Naga

The snake people of Nakahina are remnants of a fallen age. They once had an empire that spanned the known world, but are now an isolated race on a series of small islands, clinging to fragments of their past culture. They have snake like bodies as part of rituals to their primordial god Ouroboros, in order to strengthen themselves and dedicate their lives to this god. Though there are any variations of the Naga with different levels of alterations due to their intense rituals. All of them share a love of logic and reason, forgoing standard human emotion. However, prolonged time with humans can cause this to break down. This page refers specifically to the two variations that are most human. The Sarpa Naga and the even more human Phullaka Naga.

Sarpa Naga

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age: Sarpa mature at the same rate as humans and have lifespans similar in length to theirs
Size: You typically have a height and size similar to that of a Human, but with a long snake-like lower half that makes up 2 to 3 times your size. Your weight is also 2 to 3 times that of a normal humans.
Speed: You have a walking speed of 35 ft and ability to lift yourself up to reach things up to 5 feet taller than you.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Innate Spellcasting: You know the Poison Spray cantrip. You can cast Animal Friendship an unlimited number of times with this trait, but you can target only snakes with it. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast Suggestion with this trait. Once you cast it, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Poison Immunity: You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
Limitations: You can not wear boots or heavy armor.
Constrict: You can attempt to constrict a target. Make a grapple against a target and each turn the target is grappled you make deal damage = to 1d8 + your strength modifier. Until they end the grapple, the creature is restrained. They can attempt to break each turn with a contested grapple check and only one creature can be grappled at a time. You cannot move while holding a target in this way. 
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common, Fiendish, and Draconic.

Phullaka Naga

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age: Phullaka mature at the same rate as humans and have lifespans similar in length to theirs
Size: Phullaka match humans in average size and weight. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Innate Spellcasting: You know the Poison Spray cantrip. You can cast Animal Friendship an unlimited number of times with this trait, but you can target only snakes with it. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast Suggestion with this trait. Once you cast it, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Poison Immunity: You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common, Fiendish, and Draconic.

Naming Traditions

Family names

A Naga as a single family name which is the given name of their mother. When a female naga has a child, the child would then take her name as a surname.

Other names

A naga's first name is generally something relating to an event around the time of their birth in various languages that are known. For example if a naga was born around the time of a volcanic eruption, their name might be Beofyrg from the Draconic word of for "fire mountain" or volcano. If their mother was Yisn from the Fiendish "sand ice or snow" then a naga's full name would be Beofyrg Yisn. They do not have gendered names.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

This culture despises emotion and mental weakness. A mind of reason and logic is desired, which makes them prone to being manipulative and cold. They believe their ancestors were too emotionally weak which allowed their empire fall and the fall of the Életfa. They have grown to worship many demons and devils to gain power believing them to not be "evil" as evil is subjective to them. Instead they see them as a necessity of society and balance. Additionally, it is believed that the first Nagas, the ones who maintained the Empire were only the level of Sarpas. This also leads to the lack of the Sarpa Nagas ability to rise in power, being blamed for loosing control of their Empire.

Shared customary codes and values

Naga's have an rigid caste system. Most of this article discusses Sarpas and Phullakas. The names listed are the Naga term, and what outsiders often call them, particularly dragonborn). The full list of Naga's are as follows.

1. Exalted (anathemas): These were the most powerful and high ranking society of nagas. A result of an intense ritual made to alter the Favored. They are larger and more powerful Favored nagas with long snake like bodies, six heads, and large claws.
2. Favored (abominations): These are the most common high ranking member of the naga culture. A Favored can become an exalted through nomination by a council and acceptance. There are a limited number of Exalted at any time, but Favored are born to their rank, usually through careful breeding. They are mostly snake like with humanoid torsos and strong arms.
3. Ardha (malisons): These are the second to highest tier of Nagas. they are considered higher ranking then the Sarpas and Phullaka because of their snake heads, despite having humanoid bodies. To have a snake like head is to have an "advanced" snake like intellect int heir culture. This tends to be the upper middle class, warriors, or Guardians.
4. Sarpa (ailed): These are the variations with snake like bodies and human torsos and upper halves. They tend to be the working class. There is some tension between sarpas and ardhas because sarpas believe themselves to be more advanced and snake like, simply lacking the snake head.
5. Phullaka (laceration): These are the variations that are the lowest class, and treated the most harshly due to their human like existence. They are the ones most often used to infiltrate and study other cultures, but under strict control of the upper class.

Common Etiquette rules

Naga's are an extremely clean and neat culture. Slithering or walking across dirty floors or environments is uncomfortable and considered beneath them. With this extremely clean culture, bath houses and fountains are popular, as well as skin disposal areas. Public fountains should not be used if one is shedding, and most have private areas for different types of nagas. Therefore most Sarpa's only bathe with each other. Additionally, it is common etiquette to refer to other nagas by their status. If a naga's name is Beofyrg, for example, and they are a sarpa, they would be called Sarpa Beofyrg by anyone who is not a sarpa. To not use proper titles is considered very disrespectful even outside of naga culture. Therefor a Phullaka would have all naga party members call them Phullaka Yinse (if that was their first name) which leads many people to misunderstand and assume all nagas are named Phullaka, Sarpa, etc.

