Naga "The Rakshasa"

By Vae Victis

• March 21, 2015




Age: Appears to be around 18, but is much older....

Gender: Male

Species: Pegasus

Appearance: Naga is a Merigold colored pony with a light brown mane and and light brown eyes. Naga's mane is braided into many thick, clean braids. At the end of each braid, he has weaved in a golden ring of sorts to both hold the braid together and for decoration. Naga also wears thin, golden rings around his front hooves. He seems very young and his features are quite boyish. He always seems to have a smile on his face. His attire consists of somewhat customized Eiquetan monk clothing. He wears predominantly red and orange garbs, the top of which is sleeveless to allow for an easier time moving around. The bottom of his garb is loosely connected to the top like many traditional monk robes. There are slits on both sides from the hips downward to allow for easier movement. These slits sometimes allow a view at his flank, of which is surprisingly blank. Across his shoulders and chest are two, golden silk wrappings, of which wrap across his backside and hold two hook swords in place on his back, of which he can easily draw. The hook swords are arranged in an X, so that when he fans his wings, they do not interfere with them. ( not shown in the visual, but these are his weapons of choice in an adventure should hoof-to-hoof fail.)

Cutie Mark: The nature of Naga's being disavows him of a cutie mark. He depends on his garb to cover for it, but very rarely, if one is at the right angle, they can see that he has no cutie mark.

Personality: Naga is highly excitable, and a very positive pony. He absolutely loves traveling and learning about new cultures, having a sometimes unintentionally annoying habit of asking too many questions to someone of a culture he had never experienced before. He loves to wisecrack, and somewhat light-heartedly tease others, in good fun, of course. Naga is also a pious devotee in his beliefs of polytheism, reincarnation, and most importantly, karma. Naga will go out of his way to do good deeds, only to be stopped when the job is done, or on the receiver's insistence. However, Naga, if in the presence of a superior, will circumvent this behavior, but still insist on helping a needy party. He is youthful with a positive outlook on life, and seems to have the uncanny wisdom of a sage, offering sound advice and very profound thoughts at the most surprising moments. He has a mischievous side, and may even start to play innocent pranks on those he befriends. <br /><br />Naga does, however, carry a small amount of emotional baggage. Being what he is and surviving the only way he can sometimes provides him with spiritual grief. He meditates often near others, as it brings him comfort. Caught in what he perceives as a never ending loop of eternally balanced karma, he seems to despair over not being able to ever fully expel all of his bad karma from his being, and thus, is afraid of never reaching true enlightenment. Naga feels this way because he must consume flesh every other week to keep his undead body functional. Carnivorous habits are frowned upon in his religion and in his homeland, as all life is considered precious. Naga feels immense guilt everytime he has to consume flesh as he feels that he violates the code of which he lives by, thus, sadly ensuring that there will always be an ounce of negative emotion and karma in his soul.<br /><br />

