User:Morec0/Splinterscale Naga

The naga of the Splinterscale Rebellion (or just Splinterscale naga), led by the siblings Casjia and Anord Airbinder, and a faction of naga who seek to overthrow Azshara as ruler of Nazjatar and bring about a new age for the naga. Though their rebellion starts in the underwater realms of Nazjatar, they are quickly forced to fall back to the surface on the Isles of Suramar where they join forces with either the Alliance or the Horde to hold the territory and create the neutral city of Scalebender Cove as well as establish their own holds in Orgrimmar and Stormwind.

Though led and primarily comprised of the naga, the Splinterscale rebellion also has a handful of members from the races oppressed by Azshara and her followers who are out for revenge.

=Background= ''As the Well of Eternity imploded at the end of the War of the Ancients, the malevolent Old Gods reached out Azshara, Highborne Queen of night elves, and promised survival and power to her and her fellow Highborne in return for their servitude. Having no other choice, Azshara agreed, and as the water of the Well poured into drown them the Old Gods transformed her and her remaining followers into the serpentine naga. Under the command of their now-immortal Empress, the naga and they went on to construct a new citadel, Nazjatar, and to dominate the depths of Azeroth's ocean for thousands of years under her rule.''

''But as the years passed and events in the surface world of Azeroth saw the rise and fall of rulers, so too the has balance of power in Nazjatar begun to tilt. The youngest generations of naga find they lack the loyalty towards Azshara that the more ancient of their kind have and, in its place, harbor resentment and hate for all she's done. Now, as Azshara puts dark schemes into motion, these feelings have manifested into uprising. You are a part of this great revolution, a naga of the Splinterscale Rebellion, and under the command of the siblings Casjia and Anord Airbinder the time has come for you to overthrow the rule of Azshara and begin a new age for your people.''

The naga race dates back to the Great Sundering. They were originally the night elf Highborne who had stayed with Queen Azshara as the Well of Eternity became unstable and began to collapse. As the waters of the newly-formed Great Sea surrounded the protective dome and threatened to break through to drown Azshara and her ilk, the former night elven queen made a pact with the Old Gods - she promised them her service in exchange for her life and the lives of her followers. To save her and the others, the Old Gods took them and transformed them just as the water broke through and came rushing to consume them. Those Highborne became the first of the naga, and from them, over the 10,000 years that followed, came generations upon generations of nigh-immortal serpentine creatures bound to Azshara's service - and, though her, to the Old Gods.

Nazjatar was founded by them at the bottom of the ocean; a massive, sprawling complex of architecture that was both a military fortress for the naga to wage war on the surface dwellers from and a glorious palace to house their adored former-queen now-empress. Within its walls they trained their skills, practiced their magics - both traditional arcane and powerful new elemental skills brought to them by their new allegiance - and prepared for a full-scale war against the surface while also dispatching individual groups to scout the surface for intelligence on the land-dwellers and relics they could use to aid their future conquest and to create bastions of power from which Azshara's armies could launch their attacks. Although many were destroyed by adventurers as they became aware of them, still more were created or remained despite the attacks.

Though the ancient naga such as Lady Vashj, Naz'jar, Naj'entus and their immediate descendants were fanatically loyal to Azshara by the Old God's design, as younger and younger generations were created that preordained loyalty began to fade in the nagas' being. Though many began to doubt and even resent Azshara in secret it was not until well after the Cataclysm that these feelings gained an outlet. The young and idealistic naga siblings Casjia and Anord Airbinder gathered up those they could find that shared their bitterness towards the naga empress, and from them formed a rebellion that they intended to use to bring down Azshara's reign and set themselves up as the rulers of Nazjatar in her place - as the Serpentqueen and Serpentking.

After years of plotting and planning and gathering more and more allies to their cause, the Airbinders and their rebellion - which called itself the "Splinterscale" - launched their attack against Azshara from within the walls of Nazjatar. Anord led the rebellion's attacks in full-force, though his sister preached caution and subtlety, openly crushing all those still loyal to Azshara (known to the Splinterscale as the "Azshar'al") that stood in their way and rallying those disloyal to Azshara that had not yet joined their cause. Armed with stolen and salvaged weaponry, armor, and magical knowledge they were poised to move from one section of Nazjatar to the next, conquering them each in succession.

