Godherja Encyclopedia

Naga (animal)

The Naga is a humanoid snake that stands an impressive six feet tall, found in the deepest reaches of the jungles of southern Kashirya. Intelligent and highly deadly, the Naga are part of many local folklores involving the changing of skins. It is often said that they take the form of their latest kill, hunting new prey dressed in the skin of tigers and deer. Their most intriguing feature, however, is their obsession with collection. Those who find themselves close to a Naga's lair have reportedly noted a strange propensity for hunting people who look alike, often finding the skins of twins in the legends.

The Naga's lair is filled with the stench of dozens of rotting corpses, and blood stains every wall of the cave. My party crouch behind the recent body of a tiger, its flayed corpse the only cover left as the last remnants of light from the outside begin to fade. An unending line of smaller prey lay in front of the tiger, testament to its skill.

The creature dances about at the rear of the cave in its skinsuit, a young woman's visage hung abnormally over its pale green scales. It shifts about in a sort of ritual before my eyes, becoming one with its form. As I watch it grow closer to truly wearing another thing's skin, I realise that my window to catch it unaware has begun to dwindle. If I am to kill this monster, then I must act quickly.