Lamia

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### **Overview**

Lamiae are a primitive cold-blooded carnivorous species that live in adobe homes in caves and in the shadows of natural formations. They are half-snake, half-human, with everything above the waist being human and everything below being snake. They soak up the morning and evening sun and hide during the hottest part of the day and during the night. They live in small, matriarchal societies of ~15-20 lamia. They are intersex, but gender is based on physical appearance; “males” have more typical masculine features and are rarer, but still a part of Lamia society, albeit a lesser position. Most of the time the social stigma of being a masculine lamia is too overbearing for the male, leading them to venture into the deserts and become solitary wanderers, leading to an even smaller amount of males in the tribes; that fact then lead some human scholars have incorrectly theorized that the species is entirely female. They generally live for 40-70 years, with the average death age being 55, and age at an accelerated rate to make up for that. Maturity for Lamiae comes at fourteen and is signified by their tail-rattle falling off.

Lamia reproduce once every five years or so, and lay a clutch of two to four eggs on average. Marriage is somewhat different in their society, as they form groups of lovers instead of true monogamous partners.

### **Place of Origin**

Desert regions such as the Fulharega Desert are where they can be found now, though colonies can be formed most anywhere they can form a foothold. Their original home is unknown, save for that it is the same as the Nagas and Gorgons.

### **Rarity**

Uncommon; though quite a few can be found in a colony, finding the colony is difficult.

### **Race Alignment**

Typically Lawful/Neutral Evil, though they can have outliers. Lamiae with the Hypertoxic mutation are often Chaotic Evil.

### **Natural Race Abilities/Affinities**

#### **Venom**

All Lamiae are equipped with fangs that inject venom, and a single Lamia can only have one type of venom. Their fangs are typically 3-3.5 inches (7.5-9 cm). This venom can have various effects. All venom generally recharges over a span of four turns, save for Hypertoxic venom. The different varieties of venom are as follows.

##### Paralytic

Paralytic venom causes a target’s muscles near the bitten region to lock up, producing effects similar to tetanus in the region while also causing the area to feel numb. The paralysis lasts for a turn when used in this way. If a major artery is able to be bitten, then the effects are increased to cover the majority of the body, and the effect lasts for three turns. However, landing a hit like this is generally difficult. If killed, a lamia’s fangs can be milked in order to get a vial of this venom.

##### Hallucinogenic

Hallucinogenic venom causes the target, when bitten, to begin having alien sensations near the wound as the nerves nearby are addled by the toxins. Soon enough, the affected starts experiencing visual and auditory hallucinations--many times, colors appear skewed, sounds are dampened or amplified immensely--to the point of pain--and sometimes the affected will see things that are not there. This generally lasts for two turns unless the bite was on an artery, wherein the effects last for four turns. The hallucinogenic venom can be milked from a dead Lamia, and it is often used as an illegal drug to experience the hallucinogenic high. It fetches high prices on the black market, and each milking produces three doses.

##### Hyperalgesic

Hyperalgesic venom first feels like a bullet shot into where the venom was injected. It overstimulates nerve endings, causing extreme pain for the small bite wound in a single burst of pain, as well as a general tingling sensation when applied to the skin. Any existing wounds near the bite also feel much stronger pain than normal. A direct hit to an artery causes any pain to be doubled for three turns. Additionally to the pain, the venom prevents blood clotting. Without a bandage or something similar to stem the bleeding, the effects of blood loss from the bite will set in after ten minutes or so (This effect should take place after combat unless the combat is extremely long/ a “war” battle). This venom is not used in poisons much as it is highly noticeable due to the heightened sensation when injected, but it may have undiscovered alchemical uses.

