Naga (TCG)

Naga were a race of serpent-folk who homed in the Shinomen Mori. They were large quasi-humanoids, each easily fifteen feet in length, rearing up from their long tails. They spoke in a hissing, liquid language. To the South (Part 2), by Marie Brennan They shared a hive-mind named the Akasha. They hated the Shadowlands and other dark creatures, which they called as The Foul. The Fires Within, by Nancy M. Sauer They were known as Shahmaran in the Burning Sands and the Ivory Kingdoms. Path of Waves, pp. 40-41
== Naga Cities ==
Naga cities were usually cut directly out of stone in mountains or cliffs. The pillars, arches, and walls of a naga structure all incorporated intricate carvings of geometric patterns, images of naga life, and depictions of the sun, moon, and stars. There were no stairs or obvious means to climb the multiple levels, naga ascended or descended via the spirals cut in the columns or the multiple jutting stone protrusions on the walls. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 217 A kingdom of the naga was built in the delta of the Heeratand. There they lived openly and, generally, in harmony with their human neighbors of the Ivory Kingdoms. Their city rested above and below the surface of the swamp, with fortresses of hardwood and coral and tall and narrow buildings. Path of Waves, pp. 197, 200
== Appearance and Physiology ==
The Shinomen Naga rarely adorned themselves with clothing, preferring instead to wear trinkets, jewels, and intricate segmented coverings made from seashells, coral, and worked metal. Naga reproduced by laying eggs, which were cared for in large caches. As they aged, Naga molted their skins; the first molting was an important event in a Naga's life, and the shed skin is often cured and kept as a memento from one's youth. The ninth molting marked the beginning of adulthood and one's path through life. It was relatively common for Naga to change their physical sex, sometimes multiple times, which was also accompanied by the shedding of one's skin and the embrace of a new name. The Naga describe males as naga and females as nagi. Writ of the Wilds, pp. 24-25
=== The Unity ===
In addition to their heightened senses, the Naga possessed a sixth sense, the unity, an innate ability to speak to one-another through
their own thoughts, even across long distances. This ability was normally very weak, but it could be trained. Masters of this sixth sense were able to communicate over vast distances, projected a sort of etheric image of themselves, or even directly transferred constructed memories. Masters could spend hours in the trance state, and their thoughts could sometimes become tangled when this occurred, a state they referred to as the Council. This was merely a personification, a projection of the self. Writ of the Wilds, pp. 25-26
== Culture ==
Most laws and social expectations revolve around three virtues, Self-Control, Truth, and Community. Naga race had a strong connection to water, and the majority of the Naga's cities were underground, in subterranean river caverns or beneath the waters. These structures spread all to the way to the egg clutches and pearl beds at the bottom of the river. Naga gathered their eggs together in clutches that were guarded along the riverbed. Once hatched, Naga children were raised communally by Seers who were dedicated to this purpose. Because of this, Naga could rarely identify their parents, and parents rarely knew who their offspring were. A Naga child was guarded and raised among others by their designated guardian until they shed their skin for the first time. Once they molted for the ninth time, the Naga chose their lifepath. In a communal ceremony witnessed by those closest to them, the newly adult Naga burned their shed skin. Writ of the Wilds, p. 28
=== Cuisine ===
Aquaculture farms spread throughout the riverbed, cultivating sea grass, fish, river-clam, eel, and oyster. Agar derived from river algae is a component of Shinomen Naga cuisine, used to make gelatin desserts and to compound savory leftovers and scraps. Writ of the Wilds, p. 29
=== Martial Tradition ===
Naga martial traditions tended to focus on fighting with polearms, archery, and teamwork, using many different weapons, some uniquely suited for them. The Naga developed an entire martial art devoted to fighting in the river, using piercing weaponry, raking close-combat weapons, nets, ropes, and their own natural defenses. 
=== Worship ===
Shinomen Naga religious practices departed considerably from those of the Ivory Kingdoms. Worship shifted to reverence to the spirits of the Shinomen, such as kodama or nature spirits. Their religion was primarily concerned with maintaining the balance of the woods. Writ of the Wilds, p. 30
== Pearl Magic ==
Along the riverbed of the River of the Sky lived a unique species of oyster, blessed by the spirit of the river. The rare pearls produced by these oysters had unusual properties, often carrying the touch of Chikushō-dō. After molting, a Naga may dry and grind their shed skin into a fine grit and then cast this into the oyster bed. A pearl might form as a result, an especially potent focus for the Naga who created it. It heightens their ability with the unity. Used without care, the results could be calamitous. 
== History ==
The Naga had no chronicle, and there were massive gaps in their history. Only vague recollections of stories passed through oral tradition and crystalized in the vivid shared dreams of their scholars. Writ of the Wilds, p. 26
=== The Foul ===
The Shinomen was once far larger, spread across what was now desert and badlands to the west and south. It was connected to the vast jungles and swamps in what would become the Ivory Kingdoms. It was until a comet fell from the sky, blighting the southern lands and spreading a corruptive force that shifted the climate and split the vast Naga civilization in two. Isolated from the jungles, the Shinomen Naga found themselves assaulted by twisted creatures and invisible enemies, who they called as “The Foul.”. 
=== The Great Sleep ===
For unknown reason the Naga race fell into a deep slumber, the Great Sleep. Either gradually or all at once, they all curled up and slipped into a still torpor, their skin hardening as if turned to stone. Their cities once more fell to ruin, vine-claimed stone streets and bridges and tiered rooftops, with strangely life-like snake-person statues, who were actually living beings trapped in a powerful dream. Now and again a few Naga would awaken, but only a few, and only once in a great while. Writ of the Wilds, p. 27
=== Awakening ===
After centuries, the Naga finally truly began to awaken, the long slumber had finally ended. Their eggs, hidden as simple stones on the riverbed, began to hatch. The Naga recalled vague dreams from when they slept. Interspersed were hazy dreams, dominated by the vision of a great featureless serpent rising from an endless sea, something whose hunger knows no end. The Naga could now longer seem to extend the unity beyond the boundaries of the Shinomen while they dwelled within it. The world had changed, and Naga leaders debated whether or not to reveal themselves to the outside. 
=== Contact with Rokugan ===
The Naga race had not been noticed by the Rokugani until a group of Shinomen Wayfinders and a Crab group saw them in 1123. D.G. Laderoute confirmation in FFG forum
=== Unicorn Allies ===
Eventually the Naga became allies of the Unicorn Clan. Shiksha Scout (The Fires Within flavor)
== Notable Holdings ==
* Shiksha
* Shinomen Mori
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Category:Rokugani Language (TCG)