A thousand years before the Kami fell to Rokugan, the Naga ruled much of the world. Though their early history was one of internal conflict and warring, by far the bloodiest of these campaigns was launched by the Shahismael, an Asp general who set out to conquer all of the Bloodlines and unite their race together beneath his iron fist. A warrior named the Qatol stepped forward to defeat the Shahismael, but rather than become a tyrant himself, the Qatol instead acted with benevolence, watching over his people at the Bloodlines came together to become a united people.
Although the Qatol disappeared long ago into the mists of legend, his legacy lived on in the form of racial harmony, and for thousands of years, no Naga dared to profane his memory by waging war upon his brothers and sisters. That all changed in the summer of 756 when the Tausha turned traitor against her own people and led her loyal warriors into battle alongside the Empire.
The world had changed a great deal in the untold years since the Naga resigned themselves to the Great Sleep. The Shinomen Forest, which had once covered all of the land, had shrunk down to a mere fraction of its former self, the Nezumi they had once used as a food source had become sentient, created their own civilization, and then lost it with the coming of the Kami and the humans. Exactly what brought the Naga out of their Great Sleep is a common topic of discussion among their people, but many of the newly awakened Naga were angry to find that their rightful place in the world had been usurped by humans.
To make matters worse, the hunters and priests could sense the taint of the Foul not just upon some of these creatures, but in the very air and water of the land. In the time they had been asleep, the humans had allowed the corruption of the southern lands to intensify and spread, and one needed only to cast a glance at the armies of undead and corrupted humans that marched from those corrupted lands to know that the humans were weak and easily tempted by the promise of personal power.
The Naga struck out at the humans, but had underestimated just how quickly the seemingly disjointed factions among their people would come together to oppose them. It was barely a year before the humans were marching a mighty army into the remnants of the Shinomen to take their revenge. Despite the best efforts of the Naga, many of their warriors had either failed to awaken or had simply perished in their sleep, and it soon became clear that the Naga - once the fiercest military in the world - were fighting a losing battle.
As the humans besieged the Asp city of Siksa, one of the military generals of the Asp, the Tausha, approached the humans with an offer of assistance. Long ago, the Tausha had been dishonored by the actions of her lover, the Shahadet, who surpassed her to become the leader of their Bloodline. This dishonor burned within the Tausha, filling her dreams for thousands of years, until the thought of revenge clouded her every thought. While she originally only wished to use the humans as a means toward an end - namely the death of her former lover - she instead found a sense of honor within them similar to her own, and a tentative alliance formed between the human forces and her own Legion.
The Naga who followed the Tausha were of a mixed opinion as to whether the humans could be trusted, but after the Shahadet was dead, the human commander continued onward, leaving the city of Siksa - the most important city of their Bloodline - in the hands of Tausha and her Legion. While some of her advisors suggested that they attack the rear of the human army from their newly refortified position, the Tausha owed a debt to the humans, not just for helping her reclaim her pride and honor in the blood of the Shahadet, but also for trusting her with the management of Siksa.
The war continued onward, and while the humans were unable to slay the Qamar and finish off the thread of Naga reprisal once and for all, the Naga were still left broken and savaged by the war. The only exception was Tausha's Legion, who fortified the city of Siksa and managed what repairs they could to bring the city back into a liveable condition. Over the next few months, Tausha's Legion, as they were referred to by the humans, were visited by a slow trickle of human scholars and diplomats, all of whom were attempting to either learn more about the Naga, impress upon them the friendship between their two races, find some way to turn the Naga to their own gain, or some combination of all three.
The Tausha was also faced with the arrival of other Asps who had sensed her betrayal through the Akasha. Many of these warriors disapproved of her choice and challenged her for leadership of their Bloodline (and were cut down by the Tausha), while others only wished for a better explanation than the confused emotions passed to them through the Akasha. While some of these Asps disagreed with her betrayal and turned their back on Siksa and their Bloodline, far more bowed down to her will and were welcomed back into Siksa. all former conflicts forgiven (if not entirely forgotten).
While rare, the occasional member of another Bloodline sometimes arrived at Siksa, seeking sanctuary within its walls, but these Naga received a cooler reception from the Asps. While they did not fire upon those Naga who approached the gates of Siksa in peace, the Tausha made if clear that the unified race of the Naga was no more. The Greensnakes and Cobra had been decimated by the armies of the humans, the Chameleon simply disappeared, and the vast majority of the Constrictors simply never awoke from the Great Sleep in the first place. In a very real sense, Tasha's Legion were now the last bastion of Naga civilization, and while they had no intention of conquering or enslaving the other Bloodlines, neither would they offer them shelter or assistance.
There are still ripples of discontent within the Akasha, constant accusations of betrayal that all members of Tausha's Legion must endure, but for the most part, the Asp have rallied behind the Tausha's vision of an independent Asp Bloodline. The Vedics move among her warriors, telling inspiring stories of the ancient days of their Bloodline that are echoed by the more distant racial memories of the Akasha. They have not quite managed to drown out the constant siren call of the Qamar urging his shattered people to gather at the ruins of Iyotisha to rally and wage a counterattack on the humans, but every day, it gets a little bit easier.
Character Creation Creating Naga characters follows the same basic rules as for human characters, but with some notable differences which distinguish them from their Rokugani neighbors. These modifications as listed below to reflect the unusual nature of the Naga who count themselves among Tausha's Legion. Note that these rules supersede the rules for Naga characters found in the Enemies of the Empire book.
Naga BloodlineAll members of Tausha's Legion are of the Asp Bloodline, who are known for their sturdy bodies and strong minds. The Asp are the most militaristic of all the Naga bloodlines and usually dedicate their lives to martial excellence. They believe in the power of might and typically follow the strongest among their Bloodline. Asp tend to be fearless and determined, and do not often back down either from enemy armies or from opposing arguments.
