peaceful and solitary race, and not that dangerous to humans, unless you do something stupid of course.

Oceanic Nagas

A large species of sea nagas living exlusively in water, Oceanic nagas can grow to enormous lengths. Specimens of well over 300 feet are common. Their colors vary but they are usually of a dark black on top of their tail and a bright yellow underneath, with dark spots on the broad paddle that makes up the end of their tails. Oceanic nagas lack the belly scales to move on land. Once washed ashore they are almost helpless and must drag themselves along by their arms. Needless to say-they avoid this at all costs ! They only have a single lung, but it runs the entire length of their body, giving them the ability to say submerged for a very long time. Provided they aren't under any stress, a big Oceanic naga can stay under for up to seven hours. All of them are extremely venomous. They like to live in the weed beds that gather along the spots in the Topazial Sea where two currents meet. They call this a “Conjunction.” Oceanic nagas are deadly predators that rarealy take the time to speak in the midst of a hunt, and will swallow anything the right size. This include small mermaids, and various species of fish, especially eels of all sorts. They rarely meet humans that far out to sea but they definitely see them as on the menu too !

Known Oceanic Nagas

Pella

Sea Krait Nagas

A species of aquatic nagas, Sea Krait nagas are smaller than their Oceanic naga cousins, growing to around 250 feet long. Their most distinctive feature is their brightly striped tail ending in a small fin. Their scales are usually black, white and greyish blue, though there are other varieties of colors as well. These stripes indicate that the naga is armed with a deadly venom which can be injected in one bite. It's a lethal Neurotoxin which shuts down the vital organs of the victim in minutes. Unlike Oceanic nagas, Sea Krait nagas retain their gripping scales, which allows them to slither onto land. They possess long ears which they can move freely to act like diving planes. Their eyes are usually of a bright yellow, and lack a pupil. The most common hair colors for Sea Krait Nagas are Black, White, and Silvery Grey. They can hold their breath for a good amount of time, being able to stay submerged for up to one hour. It's interesting to note they tend to get dazzled if their eyes are struck by light at night time.

Sea Krait nagas usually make their homes in coastal caves and islands on the Topazial sea. They are known to travel great distances from their homes but always return. They often stops on Shillapo island where the southern plains provide them an adequate place to relax and sun themselves. They leave the nearby humans in Chioita city alone, in exchange for a rare fish that the humans breed, along with other services. Curious by nature, they often investigate a large array of things that interest them. They love to collect things to keep in their homes, such as shells or items from sunken ships, sometimes turning them into accessories. Its not uncommon to see a female Sea Krait naga wearing ship anchors for earrings. They will even sometimes ask humans to fashion something for them. The crafters of Chioita city are often kept busy crafting various accessories. In addition, they love it when people compliment them on their accessories. Sea Krait nagas are a rather easy-going race in general, known to befriend others easily. Though if they, or somebody they hold dear, are threatened, they can be become extremely dangerous and fierce.

Like other nagas, Sea Krait nagas will eat whatever they can swallow whole. This include humans, though it's possible to buy your way out of becoming a meal, by either offering a trinket of some sort, play music for them if you're a musician, or surrender your catch from the sea if you're a fisherman, theres a variety of ways. This makes them a little safer than most nagas, but they still should be treated with great caution. Some are completely harmless to humans, prefering fish, while others are true man eaters. The majority of Sea Krait nagas have a mixed diet though.

Known Sea krait Nagas

Negeyari

• Credits to Tora044 for the Sea Krait nagas idea, to Zoekin for the Oceanic nagas, to Fish and Oldman40k2003 for some precisions on naga anatomy, to Melancholy-Melody13 for writting the description of Gorgons.