Backstory: Naga is a member of the " Unbound " a group of undead that protect a safe haven for all other undead that reside there, and help the undead finish their business on Earth and send them to the other side. Naga also runs tasks outside of Necrosanctum for the one he serves, the Unbound King. Some of these tasks require him to go to mortal lands. Naga is allowed to roam freely in the mortal lands, considering that he is not a threat and actually loves the living. His official position is of an advisor, due to great knowledge. He is technically the oldest living undead in all of Necrosanctum.<br />__________________________________<br /><br /><br />Naga is a being known as a Vetala, a type of being that is completely incorporeal, actually being just a bodiless soul that just seem to randomly " pop " into existence. Naga, or what was Naga at the time, first came to being in a country known as Eiquet, a mountainous country to the East known for its beauty. It was raining on the day that Navu had come to being. A translucent ball of green energy, a Vetala soul. He had wondered where he came from, why he had suddenly been born, what his purpose was, and who he was borne from. Being very cautious, his soul floated to a nearby village. As it turns out, A funeral was being held that very day. A funeral for teen boy. Naga, being intrigued, floated towards the funeral procession. Since it was raining and his Vetala soul was translucent, it was easy for him to get near and listen to the proceedings. The recently deceased had been a frail, sickly, innocent Pegasus, who was nearing adulthood, but had tragically been taken by an unknown, terminal illness, closely resembling tuberculosis. The Pegasus was an amber color with a light brown mane. His family had consisted of a younger sister, and an Earthpony father and Pegasus mother. They had stayed with the body mourning it for hours along with close friends and extended family. Their tradition said that whenever one died, their body should be displayed in a dignified position for one full night before burial. The Vetala corpse hid around the site until nightfall, until every other pony there was gone. When the coast was clear and the Vetala was sure he wouldn't be caught, he neared the body, drawn to it like a moth to fire. Then, something happened. The Vetala soul, after nearing the corpse of the boy, was sucked in to the body.<br /><br />It was like waking up from a dream. The recently deceased slowly opened his eyes as if he were only asleep, and rose from the stone upon which his body was wrapped in holy burial robes. However, the boy was no longer the boy he was. The Vetala soul had somehow revived and commandeered the once soulless body. The Vetala was in control. Now with a physical vessel, memories started poring in. Memories that were not the Vetala's, but the boy's. memories of language, learned knowledge, common sense, discovery... Loved ones... Home. The boy's memories had left an imprint on the Vetala, and gave him knowledge to survive in this... World of mortals that he had just become a part of. The boy's memories had imprinted a feeling of safety associated with his home. Immediately, the nameless Vetala felt as though he had to hurry there. He decided to fly under the cover of night to the quaint eiquetan village, as the memories imprinted by the boy allowed him to fly with ease. He made his way home, a two story pagoda, as it seemed. He snuck in through the unlocked front door, as in this village, everyone knew each other well, so it was common to leave the doors unlocked if one ever needed lodging from the rain or some other danger and yet their house was too far away. Remembering where his room was, he quitely crept up the steps and went into the boy's room. There, he found the boy's may and belongings. The experience had left the Vetala tired. Instinctively, he went to sleep as the boy had done in that very same spot before. The boy's memories had also imprinted the power of logic upon the Vetala.... He was the boy now. He was mortal. And if others started to think different, then maybe... Just maybe... Bad things would begin to occur.<br /><br />The next morning, he woke up with to a young philly's screaming. An Earthpony. The boy's-and by extension, his sister. He tried to shush her to quiet her down, but the screaming only grew louder. The parents, awoken by this, climbed up the stairs to see what was going on. What they saw was beyond disbelief. Their son, dead, now risen and very much alive under their roof. Parental instinct took over, and they calmed the sister down. When they finally did, they looked at their son. Without a second thought, they rushed towards him. The boy tried to flee in fear, but it was no use. He backed against a wall, expecting something bad to happen, but nothing bad did... Instead of whatever the Vetala perceived that was about to happen, it was quite the opposite; he was embraced. By father, mother, and sister. The mother kissed his forehead multiple times, crying dears of joy, along with the father who was praising the Karmic god for their divine intervention. The little sister hugged his front hoof.<br /><br />" my son, my son! You've returned to us! Please, never leave us again!"<br /><br />" may the spinner of Samsara be praised forever... He's given me my beloved child once more..."