Lamia

Daughters of Phryscara whose wisdom manifests in serpents connected to their bodies. Pl. lamiai.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Akhoata

• Taxonomic Family: Phryscarans

• Alignment: Celestial

• Energy: Euskepsia

• Lifespan: 300 years

• Diet: Common mortal fare

• Habitat: Anywhere

Origins

The original daughter of Phryscara who started the lamia line appeared to be a human woman of northern Taggarus. During the Fall, something happened which altered her appearance to be serpentine. The exact details are unknown, but it is clear that a powerful man cursed her for behavior acceptable before the fall - non-monogamy, queerness, refusing sexual advances, or intersexuality, it’s unclear - but she took that curse and turned it into wisdom.

Tragically, her children from before were slain during the Fall. Her sisters attained inmortality as non-lamiai, but she was transformed.

Description

Lamiai appear to be human women (or those commonly assigned as women) within the full range of human and metahuman appearance, but with serpentine features.

How their serpentine features look varies individually and regionally. The most common form is the upper body of a human and lower body (tail) of a snake. Variations include the following:

• Snake scaled along their torso, neck, and/or heads

• Snakes for hair

• Snakes around their waists

• A snake head at the end of their tail (very rare)

• Full snake body with only a human head or face

• A throat and mouth that open wide like a snake’s

• Serpentine fangs

• Human face and breasts and a snake from the cleft in their foreheads

Some lamiai have non-serpentine features, such as wings, metallic hands, clawed hands, swine tusks, removable and reattachable eyes, piscine features, and green tinged skin.

Because some have the ability to shapeshift into full snakes or other forms, they may take on different appearances.

About one in a hundred are born intersex, usually presenting as having testicles despite their otherwise assigned-female appearance.

Their voices tend to be high pitched.

Procreation

Lamiai reproduce with the male-assigned members of any sexual species that has male-assgned members, always producing lamiai children, except when reproducing with enders.

Some lamiai give live birth, some lay eggs. This tends to vary by biological family.

Powers

Lamiai are born with the wisdom of their predecessors that takes the form of three instincts:

1. An instinctual sense of those who have a history of sexual assault or rape. This manifests as a chill running down their spine the first time they interact with the person (touching, speaking to, holding the gaze of, etc - merely being near them without interaction does not work).

2. An instinctual sense of those who have a hatred of or prejudice against them. This manifests as a mild unease when they know they are being looked at. Covert surveillance does not trigger this sense, nor does passive observation, but direct observation does.

3. An instinctual sense of when a snake is nearby. This manifests as certain knowledge, even if there is no other indication of the snake’s presence.

Experiential Powers

Different experiences in the life of a lamiai might imbue them with certain powers. Each power has a traumatic triggering event, a positive triggering event, and a neutral triggering event.

• Control fires: through powerful words, the lamia can control nearby flames. A lamiai will develop this as a defense mechanism against being severely burned, as a response to a vow or commitment of true love, or by wearing brass rings around her neck for a year and a day.

• Divination or prophecy: the wisdom to assess likely future events, often coming in the form of dreams, visions, or epiphanies. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against a coordinated attack on them or their community, as a response to celebrating their 200th birthday, or by reading thorough and complete histories that encompass at least two Ages of Shem.

• Fire breath: the ability to breathe out a gout of intense red flame at will. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against impoverishment (not being born into it, however) or acts of extreme theft (a theft that causes extreme hardship), as a response to sustained personal stability in health, financial situation, or social relationships throughout 100 years of adulthood, or by ingesting hot coals.

• Illusory terrain: special hand gestures cause the area around them to appear as something it is not, often used to form illusions of different locations. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against a home invasion, as a response to living in their first personal home or space (in some cases, by owning it rather than renting, in other cases, simply by living on their own, depending on the culture they come from), or by ingesting hallucinogenic substances, specifically xtabentún flowers or henbane.

