Page 25 - Serpent Kingdoms

wealth more effi ciently. The serenely wise guardian nagas MM con-
cern themselves primarily with preserving beauty and goodness.
SK
Iridescent nagas are itinerant wanderers, constantly seeking
new discoveries and hidden beauty in the world. Spirit nagas MM ,
on the other hand, see only evil and ugliness, and they seek to
do harm wherever they can. The bad-tempered and mischievous
water nagas MM tend to lash out if threatened, but otherwise they
he Scaleless Ones generally regard naga with a prefer to withdraw from the world at large.
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mixture of dread and awe. Some humanoids are Of the minor naga races, banelar nagas are the cruelest,
Tdrawn to serve and worship these serpentine mas- most cunning, and most desirous of magic and power. Bone
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ters of the Art, while others wisely fear the insidious, slithering nagas , undead creatures consumed with hatred and malice,
threat they pose. detest servitude above all else, but they are otherwise akin
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to the nagas they once were. Ha-nagas revel in their own
Overview devastating prowess, seeing all other creatures as lesser beings
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that should bow down before them. Nagahydras are fearsome
All nagas are seen as potentially dangerous and regarded with predators that haunt the depths of the darkest forests and prey
suspicion throughout Faerûn, whether their inherent nature on lesser races.
is benefi cent, neutral, or malign. The truth is more complex
and nuanced. Description
The Mhairshaulkan sarrukh created nagas to serve as loyal
guardians, researchers into the arcane arts, and agents of explo- A naga has a long, snakelike body covered with glistening scales
ration. Over time, the original nagas fragmented into myriad and a more or less human face. A typical specimen ranges in
subraces, each with its own abilities. Now, millennia after the length from 10 to 20 feet and weighs between 200 and 500
sarrukh dispatched their creations to the far corners of Faerûn, pounds, but nagas 100 feet or more in length (such as the larg-
nagas can be found almost everywhere, although most still dis- est ha-nagas) are also known. The eyes of a naga are bright and
like cold climes. Although they continue to follow their ancient intelligent, burning with an almost hypnotic light.
drives, the decline of the sarrukh has enabled them to do so in
service to their own ends rather than those of their creators. Major Naga Subraces
Nagas are natural, potent spellcasters born with an inherent
understanding of the Art. Regardless of their nature and loyal- The major subraces are all quite distinctive in appearance,
ties, all nagas are crafty, cunning, and charismatic enough to despite their general similarity of form.
dominate lesser races through force of personality alone. Most
are naturally curious, loyal to a fault, and unusually skilled at DARK NAGA
deductive reasoning. Beyond these basic traits, their attitudes and This creature has a deep purple, eel-like body covered in fi ne
goals differ by subrace as well as by individual. scales. Its tail ends in a barbed stinger, and its head resembles an
Dark nagas MM prefer to plot and scheme, forming calculated eel’s except that it has a humanlike visage. Their statistics are
alliances with other evil creatures so as to gather prey and found on page 191 of the Monster Manual.

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