Philea_Somerled

(Image a crude representation of the character.)
Naga's. Apex-ur-predators, known for striking from ambush and rapidly subduing prey, devouring them through unhinged jaws or various other orrifices. Seductive, sinuous, sinister predators, known through myth and legend as capable of swallowing down whole groups of adventurers, consinging them to a slow, goopy fate.

No one really writes legends about the failures , though. No one's going to write a myth about *Philea*.

Philea hails from a-not-exactly-xenophobic-but-isolated clan of naga’s, away from the rest of the world. There, they live by the older ways, hunting and ambushing their prey*, divining their future from the stars, and (in a few scattered cases) farming the land. When a naga from this clan comes of age, they are let loose into the wilder world, to explore and find themselves, and where they fit into the grand scheme of creation.** Some return to the tribe, finding the outside world to be overwhelming, confusing, and hostile. Some embrace the new world, either settling down in it, or wandering it until the end of their days. And some--well, some find their place in the world as a bit of fat on a predator’s belly, or as a big, sticky, quickly cooling puddle.

Current clan consensus is one of those last two is definitely going to be Phile's fate, and frankly, it's a wonder she's made it THIS far. The 18-ish naga has always been a bit clumsy, moving through life with two left feet****. But what’s worse is that she's more interested in talking than hunting.

Specifically, she is interested in talking with what she's supposed to be hunting, more eager to hold a conversation with her sapient meals than eating them immediately. That's not to say she doesn't eventually try to eat folks--she will! It feels nice, and, hey, a girl's gotta eat (or cram people elsewhere). That's how life goes, yeah? But the naga's curiosity frequently proves to be a liability, either giving a would-be victim time to escape, or to get the upper hand. There's been more than one instance where tribe members had to pull her out of a centaur by her tail, or of another clan-mate: Some of her peers found it fun to 'tease' her (at least: That was the plausible deniability they went with).

And despite it all, Philea remained (and remains) cheerful! Or, at least, upbeat, even when hip-deep in an amazon. She’s optimistic about her chances! There’s such a wide world out there, and she’s excited to learn about it, to travel it, to meet interesting people and then digest them! She's always been excited and curious about the world outside her clan, pestering those who'd returned about what they saw, pawing through any books they brought back. And now, she gets to explore it for herself! All the wonder and knowledge-and, well, yeah. Danger, too, to be sure. She certainly hopes she doesn’t end up as a slowly softening bulge, but she knows that’s how the cycle goes sometimes. Maybe she’ll be a more capable hunter in the next turning of his wheel.

Physically, Philea is-well. A bit on the scrawny side, for a naga lad. She's only 15 feet long in the snake half, for starters. And her human half would best be described as 'a runner's physique' if one were being charitable, or 'scrawny nerd' if one were being less so. At least her breasts aren't--well, they aren't huge, but they're *there*, His scales aren't brilliant, vibrant, or even *shiny*. They're just a fairly matte, light blue, not even useful for camoflague--not that it matters, since her short, blonde hair isn't really suited for camo, either.
*Anyone not a member of their clan. Yes, even other nagas.
**Think of them as a… sort of predatory Amish, perhaps. Made of snake people.***
***Look the analogy’s not perfect, OK?
****Scales. Whatever.


Character of Harley_Chase
Also character of Jahan
(Yes, I am the same person! Dun dun dun.)