• Inflict malady: their touch will cause deafness, impaired vision, migraines, or body aches if they so will it. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against invasions of their privacy, defamation, or manipulation by others, as a response to learning healing, medicinal, or herbal arts to a professional or experienced level, or by drinking olive wine.

• Maddening song: a song sung in a special tone will cause delusions, paranoia, and/or loss of self-control in those who hear it. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against trauma to their voice or mouth or attempts to censor or silence them, as a response to learning singing skills to a professional or experienced level, or by breathing in the smoke of a special incense made of copper salt and willow bark.

• Petrifying gaze: direct and sustained eye contact causes the target to turn to stone. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against potentially deadly violence, as a response to directly saving someone’s life, or by ingesting aetherially imbued stone. The power can be turned on or off, unless they are dead. After death, the power is always on if their eyes are open.

• Protective gaze: direct and sustained eye contact causes those who can wield or have infernal powers or anyone who has committed sexual assault or rape - or intends to - to be repelled. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against rape or violent sexual assault, as a response to becoming a grandparent, or by ingesting celestially imbued waters.

• Shapeshifting: the ability to alter their physical appearance (without losing or gaining mass or matter) to be more serpentine or less serpentine. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against being hunted or stalked, as a response to being loved for who they are by someone who previously was prejudiced against them, or by covering themselves in vysolitic mud.

• Strangulating vapor: a vapor released from their pores will cause the throats of those who breathe it in to close; this will occur if they are near death or if they will it. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against imprisonment or enslavement, as a response to becoming pregnant, or by washing themselves in waters from the mouth of a river.

• Summon waters: a loud scream or shriek will bring massive amounts of water from every source nearby. A lamia will develop this as a defense mechanism against attack by a large group of people, as a response to reaching the age of 250, or by swimming to the bottom of a body of water that is more than 25’ deep.

If a power goes unused for more than a year after being obtained initially, they will lose it. If a power goes unused for more than ten years any time after being obtained, they will lose it. If a power is used to inflict the kind of trauma that causes it, they will lose it. If a lamia does not understand why they gained a power or the lesson contained within the power within five years of obtaining it, they will lose it.

No lamia will attain any of these powers via positive or neutral means before they are sixteen years old. Traumatic sources are possible before then, but rare if they are with their own people.

Serpent Powers

All lamiai have certain powers or features that come with being serpentine. Some of these are simply a consequence of their serpentine features - any snake heads will have a venomous bite, for example - and some are less explicable:

• A lamia can remove and reattach their eyes if they have a serpentine tail and human upper body.

• Blood from the left side of a lamia’s body is poisonous; blood from the right side of their body can be used to revive the dead. Blood used to revive the dead will not be replenished within the lamia and only works before it is replenished.

• A lamia can open their throat and mouth wide like a snake’s if they practice at it.

• A lamia who can shapeshift will sometimes turn fully into a snake when in a wild rage, uncontrollably.

• All lamias have a sharp sense of smell.

• If the flesh of a lamia is cooked and eaten, it can heal those who consume it.

• They are immune to snake venom.

Weaknesses

Stravomenos will physically harm a lamia. Insomnia is a common affliction among lamiai. They get drunk quicker off mundane wine than other species do. If their True Name is written on papyrus, they will be repelled from the bearer of the papyrus. Their petrifying gaze is neutralized if their gaze is met via reflection.

Nations

There are eight serpentine nations:

• Alabasandrian: Mahadi and Ranic nation who live mostly in the northern Island Bridge.

• Gorgon: nation from the rocky isles of Stayflies in Ranu.

• Kiyohime: nation from Tenzanai known for their relationships with local monks.

• Nisa' al-Thueban: the original nation from Ubbariya in northern Taggarus.

• Shāhmārān: nation from western Dabusen, the central Island Bridge, and Mahad, known for the prominence of having two heads.

• Shé Nǚ: Unbulese nation known for the use of neidan, an ancient alchemical art.

