Naga
The naga are an aquatic race of snake-like Sentients closely related to the maren, mer, and seces peoples. Unlike the other legless aquatics, naga are easily able to live on land without adaptive devices such as wheelchairs. This is because of their snakelike bodies, which are able to slither across the ground as well as swim through water easily.
They were part of the original Aquatics Alliance in 785 AE, before the International Alliance was formed. Though they are generally one of the races whose history is dismissed by land-dwellers, naga have had a huge impact on the world’s history and culture.
They are a peaceful race, often called the “farmers of the sea,” and are best known for their large underwater plantations. However, in modern days, their farms are not based solely in the ocean and there are many freshwater naga colonies across the known territories.
Physical Traits
Av. Height (Standing): 4’10”
The naga are a hairless humanoid race with a snakelike lower half. They have a mix of scales and leathery skin, of which amounts and patterns can vary greatly between individuals. Their skin and scales can be any colours, though they are usually vividly bright and colourful.
Naga are on the shorter side of the average height of Sentients when standing comfortably, though some naga may deliberately stand taller or shorter on their tails in order to match heights with those around them.
When in water naga seem much larger as their tail’s length can be anywhere between two to five times the length of their torsos. These long tails have their advantages and naga are the fastest natural swimmers of all Sentients; even faster then the valenor, who are a substantially larger race.
All naga have fins on their faces and down their backs, though they may vary in appearance. These fins are mostly decorative, though some naga with larger back-fins are able to use them to aid their turning when going at high speeds. There are naga also have fins along their arms and sides, though not all do.
As a water-dwelling race, naga are born with strong gills that filter the air out of water when they breathe. Some naga have gills so small they may be difficult to see at first, especially if the naga has patterns or scales around their necks. Unlike other aquatic Sentients naga are able to inhale through their mouths while underwater and can still filter the water through their gills to breathe; this is believed to be related to their ability to smell underwater.
Most naga have flat noses with broad bridges. This aids in above-water breathing and makes their sense of smell very strong both on land and underwater. When underwater, naga smell by exhaling through their nose; this breath is trapped by mucus and remains attached to the naga’s face as a large bubble until they choose to inhale it again. Naga can make mucus bubbles while above water, but most choose not to because most land-dwelling Sentients find them unappealing and “gross.”
Naga have mostly-fanged mouths. Their canines are extended, and all of their molars are sharp and pointed. Their incisors are less pointed, however, and their tongues are long and prehensile, able to reach over 30 centimetres in length. Mostly naga will keep their tongues tucked away in the back of their throats as it’s considered rude to stick them out unless eating.
Sex and Gender
There aren’t many differences between male and female naga, socially or physically. As naga have developed as a hard-labouring race, there is no sex that develops particular strengths or weaknesses when compared with the other and all naga are expected to take on necessary roles in the community regardless of their sex or gender.
The main physical difference between male and female naga is that female naga develop breasts while pregnant, which do not shrink after breastfeeding has ended. Naga who have developed breasts are not considered more feminine or less masculine than those without, though older naga with breasts are treated with a large amount of respect and are often referred to by the special title, “Nariga Nung,” in place of their name as a sign of respect for their perceived wisdom.
Otherwise, all identifying sexual organs are internal. This is because of their snakelike body shape. They have a single slit at the front of their pelvis which both contains their reproductive organs and acts as the end of their digestive tract.
Because all naga are treated the same regardless of their sex, and viewing naga genitalia is a rather invasive process, it is very common for them to not be sexed at birth. Naga children are encouraged to use whichever pronouns they feel “speak to their spirit,” and many naga only discover their biological sex when it becomes relevant to either their health or their sexual habits.
There are three common naga genders that are known to the overall culture of naga, though it is known there are many lesser-known genders used within smaller communities. Two are considered by land-dwellers to be the equivalent of men and women (and while they are often translated as such, they rarely actually connect to a naga’s biological sex or presentation), while the third is often likened more to a non-binary gender.
These three genders are Kishisa (Koh/Kah, often translated to he/him), Tiritan (Toh/Tah, often translated to she/her), and Daranit (Dir/Dar, often translated to they/them or it/its).
Racial Variations
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake naga are rare-to-meet desert-dwelling race of naga native to I’reka. They make their communities by desert oasis and are often found farming cacti, grasses, and palm trees among various livestock.
They have no gills, instead sporting a large frill around their necks which they can raise and lower at will. These frills naturally decorated with brightly-coloured markings and patterns. Alongside their frills, they also have loud rattles on their tails that they use in their communication with each other. Many rattlesnake naga also train their animals to respond to certain rattles, with different pitches and lengths being likened to different kinds of whistles.
The rattlesnake naga are known for being very friendly but also rather cut off from the rest of the world. Their language varies slightly from other nagas, with different groups of rattlesnakes having different localisations and most not being able to speak International. However, the linguist basics of their language is still similar enough to the standard naga language that it isn’t impossible for outsiders to communicate with them, albeit with some effort.
