Naga

From Legacy of Auria
Jump to navigationJump to search
Naga
Empress Siva.png
CreatorXero
Information
Average Height175cm-200cm
(Extra 150cm-300cm for tail)
Lifespan1000 years
Hair ColoursVivid Colours
Eye ColoursVivid Colours
Skin ColoursFair, Tanned (Human)
Vivid Colours (Scales)
Current LeaderEmpress Sakura Hiroyama
CapitalJad'ir
PlanetSerena

The mysterious and mystical Naga of Serena have long been the land's protectors and caretakers. Though they appear to be monsters, they are rarely known for committing villainous acts. Rather, the Naga spend their days studying the arts of their spiritual magic as well as tending to the land around them.

Ages ago, in the kingdom of Atlami, Lamia women and effeminate men were forced into servitude and oppression by the men. Desiring more than this Lady Sethris, consort of the Ocean King, murdered her mate in his sleep and rallied the women and the slaves of the kingdom into a fierce rebellion where they struck out against their oppressors, leading to chaos and destruction that would eventually lead to the kingdom shattering into multiple ones. When the dust settled down, the prince of Atlami sentenced Sethris and her followers into banishment, shackling them, stripping away their Aqua Scales and throwing them onto land to die a slow and cruel death. As fortune and fate would have it, they were brought to the continent of Serena where the Serpents made their home. Graceful and kind as they were, the Dragons went out of their way to save the Lamia by breaking free their shackles and gifting them the ability to live out of water, saving those that survived the torment which included the great Sethris herself. Thankful for the aid of the Dragons, Sethris promised to honour them as she led her people inwards to the mountains of Serena to find themselves a new sanctuary.

However, finding a permanent home would not be so easy for the Naga as the land was already claimed by a race of mighty bovines called the Oxine. They had traveled far up the mountains to find one of their settlements, a village called Jadefist from where Sethris asked the elders there for a place to stay to which she was met with harsh rejections, the Oxine too proud for their own good shunning the half-snakes away and even threatening them with violence. Refusing to give up and her people near starvation, Sethris herself launched an overnight attack on the village by poisoning their waters, before a single moonrise half the village found themselves heavily weakened, unable to fight back as the Naga returned to claim the village as their own, putting down the elders and any other who still chose to fight back or try to run, enslaving the survivors and forcing them to work for the Naga. The Oxine were made to mine Jade from the nearby caverns and use that to build a mighty city on the mountain tops where Jadefist used to stand, the first Naga Empress naming the city Jad'ir.

Unfortunately for them, the troubles with the Oxine kept going. Over a century, they had to keep their existence hidden, having known that the different Oxine settlements rarely speak to one another. They had any messengers or runners that tried to reach Jadefist killed, leaving little information for the rest of the Oxine. After all those years, the Naga would be discovered but by then their numbers had already been grown tenfold, allowing them to easily fight back a fragile connected Oxine army that marched upon their city, slaughtering them and slowly taking the remainder of Serena under their own control. Some call it murder, others call it a just war, to Lady Sethris it was survival and the Oxine challenged that. Would it not have been for the merciful Jihyassa of the newly-formed Boa Clan who led those that surrendered onto their Skyport, the Oxine people would have been driven to total extinction on that day.

After the slaughter that took place in Jad'ir, Empress Sethris officially founded the Hebi Dynasty from the ashes of war, stating both the Boa Clan as well as the Viper Clan as her left and right hands in leading their people to a brighter future. Over time the Hebi Dynasty begun to loosen their restrictions and allow free travel through their lands. The history of the Oxine was buried deep into their library, hoping that the story of how they destroyed an entire race be left a secret.

When the secrets of Magic begun to be known across Auria, the Naga begun to practice a form known as Mantra, which draws powers from the spirit of the wielder itself, becoming stronger the more attuned and enlightened the individual is. As such, the Naga are seen as calm, collected and often times joyful, trying to keep their inner peace in check so they can reach higher levels of power in the form of Mantra. Six hundred years following the beginnings of Magic, Empress Majikku Kokuja overthrew the previous Empress Ha Chikara, bringing an end to the Hebi Dynasty and forming in its place the Oni Dynasty. The process of one dynasty ending and a new taking its place has become a key element in the governing of the Naga, with the newest and current dynasty being the Shin.

During the Grand War, the Naga were besieged by the Human Armies led by King Yvain Greymoore. Though at first frightened by this sudden attack, Empress Uneiko Shorai gathered her followers and used their collective Mantra to push back against the Humans, generating massive spiritual walls to keep the Humans away while the deadly Viper Clan challenged the Humans in melee combat, these deadly Blademasters using their Mantra to fight the Humans head-on, troubling them as a single Naga could take on ten Human soldiers.

