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Spirit nagas were the most powerful type of naga and were akin to witches among other naga races.[2]

What have we here? Something more to eat? I like it when they fight, It makes the meat that much sweeter.
— A spirit naga to its prey.[7]

Description[]

They had a human female head on a snake body. Spirit nagas had serpentine bodies with black scales and red bands. Their humanoid faces were framed with stringy hair.[2]

The spirit nagas emitted stench of carrion, making them look as foul as they smell.[8] Which was very appropriate, for their favorite meal was rotting flesh.[4]

Some, if not all, spirit nagas possessed the ability to shapeshift into a human or demihuman form. However, they disliked humanoid forms, preferring the advantage of a tail.[9]

Biology[]

Spirit nagas' blood was quite acidic and, when spilled, emitted a hissing, sizzling sound, the telltale sign of its corrosive quality.[7]

Personality[]

They were even more mysterious and enigmatic than the others of their kind, seeking lost magic to a fanatical extent. They saw only evil, ugliness, and they delighted in causing suffering and death with the powers they possessed.[10]

Combat[]

Spirit nagas were powerful spellcasters. The bite of a spirit naga was deadly, as it contained venom. The eyes of the creature were no better, as their gaze could cause others to fall under the control of the naga. These nagas came back to life just a few days after their death, making them virtually immortal, this ability could only be stopped via a wish spell.[1]

Spirit nagas were cunning creatures preferring spells and traps often attacking without warning.[4]

Society[]

Spirit nagas preferred solitude or ruling over lower creatures, being worshiped in cults.[11]

In Chult, spirit nagas often took on the role of chieftain over pterafolk tribes.[12]

Most nagas respected culture and lore and considered it to be a worthy goal to preserve it, leading them to claim homes in ruins of ancient civilizations long gone. Even vile and evil spirit nagas that loved destruction established lairs in lost cities, temples, or castles (sometimes that they themselves brought to ruin).[11]

Ha-nagas were massive and powerful naga lords and often worshiped by spirit nagas as gods.[13]

History[]

Nagas were created via magical inbreeding by the sarrukh early on in the era of Mhairshaulk. By –24000 DR, Mhairshaulk has been in decline and the nagas have almost completely abandoned their homeland spreading all around Faerûn.

In the following millennia, nagas naturally branched and evolved into numerous naga species, including spirit nagas.[8]

Some spirit nagas unearthed ancient rituals of their creators transforming themselves into powerful being called ha-nagas.[8]

In 1372 DR spirit nagas were a recent addition to the city of Najara. A dozen spirit nagas served the King of Najara as protectors of the royal line.[14]

In 1373 DR, a foul spirit naga was encountered in one of the frozen caverns up in the Sunrise Mountains.[7]

Notable Spirit Nagas[]

  • Asp was the personal assistant of Maligor, the Zulkir of Transmutation. Her appearance diverged from that of the usual spirit naga, appearing as a human woman from the waist up, with a snake's tail in place of legs, though this may have been a magical disguise. Maligor used Asp's ability to shapeshift to replace the manager of Thay's gold mines, thereby taking control of them. This was all part of a complicated plot with the purpose of getting rid of the zulkir of necromancy, his most powerful adversary.[15]
  • First Consort Ssibalentanamas was the spirit naga priest of Sseth in charge of the yuan-ti breeding program that took place in the catacombs beneath the Cathedral of Emerald Scales in 1372 DR.[16]
  • Ithkyxan was one of the spirit nagas serving King Ebarnaje in 1372 DR, as well as a guardian of portals linking Serpent Hills with the Slitherswamp level of Undermountain.[17]
  • Ssensariith a spirit naga who in 1359 DR established a lair in Adderposts, Essembra and led Duskar Flamehaern to believe it was the divine incarnation of Sss’thasine’ss, helping him to expand his drug and slave trades.[18]
  • Ihanvas was a spirit naga in the Doomvault dungeon in 1486 DR.[19]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Connections[]

Major Subspecies
Dark nagaGuardian nagaIridescent nagaSpirit nagaWater naga
Minor Subspecies
Banelar nagaBone nagaBright nagaHa-nagaNagahydra
Related Creatures
Nagatha

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 233–234. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  3. James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 145. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 266. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  5. Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 72. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  6. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 72. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Voronica Whitney-Robinson (September 2012). The Crimson Gold. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1. ISBN 0-7869-3120-5.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 25. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  9. Jean Rabe (December 1991). Red Magic. (TSR, Inc.), p. 222. ISBN 1-56076-118-0.
  10. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 24. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  12. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 52. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  13. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 75. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  14. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  15. Jean Rabe (December 1991). Red Magic. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 1-56076-118-0.
  16. Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 139. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  17. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  18. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 171. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
  19. Scott Fitzgerald Gray (April 29, 2014). Dead in Thay. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55.
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