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Naga

The naga were (on average) the tallest, strongest and most aggressive sapient organisms of Legere. The naga were primarily subterranean dwellers, and had exceptional vision in low-light conditions, as well as the ability to use vibrations on the ground to determine the distance and positioning of things in the pitch black.

Naga were covered in scales, had tails, and reptilian claws. As such, they were often referred to as "lizard people". Cold-blooded by nature, naga were able to maintain proper blood temperature thanks to the warm temperatures of their subterranean kingdoms.

Being reptiles, naga laid eggs as offspring. They had short lives in comparison to Humans, but made up for it with their exceptionally high birth rate. Naga females could give birth to 3-6 eggs per nest, and could lay more eggs every 3 weeks. Because of how many offspring a naga family may have had, the relationships between the children and their parents were far less important than the familial relations typically seen in humans and Duns.

Naga scales were practically limitless in terms of colour, with all manner of colours and patterns in between. These colour mixes and patterns were based on genetics, and were often the defining features between individuals.

Naga were capable of moving incredibly fast by dropping on all fours. Using their tails as counterbalances in conjunction with their very long arms, they could cover ground much quicker than other races. Some few naga have been recorded as running as fast as horses for brief durations.

Naga tails were not necessary for balance, and were capable of regenerating very quickly if injured or cut off.

The naga digestive tract was robust and well-suited to handling highly acidic food. Members of many other races looked upon naga's over-fondness of sour and spicy foods as bizarre. However, this was a strength for naga, considering their primary livestock were Acid Cows.

The average lifespan of a naga was 50 years.

Anatomy #

Limbs #

Naga were bipedal digitigrades with tails and exceptionally long arms. While standing upright, naga arms extended down far enough that their fingertips were well past their knees.

Naga possessed claws, which could be sharp and grew very long if not put to use. Working class naga usually appeared to have shorter, stubbier, blunt nails. A naga possessed 4 fingers and a thumb per hand, and 4 toes per foot.

Tail #

Naga tails were approximately as long as one of their arms, but were not prehensile. Naga also possessed a line of subtle bony protrusions running down their back, starting at the base of their neck and ending at the tip of their tail. Naga tails grew back even after being cut off at the base.

Head & Facial Features #

Naga possessed a long neck and a serpentine skull with two eyes, two ear holes behind the eyes, and two nostrils over the mouth. The nostrils served only has respiratory orifices, as naga detected scents with their forked tongues. Along the back and sides of their heads, naga produced soft, fleshy tendrils almost like dreadlocks. These tendrils grew like hair, and regenerated in a similar manner to their tails.

Eye and scale colour were all dependant on genetic heritage, with these features being one of the key identifying features of individual members of the species. While naga were able to easily pick out more subtle traits among themselves, outsiders would usually see most average naga as the same in terms of facial structure.

Naga eyes were silted vertically, and usually displayed a vibrantly coloured iris with black scleras.

The lizard people also had a mouth full of sharp teeth suited to their carnivorous diet.

Skeleton #

Naga were endoskeletal with dense bones to support the strength of their powerful muscles.

Biology #

Adrenaline and Pain Tolerance #

Naga were incredibly vicious creatures, naturally competitive and quick to resort to physical violence to solve issues. Sustaining even supericial injury quickly flooded a naga's system with adrenaline, whipping them into a frenzy. This also allowed them to have a high pain tolerance, with more and more adrenaline released with every injury sustained. As such, naga often became fearless in the face of potential injury, for better or for worse.

Acid-Resistant Guts #

Naga's digestive tracts were incredibly tough. They could eat almost any kind of food without any problem, and could even power through spoiled food without contracting foodborne illness.

Naga raised Acid Cows since time immemorial, and their tough mouths, throats, and stomachs allowed them to essentially ignore the acid-engorged flesh of the creature when eating them. This also extended to spicy food, with capsaicin being unable to perturb naga much when eating.

