The Naga Innkeepers of the Beast Nations, from “Codex Inversus”. Artwork by Luca Vanzella.
Nagas, the snake folk, own and run many of the taverns of the Beasts’ Nations. The “snake innkeeper” is a cliché born from biological…
“Nagas, the snake folk, own and run many of the taverns of the Beasts’ Nations. The “snake innkeeper” is a cliché born from biological, cultural, and historical reasons.
Nagas are not cold-blooded to the same degree as other reptiles, but they are sensitive to low temperatures. The cold makes Nagas sluggish, and it is generally uncomfortable for them: for these reasons, Nagas prefer indoor occupations, possibly near fires and hot temperatures.
While Nagas are omnivores, able and willing to eat everything humans would, their teeth are underdeveloped, making chewing difficult. This food restriction encouraged nagas to step into the kitchen of many institutions (armies, monasteries, courts, guilds, crew) to grant themselves pleasant meals. Many of these cooks eventually started their businesses, and slowly “nagas’ cuisine” became the foundation for the whole Beasts’ Nation's culinary traditions. In those lands “a viper nest” means a cozy and comfortable place to eat.
Some of the hallmarks of the Nagas’ Cusine entred in the common traditions:
the habit of pre-chopping the food, serving bite-size pieces;
the ample use of egg both as the main ingredient (pancakes, omelets, frittatas, crepes) and in batters for fried dishes;
serving sauces always to the side, as dipping;
strained or pureed soups of various kinds (very famous is the Giant Crab Bisque from Getaberhan).
Nagas are not connected to cooking only to make a virtue of necessity, but also for a real knack for it, given by their physiology.
The taste and smell of nagas are superb, thanks to their very sensible tounges.
They can also see temperatures as a sort of “eighth color”: many snake poets tried to communicate what “heat” looks like but that elusive hue remains indescribable.
The nagas’ reputation for innkeeping and hospitality is an outsider’s stereotype, but one cultivated as a point of ethnic pride. Many snake people wish to live up to the fame of “the best hosts in the continent” which surrounds them.
If you visit some of the bustling harbor cities of the western Beast Nations, like Loghap, the snakes’ hospitality can seem a bit oversold- naga inns are usually nicer and better-run than the pragmatic minotaurs’ canteens or the flashy catfolks’ taverns, but nothing to write home about.
To find true naga hospitality, you must venture inland along the Stone River- the main highway of the Beast Nations. A long stretch of the Stone River lies in Hayeli, the sovereign state governed by the Serpentine Dynasty. The road stretches from the Ghost Forest in the east to Getaberan, one of the main ports on the west coast. It also sports the most viable mountain passes to the Holy Infernal Empire, making it a national and international artery of trade. Hundreds of small roads running down the mountains or up the plains merge into the main road like tributary streams, with an inn at every intersection.
When you enter one of the Nagas’ inns, you will be welcomed as a revered guest, even if you are wearing nothing but rags. Although comforts and pleasantries abound, you’ll soon notice some peculiarities in the staff’s behavior.
Snakefolk tend to possess a particular lisp, so they avoid words with the “S” sound, believing it will sound unpleasant to their guest. If an accidental “S” is uttered, they will cover their mouth and apologize (naga maids often carry a fan on their person specifically for this purpose). They will continue to do so until the guest tells them not to worry. Compliments should be indirect and are always reciprocated. You don’t say “you look nice” to a snake maid. Instead, you may ask what fabric her dress is made of, or the name of the tailor, to which she will answer and praise something of yours- fully aware of your intent. Same with tips- you are expected to leave a tip for good service, but you must not be seen leaving it. Instead you must put the coins beneath a dish, in an empty tankard, or under the bench.
This extreme and idiosyncratic politeness baffles first-time travelers and can cause misunderstandings- sometimes hilarious and harmless, other times with serious ramifications. If you gift something to a naga innkeeper, they must reciprocate, pestering you if you don’t accept. They may even challenge you to a duel, as the matter can become a question of honor.
This behavior is an over-the-top manifestation of some general virtues of naga culture- politeness, generosity, modesty, and humility.
One explanation for this attitude is that the nagas are the least humanlike of the beastfolk, and are aware that many humans suffer an instinctive phobia of reptiles. The naga people have witnessed the fear and discrimination that some animal-human species- such as centaurs or harpies- provoke, and don’t want to meet the same fate. Innkeepers and other professions that deal with foreigners take this ancestral need to make a good impression at heart.
