Warcraft 3 Naga Race
Berry Hootsell
ok, this is really neat. i appreciate you taking the time to point out some inconsistencies/changes that have been made over time, honestly. naga are all over the place doing all sorts of things, to the point that they're pretty impactful on the world in general
The serpentine naga are some of the most formidable villains of Azeroth. Masters of sorcery, the naga were formerly night elves, members of Queen Azshara's court in the War of the Ancients. They were transformed into naga by the Old Gods, and now haunt the seas of Azeroth building a great civilization on the ocean floor.
The Maelstrom, a large and violent magical storm that rages over the ocean, formed above the ocean at this location. Azshara and many of her kaldorei followers sank to the seafloor with their city. It was Azshara's quick thinking that saved them: she managed to make a pact with the Old Gods, swearing loyalty to them to survive. They were cursed and became the naga, serpentlike, water-breathing creatures. Their men and women diverged in appearance, physicality and mindset.
When the naga awakened, they set about building a new life for themselves on the ocean depths, and within the abyssal sea trench beneath the swirling waters of the Maelstrom they built their new city, Nazjatar. Azshara herself expanded with hate and rage, becoming a massive monstrosity, reflecting the wickedness and malice that had always hidden within her core. For 10,000 years, these elves of the abyss dwelt in a dark and powerful empire. Pagodas and balconies line the deep trenches, glimmering lights picking out the shapes of cities in the cold black. Sinuous figures drift and twist along the passageways, their elven origins difficult to discern. Over the time the naga tamed some native creatures (like snap dragons and dragon turtles to use in warfare, studied arcane magic and clashed with the sea giants and makrura, whose capital Mak'aru is in the same neighborhood. Transformed into the monstrous naga, the former night elves found they were able to survive the ocean's depths. Even so, the naga knew they had little chance of reclaiming the lands that the Highborne had once dominated. Bitterly resentful at their enforced banishment to the sea, they resolved to bide their time until they could retake their rightful place in the surface world. There in the depths of the ocean for ten thousand years the naga plotted their revenge against the night elves.
The naga resurfaced in the time around the Third War. One of the first sightings of naga took place when Warchief Thrall rescued the Darkspear trolls from a tribe of murlocs on a stormswept isle in the South Seas. The murlocs worshipped a creature they called sea witch - Zar'jira. The orcs and trolls didn't recognize her as a naga at the time, but later, when they learned of this race, they realized the truth.
A small group led by the naga Sea Witch Lady Vashj, answered to a summon from Illidan Stormrage to aid him in his quest to destroy the Frozen Throne. Lady Vashj joined her forces with Illidan's in order to serve her own ends. A subsequent contact with naga occurred shortly after the Third War. Kael'thas Sunstrider, prince of the newly-dubbed blood elves, encountered Lady Vashj, who offered her help to battle the Scourge. Kael'thas agreed, but when the blood elves' human commander, Grand Marshal Garithos, discovered this alliance, he denounced the blood elves. He believed naga were irredeemably evil, and the blood elves must also be evil for consorting with them. Garithos imprisoned Kael'thas and the rest of the blood elves and sentenced them to death. Before he could carry out this sentence, Lady Vashj helped them to escape. The two forces fought together and eventually joined Illidan in Outland, where they remain.
Another group of naga led by Lady Darkscale attacked Kul'Tiras forces in Kalimdor and while many were killed the Darkscale took prisoners for an unknown reason. Soon afterwards Lady Darkscale, Scilla Murkshadow, and the rest of their naga forces were slain by the combined might of Jaina, Rokhan, Chen Stormstout and Rexxar, who were trying to find any survivor of the attack in order to determine what human force was attacking Durotar.
More recently naga have begun to reappear around the coasts of the world, creating settlements on land, most noticeably in the ruins of their old cities in the region of Azshara. It seems as though they are now followers of the Old Gods, as they have made alliances with the Twilight's Hammer cult and the corrupted satyrs. They have claimed several stretches of coast on both continents, for example in Darkshore, Ashenvale, Desolace, Feralas, Dustwallow Marsh, Azshara, Hillsbrad Foothills, Arathi Highlands and Stranglethorn Vale. They have significant numbers and pose a serious threat to anyone standing in their way.
