Nagaji
With humanoid figures and serpentine heads, nagaji are heralds, companions, and servitors of powerful nagas. They hold a deep reverence for holy areas and spiritual truths, an aspect many others find as intimidating as a nagaji's appearance.
Nagaji are a creation of the first Naga Nalinivati. Due nagaji's devotion to nagas, many to claim nagaji were created to be servants. However, Nalinivati created nagaji simply for the sake of creating. She envisioned a world where nagas and nagaji worked together to succeed, with nagas serving as sacred guardians, and nagaji living as mortals upon Boardrinn, respecting nagas for their strength and wisdom. Nagaji live up to this expectation, forming nations, temples, and villages with as many varied governments, societies, and traditions as there are scales on a serpent's back. If nagaji can be said to share any trait, it's devotion, be it to a community, a temple, a concept, or a lifestyle. Most nagaji are also drawn to the spiritual in all its expressions, even the darker aspects of philosophies and religions.
If you want a character who combines the crushing strength and the sinuous mystery of a serpent, you should play a nagaji.
You Might...
Enjoy the intersection of spirituality and everyday life. Have deep reserves of patience for tasks others might find boring. Adhere to strong beliefs and traditions about your place in the universe.
Others Probably...
Assume you have no goals or interests beyond serving nagas. Find your unblinking eyes and serpentine features intimidating. Are awed by your connection and dedication to holy natural places.
Nagaji are prone to sharp differences in appearance. Some have tails alongside legs, some have sharp claws on their hands and feet, and some are so unique from their kin that they're mistaken for lamias rather than nagaji. The most common nagaji features are a serpentine head and a humanoid body. They usually have the unblinking eyes of a snake, though other peoples often claim a nagaji's gaze is far more intense. Scales cover nagaji bodies, with patterns that resemble those of snakes or nagas. Depending on their heritage, a nagaji's neck might be as long as a swan's or as short as a human's, and many have a frill of skin or scales down their back. Nagaji tend to possess crushing strength, but how it manifests can vary; some have bulky figures, while others have the slender yet powerful musculature of a snake.
Nagaji communities widely vary, from ancient empires to tiny fishing villages. They tend to be isolated from other peoples, more as a matter of convenience than choice; nagaji have different physical needs than most ancestries, so even when integrated into mixed communities, they tend to live with other nagaji. Everything from marriage traditions, religion, social roles, valued arts, and methods of governance differs in specific nagaji communities. Within these communities, however, nagaji often have very strict and traditional views on these topics. Multiple instances of wars between nagaji have come about due to one group of nagaji finding another's practices unacceptable. This perspective applies to relations with other peoples as well. For instance, most nagaji consider themselves rivals and enemies of garudas due to their historical legends, even if the nagaji involved have never even seen a garuda. Nagaji originated in the region of Nagajord in the Shogunate. Though they have since spread across the world, many of them still carry traditions from their ancestral homeland. Concepts of elements, medicine, and spirituality are highly common among nagaji, especially given their tendency of seeing themselves as highly pious beings. Nagaji mostly eschew the human concept of castes, beyond the vague view of a “natural order” that sees nagas as holy guides to mortal nagaji, but they can see the appeal of the concept of karma and the righteousness of fulfilling their proper role in the universe. While they have little physical need for clothes, as they stick to hot and humid environments, nagaji wear them with pride and treat them as decorative elements in the same manner as jewelry. As nagas are usually matriarchal, nagaji have a strong respect for women in leadership positions. Not all nagaji follow suit with matriarchal societies, but they tend to trace lineage through the mother, and almost no nagaji societies are strictly patriarchal.
The presence of a naga can sway nagaji toward that naga's ethos, but a nagaji's view on life tends to be determined by the culture to which they belong. Nagaji overwhelmingly worship Thellyne , as the creator of Naga, to the point that any nagaji who pay homage to a different god over Thellyne provoke strong negative reactions from their kin.
A nagaji's strength means they excel as fighters and champions, but they're flexible enough that they can do well in any role they put their mind to, and clerics, sorcerers, and alchemists are popular professions.
The most common reason for nagaji to adventure is at the behest of a naga superior or for the benefit of a nagaji community, but their reasons can be as varied as any other people on Boardrinn. Nagaji might set out seeking holy sites in the world, searching for enlightenment, looking for material treasures, or for personal reasons related to their background, family, or city
Nagaji names vary depending on what region of the world they occupy, but they tend to possess short vowels when they have any at all. Nagaji usually name themselves or allow groups of siblings to name each other as children, a tradition that often sees nagaji eagerly shedding these names for new ones when they reach adulthood.
Sample Names Adesha, Garija, Kaya, Kuwana, Onok, Paravata, Sheni, Takasha, Tasi, Ulu, Vaski, Yulbin
Nagaji are a creation of the first Naga Nalinivati. Due nagaji's devotion to nagas, many to claim nagaji were created to be servants. However, Nalinivati created nagaji simply for the sake of creating. She envisioned a world where nagas and nagaji worked together to succeed, with nagas serving as sacred guardians, and nagaji living as mortals upon Boardrinn, respecting nagas for their strength and wisdom. Nagaji live up to this expectation, forming nations, temples, and villages with as many varied governments, societies, and traditions as there are scales on a serpent's back. If nagaji can be said to share any trait, it's devotion, be it to a community, a temple, a concept, or a lifestyle. Most nagaji are also drawn to the spiritual in all its expressions, even the darker aspects of philosophies and religions.
If you want a character who combines the crushing strength and the sinuous mystery of a serpent, you should play a nagaji.
You Might...