This courteous behavior does possess a dark side. Some nagas will utilize hospitality to exploit their guests while keeping face. Flattery, passive-aggressiveness, and guilt can coerce someone to pay too much for too little and not complain. Some nagas will outright scam travelers, who will realize only days later, bamboozled by fake offenses and hollow praises. There are far too many cautionary tales about naive merchants who ended up working for free in nagas’ inns for years, crushed in a vice of moral obligations and emotional blackmail.
“Beware of the coils of kindness- they are soft, but can strangle you nonetheless.” -Naberius Vox, traveling scholar of the Holy Infernal Empire”
Alastor would love the perytons from “Codex Inversus”.
Two creatures of the Floating Plains of Emuna
He’d adopt one as a pet, name her “Daisy”, and feed her only the tastiest and most succulent of Sinners.
“Who’s my precious baby girl? You are, you are!” He’d coo; as the mutant cervine abomination uses her unnaturally sharp teeth and freaky arm-antlers to tear a still-screaming demon to bloody shreds.
“”Don’t wander alone or the peryton will catch you!” is a common phrase to scare children of the Angelic Unison to behave. But the Peryton is not just a bogeyman but an actual predator nesting on the floating island of Emuna.
The legends say Perytons were angelic creatures twisted into abominations by the Lord of Chaos or the Archdevils during the Cosmic War. Philologists of the Scriptures and natural philosophers concur with the myths in that the Perytons didn’t emerge organically from the Collapse but that some divine being meddled with them at some point.
The main sign of an external force shaping them is their ability to cast elaborate spells: their weird hand-antlers and devious intellects seem too complex not to be designed, as their repertoire of incantations is too sophisticated not to be taught.
The perytons nest on some of the high-floating islands untouched by humans. They soar looking for prey and dive to grab them with their talons. The shape of their massive wingspan would give them away, but they can change their shape with magic, blurring it to appear as a passing cloud or disguising it as an innocent sparrow flock. Contrary to predatory birds, the perytons don’t lift their victim but pin it to the ground, devouring them on the spot. They are messy eater, leaving carcasses and a pool of blood: this is because they use the rest of their feast as a signal to other perytons. The horrid spectacle of visceras is a way to mark their territory and attract mates.
In winter perytons settle for small prey, like rabbits or partridges, leaving the snow stained red. In spring, the males will look for bigger prey, usually calves or foals: they will create crude illusions and vague shadows to lure or scare their victims into the perfect position. The male perytons will then attack and kill, spreading the interiors of the poor beast as a macabre display. The females, clinging to the bottom of the floating island, assist and judge the grueling spectacle, choosing their partner based on their viciousness. Males can never be sure to have an audience, since perytons attached to the rocks can use their hand-antles to cast camouflaging spells. Perytons, both male and female, are extremely territorial and jealous, fighting for their mate or hunting spot to the death.
Peryton couple last three years, the time for their young to mature, and after that they become bitter rivals again. When a couple has cubs they take some prey alive to their nests, a way to teach their younglings the art of dismemberment. Perytons rarely target humans, but it has happened and some people have even been brought to their nests. The handful of them that survived did so throwing themselves off the floating islands, preferring a deth by fall than under the sadistic fangs of a peryton family.
The perytons once were beautiful winged stags, who watched over the pure of heart, showing themselves to them for encouragement and help. Now they are creatures of deceit, looking to pure hearts just to eat them.”
Day 10 of No One Except @mr-orion Asked November (NoOneExOriAskNov).
I bid you welcome to the Land of the Sunrise, one of the four major continents of the World of Four Horizons! It is located near the Ocean of the First Horizon, from which the sun rises every morning. Just a sketch map for now, but I’ll clean it up later. My first map in a couple seasons, and it’s for my fanfic worldbuilding project…
Below the cut is all my lengthy worldbuilding nonsense.
Here is a list of the nations, their rulers, their biomes, and their general appearances, in alphabetical order, that call this continent home.
- Climbing Spires is located in the southern red desert, its buildings of sturdy metal and built into the sides of buttes and mesas. Cub Fan Voidstars, a half-vex exile, rules as Sovereign of the Red Rock Crown, over humans, vulture-folk, camel-folk, and thinking husks.
- Dragon’s Spine is located on the largest and only true mountain range of the continent, its buildings being mostly sturdy castles that fly purple banners. Commander X, an enigma in armor, rules as the first Wearer of the Dragon Crown in ten generations, over a sparse population of humans, goat-folk and free iceologers.