Leathertails
Leathertails are a race of naga that live in the oceans at the base of the Howling Cliffs. They have thicker skin than other naga, and very few of them have scales. Their colours are more muted and their skin usually has brown, beige, or black patterns.
They are secluded, often compared to Mystic races, and prefer to keep to themselves. Though they won’t turn away outsiders they are not as welcoming as most other naga communities and make it very clear to visitors that it is best to move on quickly.
They discourage people from climbing the Howling Cliffs and say that very few people who have entered the wastelands above their home, leathertail or otherwise, have ever returned. The rare few leathertails that have returned from the mountains are described as “changed”, but this has never been elaborated on as it is considered a very private thing.
Because of the mystery of their home there are many conspiracies around the leathertails and their communities, though most of these are dismissed as untrue nonsense.
Common Disabilities and Health Issues
Joint Inflammation
Joint inflammation and pain is a very common issue in naga. It is not something many are born with, but due to their strenuous working lifestyle injuries are common, and these injuries almost always leave permanent aches and pains that never truly go away. Even after an injury is fully healed, a naga may suffer stiffness or aches. Most of these pains are easily treated and maintained with medication, though they are rarely cured.
It is also common for older naga to develop bone and joint issues.
Respiratory Issues
Many naga have respiratory issues when above water. These issues are believed to be linked with their ability to smell so well underwater and the amount of mucus they have in their airways.
Because of the potential problems that can arise from breathing with their lungs instead of their gills, many naga choose to never learn how to lung-breathe and live their lives completely underwater.
Scale Rot
It is very common for the scales of naga who live in fresh water to become damaged due to injury or weakened due to illness. When this happens the protective, waterproof layering over the scales thins and water may seep into the scales and allow fungal infections to take hold, causing scale rot.
The most common solutions for naga with scale rot are to either move above water and stay dry until their scales heal, pluck the old infected scales and wait for new ones to grow in, or (in the case of those who suffer with chronic scale-rot) move to the oceans where the salty water helps to prevent infections.
Relationships and Life Stages
Polycules
Naga are polygamous and will have multiple partners at a time. These groups usually form tight-knit polycules where most of the members consider themselves dating most of the other members. Though there are sometimes one or two outliers in the relationship who aren’t interested in each other specifically, these outliers will still form strong bonds and consider each other family.
In their youth naga may bounce from relationship to relationship, but as they get older they settle into a routine with their partners; especially after moving into their own territory and starting their own farms. Being able to live and work together is integral to naga relationships and forming a working bond is very important.
A naga polycule is a hardworking force that relies on the strength of every individual member to keep things working smoothly. If one member falters, the other members will feel it. Because of this they are very tight-knit and protective of each other, and sometimes this leads to them being overly cautious of outsiders.
Life Stages
Naga have the shortest gestation of all live-birthing Sentients, at 2 months. Due to their short gestation naga infants are born fairly weak, with their eyes sealed shut, and need constant supervision until their second year when they start to open their eyes.
Although naga are born functionally blind their sense of smell is still very acute and they can learn to recognise people and things by smell. They will blow large mucus bubbles and press them against people to sniff them.
These mucus bubbles are also used in an infant’s communication. As most naga language is visual body language, closed-eyed infants have a hard time communicating with their parents. Instead, they express emotions through their mucus bubbles. Happy naga babies will blow large bubbles, filling them with multiple breaths until they burst. They do this by breathing in through their gills and out through their nose. This can be uncomfortable for mothers who are breastfeeding, as the mucus sticks to their chests and (while they don’t often think of it as truly dirty or gross) if it’s not cleaned off properly it can cause irritation.
To express discomfort or displeasure an unhappy naga infant will, instead of crying, blow lots of small mucus bubbles into the water around them like floating tears. These bubbles will stick to most surfaces and are usually an unexpected menace for inexperienced parents to deal with. Most naga will grow out of this during their childhood, and rarely carry the habit into their teen years.
From birth, naga have what’s known as the “baby curl” instinct. Young naga curl their tails around things and people and grip as hard as they are able. Once they find something they like to wrap around they will refuse to uncurl their tails, even in their sleep, until they find something else to hold onto. Parents usually wrap their children’s tails around their own arms so that they aren’t separated.
The baby curl instinct may carry on after a young naga opens their eyes all the way into early childhood. This is considered the equivalent of a land-dwelling child sucking their thumb, and many naga children will have specific comfort items, such as blankets or toys, that make them feel most secure.
Naga children develop rather slowly compared to other Sentients and are completely physically reliant on their parents until their 6th year, when they leave what is considered their toddler stage and begin early childhood.
During their childhood naga are very social. They are encouraged to reach out to others and make as many friends as possible. These friends are integral in a naga’s adult life as they become connections who can be relied on during hard times.
Naga have a large growth spurt after their 11th eclipse, and their development increases very quickly. They generally begin working alongside their parents at 12 eclipses, though the work is rarely laborious or difficult.