Thermophysiology #

Being reptiles, naga were ectotherms, relying on an external source of heat to maintain their body temperature. Resultantly, naga cities were often built around pockets of geothermal heat, like magma chambers. Surface-dwelling naga could simply bask in the sun's light like a lizard in order to warm themselves. For long journeys in cold, dark caverns, naga often brought magical heat-emitting devices similar to a heat lamp with them.

Regeneration #

The lizard-like naga did not possess elevated regeneration across their entire body like some falsely believed, but rather had the ability to completely regrow their tail should it be injured or removed from the body. This could take a long time, ranging from 3 to 8 weeks depending on size. However, this regeneration was complete and yielded a new tail that was nearly identical to the one that preceded it. The nagas' tail regeneration extended to one more part of their body, which was their tendril-hair. Like the mane of a lion, naga grew a set of 8-13 fleshy, scaleless tendrils from the back of the head. These tendrils were treated the same way as humans treated hair, being cut to varying lengths depending on gender, fashion, or practicality. These grew back much slower than their tails--if cut to the skull, it could take over 2 months for these tendrils to reach elbow-length.

Unlike hair, these tendrils had a maximum length and would stop growing once they reached this point. For males, the tendrils would often grow to about elbow length, while females' could grow as long as knee-length. Tendril wounds also healed quickly, with raw flesh disappearing within 24 hours. Hair-tendrils had nerve endings, so naga could feel using them. The frequent cutting of these hair tendrils led others to believe naga couldn't feel them, but in reality it was simply the adrenaline generated from wounds that allowed the process to be painless.

Lifespan #

The average lifespan of a naga was 50 years, although this was partly because of their violent tendencies. Naga as old as 80 were confirmed to have lived, but this was rare due to the headstrong, adrenaline-fueled aggression that every naga possessed. This was just as well, since the naga reproductive rate was high and without the high frequency of death to match, they would have quickly run out of space in their subterranean territories.

The short lifespan of naga manifested comically in their history: the rapid death and replacement of royalty, military officers, and nobles meant recorded history for naga was very, very messy and often missing important figures that would never be known to the world. Resultantly, naga resorted to mythology often to fill in the gaps in their lightning-paced history.

Sexual Dimorphism #

Male naga, like male humans or duns, were typically built larger and more muscular while females were slimmer with wider hips ideal for laying eggs. As mentioned previously, males' hair-tendrils did not grow as long as females'. Female naga also had higher-pitched voices. At a glance, those unfamiliar with naga might have struggled to differentiate a female and male, as there were no distinctive differences in facial structure. Like other reptilian animals, female naga did not have breasts. Naga emitted pheromones which helped to identify gender, at least among their own kind.

Genetics and Reproduction #

The naga reproduced sexually, with their species comprising of male and female counterparts. After being impregnated by a male naga, a female naga would lay 3-6 eggs following a 1-week gestation period. Eggs typically hatched after a week, and a female was ready to lay more eggs after 3 weeks had passed since her last laying. Naga eggs appeared dark brown in colour.

Growth Rate & Stages #

Naga were well-known for their rapid growth and frequent reproduction. After hatching from their eggs, naga were already quite intelligent, able to crawl and manipulate objects with relative ease. They were capable of understanding object permanence immediately as well.

Newborn naga actually lacked a tail and would quickly grow it over the course of a couple months. Infants were also capable of eating meat. By 1 year, a naga was an adolescent able to talk well and assist in labour. Naga would continue to grow until they were 10 years old, where they became sexually mature and were typically at their full size. It was often at this point that a naga would become independent and depart from their parents' household, making way for more children.

Dietary Needs and Habits #

Naga were carnivores, and required a bountiful influx of protein to support their rapid growth, regenerative abilities, and strong muscles. Occasional dietary supplementation with vegetables or other plants was not uncommon.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities #

Naga were cave dwelling, subterranean creatures and possessed abilities that allowed them to thrive in low-light environments. Naga were able to see exceptionally well in the dark, with a high amount of rod cells within their eyes allowing them to see better than other sapients in dim light. In even darker environments, naga had two tools up their sleeves to see--in close quarters, they had thermal vision which allowed them to see the body heat of nearby organisms or objects. For further distances (usually around 9-10 meters away), naga could detect vibrations running along surfaces that they were in physical contact with. These two features combined to allow naga to move around in tunnels where the sun didn't shine and torches may be absent.