Common Dress code

Most Sarpa do not wear a lot of traditional clothing unless they are a female attempting to hide their undesirable breasts. Many Sarpas instead wear shoulder and neck decorations and well made jewelry when viewed from an outside perspective. This is to put on an air of superiority and power to outsiders. Within their home territory, however, they rarely wear anything and are seen as low class. Phullaka wear more clothing because they wish to hide their undesirable human bodies. When not viewed by outsiders, they wear simple clothes of wrapped or tied fabrics and clothes imported from Baarish, typically. When among non naga people, they will often wear great finery and elaborate clothing to demonstrate a sense of superiority and elitism.

Art & Architecture

Naga prefer ramps to steps, and tall elaborate structures. They often having winding towers and pyramids that reach the heavens. They dislike underground tunnels, preferring glass aviaries and domes.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The upper class nagas eat a lot of live, small mammals or birds. Many rabbit farms are kept, where the upper class eat them, often raw. The Sarpas are able to eat small raw rabbits and mice, as many can unhinge their jaw as well, however many of them have humanoid tastes yet, and prefer cooked food. Sarpas and Phullaka cook most of their food in private, as its taste better to them. However cooked food is considered disgusting to the other tiers, meaning many sarpas will suffer through raw foods in the presence of higher ranking nagas. Because of this lack of food diversity, many sarpas and nagas become infatuated with foreign food, often taking spices and recipes home with them.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When eggs hatch or a naga is born, they usually partake in a ritual to dedicate their lives to the Ouroboros or various other entities. Though primarily it is the Ouroboros that is worshiped, they revere other gods and demons balances of the natural order of the world. This usually involves great feasts when the birth of Favored occurs. If there are ever creatures born with birth defects, they are usually cannibalized.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Depending on the health of the dead, they may be cannibalized or fed to guardians or pets. If a healthy individual died due to an accident or murder, they might be eaten so that their strength and health can be recycled into that of the living. If not, they are often fed to guardian nagas, brood guards, or the snake pits in order to recycle. This is usually done unceremoniously.

Common Taboos

Expressing emotion is a taboo among their culture. For a naga to claim they love another, this usually is seen as regression and can even lead to banishment. Any display of emotion can be seen as a sickness that could infect the rest of the culture and thus lead to banishment or cannibalization. Many sarpas or Phullaka do begin to experience emotional expression quickly after being involved in traditional society, which often means that being sent as a long term diplomat or cultural infiltrator is a permanent job, because they would be seen as having regressed if they returned to Nakahina.

Common Myths and Legends

The naga had a rich history and various legends; however, much of their culture has been lost to time after the fall of their empire. they do have a system of record keeping, but frequent raids and attacks have also caused histories to be lost. Most naga have a vague idea of their once great power, and the history of the Életfa before the Burning Time, that lead them to be isolated on their small island of Nakahina.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Naga value snake-like features within their bloodline as a way of honoring Ouroboros. Among the Sarpa, one might value an especially long or well patterned tail, snake like facial features (fangs, scales, narrow eyes and faces). While among the Phullaka, one might value long thin limbs, scaled spots, and narrow, slanted eyes. The more humanoid one looks, the less attractive the are seen among the community because it is seen as "backwards" evolution. Additionally, smaller males and larger women are preferred.

Gender Ideals

Men are expected to be smaller in size because it is believed that it allows for a female to have more children. Because men tend to be smaller then women, and more dexterious instead of strong, they tend to be scouts or casters. Many of them take on shamanistic religious roles. Women are expected to be larger and able to produce many offspring of increasingly snake like qualities. Their evolutionary "progress" determines whether they have live births or lay eggs. Because many Sarpas and Phullakas still have breasts and give live births, which is seen as mammalian and undesirable, Naga will get "wet nurses" or even slaves of women who will nurse their children. Breasts are considered undesirable. Women typically take on positions as warriors and defenders if not carrying for young, or positions as priests or diplomats.

Courtship Ideals

Because of their cold and detached nature, devoid of human emotion, most naga will size up potential mates and determine if the match is favorable genetically. If both parties believe it is so, they will mate, produce children, and continue on as if the matter made no difference to them. Because mating is also seen as a holy act, many engage in mating processes in the church under guidance of priests. Sometimes a priest will host a breeding event where many well matched individuals come together and mass copulate under a ritual, viewed to outsiders as breeding pits, or serpentine orgies. Those that do lay eggs do so in incubation chambers under the protection of priests who employ the use of guardian nagas or broodguards.

Relationship Ideals

Most naga do not form relationships with others, at least in any romantic sense, unless they have spent enough time away from their homeland and experienced what nagas call an emotional regression, which means a return of human emotion and a break way from the detached and cold way most nagas view the world.