A Crushing Defeat
Azshara, however, was more powerful and knowing than any of the Splinterscale had wished to believe. Since the dawn of the Airbinder's gathering she had known of their defiance, and only out of a graceful attempt to let them "realize the error of their thoughts" did she allow them to live. Shortly after the Splinterscale claimed a portion of Nazjatar as their own, Azshara herself and her forces came down upon them. They forced the Splinterscale back, and they barely managed to escape the city's walls as the Azshar'al attempted to trap them within. They fled into the greater ocean, but Azshara and her armies followed. In the end, Anord decided that it had been his rash action that had brought them to this defeat, and so charged against Azshara herself alone, knowing he could do nothing to stop her but hoping to cause enough of a distraction to allow his sister and their forces escape.

He slew many of the Azshar'al who attempted to stop him, but in the end Azshara herself stepped in a struck him down. Believing her brother to be dead, Casjia and the her remaining commanders fled to the surface and took shelter on the islands that had once been the night elven city of Suramar - known to most as the Broken Isles, Casjia renamed them the Isles of Suramar in memory of the past.

New Allies
Azshara's forces, however, were relentless, and under the command of the Naga lord Blackshell they pursued the defeated Splinterscale to the surface and onto the islands. The naga rebels fled through the ruins and jungle, fighting off the spirits of the lost Stormreaver and Twilight's Hammer clans, few remaining demons roaming wild around the ruins of the Tomb of Sargeras, and wild beasts that they encountered as they continued their escape. As they fled, though, they became aware of the presence of others on the isles, two armies unaffiliated with the naga or the creatures they had encountered. These armies were forces of the Alliance and Horde.

It was in these factions that the Splinterscale found salvation. After rescuing a band of Darkspear trolls that had been surrounded by Blackshells's soldiers while trying to establish a forward base and then a group of night elves that had been captured while scouting the area, Casjia was able to call a meeting between the Alliance forces - led by Shandris Feathermoon - and the Horde - led by Rokhan - to ask for their aid and to coordinate a strike against Blackshell and his Azshar'al that would, hopefully, put a stop to their chase. The two parties agreed, knowing the great danger that Azshara posed to all of them, and, as a unified force, they assaulted Blackshell's recently-constructed base on the western shore of the island.

But Blackshell revealed a trump card: the captured Anord, suspended in a shell of stasis magic. Blackshell demanded that Casjia and her "pathetic, surface-dwelling mercenaries" lay down their arms, or else he would execute Anord. Casjia, fearing for her brother's life, had no choice but to comply, and when the Alliance and Horde forces refused to lay down their arms as well she had the Splinterscale restrain them - but leave them otherwise unharmed. As Blackscale gloated over his victory and his soldiers surrounded them all, Anord reminded both Casjia and the naga lord that he had learned much from his actions in Najzatar, and that "among my lessons, was that to feign weakness is often the greatest strength."

With a roar, Anord tore free from his bonds and struck down Blackshell with a single blow. No longer threatened by the loss of his life, Anord and Casjia commanded the Splinterscale to release the Alliance and Horde and destroy Blackshell's forces. In the aftermath of the battle, Casjia apologized to Shandris and Rokhan for her actions, and though both were hesitant to forgive the treachery - brief as it was - they ultimately accepted her apology. In reparation, and as a promise of good-will in the hopes of seeing an alliance with both factions against Azshara continue to see the end of her rule, the Airbinder siblings offered up the services of their warriors to the causes of the Alliance and Horde elsewhere in the world until such a time as their aid would be needed against the greater threat of Azshara and her minions.

With that said, the Splinterscale are told to divide themselves and go speak with the leader of whatever faction they choose to side with.

Though a large portion of the Splinterscale left to assist the Alliance or Horde, just as many remained behind with their leaders to establish the fortress of Scalebender Cove to be used as a capital for the Splinterscale and also as a watch-post to keep an eye out for the threat of Nazjatar's invasion that the Splinterscale fear is very soon to come.

=Organization= The Splinterscale Rebellion has a few minor groups within it led by various commanders of various ranks, but the main body of the Splinterscale is commanded by the Serpentqueen and Serpentking Casjia and Anord Airbinder and represent the goal of the Splinterscale in its entirety: the downfall of Azshara and rise of a new regime and age for the naga. Even though the two largest groups within it - the Onslaught and the Armada - are affiliated with either the Alliance or the Horde and, because of their leader's feelings towards one another (which funnels down into their followers), have no issue crossing blades at a moment's notice, both ultimately report back to Casjia and Anord above all - even the High King and Warchief.