Naga Ethnicities #

With the high reproductive rate of Naga, distinct phenotypes surfaced within the different naga kingdoms. These helped identify nationality of a naga in the same way facial structure and skin colour was used by humans to determine their own heritage.

Lus'hisal #

Hiskrallion #

Vish'hisal #

Hisgession #

Hysh'hisal #

Sahgess'hisal #

Speciation

Two unique species of naga arose after several years of reproduction with geographical barriers--the deep-dwelling Sul-Naga and the savage Fereinite Razzekk.

Ecology and Habitats #

These reptilian people were cold blooded, building settlements where there were warm pockets of geothermal heat and avoiding other colder caverns. Some naga also lived on the surface, but they typically stuck to hotter places like the Kaktis Desert or the Sangmyung Valley. While their natural home was underground in the dark, naga did not have any issues with the excessive light on the surface, although it often took some time for a naga's eyes to adjust when emerging from the underground for the first time.

Symbiosis #

Hydrisikk were worshipped by the naga as near-deific beings of immense power. Before the Demon Wars, the hydrisikk were considered to be demi-god children of the ancient naga gods. Contemporary worship revolved around the idea of respecting the gargantuan serpents in order for good luck and protection to fall upon you.

Naga would often leave sacrifices for these slithering giants in order to have them protect their borders. Hydrisikk were smart enough to recognize that the naga left them food (often times surplus acid cow livestock), and enter a nonverbal agreement to defend their lands from outsiders: foreign, hostile naga; unwelcome explorers from the surface; Strife invaders; etc. Occasionally, a hydrisikk may have sought out naga to help remove rock worms that were stubbornly affixed to the serpent's flesh.

Geographic Origin and Distribution #

The majority of naga lived underground, but it was not unheard of for naga to make their lives on the surface world. In the underground world, naga were dispersed across 6 different territories ruled by different monarchs.

Civilization & Culture #

Intellect #

Naga were not really intelligent relative to other sapient species. They retained the ability to grasp high-level concepts, but this was often smothered by a naga's overwhelming impatience. They often thought first with their stomachs, and next with their fists. Of course, being competitive, one may have be able to guide their energy by introducing a problem as a competition. Naturally competitive by nature, a naga's desire to win was an instinct that was very hard to suppress. For example, the hundreds of years of military technological advancement was only achieved because of the naga's voracious appetite for victory over their opponents.

Names #

It was not uncommon for naga names to seem like tongue twisters for non-native Sikliss speakers. Some examples included Sifish, Hisasash, Shihisas, Sissis, Sophisal, Krasalash, Sikarashas, Phossus, Gesh, etc.

A few names like Hiss, Fish, and Gess lead to comedic encounters with tradespeaking travellers.

"So, uh, what's your name?"

"Gess."

"Uh, I don't know."

"No, it's Gess."

Familial last names didn't exist, instead replaced by a national last name that many naga wore with pride. However, the name of the naga's father would often be attached in order to differentiate among others with potentially the same name.

Example

A male Hisgession naga named Shoshikass whose father was Shegash would have the full name of "Shoshikass Hisgess, son of Shegash Hisgess".

The only exception to this rule was for Hiskrallion naga, where the last name of Hiskrall was reserved for the Queen and her succeeding daughter as a title. Hiskrallion naga took the last name of Krallshess, which translated roughly to "queen's servant". Additionally, naga full names were tracked by mother as opposed to father.

Example

A male Hiskrallion naga named Shoshikass whose mother was Shegash would have the full name of "Shoshikass Krallshess, son of Shegash Krallshess".

As a final note, naga names lacked a gender category--all names were suitable for both male and female naga. This was likely because naga often had so many offspring that they couldn't be bothered to put too much effort into finding unique names for every child.