<br /><br />" brother! I love you! Promise you won't go!"<br /><br />These moments would forever define the Vetala's life. He had literally just come into this world with no knowledge not less than 18 hours ago, gained a corporeal form along with memories of another and no idea on how emotions worked. Memories popped in. Hugs. Kisses. Time spent together.... The memories told him that this emotion was called love... It was amazing to the Vetala. It made him feel safe, secure, accepted. It was nearly addicting.<br /><br />Some time had passed, and the boy was the talk o the town. " the one who was almost spun into samsara too early" everyone called him. The memories helped the Vetala adjust to living in the boy's body, the boy's world. It was a peaceful existence. Still, he couldn't help but feel out other emotions... Especially guilt. Memories helped him figure out the Moral system for most mortals. He figured out that his pretending to be the son of his supposed family was a lie... A beguilement. He felt the pangs of emotion. Guilt. Sadness. Anger. Regret. He was fooling this family and his community, something naturally did not feel right to him. To counteract these negative feelings, he took up offering help to others when they needed it, hoping to counteract the negative emotion with positive stimulus and mental feedback. He started to become popular in his hometown for being helpful, even surprisingly adopting a sense of humor, as the boy was apparently quite a serious one before his death.<br /><br />Years and years passed. The Vetala had grown accustomed to emotions, blending in perfect with mortals now. He knew he was different from them all, and that they'd never accept him if they found out the truth of " the Miracle" as everyone called it. But even still, he loved the mortals. They were a kind lot, helping each other in need, not holding each other to petty debts, eating together, everything. They had taught him so much about life along with the boy's memories. However, things would change as years went by, and he never aged. Not only that, but the boy had found regular food for ponies very distasteful. The only form of nutrients he seemed to actually gain nourishment from was meat. Of course, he kept this secret, as eating any type of flesh was looked down upon In the village. He grew noticeably weaker as time went by, starting to take a sickly form, as the young Pegasus had before his death. He had forgone flesh to keep the family happy, thinking only of them and their unwavering kindness and love.<br /><br /><br />7 years had gone by. The townspeople had begun to talk. What had started as a conversation between mares about potential suitors had turned into an ugly rumor that the boy was indeed a Vetala, a being in which the villagers described was malevolent in nature, and posessed corpses in order to terrorize and feed off of innocents. The other ponies started to avoid him, save for his family. They simply told him to pay others no mind, and to keep being kind, even when others are not. He accepted the advice with hesitation, still trying to find meaning from the boy's memories. <br /><br />The rumor had spread across the entire town. Foals backed away slowly from him and then ran. Mares didn't bat him an eye, and stallions seemed to shoot a begrudging look in his direction wherever he travled. This troubled him greatly. He kept showing the same kindness when trying to<br />Help others, but to no avail. They simply turned away and said " I don't need help from a parasitic demon..." Rejection. Hurt. Fear. The memories named them. Identified them, and yet, they taught him nothing on how to deal with it. So he simply decided to run home, getting ever so slightly weaker due to lack of meat in diet...<br /><br />One night, yelling could be heard outside of his dwelling. It was the other villagers, armed with torches, and bludgeoning weapons, along with monk priests who had come to exorcise the " demon". The father of the family went out to them, telling them to go in peace, but they wouldn't have it. He decided to retreat back into the house and lock all entrance ways. He then retreated upstairs with the rest of the family in tow. Scared for their lives, the Vetala could not live with himself. He offered to go to the townspeople and face whatever would happen to him if it would spare the family. The father and mother begged him not to leave, as he was undeserving of what they would do to him. Soon enough, smoke could be seen and smelt in the air. The townspeople were going to burn the house down. The mother of the children, looked at her husband, and nodded. They both understood what this was coming to. The mother, embracing the son and the daughter, spoke.<br /><br />" I am very sorry, my beloved children. This is where your father and I must go to the great wheel that spins Samsara. Teizu.... Take care of your little sister. Eirua, cheer your brother up when he is sad."<br /><br />She then hugged them both, and whispered something into the young Pegasi boy's ear.