Nagah (book)

Nagah is a sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse describing the hidden breed of were-serpents thought to have been lost in the War of Rage.

Summary[]

Snakes in the Garden
Theirs is the sacred duty of delivering justice. Theirs are the tools of venom and stealth. Theirs is the burden of silence. They are the Nagah, the sinister serpent-folk of the World of Darkness. For millenia, they have carried out their duties in perfect secrecy, bringing death to those that have earned it without leaving a single scrap of evidence of their existence behind... until now.

Why Did It Have to be Snakes?
The final Changing Breed Book delves into the mysteries of the most enigmatic and reclusive shapeshifters of all - the deadly Nagah wereserpents. Their history and culture, their secret tricks of assassination, the tragedies that haunt the race - are revealed within.

From the back of the book:

I am as the wind that sings through the grasses

Through the grasses that bend like loyal swords before me

I am as the most that falls upon the city

Upon the city that wakes and sleeps never thinking of me

I am as the rain upon the river

Upon the river that feeds all the world

I am as the talon of the beast

The beast that takes his prey, never asking if he is wrong

I am as the sun and moon

My tasks shall never end

Until the hearts of man and beast are free of cruelty

Until the end of the world

- "But Never Wish For Freedom," Savari The-Knife-that-Lengthens

Nagah includes:

The world as seen from the perspective of Gaia's assassins, from their hidden history to their cryptic society
Full character creation rules for Nagah characters, from their seasonal auspices and lethal venom to their secret Gifts and rites
A storytelling guide for a chronicle of assassins, unique fetishes, templates, facts about snakes, and more

Contents[]

Satyagraha[]

Story by Carl Bown, art by Melissa Uran and lettering by Aileen E. Miles.

Introduction: The Serpent Wakes[]

Lexicon

Recommended Inspiration
- Films
  - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
  - The Killer
  - La Femme Nikita
  - The Professional
  - The Punisher - Just kidding.
- Books & Comics
  - Ennis, Garth & John McCrea, Hitman
  - Koike, Kazuo & Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub
  - Samura, Hiroaki, Blade of the Immortal
  - The Ramayana and Mahabharata

Chapter One: The Great Epic[]

The history of the forgotten Changing Breed.

Chapter Two: Coils Within Coils[]

The society of the Nagah, from auspices to their place in the world.

Chapter Three: The First Skin[]

Character creation, Gifts, rites and fetishes.