Unfortunately, this dedication to the physical often leaves the Asp short in certain aspects. They are prone to hubris and arrogance, far more so than other Naga, and often believe themselves to be superior to the other Bloodlines. The Rokugani phrase "first among equals" is quite agreeable to to most Asp.
All Asp characters gain a Bloodline Trait bonus of +1 Strength. This bonus is equivalent to the Family Trait bonus granted to human characters.
Naga SchoolsThere are three Schools available to Naga: Scout, Warrior, and Vedic. These three basic schools form the core of their civilization and thus can be learned by any Naga. Naga cannot learn schools from other races, even if they have a willing trainer; the differences in physiology and mentality are simply too great to overcome. Note that while the Naga do have spellcasters among their number - the fearsome Jakla, who are capable of focusing their connection to the Akasha into displays of powerful magical prowess - these mysteries are only known to those of the Cobra Bloodline, and thus the Asp of Tausha's Legion do not have access to that school.
Physical, Spiritual, and Cultural ChangesNaga characters have a number of physical and spiritual changes which separate them from Rokugani characters. First and most obviously is their lack of legs, which makes it difficult for Naga to climb stairways without discomfort. The ancient Naga cities made great use of ramps and inclines to allow Naga to travel from one level of a building to another, but such constructions are all but unheard of among the Rokugani.
The Akasha Trait: Among humans, the Void Ring represents man's connection to the elements and the ability to draw upon the strength of mortal men to do the impossible. Naga do not possess such a link, instead drawing power from their connection to the Akasha, the great consciousness that connects all Naga souls. For Naga characters, the Akasha Trait replaces the Void Ring and mechanically functions in the same way, including the ability to spend and regain Akasha points for the same effects as Void Points. Spells, techniques, and other effects that target the Void Ring target the Akasha Trait instead, and effects that regain Void Points, such as the Meditation skill, regain Akasha Points as well. The notable exceptions to this are the Tea Ceremony skill, which has no effect on Naga characters at all, and the Iaijutsu skill, which is unusable by Naga characters.
Skills: Naga characters cannot purchase ranks in the Animal Handling, Horsemanship, or Tea Ceremony skills. Most animals find the presence of a large snake to be rather disconcerting, and the Tea Ceremony ritual is a construct of Rokugani culture which is intimately connected to the Void, a connection which the Naga lack.
Shadowlands Immunity: At the time of their first shedding, every Naga character undergoes a special magical ritual that renders them completely immune to the Shadowlands Taint. This immunity also leaves the Naga unable to cast maho spells, as the kansen will have nothing to do with such a creature.
Kyujutsu: Naga archers are taught to aim at their targets, a radical method that seems foreign and completely ineffectual to most Rokugani. Naga characters use Agility instead of Reflexes when using the Kyujutsu skill, both in combat and during events that call for Kyujutsu/Reflexes rolls.
Languages: Naga characters begin the game knowing both the Rokugani language and their own Naga language. Much of their own language is empathic, with emphases and additional meaning transmitted through the Akasha, making it impossible for members of other races to speak the Naga language with any skill beyond than that of a child.
Naga Glory, Honor, and CasteMuch like Rokugani characters, the starting Honor of a Naga is determined by their school. This is their Honor as viewed by Rokugani characters; a Naga's standing among his or her own people is represented by Caste.
Similarly, a Naga's Glory is a measure of how Rokugan views the character; Naga culture cares very little for personal achievement, instead viewing all acts through the lens of what is best for their collective bloodlines and race. To represent this, Naga characters begin the game with only 0.5 Glory and do not gain Glory for increasing their insight rank. However, because any given Naga is readily noticed and remembered by Rokugani characters, any Glory gained or lost by a Naga character is increased by one point.
Caste is a measure of a Naga's position within the Akasha, and can be considered to be something akin to a combination of Status and Glory. A Naga's Caste determines what jobs they may have and the overall position they hold in Naga society. Naga characters begin the game at 2.0 Caste by default, and may raise or lower that rank by performing actions important to Naga society, as noted below. For members of Tausha's Legion, Caste represents that Naga's position within the Legion; such Naga are seen as traitors by their race as a whole, and thus are considered to have a Caste of 0 when dealing with Naga who do not belong to Tausha's Legion. Because each member of the Legion has pledged their loyalty to the Tausha, all such characters are capped at a Caste of 7.9 (ie, just shy of the Tausha's own Caste of 8.0).
Code:
Defeating creatures of the Foul +.1 per creature
Successfully defending a Naga city +.2
Rendering a successful judgement +.2
Devising or adding to a new philosophy +.3
Creating a fertile egg (laying or fertilizing) +.4
Finding a new cluster of pearls +.4
Forming a new magical pearl +.4
Evolution: Gaining a new Insight Rank +.5
Achieving mastery in one skill (Rank 8+) +.6
Finding a lost Naga city +1.0
Losing a battle to a creature of the Foul -.1
Discussing one's birth parents -.1
Lying to another Naga -.2
Hiding secrets from another Naga (when discovered) -.2
Running from battle prematurely -.3
Fighting another Naga of the Legion -.3
Allowing intruders into a sacred area -.6
Letting fertile eggs be destroyed -1.0
Allying with the Foul -2.0
Typical Caste Ranks
Rank 8: The Tausha
Rank 7: Military generals, local rulers, major religious figures, great minds
Rank 6: Minor rulers, vassals of major leaders
Ranks 4-5: Mid-level military leaders, local political administrators
Ranks 2-3: Typical Naga of various professions
Rank 1: Lower-class servants, mundane workers
Rank 0: Abominations, Outcasts
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