Enjoy the intersection of spirituality and everyday life. Have deep reserves of patience for tasks others might find boring. Adhere to strong beliefs and traditions about your place in the universe.
Others Probably...
Assume you have no goals or interests beyond serving nagas. Find your unblinking eyes and serpentine features intimidating. Are awed by your connection and dedication to holy natural places.
Physical Description
Nagaji are prone to sharp differences in appearance. Some have tails alongside legs, some have sharp claws on their hands and feet, and some are so unique from their kin that they're mistaken for lamias rather than nagaji. The most common nagaji features are a serpentine head and a humanoid body. They usually have the unblinking eyes of a snake, though other peoples often claim a nagaji's gaze is far more intense. Scales cover nagaji bodies, with patterns that resemble those of snakes or nagas. Depending on their heritage, a nagaji's neck might be as long as a swan's or as short as a human's, and many have a frill of skin or scales down their back. Nagaji tend to possess crushing strength, but how it manifests can vary; some have bulky figures, while others have the slender yet powerful musculature of a snake.
Society
Nagaji communities widely vary, from ancient empires to tiny fishing villages. They tend to be isolated from other peoples, more as a matter of convenience than choice; nagaji have different physical needs than most ancestries, so even when integrated into mixed communities, they tend to live with other nagaji. Everything from marriage traditions, religion, social roles, valued arts, and methods of governance differs in specific nagaji communities. Within these communities, however, nagaji often have very strict and traditional views on these topics. Multiple instances of wars between nagaji have come about due to one group of nagaji finding another's practices unacceptable. This perspective applies to relations with other peoples as well. For instance, most nagaji consider themselves rivals and enemies of garudas due to their historical legends, even if the nagaji involved have never even seen a garuda. Nagaji originated in the region of Nagajord in the Shogunate. Though they have since spread across the world, many of them still carry traditions from their ancestral homeland. Concepts of elements, medicine, and spirituality are highly common among nagaji, especially given their tendency of seeing themselves as highly pious beings. Nagaji mostly eschew the human concept of castes, beyond the vague view of a “natural order” that sees nagas as holy guides to mortal nagaji, but they can see the appeal of the concept of karma and the righteousness of fulfilling their proper role in the universe. While they have little physical need for clothes, as they stick to hot and humid environments, nagaji wear them with pride and treat them as decorative elements in the same manner as jewelry. As nagas are usually matriarchal, nagaji have a strong respect for women in leadership positions. Not all nagaji follow suit with matriarchal societies, but they tend to trace lineage through the mother, and almost no nagaji societies are strictly patriarchal.
Beliefs
The presence of a naga can sway nagaji toward that naga's ethos, but a nagaji's view on life tends to be determined by the culture to which they belong. Nagaji overwhelmingly worship Thellyne , as the creator of Naga, to the point that any nagaji who pay homage to a different god over Thellyne provoke strong negative reactions from their kin.
Adventurers
A nagaji's strength means they excel as fighters and champions, but they're flexible enough that they can do well in any role they put their mind to, and clerics, sorcerers, and alchemists are popular professions.
The most common reason for nagaji to adventure is at the behest of a naga superior or for the benefit of a nagaji community, but their reasons can be as varied as any other people on Boardrinn. Nagaji might set out seeking holy sites in the world, searching for enlightenment, looking for material treasures, or for personal reasons related to their background, family, or city
Names
Nagaji names vary depending on what region of the world they occupy, but they tend to possess short vowels when they have any at all. Nagaji usually name themselves or allow groups of siblings to name each other as children, a tradition that often sees nagaji eagerly shedding these names for new ones when they reach adulthood.
Sample Names Adesha, Garija, Kaya, Kuwana, Onok, Paravata, Sheni, Takasha, Tasi, Ulu, Vaski, Yulbin
Heritages
Hooded Nagaji
Source Impossible Lands pg. 48
You bear the hooded head of a spitting cobra, and like such cobras, you can shoot streams of venom from your mouth. You gain a venomous spit ranged unarmed attack with a range increment of 10 feet that deals 1d4 poison damage. On a critical hit, the target takes persistent poison damage equal to the number of weapon damage dice. Your spit doesn't have a weapon group or a critical specialization effect.
Sacred Nagaji
Source Impossible Lands pg. 48
You stand out from most nagaji, with the upper body of a beautiful human and the lower body of a green or white snake. Legends claim your ancestors were faithful snakes uplifted by Nalinivati rather than nagaji created by the goddess. Instead of a fangs unarmed attack, you have a tail attack that deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage, is in the brawling weapon group, and has the finesse and unarmed traits. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on your Fortitude or Reflex DC against attempts to Grapple or Trip you. This bonus also applies to saving throws against effects that would grab you, restrain you, or knock you prone.
Titan Nagaji
Source Impossible Lands pg. 48
You were raised to be a warrior or a bodyguard, and your specialized diet and bulging muscles have made your scales as strong as armored plates. Your scales are medium armor in the plate armor group that grant a +4 item bonus to AC, a Dex cap of +1, a check penalty of –2, a Speed penalty of –5 feet, a Strength value of 16, and have the comfort trait. You can never wear other armor or remove your scales. You can etch armor runes onto your scales.
Venomshield Nagaji
Source Impossible Lands pg. 48
Your intrinsic connection to nagas and mundane serpents grants you an innate resistance to toxins of every sort. You gain resistance to poison equal to half your level (minimum 1 resistance), and you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to all saving throws against poison.
Whipfang Nagaji
Source Impossible Lands pg. 48
You have a long, flexible neck that can curl into a striking pose like that of a snake. Your deceptively powerful muscles allow you to bite with surprising distance and speed. You gain the Raise Neck action.
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