<br /><br />" We knew all along. The first few nights, we contemplated telling the village. But as time went on, you proved that not only were you not evil, you proved that you were capable of love and kindness, like any other. No matter what you are or how you were born, always know that everyone has good karma somewhere inside. Take your sister and flee through the air hatch on the left. Your father and I will distract them for as long as we can."<br /><br />The father then spoke out.<br /><br />" We love you both, and always will! I can only pray that we reincarnate in time to see you again, even if we have no memories of our past lives! In the direction where the sun sets, there is a monestary in the mountains about 10 hours flight of here! They will take you, I promise! Now go!"<br /><br />The pegasi took his little Earthpony sister unto<br />His backside, and flew out of the hatch, not looking back. His sister had cried herself to sleep on his back, and he kept flying west, into the mountains. He contemplated. They had known all along and still treated him as one of their own, knowing that he was not one of them.... True kindness, and indeed, true knowledge, came from understanding. The Pegasus would not let it be in vain. <br /><br />After an exhausting flight and his sister still asleep, he found the temple at the break of dawn. When he landed, he let his sister down gently, and then fell over In exhaustion. They were both unconcious at the front gates of the monestary. A monk, noticing them as he was about to complete his chores, opened the gate and called for help immediately. The two were taken in by the monks of the monestary. <br /><br />The Pegasus awoke to a platter of various assorted meats, in a solitary room. An elder Earthpony unicorn monk visited him. The monk explained that they knew what the Vetala was, and thus, defiled their code to bring him food. When the Pegasus asked why, the monk responded.<br /><br />" all life is precious. While it is true that taking any life is against our code, we saw you as precious. You, who saved a mortal girl. She has told us of what transpired at your residence. We are sorry for you, for you do not have a place in our world. But we are also grateful that you who has no place would protect one who does. We prayed for the forgiveness of the creatures that we took to feed you. May they be reincarnated into a higher form. Eat, and thy malnourishment shall cease."<br /><br />And so the Vetala ate. It was delicious, and yet, bitter. Once he had gained strength once more. When done, the elder monk spoke again.<br /><br />" we offer you a place with us. We can train you to meditate and purify your soul. However, you must feed yourself from here on. We can give you the tools to defend yourself as well, but only you decide how they are used. No one here judged you for what you are. In fact, you are in good standing due to rebelling against the normality of your being. We offer the knowledge. Your sister shall also be safe here. Do you accept?"<br /><br />" I do."<br /><br /><br />And thus, he was given a new name. Naga. His own name. Something that was finally his and no one else's. he learned meditation, martial arts, and even spiritual control of his inner essence. It wasn't before long that he became superb in his training, and even learned a lost swordsmanship technique from the elder monks, a style that utilized hookswords. He lived in peace with his sister and made many friends. He was happy, and yet, he was sad. He didn't age. And thus, he would not die. The same could not be said for the others. 10 years after arriving, Naga decided upon leaving the monestary, to find his place. He said his last goodbyes to his sister, now a beautiful fully grown mare, and the elder monk who had saved him along with all of his " brothers " as he called the fellow monks. As a final parting gift, the elder had given him ornate rings and braided his mane with them, along with two golden bracelets to represent the Nagi serpents who Naga was named after.<br /><br />Naga adventured to new lands, never aging. Years passed. Decades. Centuries. Naga learned much wherever he went. Never spending too much time in one place, he learned to be carefree and helpful to others, disappearing when he was no longer needed.<br /><br />Several centuries after his wandering began, Naga heard tale of a place where undead gathered. The Necrosanctum, a land where the dead gathered in an attempt to reconcile their business in the lands of the living, say their goodbyes, and pass on when their business was concluded. Naga, after a century of searching, found it. Among finding the Necrosanctum, he was welcomed as he was technically an undead. The Lord of Necrosanctum, known as the Unbound king, felt his presence, and summoned him to his dwelling. The king gave him an offer. Naga would be free to roam the Earth and have a permanent home in Necrosanctum if he were to help guide other undead to the land and help them conclude their business so they could move on. Along with this, Naga would carry out any missions that the king needed. Navu accepted, excited to find adventure, and happy that he had found a place where not only was he accepted, but he could do good as well and earn good karma. His service was so valuable to the king and so was his knowledge, that Naga became part of the " Unbound ". The elite guardians of Necrosanctum that answered only to the king himself. His official position is that of an advisor when not on a mission.<br />