Hatecoral's Onslaught
Led by the Warmage Hatecoral, the Onslaught is the Splinterscale's ambassador to the Alliance. Just about every member of the Onslaught, like its leader, despises Azshara and all she stands for; even in comparison to even the main Splinterscale body, they are the most embittered towards the Empress of Nazjatar and those that still worship her. Because of this are more willing to take great risks and try a variety of offensive tactics when dealing with her and those that aid her. Even so, Hatecoral is no fool and is certainly not unintelligent: despite the sheer rage she will emit when dealing with the Azshar'al she is an intelligent and compromising political negotiator, a perfect fit for the Alliance. Even after the events that transpired during the start of their open rebellion, Anord respects the great will and ferocity that Hatecoral battles with, while Casjia is more than pleased with her handling of the the Alliance-side of Splinterscale politics.

Hatecoral despises Bladefin's very existence, seeing her embracing of the path of the warrior as a disgrace to their proud heritage of magic. In her eyes, Bladefin is nothing but a brute, too reliant on her strength and too slow to truly be of aid to the Splinterscale in politics, despite the General's calm and collected demeanor. Because of this, despite their loyalty and united hatred of Azshara, Hatecoral wishes to see Bladefin and her Armada "brought down a peg" and reminded that an army can only be as strong as their leader - and brute strength is no strength when compared to the might of the mind. Her soldiers, because of this, have no issue with facing off against their fellows in the Armada.

Bladefin's Armada
Under the command of General Bladefin, the Armada is the Splinterscale's emissary to the Horde. The majority of the Armada takes after Bladefin: steadfast, strong-willed, and dead-set on any goals they perceive. In their eyes, the war against Nazjatar will be long, arduous battle in which tenacity will be the key to victory; they are prepared, and will stand like a levee against the tides of Azshar'al that seek to undo them. Bladefin is a collected leader, but also a strong one. A warrior by trade, she believes that the best offense is a defense against which the enemy will waste themselves, and in her duties as ambassador to the Horde she reflects this with a calm and collected approach, though she is far from yielding - to the point where she might be able to be called stubborn. Anord respects Bladefin not only for being capable of holing her own in battle but also as a tactical military leader, and Casjia appreciates her steadfastness in both the war and Horde politics.

Bladefin carried with her a high level of animosity toward the Warmage Hatecoral because of Hatecoral's attitude and overall approach to dealing with war and her, to Bladefin, "overly compromising" approach to politics. She sees Hatecoral as being too brash and bold when commanding her soldiers and as being too willing to let societal issues that would hurt her people and herself pass without her objection because of her need to please her allies. Nothing would please Bladefin more than to remind Hatecoral that it does not do one good to fight without restraints nor to let your allies consider you nothing but a voice of agreement. Her soldiers, because of this, have no issue with facing off against their fellows in the Onslaught.

=Notable Splinterscale=

Casjia Airbinder
Cajsia grew up with the predetermined fate to become one of Azshara's lower-priestesses - powerful, but under the thumb of a much more-powerful sea witch. She was trained and groomed to worship and lead other naga in the worship of Azshara, but, like her brother, Casjia had the in-born sight to see that Azshara was not truly what she claimed to be and what her loyal followers saw her as. Though even when plotting with her brother and the rest of the Splinterscale she remained as student of the Azshar'al priestesses, her goals shifted away to dreams of her people under a new ruler, a better ruler - though the culture of the Azshar'al left a mark on her, for she could picture no one but herself and her brother as the rulers of Nazjatar.

Anord Airbinder
Anord was taken at birth and trained to be a warrior, a guard, a soldier to protect the palace of Empress Azshara herself. He was given the best instruction, armed with the best weapons and armor, and told that his destiny was one that only a few male naga would ever be able to hold. But Anord was not one of the ancient males teaching him, he was not blind to the imperfections he saw in Azshara whenever she passed him by; he was not bound by a steadfast desire to serve her. Anord dreamt of power, he dreamt of ruling the naga, and as he and his sister shared with one another their thoughts about Azshara he decided that he and she were more fit to rule their people than their current master. From that day, when he saw Azshara he pictured his lance through her throat.

