Side-Write: Recon Report - Naga

At the last minute, a silly write-up! I was pretty happy with how my "pamphlet" about Sluggles turned out, and I seemed to get a lot of positive feedback on it, so I thought it might be fun to take another shot at a little profile piece of a species I'm thinking about adding to Project Wild One. To be honest, I don't think this one came out as fun, I probably should have pushed the hypocrisy angle a little harder to make the "author" a more entertaining character. I'd thought it might become sort of an intermittent series he could develop over, but I'm not sure at this point. We'll see!

As always, this is more conjecture than officially canon to the story or world of Project Wild One. Brainstorming for what may yet be! I hope it's still an entertaining read!

~~~

NORTHERN ALLIANCE DEFENSE CORPS - VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE DIVISION
RECONNAISSANCE REPORT: UNIPEDAL REPTILIAN CONSTRUCTED RACE "NAGA"
FILED BY VOLUNTEER DERMOT HALLOWAKE

Summary: The Naga present a serious threat to the Alliance and its people. Their potential for explosive population growth, their tremendous strength, and their capacity for seduction makes even a single breeding pair of Naga a potential danger to every level of society. Destruction of all Naga and nests near Alliance territory highly recommended.

Species Profile: The Naga is somewhat similar in appearance to a snake citizen, but instead of legs, a single massive "tail" or feral snake body constitutes the Naga's lower half. The Naga's upper body is also unusually flexible, especially at the mouth, to allow for the devouring of very large prey. Like most Constructs, the Naga's appearance is striking, both fearsome and alluring.

Threats: The threats the Naga present are myriad. By category:
-Combat: The Naga is armed with clawed fingers capable of stripping the bark from trees, and retracting fangs that can deliver a paralyzing venom. While their upper body is otherwise similar to that of a citizen, their lower body can grow to more than twenty feet in length and is powerful enough to snap a foot-wide tree in half. They are incredibly dangerous in melee combat.

-Devouring: The Naga is able to swallow whole prey that is itself larger in diameter than the Naga. Its body can stretch to a great extent to allow swallowing even other Naga the same size as the predator. Worse, Naga seem to suffer few ill effects from being devoured and digested themselves. Even if otherwise completely starved of food, Naga seem capable of just swallowing each other over and over to survive indefinitely and even reproduce.

-Reproduction: The Naga produce eggs in clutches of roughly 4-8, and can do so several times in a year. The mother will often consume the father repeatedly to fuel the development of a new clutch, and is especially dangerous to any other living things in the area during this time of seemingly endless hunger.

-Seduction: It seems that, without exception, every Naga specimen is tremendously attractive. Every male is an Adonis, and every female bears an hourglass figure when it is not swollen with eggs or prey. Their faces are monstrous, obviously dangerous, and yet somehow incredibly seductive. Their capacity for tempting citizens from their homes for reproduction, consumption, or both, cannot be overstated.

Weaknesses: The Naga grows torporous in the cold, and seems inclined to bask at length in warm, sunny places. They seem to avoid areas with a cold or even moderate climate, and are certainly most vulnerable during the night. The Naga also relies heavily on having prey or other Naga to sustain its appetite. Even those that are not pregnant seem to need to eat almost constantly to fuel their immense bodies, and they don't seem capable of digesting any kind of vegetation. Starvation may be very effective if they can be isolated as individuals. Despite having opposable thumbs, they don't seem to use tools to any significant extent, wear clothes, or even brandish weapons.

Habitat: The Naga prefer hot climates, often nesting in sheltered spaces near any water source in the desert or prairie. Their nest usually consists of simply a cleared space outlined with debris such as the torn clothes of victims and gathered brush to block the wind. Their nests might be found best by the long, unusual, sinuous trails they leave, often worn into the soil over time.

Behavior: When the Naga is not sleeping through the cold or basking in the sun, it is usually hunting, either for food or sex. If it can find a watering hole of sufficient size and warmth, it will happily lurk mostly hidden under the surface to ambush prey. Otherwise, it will often take to whatever cover it can find like long grass, lying down to "crawl" and slither in search or picking  a spot by a trail to wait in ambush. The female Naga can breed with many species to produce more Naga, and while the male seems to attempt the same, it's unclear what offspring this may produce, if any. The Naga seems to pursue any living thing as food, a mate, or both. They seem to be able to communicate basic concepts among themselves, but cannot speak any known language.

Recommended Action: When a Naga is spotted, it is important to track it to its nest and get a full count of all the Naga living there. Once that is determined, extermination of all Naga and all eggs is strongly recommended. Any mating pair of Naga can hide and produce countles other nests in the area with little more than a trickle of water and their own kind to keep them alive. Naga must be rooted out, or they will prove to be a perpetual problem that only grows more serious with time to all settlements in a slowly expanding area around them.

Further Notes: Research into the Naga's capacity for seduction may be worthwhile, and in the meantime, special training in preparation for troops dealing with Naga may be wise. I struggled to focus on my studies and observations the entirety of my time working on the Naga, and failed to restrain myself from indulging on many occasions. Any soldier less driven and patriotic than I might be rendered completely helpless on contact with the Naga. I cannot say if this is simply a matter of raw beauty or some sort of supernatural effect they bring to bear on those around them, but it must not be underestimated. I hope my studies will help the Defense Corps to save face as well as save lives.