##### Hypertoxic

Hypertoxic venom is considered to be the most dangerous of all the venoms used by Lamiae, according to human scholars. It is capable of soaking into the skin and causes vomiting, nausea, and acute gastrointestinal pain for two turns. However, a Lamiae with this venom has both a blessing and a curse, as this mutation affects their demeanor, making them more aggressive and less rational. Hypertoxic venom can be used every six turns. This venom is the most rare due to it being able to poison and kill the Lamia itself if they do not have a rare genetic mutation that allows them to be immune to it. Even if they do, it makes them extremely irritable and aggressive, to the point that they often end up lashing out against and killing their tribe members. Some tribes cast Hypertoxic Lamiae out of their tribes, while others are either kept as prisoners or kept under constant surveillance and surrounded by guards, as in a pinch, a berserking Hypertoxic Lamia may be what the tribe needs.

#### **Spitting Mad**

Some Lamiae have the ability to spit their venom as a projectile. This is a rare trait. If venom hits the eyes, it will cause pain and blind for a turn. If Hypertoxic venom lands on the skin, it soaks in and begins its effects. Generally a Lamia can use their venom-spit once every seven turns, but it cannot be used if the Lamia’s own venom ability is on cooldown (see above ability). (NOTE: only Hypertoxic venom can have an effect when spat onto the skin. All others do not soak into the skin, save for Hyperalgesia’s tingling sensation.)

#### **Cold-Blooded**

Lamiae are naturally cold-blooded; as such, they cannot regulate their own body temperature without outside help. They would have to find warmth via the sun or flame, otherwise they will become lethargic at best and may die at the worst. Hypothermia is really easy to occur.

#### **Poison Resistance**

Lamiae are immune to all venoms that their species can produce, save for Hypertoxic (unless the Lamia in question is of the Hypertoxic variety). They are also resistant to poisons in general, meaning durations of effects are halved, rounding down, and effects are lessened--for example, a poison that causes a headache for two turns and blindness for one would cause a headache for one turn and would not cause blindness.

#### **Tough Scales**

Lamiae scales are tougher than human skin and resist smaller attacks, such as weak arrows and smaller blades. This only protects them from the waist down, however, as any scales on their upper halves are too small and delicate to protect.

#### **Arcane Proficiencies**

While Lamiae are not usually able to cast spells, those that do have a natural proficiency in toxic and necromantic magic. This does not mean that they always have these magics, but if a Lamia mage should arise, then those schools would be the easiest for them to use.

#### **Shedding Skin**

Lamiae shed their skin every six months or so. It takes a week for the entire process to finish, though this time is less for younger Lamiae. This skin is softer in this state but can be used in certain alchemical processes. The actual scales of a Lamia can be used as armor and has a strength akin to chain mail when formed into armor in this way

#### **Baby Rattles**

Young Lamiae are born with rattles on their tails; these are used to potentially scare away threats as well as alert the adults to the danger threatening the child. These rattles fall off once they become pubescent and are then fashioned into a necklace for the original owner to wear as a sign of maturity. Lamia rattles can be ground into a coarse powder that, when mixed with aloe, produces an amount of flammable gas that, if contained, can be used to make an explosive.

#### **Darkvision**

Lamiae are able to see in lower light conditions up to fifty feet. Sudden sources of light can temporarily blind Lamiae due to their reflective eyes. These reflective eyes would typically hamper their ability to see in the bright daily sun, but Lamiae have a second eyelid that comes over their eyes when outside and acts like a pair of sunglasses, filtering out light to keep their eyes safe. This appears as a cloudy-black lens that covers the eye. This is known as the *optica obscura.* It takes at least a turn to adjust from dark to bright light (it takes about the same time as a normal human’s eyes would to adjust.)

#### **Physical Abilities**

Lamiae have much greater strength than a normal human; It averages out to about 270 lbs (or 122.5 kg). They are adept at moving over sand and other similar loose surfaces, and have a top speed of 11 mph while in their natural environments; however, in less sandy locales they have an average speed of 8 mph (13-18 kmph).

#### **Constriction**

Strong adult Lamiae are capable of wrapping around a humanoid and trying to crush them with their coiled tails. This is easiest done to an immobile target, though anyone who stands still enough can be wrapped up by a Lamia’s tail. Movement becomes impossible while a target is wrapped, however. The constricting force is, on average, enough to render someone unconscious on the third turn of being wrapped up.