Major Politics #

As mentioned earlier in this article, naga were divided into 6 different kingdoms across the subterranean caverns of Legere-Lus'hisal, Hiskrall, Vish'hisal, Hisgess, Hysh'hisal, and Sahgess'hisal. Each kingdom had developed a unique culture based on the environment it was founded in.

The restricted passageways within the underground also lead to interesting dynamics within the varying kingdoms: Lus'hisal was a rich land of metals and crystals, making it an ideal place to wage war against to try and get loot. However, its rather isolated location meant that only the Hisgessions had easy access to them. If the Hisgessions attempted to mount a raid on the Lus'hisals, they left themselves vulnerable to an assault by the Hiskrallions. Vish'hisal and Sahgess'hisal naga also frequently sent warriors against each other and Hisgess, keeping each other's population and relative prosperity in check.

The closest thing to a "neutral" realm within the naga's lands was the Hysh'hisal kingdom. Hysh'hisal was seen as a religious capital, home to priests and caretakers who commune with the Hydrisikk. Engaging in war with the Hysh'hisals was often seen as taboo, and could cause all other factions to turn on the offending party. Hysh'hisal had a strained relationship especially with Hisgess because they had tried many times to assimilate Hysh'hisal into their own lands. Each time they were repelled by the Hysh'hisal's more than capable warriors, and then forced to retreat and defend their homeland by Lus'hisal and Hiskrallion forces at their doorstep. ^b6ce16

The underground was a large place with many nooks and crannies, some of these serving as homes for independent naga factions. Some of these groups were rebels, others deserters, but most were overly-competitive naga who believed they had the power to establish a seventh kingdom.

Beauty Ideals #

Being a war-driven race, beauty was not a significant focus for their kind. However, the aristocracy at the center of naga kingdoms (namely reigning monarchs, noblenaga, war room generals and the like) did enjoy refining their looks to flaunt their wealth. One of the key features of a rich naga was their sharp claws. Lower-class naga, such as farmers or soldiers, would have likely had duller claws as a reflection of their labour. After all, a noblenaga would not have had any grunt work to perform that may have resulted in their sharp claws being worn down. The claws of naga were sharpened using a sort of grindstone and polished with wax or some other varnish in order to give them a sharper, shinier look. This appearance of claws mirrored how some human cultures may have seen pale skin as attractive because it implied that they were rich and could afford to stay indoors, unlike poorer folk who may have had to work the fields for a living. Sometimes artificial "claw caps" were worn by nobility (such as military officers who may have recently been in battle) to disguise blunt or damaged claws.

Jewelry was also a common way of flaunting wealth or status, with Saurium being the primary valuable metal for naga, as opposed to something like gold for humans. Saurium bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and rings were all commonly found among nobility. For lower class individuals, piercings were a common sight as they were seen as more "practical" jewelry that wouldn't fall off or rattle during strenuous activity. Piercings could be found along the eyebrow, nose, tail and hair-tendrils.

Naga did not use makeup as a vanity, rather applying war paint when on the eve of battle. Donning war paint was a symbol of being prepared to go into battle rather than a way to doll oneself up for a formal event. In terms of physical appearance, naga placed emphasis on the physical strength of individuals as something worth passing down to their children. As such, sexual attraction arose not from how strong a naga looked but rather how strong they were. In other words, actions spoke louder than appearance. This strength did not necessarily have to be physical (displays of mental fortitude or tactical genius were also arousing), but physical feats of strength were often the most obvious and "loud".

For more information, see the Courtship part of this article.

Gender Ideals #

Male and female naga were roughly equivalent in terms of opportunity and importance. This was because naga viewed the world through the lens of conflict--whatever advantages could be procured should be used. While females were on average weaker than males, if there was something that they excelled at, they should be allowed to carry it out, for the good of the naga's people. Since naga were reptilians with offspring that required no breastfeeding, mothers were not required to stay at home and nurse their children for long periods of time. A period of supervision was required to protect the offspring from hurting itself, but because of how quickly naga matured, this period was short-lived and freed up the parents' time.