New Combat Maneuvers
- Constrict
- Injection

New Knowledge: Khurah Lore

Backgrounds
- Ananta

Gifts
- Nagah Gifts
  - Eyes of the Dragon Kings - Level One
  - Lizard's Favor - Level One
  - Scent of Running Water - Level One
  - Slayer's Eye - Level One
  - Snake's Skin - Level One
  - String of Sleep - Level One
  - Burrow - Level Two
  - Gift of Breath - Level Two
  - Night Whispers - Level Two
  - Sense of the Prey - Level Two
  - Veil of the Wani - Level Two
  - Blessings of Kali - Level Three
  - Combat Healing - Level Three
  - Pure Venom - Level Three
  - Shield of the Dragon - Level Three
  - Darting Fangs - Level Four
  - Gaze of the Serpent - Level Four
  - Swimming the Spirit River - Level Four
  - Breath of the Dragon Lords - Level Five
  - Destroyer's Blessing - Level Five
  - Evading the Watchers - Level Five
  - Dance of Shiva - Level Six
- Breed Gifts
  - Balaram
    - Cold Blood - Level One
    - Persuasion - Level One
    - Prehensile Body - Level One
    - Self-Mastery - Level One
    - Master the Body - Level Two
    - Subtle Serpent - Level Two
    - Unexpected Venom - Level Two
    - Fluid Grace - Level Three
    - Pierce Illusion - Level Three
    - Sang Froid - Level Three
    - Being One - Level Four
    - Spirit Ward - Level Four
    - Kundalini - Level Five
    - There Is No Body - Level Five
  - Ahi
    - Bones as Coils - Level One
    - Weaver Sense - Level One
    - Wyld Sense - Level One
    - Wyrm Sense - Level One
    - Face of Surya - Level Two
    - Indra's Cloak - Level Two
    - Venom Blood - Level Two
    - Call the Tides - Level Three
    - Command Water Spirit - Level Three
    - Rapture of the Deep - Level Three
    - Throat Snake - Level Four
    - Whirlpool - Level Four
    - Force Balance - Level Five
    - Child of Storms - Level Five
  - Vasuki
    - Death Rattle - Level One
    - River's Gift - Level One
    - Sense Vibration - Level One
    - Treesnake's Blessing - Level One
    - Command Snakes - Level Two
    - Herpetophobia - Level Two
    - Lightning Strike - Level Two
    - Kitesnake - Level Three
    - Long Strike - Level Three
    - Sidewind - Level Three
    - Belly Ride - Level Four
    - Storm Surge - Level Four
    - Assassin's Well - Level Five
    - Song of Takshaka - Level Five
- Auspice Gifts
  - Kamakshi
    - Ganga's Caress - Level One
    - Kind Death - Level One
    - Resist Pain - Level One
    - Bask - Level Two
    - Calm - Level Two
    - Serpent's Sting - Level Two
    - Assassin's Insistence - Level Three
    - Prevent Adharma - Level Three
    - Dazzle - Level Three
    - Denial of Wellbeing - Level Four
    - Suspend - Level Four
    - Shed the Years - Level Five
    - Surya's Radiance - Level Five
  - Kartikeya
    - Brief Sensation - Level One
    - Eyes of the War God - Level One
    - Scent of the True Form - Level One
    - Secret Serpent - Level Two
    - Forked Tongue - Level Two
    - The Serpent's Voice - Level Two
    - Lance of the Summer Sun - Level Three
    - Might of the Mountain - Level Three
    - Blood Running Hot - Level Four
    - Veil of Maya - Level Four
    - Hydra Warrior - Level Five
    - Jungle Snake's Hoodoo - Level Five
  - Kamsa
    - Executioner's Edge - Level One
    - Predator's Patience - Level One
    - Slayer's Eye - Level One
    - Forked Tongue - Level Two
    - Inattention to Detail - Level Two
    - Staredown - Level Two
    - Eye of the Cobra - Level Three
    - Smothering Question - Level Three
    - Summon the Accused - Level Three
    - Doppleganger - Level Four
    - Open Wounds - Level Four
    - Heartstrings - Level Five
    - Undying Serpent - Level Five
  - Kali
    - Guided Strike - Level One
    - Iron Coils - Level One
    - Wyrm Sense - Level One
    - Discern Weakness - Level Two
    - Executioner's Privilege - Level Two
    - Solidify Water - Level Two
    - Assassin's Strike - Level Three
    - Destroying Blow - Level Three
    - Indirect Strike - Level Three
    - Mindblock - Level Four
    - Song of Winter - Level Four
    - Magistrate's Icy Judgement - Level Five
    - Mahanaga - Level Five

Samskara (Rites)
- Atonement Samskara - Level One
- Celebration of First Venom - Level One
- Invocation of the Spirit Messenger - Level One
- Rite of Bearing - Level One
- Birthing the Ananta - Level Two
- First Glory - Level Two
- Nestbinding - Level Two
- Rite of Auspicious Beginning - Level Two
- Shedding the Past - Level One
- Thanks to River Mother - Level Two
- Naming the Target - Level Three
- Punishing the Improper Strike - Level Three
- Sati - Level Three
- Shraddha (Rites for the Dead) - Level Three
- Conclusion - Level Four
- Investiture - Level Four
- River Mother's Eyes - Level Four
- Sannyasa - Level Five
- Traitor's Torment - Level Five

Merits & Flaws
- Spirit Acquaintance (2 or 4-pt Merit)
- Infrared Vision (4-pt Merit)
- Step Sideways (6-pt Merit)
- Mnesis (7-pt Merit)
- Largely Deaf (1-pt Flaw)
- Inauspicious (1 or 3-pt Flaw)
- Weak Venom (2 or 3-pt Flaw)
- Defanged (4-pt Flaw)

Fetishes
- Yantra - Level 1, Gnosis 6
- Spirit Rattler - Level 2, Gnosis 6
- Jewel of the River Spirit - Level 3, Gnosis 7
- Strangler's Scarves - Level 3, Gnosis 7
- Danbhalah's Drum - Level 4, Gnosis 6
- Garland of Skulls - Level 4, Gnosis 7
- Dart of Nullity - Level 5, Gnosis 7

Talens
- Ascetic's Ashes - Gnosis 6
- Cloud Popper - Gnosis 6
- Flood Dust - Gnosis 4
- Lightning Arrow - Gnosis 6
- Snake Oil - Gnosis 5
- Venom Arrows - Gnosis 6

Bindhi
- Bindhi of Surya - Level 1, Gnosis 6
- Bindhi of Disillusion - Level 3, Gnosis 8
- Indomitable Eye - Level 5, Gnosis 9

Chapter Four: Songs of the Executioners[]

Storytelling the Nagah chronicle.