- The Drained Lands are the only unclaimed territory of the continent, so desolate and dangerous are they. It used to be the home of the nation of Geyser Heights, a place of fish-folk that once ruled the entirety of the Lapis Sea. The only known survivor of the Evaporation Disaster is XB, a wandering dolphin-folk messenger.
- Elsewhere is located in the western savanna, its buildings being a strange amalgamation of countless architectural styles. Joe Hills, a completely normal human, rules as the first and only occupant of the Other Throne, over seemingly every sort of people imaginable.
- Evergreen is located in the western hilly taiga, its buildings whimsical and elegant, from grand castles to tall bridges to quaint villages in dark wood and green. Gemini Taylor, a deer-like fae, rules as the Queen of the Crown of Needles, over fox-folk, wolf-folk, humans, and other cold-weather faeries.
- Great Acacia is located in the southern windswept savanna, its buildings sprawling, colorful, and almost all parts of massive temple complexes dedicated to the Acacia divinities. Pearl Moon, a llama-folk, rules from the High Priestess’ Throne of Histories, over other llama-folk, horse-folk, meerkat-folk, ostrich-folk, and humans.
- Iceberg Metropolis is located in the northernmost lake, a place cold enough to have its own icebergs, its buildings modern, pale, and sleek. Keralis is the current Mayor of the Blue Ice Crown, with another wolf-folk, Iskall, as his vice; the two administer a population of more wolf-folk, goat-folk, humans, and a few iceologers.
- The Labyrinth is located in the southern jungle, its buildings swooping, golden, and intricate. Impulse Esvee, a wild ocelot, rules as the Emperor of the Emerald throne over other ocelots, cat-folk, humans, panda-folk, and bat-folk.
- Livingstone is located in the western hills and forests, its buildings ruins of a long-lost nation retaken by nature. Bee Double Oh, an insectoid fae, rules from the Moss Throne as lord of horse-folk, fae, humans, and a few spider-folk.
- The Maw is located in the formidable ice spike biome north of the Lapis Sea, its subterranean buildings harsh, practical, and made of stone. A Doctor Mk-77, whose species is not known, leads this underground world with the Deepfang Crown on his head, alongside strange thinking zombies, skeletons, spider-folk, and humans.
- The Neverglades is located in the cold northern swamp, its buildings craggy and foreboding in black. Tango Tek, a third stray, a third blaze, and a third human, rules from the Basalt Throne over thinking drowned, skeletons, witches, humans, and a few hoglins that managed to stave off zombification.
- Permafrost Springs is located in the eastern snowy plains and half-frozen lake, its buildings stately and columned in white and blue. Cleo, a rather long unlived zombie, now sits on the Everfrost Throne, and rules great ranks of humans, thinking zombies, iceologers, and goat-folk.
- Sunset Coast is located along the edge and into the shallows of the south Lapis Sea, its buildings gilded and reaching for the sky in copper and browns. Grian Sunset, or Virida, depending on who you ask, is the parrot-folk Sitter of the Dusk Throne, the first ruler of this young nation of other parrot-folk, a few humans, and a couple panda-folk from across the sea.
- The Tangle is located in the southern mangrove swamp, what few buildings it has being converted fragments of giant, ancient machines. Ren Dog, a name taken in pride and in shame, is the first and only Lord of the Vine Crown, commanding a small population of wolf-folk, drowned, and humans that are willing to follow such an exile.
- Technicolor City is located in the eastern plains and forests, its sprawling buildings painted in bright colors and standing in cheery ranks. Scar Timely Good, half vex and half elf, wears the hat-like Crown of Colors, and happily rules a motley population of humans and animal-folk of all kinds.
- Umbra is located in the central dark roofed forest, its hidden buildings polished and strangely lifelike in the shadows of the trees. False Symmetry, an unknown sort of dark fae, sits on the Darkwood Throne, and rules odd humans, fox-folk, bat-folk, and fae.
There are three other major continents, one for each cardinal direction. In the west, there is the Land of the Sunset, where the Empires rule the land. In the north, the Land of the Equinox, and in the south, the Land of the Solstice, are… nonexistent. For now.
I was inspired by the Diabolic script of Codex Inversus, so I wrote a generator that renders mostly accurate images of diabolic text. Vowel placement is still wonky, and some words will simply not work. Calling it good for now.