Gradath Icedfinn
Gradath's history is grounded in mystery. His history before coming to Anord and Casjia with his beliefs against Azshara, despite his status as one of the older naga of Nazjatar, is unknown - perhaps to even Anord and Casjia. Who is this rogue who can call upon the magic of frost so easily? Who is this mage who can infiltrate the lairs of nearly any enemy without detection? As his story is told, his past is revealed.

=Other Members= Though the naga are the ruling force of the Splinterscale, they have managed to recruit a few pockets of allies from the other races oppressed by Azshara.

Kvaldir
Worshipers of the Elemental Lord Neptulon, the kvaldir have fought a war against the naga ever since they turned against their master. Lords of the sea both above and below, they have brought considerable elemental magic and physical might to bear, though their numbers are nowhere near as great as those of the naga and have considerably dwindled as time passed. Those kvaldir that remain have grown desperate, and though they continue to hate the naga with every fiber of their being they could not pass up the alliance offered to them by the Airbinders when their envoys approached them. Bitter and resentful and looking upon all those who do not follow their god with spite, the kvaldir-Splinterscale alliance is one that constantly teeters upon the brink of collapse.

Some notable Splinterscale-allied kvaldir include:

Murloc
Murlocs - and deep sea murlocs - are not bright. They have some intelligence, but only enough to organize themselves into small, isolated, and insistently territorial clans. This low intelligence has led to many such groups falling under the sway of the naga - either due to force enslavement or the murlocs themselves seeing the naga as some sort of divine beings. Because of their amphibious natures and ability to use tools and weapons, the Azshar'al use them both as a force of shock troopers and slave labor, and despite their hatred for Azshara and all she stands for the Splinterscale have taken to using those murlocs that find their way to them in similar fashion - to the horror of some and humor of others.

Some notable Splinterscale-allied murlocs include:

Sea Giant
A creation of the titans, the sea giants are sworn enemies of the Old God-created naga, and since the construction of Nazjatar have raided the city constantly. More often than not, though, the Azshar'al naga have won out against the giants, killing or even enslaving them through dark magic. The Splinterscale, on the other hand, seek to make allies of the powerful giants, but so far have only been able to gather individuals to their side. The vast majority of sea giants still view the naga as vile creations of the Old Gods, and are seemingly blind to separation and fighting that goes on between the rebellion and those still loyal to Azshara - that, or they simply are apathetic to their plight, willing to let the battles between the groups take what course they may.

Some notable Splinterscale-allied sea giants include:

Makrura
Though not bright creatures, makrura are intelligent enough to organize themselves into primitive societies and even communicate with a variety of races. Despite this intelligence, however, they have long been subjugated by the naga and their allies for both slave labor and a source of food. Though they have become racially embittered and spiteful towards the serpents because of this, a select few groups have shown the reasoning skills to differentiate some naga from others. It is these groups that the Splinterscale has found allies in, and it is these groups that now dwell within Scalebender Cove with all their new allies - though some of the Splinterscale still see the makruru as little more than a delicacy.

Some notable Splinterscale-allied makrura include:

Player Character
The player character starts off a part of the rebellion at the doorstep of Nazjatar, deep under the ocean. However, as the rebellion quickly proves to be no match for the infinitely larger force of naga still madly loyal to Azshara they and the rest of the Splinterscale will be forced to the surface and onto the Isles of Suramar, where they will encounter both Alliance and Horde forces investigating the increased naga activity in the area. The Splinterscale will coordinate themselves with these new albeit hesitant allies to secure a portion of the isles and begin the creation of the Scalebender Cove. As the construction of the naga capital begins, however, the player is instructed to join either Hatecoil's Onslaught or Bladefin's Armada to asisst the Alliance or Horde (respectively) with their battles elsewhere to prove to them, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the Splinterscale are their allies.

Players can customize their scale (skin) color, fin (hair) color and style, face, and male naga are allowed to alter the tendrils on their face while female naga are allowed to choose from a variety of different head-jewelry.

Factions
After completion of the main quest the player is allowed the choice of joining one of the two two forces being sent to assist the main factions of Azeroth. Should the player join Warmage Hatecoil's Onslaught they will join with the Alliance and be sent to Stormwind where they will find the Hatecoral Reef growing where the destroyed Park meets the ocean. Should the player choose to join General Bladefin's Armada they will be throwing their lot in with the Horde, and be sent to Orgrimmar where, underneath the Valley of Honor, the Armada has carved out the Bladefin Rift in an underground cavern that opens out from the eastern cliff-side into the sea.