• Tlanchana: central Palhuric nation known for living near water or in caves.

• Xtabay: central Palhiric nation associated with death by hanging.

Culture

The original nation of lamiai are the Nisa' al-Thueban, sometimes shortened to Thueban (pl. Thaeabin). They live in the deserts of northern Taggarus, near oases, where they are traders, goat-herders, and protectors of children.

When the Lamia Manifest was cursed by a cruel man, she fled into the desert to be alone. After a very long time, she met a traveler who was lost. He sought to drink from the oasis she dwelled in, and she allowed him to do so. He told her that the caravan he was with had been attacked. After he was healed, she joined him in returning to the site of the attack to look for survivors. There, they found two children were all that remained of the two-hundred people there. The Manifest took the children in, and the man from the caravan joined her as well, as he had lost everything in the attack and shame prevented him from returning to his people.

Soon, she and the man entered a relationship, and she bore children of her own. The man was dismayed to find they were serpentine like their mother, revealing a prejudice she did not know he had. Hurt, she sent him away. Months later, the spurned man returned with other men, riding camels and horses, wielding weapons, and accusing her of stealing the children from the caravan. They cast many aspersions upon her, claming she was a cannibal, a monster, a killer of men, an eater of children, a seducer, a witch. She repelled these men and protected the children, but this began the reputation of lamiai as child-stealers.

Among the oases of the deserts in Ubbariya, the Thaeabin live in small tribes. Lamiai in these tribes usually have the form of the upper body of a human and lower body (tail) of a snake, but there is some variation. They have a tendency to be more active at night than other peoples both because of the frequent insomnia they are afflicted with and because of the desert heat during the day.

Each tribe is led by elders, usually seven women and three intersex, who have the power of prophecy. Among the tribes, most people are capable of taking on any role, but some specialize, mostly those who take up arms to guard the tribe and those who engage with outsiders as traders, negotiators, or guides. Most lamiai among the Thaeabin are capable of healing, waterfinding, weaving or sewing, dyeing, singing, childcare, cooking, cleaning, building with clay bricks, making clay bricks, gardening, and other common tasks.

Singing is very important in their culture, as it is the primary form of entertainment. Their songs are very vocal and extended, using complex rhythms and harmonies, and they echo throughout the desert. Lamiai sing during any tedious or basic tasks, during sex, during special ceremonies, during celebrations, and during group projects. There is a song for everything.

Children are raised by the whole community. They are taught from a very young age the customs and wisdom of their people. History, math, singing, and the chores of the tribe are important lessons they are taught, but learning is always made to be fun for children. Especially important in their education is learning about their experiential powers and where they come from and why they happen.

At age twelve, children are encouraged to go on a solo trip into the desert for a night. They are given tools and water. When they return, they share with the other children their age what they learned. If a child is too scared to do this, they are given special attention and teaching until they feel confident enough to try. At age sixteen, children are encouraged to go on a solo trip into the desert for three days in a similar fashion. At age eighteen, lamiai are considered adults and have a coming-of-age ceremony that involves being tested in their knowledge, proving themselves at self-defense and specific tribal chores, and sharing their wisdom with younger lamiai. It always ends with a large feast.

If a lamia gains an experiential power through a traumatic source, this is cause for mourning in the tribe. Some events - such as attacks by raiders - cause mass traumatic experiences. After any traumatic event, whether a power is born from it or not, there is a ceremony of grieving to allow the lamiai to heal. This ceremony almost always involves a lesson being shared, almost always one that encourages defiance against the source of the trauma.

Moments of joy are also celebrated. Unions of love, births of children, personal achievements, group achievements, communal milestones, lunar events (triple full moons especially), good harvests, major trades, and so on all merit a celebration of the tribe. Oftentimes, if they happen close to one another, celebrations are combined in a weekly ceremony. These celebrations involve drinking, food, dancing and singing, and use of hallucinogens.