In majority of the six naga kingdoms, only a male was allowed to inherit the throne. In order to track lineages, naga traced fathers, and the king was considered to be the father of his kingdom during his reign. The only exception was in the Hiskrallion Kingdom, where the Hiskrall (naga queen) reigned as the mother of the nation. Naga were traced back by their mothers instead of their fathers. The reason for this tradition is unknown, lost to the ages due to centuries of war. It was suspected that the Hiskrall believed that because males were physically superior in most cases, they were the ones who should always be on the front lines--a male on the throne was a waste of what could be a winning soldier in a war.

Relationship Ideals #

Courtship #

Naga courtship was a bizarre mix between the competition of animals and the gestures of affection a dun or human might've made towards a potential mate.

Naga were incredibly vicious creatures, naturally competitive and quick to resort to physical violence to solve issues.

The competition of securing a mate was something that went both ways. Females competed over males, and males competed over females. This often ended up seeing the strongest male and female together, and the others together in descending level of strength.

Fights and confrontations were quick to break out in between various naga who were aware of each other's interest in a mate. While a human may have simply attempted to out-romance an opponent, naga were upfront about their interests and fought for dominance--any naga too shy to engage in a brawl wasn't worthy in the first place to the potential mate. This fighting between suitors was not a messy, chaotic process like a brawl in the streets or a ruckus of bedlam in a tavern. Instead, naga organized meetups at designated fighting pits in order to prove their strength over others. Victories were recorded so that other potential mates could look up others for potential mates or competition, depending on gender.

These fights were not final in determining who won the hand of a partner--perhaps the female that the males were competing over saw the losing contestant carry something incredibly heavy the other day and judged him still as stronger.

Victory over competing suitors was not the final challenge for naga--they then had to endure the trial of winning the respect of their potential mate. At the same time, they had to also make a judgement call on whether or not the mate was worthy of their own respect. These trials were more relatable by humans, as they consisted of displays of wealth, skills, and socialization. Naga may have been cold-blooded creatures, but they had thoughts and emotions just like any other sapient race. Things that were less practical like similar interests, sense of humour, etc. were all things that both parties tested the waters of while they were courting. So at the end of the day, a naga may have gained the attention of several strong potential mates, but have picked a weaker one simply because they were more similar in mind. This sort of courting was seen in humans where more desirable-appearing suitors may lose out to another suitor with a more interesting personality.

Arranged marriages or keeping bloodlines pure were not a priorities of the naga. Dowries or other ways of leveraging relationships as diplomatic operations were unheard of. All naga, male or female, were expected to fight and compete for their own mates; let the strongest survive and reproduce.

For subterranean naga, the only forbidden act within naga courtship was engaging in relations with a citizen of an enemy state. The exclusion to this rule was if a defector joined a rival state, but this was extremely rare because of the pride a naga has in their own fatherland.

Noblenaga and even princes or kings were not shunned for courting "commoners," because again, the worth of a naga was in their strength.

Courting was usually short, around a month or two (which was relatively long for a naga) before it ended in one of two ways--the couple departed, or they engaged in marriage.

Marriage #

After courting for 1 or 2 months on average, a naga couple could agree to unite themselves in marriage. This was a great celebration for naga, as it represented the couple preparing to work together to create more members of their kingdom through the production of children. Traditional naga weddings involved a day of great feasting and entertainment. The guests to the party were friends of the couple being wed--typically parents did not attend because the relationship between parents and children were not strong.

Naga marriages were monogamous, likely because of the difficulty present in the courting phase.

