Naga (Nah-gah)

The Naga were a group of preternatural beings that were prominent in ancient Kaf, in the times before the Ghulat Wars. They are featured in various artifacts of the past like murals, left over texts, recovered religious and historical symbols, and sometimes in ruins. They are also thought to be the direct ancestors of the lamia species.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Naga were said to be a species that assume a variety of forms like that of large serpents, but also that of strong attractive human shaped creatures. Their zoomorphic forms were most similar to oversized hooded cobras or horned vipers, some with multiple heads up to seven. With their shapeshifting, naga were depicted in art to also have forms that resemble half humans, with the lower part of the body below the navel coiled like a snake.

Biological Traits

Due to mainly living in tropical areas, preservation of their bodies remains has likely been an uncommon and rare occurrence. Most fossilized remains are incomplete and only give a glimpse of naga. These fossils have shown that there are actually multiple species of naga unlike their descendants who despite their physical differences are generally accepted to be one species. 
Their ability to shapeshift is well documented in mural depictions, oral histories and even scripture.

Genetics and Reproduction

While only guessed through fossilized remains, naga sites have revealed remnants of egg shells, leading to the common idea that most naga are egg layers.

Ecology and Habitats

Naga were said to live in large underground kingdoms with beautiful precious gems and other such treasures. Excavated ruins include examples of their abandoned subterranean cities while others were repopulated by new races. Each one found so far has always been near a current or former source of groundwater.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Due to diets of their descendants, lamia, it is expected that naga had similar hypercarnivore diets.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Vedic texts describe the abode of the Naga to be in Patala Loka which are now subterranean dwellings below the area that is now a portion of the Dvipa, Zomia Tropics, and a bit of the Mashriq. Originally these used to be part of the Sarasvati civilization sphere of influence of ancient times.

Civilization and Culture

History

The Naga were a race of serpentine creatures that were described as semi-divine entities that lived within their underground kingdoms collectively known as Patala Loka. Archeological digs have uncovered the ruins of the below ground dwellings which show signs of habitation in the past. The similarity in designs have shown that some current underground towns were formally Naga dens that were abandoned and later inhabited by other species at a later point in time, often millennia later. Murals within these catacombs have shown depictions of rituals devoted to these beings taking place throughout for thousands, possibly millions of years.

Common Myths and Legends

Naga feature in the cultural stories of lamia, particularly their origin story. Within it, the naga are semi-divine entities that guarded the waterways and lower world from the demons during the Ghulat Wars. However, the ravages of war took their toll on the sacred beings with their numbers dangerously low. The princess of the Naga king developed a plan for the Naga men who fell in battle. She was given a ritual from one of the remaining minor Devas to help the widowed Nagini to have children. Unfortunately, the ritual was done improperly resulting in the naga giving birth to only daughters after some time. Fortunately, the nagini were able to have their daughters with each other and some found they could do so with the men of other humanoids, leading to the genesis of the lamia.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Lamia are considered to be the ancestors of the naga and likely their only living descendants. At first this was due to their physical similarities, but comparisons of genetic material preserved from naga remnants and living lamia members have shown connections. And ongoing project that aims to complete the genome of naga is in the works and has already shown clear lines of descent of certain genotypes to living lamia.

EXTINCT

Genetic Descendants

• Lamia

Conservation Status

Extinct though lamia are thought to be direct descendants, making them a type of naga.