Unfortunately, the Mantra of the Naga can only last so long and after months of steadfast fighting, the Humans would slowly push towards Jad'ir, using the siege machines made by captive Fenik tinkers to break open pathways that let the Luxfordia armies in, the Empress at that time slain by King Yvain and leaving the rest of her followers in a dark time where their mantra was at the lowest. Thankfully, the Sacred Order, a clan of Humans that live in Serena, came to aid the people of Jad'ir during their darkest hour, escorting as many of them to their village of Emere in secret, saving hundreds of lives in the process.

Later on the Elves and their Enkhulun allies fought back against the Humans, successfully liberating the Naga from their control and giving them the chance to rebuild their sacred city. As thanks for the aid the Sacred Order gave them, the Naga begun to teach them the ways of Mantra so that they can further improve their combat skills.

Religion and Culture

Naga practice a belief towards self enlightenment through the use of Mantra whilst also believing the Serpents native to Serena to be their guardians and messengers of the Gods. Though they do not worship any one deity, the Naga often will do the bidding of a Serpent who approaches them with orders of great importance. Though they believe other forms of Dragon to be lesser in comparison to the Serpents, the Naga are relatively welcoming of Draken as they see them blessed by the Serpents and many are quick to fall affectionate towards a Draken male when they see one.

Many Naga welcome any weary traveler to their cities and settlements with open arms... and tails so that they may share stories and grandeur together which may benefit one another in certain ways. Many Naga men and women act as courtesans for other non-Naga in hopes of drilling out important information that their empire may see valuable in progressing their influence in the Galaxy. Naga are known as seductive beings and take extra care of their outward appearances, wishing to appear as beautiful or handsome to whomever they may come across in their long lives in hopes to coercing them into a mutual partnership.

Naga are also excellent practitioners in jewelcrafting with throughout their long and rich history they have worked with the minerals found in their land to craft large, magnificent settlements and temples as well as cutting the highest priced accessories on the Aurian market. Tailoring is another side of Naga culture considered highly important as their people wish to remain looking as good as possible towards others in hopes of seducing them.

Many Naga follow the way of battle by training endlessly to be master blademasters or renowned sorcerers with the Viper Clan and Boa Clan being the two factions a Naga may choose to become an elite combatant. This does not mean every Naga pursues a life of elite training as some leave their luxurious homes and the comfort of their jade walls in search of independent adventures or business through the Galaxy.

When the Empress Kurai Redi sought to gain information and influence all over the galaxy she founded the Sensh Inju, a closed-off circle of spies and assassins that would travel the world to feed her with valuable information. Even after Kurai's passing, the Sensh Inju act as advisors and informants for the current Empress always serving whoever sits on the imperial throne with utmost loyalty.

Society and its Structure

The current Naga Empire is known as the Shin Dynasty, which begun governing the Naga in 2994, succeeding the previous Daiya Dynasty.

The Shin Dynasty is always led by a female Naga known as an Empress who is chosen through a long-running bloodline of Empresses with a new one being crowned when the previous one surrenders her crown or has it taken away from them by the new. The Viper and Boa Clans are fiercely loyal to the current ruling Empress and act as her closest line of defense at all times which also results in them being the policing force within their settlements though their influence is felt more in the capital of Jad'ir and less the farther away one travels from it. Citizens are expected to obey every command given to them by the royal clans though they themselves are only allowed to give out commands to citizens at the orders of the Empress. So long as the laws of the Empress do not forbid it, a citizen of Shin is allowed to do whatever they wish for in the city.

Naga men and Naga women are seen as equal among their populous though the number of women in the empire greatly outweighs the men. All genders are expected to do equal jobs and be given equal pay as a result with discrimination rarely taking place outside of the fact that many Naga show a great deal more interest in non-Naga men than women.

Physical Appearance and Behavior

Naga are half-snake, half-humanoid beings with their upper bodies resembling that of a Human or Asvar often with long flowing hair in vibrant colours while their lower halves starting from their hips transition into a serpentine figure that can reach as long as three meters. These serpentine halves are covered in shining scales that can substitute for armor in many cases.

Naga men are almost identical to Naga women outside of the lack of breasts and slightly more toned, though still effeminate, upper bodies. They may also have shorter hair though many make an attempt to grow it out.

They often appear overly proud and dignified as well as assured of themselves, rarely letting their word be lessened by others. Many Naga enjoy manipulating friend or foe alike into working for them, using charm and guile to outsmart and win over even the most willful person. Despite this, Naga rarely wish harm upon others and make sure that when one servers them loyally that they are also rewarded handsomely.