Children & Family Dynamic #

Naga reproduced incredibly quickly, with females always laying multiple eggs per impregnation. This lead to naga households swarming with children (assuming the parents could support such numbers), and attachment to such numbers of children just never developed. This was part of why naga left their homes as soon as they could. Naga siblings typically remained close, although naga would also form strong bonds with other children in the community, forming their own families in that way. Naga would refer to others in these non-biological families as issiliss, or scale brothers/sisters. ^issiliss

A pair of naga would create as many offspring as they saw they could, since increasing the population of their kingdom was seen as an important duty. More citizens meant a larger army. Typical naga families would consist of around 20 to 25 children. Poorer naga may have only had 5-18 children (varying greatly on economic status) while the richer may have had upwards of 30 or more children. The exclusion to this massive volume of offspring was actually present in royalty. In order to avoid dramatic power struggles over who succeeded the throne, royalty kept the number of their offspring lower. Naturally, competition was encouraged so that only the strongest inherited the crown, but the last thing naga wanted was a civil war that divided their kingdom and lead to a period of instability and weakness. On the topic of controlling the amount of offspring, naga performed a very jarring abortive practice--they smashed their own eggs.

Technological Advancement #

Naga technology was primarily driven by their eternal drive for bloodshed. A constant state of war within the Legerian underground caused countless iterations of weapons and armour to be developed. However, while the nagas' arms race was in constant motion, technology revolving around everyday life had not advanced as far. Utilities and standards of living for naga were relatively low, save for royalty and nobles.

Naga were famed for their usage of Saurium, an orange metal with excellent durability and a peculiar weakness to acid.

Major Language Groups and Dialects #

![[Sikliss#^d8bc7b]] ![[Sikliss#Dialects]]

Common Etiquette #

Naga manners were bombastic and rowdy. For example, naga friends greeted each other by surprising each other with a knife stab to the tail. Such an act would have been unacceptable for a being that lacked the naga's regenerative capacity in their tails.

When greeting each other, it was customary for naga to grip their tail with one hand and lift their other hand so it faces upwards to signify they mean no harm and that they came in peace. If their tail was missing, then they would resort to extending both arms, palms upwards. Either action showed that the naga was not wielding a weapon and therefore did not intend to inflict harm. It was considered poor manners to greet an individual with your hands hidden, for this reason. There were small variations on this method of greeting, depending on where the naga was from--sometimes a bow was added, sometimes the palms faced forward as opposed to upwards, etc.

If a naga was greeting someone they had intent of challenging, they would point at them, usually accompanied by a shout. Therefore it was also considered poor manners to point at people without violent intent. Typically naga would point at things or people using all four of their fingers to avoid accidentally pointing at individuals and conveying the wrong idea.

Bowing to royalty was a must. This also extended to military leaders, COs, etc. Naga typically bowed by getting down on one knee and lowering their gaze to the floor. Commoners and low-cast citizens were often expected to hold their tails in the presence of royalty or nobility, both during and after bowing to them.

The symbol of utmost disrespect in naga culture was mutilation of the tail. A naga that bit their own tail while looking at someone was a mighty insult to the person being looked at. The most egregious insult of all was if a nag cut off a piece of their own tail and threw it at the feet of another.

Fashion #

Naga fashion could be just as opulent and over-the-top as human fashion, with flowing dresses and ornate robes dominating the wardrobes of nobility. Because naga did not have breasts, exposure of the chest was not considered nudity. In fact, many naga outfits proudly displayed the chest in order to showcase the musculature of the individual, regardless of gender. Naturally, the groin remained covered. In naga formal wear, the arms were usually covered up to the wrist. The tail and legs usually remained uncovered for flexibility and comfort, although they were often decorated with jewelry and piercings.

A brief moment of sophistication, refinement, and peace within the perpetually agitated naga society.

History #

Naga had lived under the world's crust for millennia, working, fighting, and spreading throughout caverns like wildfire. In fact, the massive cave network found below the surface of Legere was primarily created by naga pioneers of ages past. Naga history was extremely chaotic, and differed from location to location. This was partially because of their competitive nature leading them to be biased towards their own nation's greatness, but also because naga died so often in battle in international and civil wars that many key historic figures and their followers disappeared before their deeds could be recorded properly. This led to naga history being full of rich mythology where legendary warriors of empyrean achieved the deeds of those whose names have been lost to the ages. For modern surface-dwelling scholars, this proved to be problematic because it was nearly impossible to tell whether a prominent historical figure was real or a tale.

