Since the collapse of the Polar Gates the Hinterlands have been the haunt of innumerable Beastmen, its benighted realms stalked by savage mutant humanoids with the heads of goats, dogs, leopards, boars and horses. Belligerent and hateful of civilization whatever the origin, the Cloven Ones of the Hinterlands launch attacks against Snake Men outposts and temple-laboratories as readily as they do on the settlements of Khureshi humans, their warherds skulking in blood-grounds outside the spheres of control established by the Blood Naga Queens. It is here where the lurking war-parties of the Spitting Naja can be found at their most active.
The Naja caste’s most distinctive feature is their ability to discharge highly corrosive venom from their fangs, gradually improved through the ages by the twisted thaumaturgy of the Naga. A ‘Serpent’s Smile’ is not just a metaphor; it is a sign of danger that a Naja is about to spit its deadly venom. The Naja share the same size and similar characteristics with the Sarpa: two dexterous arms, a tough scaly torso and a long muscular tail. What physically differentiates them however are the larger fangs and a set of additional ribs on the sides of the Naja’s neck. These ribs expand out along with the skin on their necks to form a ‘hood’. Said hood not only grants them a more intimidating aspect, but also holds the glands that create and store the venom that the Naja spit. These glands are connected directly to the Naja’s fangs, providing a continuous quantity of venom to use as long as they are fed on a steady supply of flesh and blood. The hood is also useful for Naga or Snake Men commanders to easily identify the skirmishing Naja upon the battlefield, so that orders can be relayed without difficulty.
The Naja are the tireless hunters of the Snake Men castes, effortlessly stalking through the stifling jungles of Khuresh in their hunger for man-sized and monstrous prey. Once in range the Naja spits its caustic venom at the eyes of large enemies, before executing the target up close with their wicked chopping blades that human warriors require two hands to wield. It is common for the Naja to hiss near unwary prey so that they turn in the direction of the sound and allow an accurate and sadistic spit on the prey’s sight. Their venom is so potent that they need not aim their projectiles at the faces of man-sized enemies to bring them down, as a mere glancing blow to the limb can incapacitate them. They are also proficient climbers, slithering through the dense jungle canopy to waylay Forest Goblin Spider Riders in their own arboreal domain.
In such places where the grip of the fell Blood Naga civilization is tenuous, war-parties of Spitting Naja range across these untamed depths, hunting down the Beastmen and other interlopers to feed the appetites of their Queens and Lords. The Naja take the fight to the encampments of the eastern Beastmen with aplomb, whittling them down in ambushes and counter-ambushes before most warherds can gather into rampaging brayherds. The Naja take cruel pride in their conflict against the Beastmen, not only as a matter of survival but also as a display of dominance over the warmblooded Children of Chaos. Individual Naja often engage in competitions in the heat of battle, wagering against each other to see who can hit the eyes of a Razorgor at full charge with their venomous spit, before nimbly dodging out of the way of the hurtling beast as it crashes through the undergrowth.
The Snake Men are one of the very few powers capable of navigating the Beast-Paths of the Cloven Ones, although their Naja-led armies must strike quick and hard before the commotion draws innumerable numbers of the beastkin. The veterans among the Naja war-parties are known as Orb Trackers. Perhaps as a consequence of having feasted upon so many Beastmen, these elite Naja have grown an additional baleful eye on the back of their hood that is shielded by a protective membrane. This mutant eye gives the Tracker vision of his entire surroundings when on the hunt, while also giving him the ability to sense the unnatural glow of Morrslieb however faint. This lets the Snake Man orientate the position of his troop within the hidden ways of the eldritch jungles and somehow navigate through the winding roads of the Beast-Paths. Domineering towards the lesser races, it is known that experienced Trackers prefer to bind certain Beastmen to their will rather than slay them outright. Those who break in a whole team of the temperamental and wraithlike horse-headed Orobagor enter a marga’s vaunted Naja chariot troop.
During times of war, the Blood Naga will modify certain Naja to spit more than just venom, with streams of fire, electricity and freezing liquid having been documented, and even blasts of magic in some peculiar cases. Mustered together with the rest of the marga’s forces, Naja often perform the role of scouts, not only due to their wilderness prowess, self-reliance and ranged attack but also because they tend to be ill-tempered and shun the other Khureshi castes. Snake Men can be aggravated by other Snake Men, but at least spitting insults usually does not result in injuries in other cases. Due to this, Naja are usually kept far away from the rare diplomatic meetings between factions of the serpent-Naga.
In 1318 IC, a contingent of High Elves from Saphery arrived in Khuresh to explore the Old One ruins in the jungles and judge the health of the leylines, led by Rangers, Aesanar Shadow Warriors and guides from Tor Elithis. Naja Spitters spotted the Asur despite their stealthy guides and set an ambush. While the ambush was half successful, the High Elves retaliated hard with accurate shots of their own. Known later as the ‘Battle of the Blind’, Asur and Naja both lost sight of their enemies and shot at each other on sound alone. The more sadistic Naja lost their lives while the tactfully sensible kept them. In the end, the remnants of the Asur expedition made a hasty tactical retreat to the Gates of Calith, while the Naga gained valuable data on the efficacy of the Naja’s aim.
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