Because they live in the desert, water is considered precious and is therefore well guarded. Though their oases are often not in danger of running out, they still act as if it might be at any moment and keep water rations strictly. Any misuse of water is a grievous crime.

Snakes are sacred among the Thaeabin. They keep them as pets, never harm one even in the wild, and will react poorly to someone else harming a snake. This often extends to other reptiles and reptilian beings. For example, the Thaeabin are known to be friends with nearby dragons. They often visit them to share wisdom and have a symbiotic relationship of mutual trust, respect, and defense. They bring the dragons news, food, and magical objects, and the dragons give them magical objects, ancient lore, scales, and protections.

If the Thaeabin learn of children who are in danger, they will drop everything to protect them. This includes children not of their tribes, especially those who are abused. Thus, they will steal children from people if those children are mistreated. This is the source of many conflicts.

National Cultures

The other national cultures vary greatly:

• Alabasandrian: in the northern Island Bridge and in parts of Ranu and Mahad, the Alabasandrian lamiai tend to have greenish faces, serpents for hair, piscine tails, and wings (making them among the rarest lamiai). They are reputed to hate horses and refuse to ride them because of their enemies’ use of them. They are among the most hated nations of lamiai because of their ferocious defense of women and children who are mistreated by other nearby cultures. They hide their True Names behind many, many names, and they tend to use their inflicting malady powers, strangulating vapor powers, and maddening song powers often. Intersexuality and asexuality is more common among them than other lamia cultures. They are often accused of being demonic and slurred as “Abyzou”.

• Gorgon: the famous Gorgones of Stayflies have serpents for hair and around their waists. Some of them have wings, metallic hands, and scaled heads. Many have swine tusks. They are known to herd and ride pegasi, having alliances with local giants, and being very antagonistic toward men. A man who is guilty of rape will be killed immediately by a Gorgon. They use their repelling and petrifying gazes often. They dwell on rocky islands near springs rather than in oases in the deserts, but they share much with their southern cousins. They are known to protect the Sphinx, an Aeonian beast of knowledge.

• Kiyohime: a Tenzanese nation with close ties to monasteries in their area, they form close bonds with the monks. They share their powers and wisdom, the monks help them and love them. They are said to have quick tempers. It is common that they use their fire breath powers.

• Shāhmārān: a nation from Jenil in western Dabusen who live throughout the central and northern Island Bridge, through western Dabusen, through Mahad, and in Omaev in Jesenranu. They often have a snake’s head at the end of their tail, one of the rarer lamia forms, and they adorn themselves with crowns and large necklaces. They often live in caves or underground as well. They keep off-white snakes as pets and are known for their healing skills. Water is sacred to them.

• Shé Nǚ: this nation in Unbul is known for their white or blue-green serpentine scales. They wear white. They keep otters, black chickens, kraits, and white snakes as pets. They are fishers and practitioners of neidan (internal medicinal alchemy). They dislike pagodas because of stories of their ancestors being imprisoned in them. They face great prejudice from locals. Their magical command of water and fire is a common power. They avoid drinking, make alliances with local dragons, and often take other lamiai as lovers.

• Tlanchana: in central Palhur, they are known for their divining powers and hatred of evil men. They see water as sacred. They wear crowns and necklaces and keep aquatic creatures strung around their waists as decoration.

• Xtabay: in central Palhur, they live in the forests. They are often accused of being a death cult, but in truth, they have special funerary rites and worship Death as a force of nature. They wear white dresses and keep their black hair long (often to their ankles). They often use xtabentún flowers (a type of morning glory) for enthogenic liqueurs that they drink often. They keep ceiba trees as sacred, grow tzacum cactus to make combs from their spines, and practice their shapeshifting and divining powers often. Death by suicide (especially hanging) is a tragic part of their history, and they honor it through special burials where they plant flowers around graves and keep animals near them. They are known for their work to help the homeless and poor who live near them. Sex magic is common among them.