Naga, human, and dun history has also often intermixed in combat. Because naga lived below surface territories, the line between, say, the Corgathian kingdom and the Hiskrallion kingdom was ill-defined at best. The only thing that has stopped the naga from waging wide-scale conquests of the surface was their disinterest in living on the bright, sunny lands where no cavern ceiling covered them.

Naga were fortunate to be impacted the least during the Demon Wars, leaving them far more powerful than the surface kingdoms at the tail end of the conflict--most surface military powers agreed that they would not have survived an all-out naga invasion of their lands. After the Demon Wars, naga migration to the surface became more popular.

Historical Figures #

The naga did a poor job of differentiating between legends and actual historical figures. The line between these two natures became so blurred that it was impossible to distinguish any of their heroes as real, made up, or embellished. The following is a list of some of the most well-known naga across the entire underground of Legere. While each kingdom had their own set of legendary folk heroes, there were only a handful of figures so prominent that foreigners celebrated their accomplishments as well.

Shaka Krallshess, Son of Kassash #

Shaka was a Hiskrallion general who was known for standing against two armies at once. It was said that during a mighty battle between Hisgess, Sahgess, and Hiskrall, Shaka's troops were decimated during an unfortunate clash where the Hisgess and Sahgess both collapsed onto them. Shaka alone survived, and fought off both armies at once. He mounted a Varakira and charged through both enemies' ranks, cleaving through them with sword and running them through with his lance. Shaka's furor was so great that he managed to inflict unimaginable casualties upon the opposing armies, forcing them both to retreat--protecting Hiskrall's borders long enough for their forces to regroup. Shaka's mighty victory was so astounding that even modern day Hisgess and Sahgess perpetuated his story, despite him being a foreign hero.

Kallussiss Hisgess, Daughter of Sisliss #

A brave commander during some of the nagakind's earliest recorded battles, Kallussis was forced to make a last stand to defend Hisgess from a Strife invasion force, but she and her troops knew they were outnumbered. While Kallussis was an extraordinary combatant, it was her brains and her tactical genius that made her the person she is known to be today. She ordered her troops to scale the cavern walls and begin chipping away at the massive stalactites on the cave roof. Kallussiss then went to lure in the Strife by herself, fooling them into thinking she was fighting alone. Just as the enemy closed in on her, she yelled the command, and her soldiers swung their weapons to cause the roof of the cavern to fall. This killed Kallussis, her naga, but most importantly a significant amount of the enemy. This also sealed off this passage for good, preventing the enemy from being able to traverse there. While this story is widely believed to be true, no one has found the actual cavern that Kallussiss supposedly collapsed.

Kallussiss was often referenced by naga as an example of someone who was smart, often in a teasing, affectionate way.

You're such a kallussiss!

Shesh Hysh'hisal, Son of Skashik #

Shesh was revered far and wide as a prophet of sorts, with some naga actually worshipping him like a saint. Shesh is one of the historical figures who is well-known by naga but likely to have never existed. This is purely due to the fact that there was only one story about him, and it seems unlikely that such an important figure doesn't have more documentation on him, even for naga. Shesh's main feat was that he could apparently talk to Hydrisikk with a form of Sikliss that was more pure to its original form. The hydrisikk, being older than any naga, would then divulge great words of wisdom and varying proverbs upon Shesh, who would then publish these proverbs and have them spread around the caverns to elevate the naga race. While these proverbs are well-known, there were no records of the naga who spread them initially, and therefore there is no confirmed direct tie to Shesh.

The Great Sallass Hiskrall #

Sallass was the first Hiskrallion royal matriarch, revered for how she led her siblings into battle against the existing royal institution. Though outnumbered and with all odds stacked against them, Sallass's tiny rebellion successfully seized the throne and respect of the ancient Hiskrallions, and her bloodline reigned since then upon the throne. To note, Sallass, often referred to as the Great Hiskrall out of respect, was never called to be the daughter of someone like other naga are. This was to symbolize her as an "ultimate parent of the Hiskrallion Kingdom," and calling her the daughter of someone else would diminish her honour. So much time has passed now that no one even knows her ancestors anyways.

