Lamia

**Location** | Ishtar

**Lamia** (ラミア, *Ramia*) are a race of sentient humanoid beings believed to originate on an island of the coast of Ishtar. They are hybrid creatures believed to be a mix between humans and snakes due to their human upper body and serpent lower body they were once pure legend until their existence was eventually confirmed by shipwrecked sailors. While once confined to their island of origin they can be found in oasis and towns all across the coast of Ishtar.

## Description

Lamia are humanoid half snake people who are believed to have come into existence on an island off the coast of Ishtar. Before their discovery there were many legends surrounding their existence and children were once told stories of snake people who stole and devoured naughty children to scare them into being good. It was of course a surprise when the creatures were finally brought to light. The legends surrounding Lamia said that they were created when the people of the island were cursed by their God and have existed on the island ever since. These legends were confirmed by the Lamia themselves and this lead to the more religious and superstitious in Ishtar to wish to see the creatures wiped out and a bloody and unofficial conflict arose between the churches and the lamia which saw much bloodshed before the government stepped in an declared the Lamia a protected species for several hundred years, being confined to their island without the choice to leave.

Eventually, as the world became more tolerant with the discovery of many other creatures not unlike the Lamia they were welcomed as citizens of Ishtar and can be found all over the country, though, many still prefer their home on the Island they have come to call the island of Serena. Regardless, those who do leave still prefer to remain along the coast with many taking jobs as fishermen to use their natural talents for the benefit of themselves and others.

Lamia are long creatures, reaching nearly twenty feet in length by the time they are full grown. The majority of this length is made up of their tails which are made up of strong muscles capable of crushing their prey to death when hunting or defending themselves. Lamia are also known to possess thirty-two teeth not unlike humans though that of Lamia are known to be sharp and curved back slightly to prevent prey and food items from breaking their grasp much like the snakes they are based on. Most Lamia are also born with a few sets of scales on their upper body. The first being on their face coming in many patterns but often taking the color of that also found on their tails. The second set is found on their ribs, the scales being a bit more spread out than what is found on their face and also taking the color of the scales on their tail. The third and final set of scales can be found on their forearms and sometimes the wrists of each arm, this set being similar to the first in the sense that the scales are clustered together to look like decorative armbands or sleeves. Some Lamia have also been known to have pointed ears like that of elves but not all have this trait.

Having lived on the island of Serena for many thousands of years, Lamia's have adapted to live in their environment with the ability to hold their breath for nearly a full thirty minutes as their diets consist mostly of fresh fish and fruit that can be found on the Island. However, another part of their diet is wild pig which also have become plentiful on the island since lamia have begun breeding them on small farms.

Beyond those traits, the upper body of a Lamia is as human as it gets with many of the same muscles found in humans. Children born from Lamia are not hatched but birthed live, females of the species fully equipped to birth and feed these children as both genders of the species possess human genitalia just before the snake half of their body begins. Like humans, Lamia are capable of breeding with other creatures related to humans such as mermaids, elves, and many others with little to no difficulty but regardless of the humanoid species they crossbreed with, the offspring is always the species of the mother who bears the child. Meaning that if the mother is Lamia, the child will be as well, and if the mother is human or an elf, they will be born with features of that species including the absence of the Lamia's distinct snakes tail lower half.