Their 13th eclipse is when naga begin to develop critical thinking skills and physical strength. Their workload with their parents is slowly increased up until their 18th eclipse, when they are encouraged to leave their family and start their own. By their 20th eclipse most naga will have decided whether or not they want children of their own.
As naga get older they tend to become more closed off, mostly socialising with their already-trusted social circle and rarely seeking new connections. By 25, most naga will have their completed social circle and no interest in making new friends.
Lifespan Facts
• The life expectancy for naga is 75 eclipses, but those who do not overwork and take proper care of their health often live into their 90s.
• The oldest naga known was a man named Lini Tekin, who died at 126 eclipses after a lifetime of service at the Ferraset farms.
• The largest birth count for a single naga pregnancy is 8. There have only been 2 recorded incidences of octuplets in naga history.
• No naga has been known to survive a premature birth; and almost 60% of naga who go into premature labour become infertile.
Culture
Community
Naga live in extremely tight communities that that look out for each other and band together during hard times. These communities are generally very wary of outsiders, and it is difficult to enter an already-established naga community.
Though naga families each have their own land that legally belongs to them, the spaces they use often overlap with their neighbours; many naga don’t recall where their legally owned land starts and ends, and instead they share the most fertile edges of their farms with their community. Most families have no issue with others in their communities taking food from around the edges of their homes— And many encourage it, planting easy-to-pick foods for people to take as they need. They don’t consider food taken by others in their community to be theft; though they don’t allow outsiders to forage their lands.
Because of naga’s community-based and peaceful lifestyle multi-generational feuds or other long-standing disputes are very rare.
Farms
Naga farms generally raise a self-sustaining mix of plants and meats, and farmers will grow several things at once in order to provide their families and community with a variety of foods and medicines.
Ocean farms are known for growing kelp, clams, crabs, medicinal algae, and starfish; while freshwater farms are more likely to have lilies, otters, penguins, waterweeds, and rice. Both are known to grow turtles, fish, eels, and seaweed.
Naga are not picky eaters and will eat almost everything that is edible, regardless of how it looks or how off-putting other races may find the taste. They are known to focus on the size of their harvests, not caring to separate small faults in produce such as bruised plants or stringy meat. If they do separate their harvests by quality, it is likely for export to non-naga territories.
Though naga aren’t picky eaters they do have preferred foods. A favourite of many naga are stinging sea pitchers; they are a plant that resemble the carnivorous land-pitchers, but have stinging nettles like an anemone inside that trap their prey. These nettles can be ground into a sweet-tasting paste and stored for several months before going bad. Most farms will have a small, personal crop of stinging pitchers for their families.
Language
When above water, naga speak with hiss-like voices. They tend to sound rather high-pitch because they suck air in from their gills while talking.
Below water, naga use sign language and fin-flicking for specific languages; but most of their general communication is done with non-specific body language. Because a lot of their communication is done from a distance while working, they prefer not to waste time trying to read hand symbols and have learnt to read body language extremely well. Most naga can tell each other’s intentions without issue, especially those who live together in groups.
Written languages are not common for naga and so they usually only write in International. However, some naga communities have developed their own short-hand written languages in order to leave signs and community boards around; these languages are unique to each community and tend to change every few generations.
Naga laughter comes out of them as a stream of sticky mucus bubbles. They throw their heads back and make a sound as if they are gargling water in the back of their throat. Many Sentients witnessing a naga laugh for the first time have panicked, thinking the naga is choking.
Naming Conventions
Like many other Sentients, nagas have first, middle, and last names. However, unlike many other Sentients, they only receive their last names after becoming adults and forming a polycule.
When a naga is young they only have 2 names: their first and their middle names. Their first name is chosen by their parents, usually their biological mother, and their middle name is their parents’ polycule’s last name.
As naga get older and create a polycule, that polycule will give themselves a last name to identify themselves with, which their children will inherit as their middle names.
Common Religions
Okara
Aurn
Emaltoni
Clothing
Naga clothing is almost completely made out of aquatic plant fibres and seaweed fabrics. It is rare to find clothing made out of any other material— Although there are exceptions, and there are a few freshwater naga communities that use cotton imported from Fallen Cloud to make their clothing.
There are several types of naga fashions; the most popular being sashes, wraps, and tight-fitting skirts and bandeaus. Naga prefer not to wear loose-fitted clothing as it can encumber them while swimming, and get caught or hooked on things while they are labouring.
Any clasps they put onto their clothing tend to be made out of water-resistant materials such as coral, shells, or stone. They avoid metal clasps due to rust and the difficulty of smelting underwater.
Other
Misc
Naga skeletons have visibly half-fused femurs and it is believed that, at some point, their ancestors had legs like seces. Some say naga may have originated from mixes of seces and maren, though there is no proof of this.
There are several different swimming styles for naga, which usually come from different areas. Some swim like snakes, while others swim more like seahorses.
Seaweed is one of their most-used resources. They use it to make clothing, paper, food, and bedding, and more.