Eksahgesh Vish'hisal, Son of Shikshik #

Eksahgesh was one of the latest of naga folk heroes, well known not only to those who live beneath, but also the people of the surface. Eksahgesh, also called Eks by his human friends, was a skilled blacksmith who travelled to the surface world during the Demon Wars to supply small human militias with Saurium weaponry and armour. While naga care little for the generosity shown by this kind-hearted individual, their true respect for him comes from the tale of his glorious death in battle against the Demons. With his mallet in one hand and a Phovezilan longsword in the other, Eksahgesh charged headfirst into a line of imps who were hampering Phovezilan forces from advancing North to the base of the Phayu Wing Mountains. Eksahgesh would die, succumbing to numerous wounds, but he had inflicted great damage to the enemy's crossbowmen, forcing them to retreat while the Phovezilan elemental warriors could push forward. After the battle had concluded, White Archers carried his body back to The Snowy Mountain where his comrades would receive it and hear the tale of his valour. Eksahgesh was a role model for most sauriumsmiths, since his crafts were made so well that they could withstand the forces of evil. Oftentimes statues of him could be found in forges, positioned in a spot where he can "oversee" the smithing of saurium equipment.

Common Myths and Legends #

The naga believed in a sort of "primordial pantheon" of godlike figures that gave birth to their kind. These figures weren't so much as actual deities, but some kind of more powerful, ascendant race that predated the modern naga kind. These mythical beings, named the Hyshsik, were said to have had two sets of offspring--the Three Firstborn, and their lesser children the His (or as they are often called, the naga).

The Three Firstborn

The Three Firstborn were, according to naga myths, the three giant species of serpents that dwelled in Legere: the Hydrisikk, the Akwasarr, and the Klo Ming.

Each of these creatures carried a third of the Hyshsik's power, and each dominated the three corners of the world--earth, sea, and sky, respectively.

Legerian zoologists have acknowledged that these three species are very closely related, with each having three pairs of eyes and almost identical skeletons.

The Hyshsik were said to be mighty warriors and ingenious creators (by the naga's standards, anyways), gifting naga with their language and access to their stockpiles of wealth hidden within the earth.

Naga Legends

The Hyshsik grew restless, concerned that their offspring were not perfect--unworthy of being their own flesh and blood. And so the great Hyshsik set out to elevate the mighty Hydrisikk and their lesser His to a state of power that would undeniably prove the strength of the Hyshsik that runs through their blood. To war the Hyshsik went, against their own offspring. They spilled the blood of their own children, creating a mighty scarlet river that ran through once silent caverns, a testament to those who were powerless and a shame upon the hallowed Hyshsik. For is it not the purpose of a new generation to surpass its predecessor?

The Hyshsik did not slaughter in vain, however--eventually, united by the coming eve of their extinction, the His and Hydrisikk banded together in a holy union that was powerful enough to shatter the armour and scales of the exalted Hyshsik. Seeing their children overcoming them, the Hyshsik died in peace, assured that their bloodline would reign long and with great dynamism.

It could be that the Hyshsik were originally a faction of upper-echelon naga that the main people rebelled against and overthrew thousands of years ago. The inferior bookkeeping and common transcendence to legend that naga historians were infamous for would then give rise to this tale.

Statues and other depictions of the Hyshsik portrayed them as tall, muscular saurian humanoids who lacked a tail. Their heads were similar to nagas', but the snout was significantly shorter, and there was a third eye positioned in between the two normally-placed ones. Their left hand was a serpent's head, but lacking eyes--only two large fangs and a forked tongue were present here. Their right hand was like that of a naga's, often gripping a weapon or staff in a symbol of power.

Naga armour and some headdresses often displayed a third eye in the middle of the wearer's forehead. This was to symbolize the three eyes found upon the Hyshsik, and was supposed to bring blessing and exalted strength upon the naga who wore it. This eye was often made of a gemstone that matched the intended wearer's eyes, with the inside hollowed out and then inked black to create a "pupil".