Appendix One: Judges[]

Templates and Nagah of note.

Templates
- Seductress - Vasuki, Kali, Cobra
- Stalker - Balaram, Kamsa, Copperhead
- Cleaner - Balaram, Kamakshi, Common Adder
- Sensei - Ahi, Kartikeya, Cobra

Appendix Two: Snakeskin[]

Real-world facts about snakes.

Bibliography
- Snakes, by David Badger
- The Worlds Most Spectacular Reptiles and Amphibians by William W. Lamar, with contributing author William B. Love
- A-Z of Keeping Snakes by Chris Mattison
- Snake by Chris Mattison
- The Encyclopedia of Snakes, once again by Chris Mattison
- Reptiles Magazine, various
- Vivarium Magazine, various

Background Information[]

The ad at the back of the book is the Tribe Novels: Shadow Lords & Get of Fenris.

Memorable Quotes[]

Characters[]

Savari The-Knife-that-Lengthens - Nagah, Kali
Lewis Gedrick, "Majesty's Witness" - Corax, Died, Comic
Sajita Jadavi - Nagah, Kali, Nest of Night's Passage
Indra's Dart - Nagah, Baaram, Kamsa, Nest of Night's Passage
Dragon Boat - Nagah, Ahi, Kamakshi, Nest of Night's Passage
Manyskins
Kala, the favored of the Wani - Nagah, Past Nagah King
Silappadikaram - Nagah, Past Nagah King
Kshatriya - Nagah, Past Nagah King
Takshaka - Nagah, Past Nagah King
Petros the Unyielding - Silver Fang Ahroun, Past, Killed by Vinata
Konstantos the Savage - Silver Fang, Past
Mandrodari Ma - Nagah, Past
Mara the Scream - Past Black Spiral Dancer
Black Tooth
Ravana
Sutekh
Gajyra - The Dragon King of Umi's lieutenant
Adjua Ka
Karna Shining-in-the-Sun - Nagah
Cottonmouth Jack - Nagah
White Desert - Nagah
Juval - Nagah

The Hush of the River
- Vinata, She Whose Name is Never Spoken but is Always Remembered
- Vasana
  - Jatadaka - Prince, Rakshasa
  - Kodomo Gunjin - Demon, Slain by Vasana
- Ten Steps
- Abraham Waverly
  - Marin - Nagah
  - Andreas - Nagah, Died

Terminology[]

Age of Kings, Auspices: kali, kamahshi, kamsa, Kartikeya; ananta, Apsa, Beast Courts, Breeds: ahi, Balaram, Vasuki; Chaos, Cherry Phoenix Court, Crowns: Jurlungur, Nemontanta, Sayidi, Vritra, Yamilka, Zuzeka; Dancers of Devi, Destroyer/Corrupter, Devi, Dragon Kings, The Emerald Mandates, Emerald Mother, Feathered Courts, Flowing Edge (Nest, Brazil), Forms: Azhi Dahaka, Balaram, Kali Dahaka, Silkaram, Vasuki; Furred Courts, Hengeyokai, Hungry Dead, Impergium, India, Jeweled Pools, Kaliya (Spirit), Khurah: Eclipse's Children, Ever-Walking, The Fires that Cleanse, Lonely Skies, Makara, Mokolé, The Mountain and the Thunder, Okuma, Proud Brothers, Storms of the Apocalypse, Whispering Winds; Lightning People, Nagah, Naginah, Nandana, Nest, Nest of Night's Passage, Preserver/Trapper, Ranks: Opening Eye (0), Singing Brook (1), Razored Arrow (2), Silken Noose (3), Thunder Chakram (4), Silver Coil (5), Mouth of the Sesha (6); Restless Shadows, The Sacred Laws, Samskara, sannyasin, Scaled Courts, Second War of Rage, Serpent's Egg, Serpent Waters, Sesha, Shedding the First Skin, Shiva's Eye (Nest, India), The Three Mothers, Umi, Walking Dreams, Wani, Wan Xian, War of Rage, War of Shame, War of Tears, Xi Wang Chi, Yama Kings,

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