### **Appearances**

Lamiae have a humanoid upper half and the lower half of a large snake, and they are on average 6’7” from their head to the ground, while their body from head to tail is usually 12’5” long. They weigh a good bit more than a typical human due to their tails. They usually have slit pupils and narrow jawlines that extend outward when the Lamiae strike with their fangs, similar to how a normal snake’s lower jaw will stretch sideways when striking. A Lamia can either have a scaleless, more human-looking upper half, or they can appear more snakeline (see images). Ears may be pointed or rounded, but more snakelike Lamia generally lack any sort of visible ears. Whether or not they exhibit more humanoid or snakelike traits with their upper half, there is always a line of scales that run up their spine that end at the collarbone. Their scaled tails begin at the waist and slowly taper to a point at the end. Their tails are usually one or a mixture of these colors: red, purple, yellow, black, brown, grey, and white. Other colors are also possible, these are just the most common.

The customary clothing in the tribes is generally long robes and loose shawls along with either a thin shirt or vest to cover their chest. Pants are not needed for obvious reasons. Gold and silver jewelry is also worn as decoration, generally as trophies from the caravans that they conquer. It is also a part of Lamia custom to adorn the end of the tail, arms, hands, and sometimes the face with dyes, generally with henna. The designs are generally geometrical and are either used to display an act of recognition, or as decoration--constellations are often the topic of decoration in this way. *See the Extra Lamia Information Document for descriptions and examples.*

### **History**

Legend tells that the Lamia were once human, more specifically wandering nomads that trawled the desert for relics and secrets to trade to the nearby towns and cities in exchange for supplies not easily found in the desert. They would go and follow the sandstorms, searching the ruins that are uncovered in the aftermath. Their searches led them far and wide across the sands, and into all sorts of dangerous locales chock-full of ancient artifacts. Some of these ruins, however, were made for more sinister purposes, and some of their strange powers stuck around in the old sandstone.

One such ruin was an old temple to Angra, the Blight Lord who was formerly more divine but was corrupted over time, much like his temple. The nomads, not realizing the origins of the temple, went in to search for new relics to take back and sell. As they ventured further into the antechamber, their bodies and minds began to be warped by the vile blighted energy that pervaded sandstone columns, eventually twisting their now pained and writhing forms into something that vaguely resembled the Blight God’s horrid form; a vile, twisted human crossed with a massive serpent’s tail. Then, they spread out over the desert and attacked and killed caravans without thought or reason besides to consume and to kill.

However, that is just a myth. In reality, they are the offshoots of the experiments that eventually created the Nagas that protect the ruins now. In an attempt to make a race of warriors to conquer new lands and protect the ones that the ancient civilization owned, this ancient race of humanoids crafted the new breed of snake-people and infused them with an aggressive and controlling mind, yet left them easily held under their will, perfect to be taskmasters and enslavers in order to further the empire’s reach. They quickly fell into the hierarchy with the rest of their fellow serpentkind, being the middle of the pack between the Nagas and the Gorgons. They kept the peace between the prisoners of war, insubordinate Gorgons, and general criminals. When that civilization and structure collapsed, however, it was rough for the Lamiae. After not operating with much autonomy, they now had full freedom and an

entire desert to exist in. They slowly settled into doing manual labor, and after that proved to war too much against their instilled traits, they started capturing slaves, spreading out over the sands, and becoming what they are known as: caravan killers and maneaters.

But there is another side to the story: with no one else to look to, they began to look up, and the stars appeared much more beautiful than they could have ever imagined. They started developing cultures in their little mud homes, and while they don’t have much of a civilization, they thrive in the deserts and have crafted their own theology, using some elements from their human captives while melding it with that of their past experiences.

At least, they thrive as much as they can when there are semi-routine hunts for tribes in order to rout them before they take any more caravans, as well as to free the slaves for those who still had family back home. It’s a constant arms race that the race is set to lose; after all, not much that the Lamiae can do can surpass a dragon. They aren’t in such a bad state as their relatives, the Gorgons, but they are likewise hunted for their body parts and are seen as monsters otherwise.