Esoterica

Lamiai are beings of euskepsia and use it naturally throughout their lives. They also commonly use other celestial powers, especially aemoa, curacion, hegnh, celeste water, and lhair. They will use aetherial powers common to their area (hamasat al-sahra in the desert, prasinofos in forests, etc.), as well as conflueverant, ashar, poarta, and nzwara murazvo. Infernal powers are rare, and stravomenos is never used. Nommic and poioumenonic powers are not uncommon, though paradoxical powers are. Faith is a common part of their lives.

Religion

The Thaeabin worship Wukar Tawil, the Wanderer, a deity of wisdom, a teacher, and a warrior who embodies their collective experiences. Most tribes have priestesses whose role is a combination of leading rituals, protecting the local water source, and engaging in prophetic visions. They believe that it is sacred to learn from experiences and to share that knowledge with others, and thus, their priestesses are often the eldest teachers among them. They often say prayers of thanks to Wukar Tawil for experiences they perceive as life lessons. Among every tribe is a mutasharib, or wanderer, who is sent out to seek wisdom in the manner of Wukar Tawil.

Gender

Lamiai are all assigned female at birth in patriarchal societies, but amongst their own, they see gender as a long-term experience that is individually defined. This is reflected in how an individual chooses to present, refer to themselves, and act, but there is no equivalent of a “male” gender in any of their cultures. If a lamia takes on such a gender, it is accepted, but it is not one of the generally recognized genders. Instead, their genders are variations of womanhood or nonbinary genders. Many are genderfluid.

Those born intersex are allowed to take on any gender they please, just as other lamiai are, but they are also seen as special and encouraged to take on special mystical roles in their cultures.

Sex in lamia cultures is seen as sacred, but it is also very common and very encouraged among consenting adults. Marriage is unknown among the Thaeabin, but they do occasionally have romantic commitments or other long-term romantic relationships. Non-monogamy, promiscuity, and free love are common.

Economy

The Thaeabin are a matriarchal society. Most lamiai are subject to national or species-based oppression in other cultures.

Military

Among the Thaeabin, there are some lamiai who specialize in fighting. They wield special spears, shields, and helmets made of Aegean bronze. They are known for their spear fighting.

Language

Thueban language is based on Arabic.

Occupations

Common roles in Thueban society include the following:

• Furan: brickmaker

• Hakham: priestess

• Hamil al-Rumh: spearbearer

• Kashaf: guide

• Kasiha: cleaner

• Khiata: weaver

• Lahn: singer

• Latif: caretaker

• Makadas: builder

• Manazir: negotiator

• Mubadil: trader

• Mutasharid: longwalker

• Raei al-Maeiz: goatherd

• Sabagh: dyer

• Shurb: waterfinder

• Tibu: healer

• Yatbakh: cook

• Zarie: gardener

Outside View

Lamiai are slandered among most patriarchal cultures to kidnap, kill, and eat children. They are called witches and seductresses and sluts. They are blamed for miscarriages and infant deaths, infertility, and infidelity. Some claim that they are envious of beautiful women of other species, or that they are infertile and thus steal other children for themselves. Others accuse them of turning into snakes after being spurned by men of other species. Others claim they have a stench to them.

Because their flesh can heal, they are sometimes hunted for it.

Notables

• Aibnat Kubraa, Lamia Manifest, Aeonian

• Yamlîkhâ, ancient Shāhmārān queen

Estimated Populations

• Alabasandrian: 300,000

• Gorgon: 750,000

• Kiyohime: 500,000

• Nisa' al-Thueban: 2 million

• Shāhmārān: 750,000

• Shé Nǚ: 750,000

• Tlanchana: 300,000

• Xtabay: 300,000

Sample Stats

PRO 9
ATH 9
STR 9
AWA 11
WIL 9
PRS 9
STH 9