The Outland tribes of naga have begun draining the water of the Zangarmarsh lakes and marshes with steam pumps. The pumps are all connected through underground drains to Coilfang Reservoir, where Vashj and her underlings reside, turning Serpent Lake into a giant water sink for the rest of Zangarmarsh. Due to the Cenarion Expedition's meddling, the naga operating the steam vaults end up at war with the druids, at the orders of Lady Vashj. The sea witch was later killed and her forces defeated by adventurers on behalf of the Cenarion Expedition.
In the Borean Tundra, tribes of naga have made a fort in Northrend in Riplash Ruins. From here, the naga are making ominous attempts at melting the polar ice caps in order to flood the world and create an entirely underwater empire for their revered empress, Queen Azshara. The naga plans in Northrend did not come to fruition, as the kvaldir have slaughtered most of them, feeding them to a mighty sea creature
While the naga of Serpentshrine Cavern in Outland were loyal to Illidan through Lady Vashj, the naga in Cataclysm ultimately report directly to Queen Azshara herself. Darkshore marks the first appearance of Queen Azshara in World of Warcraft, and it's clear that like Deathwing had once done, Azshara believes she has her own agenda, but is in fact a completely enthralled servant of the Old Gods. While exploring the Naz'jar Battlemaiden quests in Vashj'ir, the nature of Lady Vashj's mother and her former stronghold were discovered, and above all the naga executed their plan to usurp Neptulon's control of the Abyssal Maw. Neptulon was abducted by Ozumat following the events of the naga invasion, and this abduction leaves the Abyssal Maw leaderless and Azshara very well placed as one of the most potent forces in Azeroth's oceans and perhaps beyond.
In general, naga are scaled humanoids with the lower bodies of large serpents. Naga can breathe water or air, and some naga have recently emerged from the ocean's depths. Yet most naga have continued to dwell in the ocean's depths, beneath the site of the original Well of Eternity. Thus, although the Well itself no longer exists, the naga have experienced a wide range of mutations due to the Well's residual energies.
As former Highborne, the naga's past abuse of the Well has not been without additional consequences. The Highborne were obsessed with the Well, and the naga have been exposed to the Well's residual magics for millennia. Consequently modern naga are addicted to magic.
Naga tend to be long-lived, much like the night elves, blood elves, and high elves. Some naga have even gained immortality as part of their mutations. However, most immortal naga are women rather than men.
Naga women are tall and slender, with fine scales and angular features, and often have at least four arms. For some reason naga women have proven better than naga men at maintaining pre-Sundering memories and personalities. As a result, naga women are intellectually and magically superior to their male counterparts, and naga society is matriarchal.
Bigger and physically stronger than naga women, naga men are relatively bestial in appearance. A male naga's head resembles that of a dragon, and he has a muscular humanoid torso. The scales that cover his body are larger and thicker than those that cover the body of a naga woman.
Naga are sinister, ophidian humanoids that dwell beneath the ocean. Theirs is an ancient and mystical culture, for ten thousand years ago they were Kaldorei who mutated into vengeful humanoid sea serpents. While many remain on Azeroth to attempt to reclaim the surface world, a large group followed the power-mad betrayer, Illidan Stormrage, into Outland and proceeded to claim the watery areas of the shattered land. In addition to their natural longevity, a number of naga develop mutations that increase their life spans even further. Some are immortal.
Some naga have unique features. For example, sea witches like Lady Vashj have snakes instead of hair. Female naga with a nest of thin, twining snakes instead of hair allow the naga to see in all directions. Naga lords like High Warlord Naj'entus have stony arms and shells fused to their skin. This may be resultant of their mutations, or they may be a different subspecies altogether.
Some naga instead worship the water elemental lord Neptulon the Tidehunter as a god. Judging by Skar'this the Heretic's title and status as a prisoner, it seems these naga are frowned upon - and even considered traitors - by their fellow naga.
Naga typically speak their own language, Nazja, and most know Common. For various reasons, individual naga learn to speak with the creatures with which they interact. Some also learn the language of their heritage, Darnassian.
Naga are dangerous and avaricious, and most races are unaware of their existence. Naga play well with blood elves, trolls, and other dark, independent powers, but only the rarest naga joins the Alliance or Horde.
The naga traveling with Illidan have a more educated view of Kalimdor's races than the naga who remained at the bottom of the sea or in one of the eastern outposts. These travelers hold the blood elves in high regard, as they are also evolved children of the Highborne, and they too fought with Illidan. The time spent together in battle made the two races respect and admire each other's skills.
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