Racial
Reasons for racial traits

The Old God's transformation of the Highborne was geared towards their continued survival under the ocean in order to serve them; this has resulted in creatures both resistant to the touch of flame and with the ability to survive underwater without the need for oxygen and move around with near-unparalleled ease through the depths.

The Old God's tampering had some unforeseen consequences, however, and these mutations have been cultivated by the naga as time goes on to create powerful anomalies with the ability to tap into hidden reserves of power within them.

Their years of service to the Old Gods have left them with knowledge of the most hidden places in the darkest depths of Azeroth, and the naga have an innate understanding of the secrets these mysteries hold.

And though they divided their numbers between the Alliance and Horde, though they fight one another at the behest of their commanding officers, the Splinterscale ultimately remain loyal to one another. When they are ready to take the fight to Azshara, they are provided with a trinket to take them to their Rebellion's fortress as to best defend and strike against Azshara.

Classes

 * Hunter - The naga have spent the past thousands of years dominating a variety of animals to assist them in the creation and expansion of their empire. The most common creatures to see in the employ of the naga are the snap dragons and couatls, which are often deployed as shock soldiers in battle, though they have tamed a great variety of others. Although many naga are known to be cruel to their war-animals beasts of burden, their pets are no less potent as those of other races. The naga are also known to be crafty by nature, and are far from strangers to the ways of traps and misdirection. Forward Commander Vor'ssaliss Fangspitter is a Splinterscale hunter with a snap dragon pet he named Venomcurrent.


 * Mage - Coming from the ancient Highborne class gives the naga a strong racial affinity for magic. Although initially it was the females of their race that were almost solely capable of wielding the power of the arcane, the more recent generations of naga have been able to overcome this obstacle and both male and females now train in the ways of the magi. All schools of magic are open to the naga, even though their ancient heritage grants them a heavy affinity for the basic arcane and their own, ocean-based culture has given them a strong command over the chilling power of frost none of the disciplines practiced by the other mages of Azeroth are unpracticed by them. Warmage Hatecoral is known to be a potent and sometimes destructive mage.


 * Priest - Though the traditional priestly ways of the Light are foreign concepts to the naga, two powerful sects of the priesthood have spawned in their culture. Each group headed by a priestess of the tides, these naga cults either call upon the "Light of Lights" (near-exclusively seen among the Azshar'al, present in the Splinterscale only in a pseudo-fashion) or upon the power of the ocean to heal their allies or smite their foes in the same way a human or dwarf may call upon the Light or a troll may call upon their loas. Naturally, the darkness of the ocean's depths also was the perfect place for shadow priests to practice their arts. Casjia Airbinder herself is such a sea priestess, and, though of a different variety, Lady Vashj was as well.


 * Rogue - The way of the rogues is not a common path for the naga, but it is one that is not unheard of. While some naga prefer to fight their opponents head on with blade or spell, others take the more subtle approach to dispatching their foes. Assassins are always needed to dispatch of those that are viewed as risks to the power of the empire, and the depths of the ocean are more than providing in the creation of poisons even more potent then the ones the surface can provide. Though he also treads the path of the magi (through his uncanny link to the frost school of magic), Gradath Icedfinn is the most accomplished rogue of the Splinterscale.


 * Shamans - Much like priests, naga are not shamans in the sense as most other races are. They deal far more with the elemental aspects of the ways of shamanism, calling upon the might of earth, fire, air, and (of course) water to their aid; however, they do not hold the same reverence for the spirits of these elements as the surface races, often forcing the elemental spirits to do their bidding when they will not freely comply. Because of this the shamans of the Splinterscale are over ostracized and even hated by the shamans of the orcs, draenei, and others. Tidecaller Silossthisa, Captain of the Serpentguard (the Splinterscale's Royal Guard), is a powerful naga shaman.


 * Warlock - Though their previous dealings with demons ended poorly for the Highborne, the taste of power it had brought them was not something that could easily be shaken, even with the influence of the Old Gods. Though the demons they summon must adapt to dwelling under the ocean or die, they are no less powerful than those summoned by surface dwellers. Though unwilling to sacrifice their pursuit of demonic power, the naga learned that demonic forces are things not to be trifled with and the warlocks of the naga race are, ironically, some of the most cautious and methodical in all of Azeroth. Even so, no naga warlock holds a high position of power in the Splinterscale.


 * Warrior - As with mages, in naga society the role of warrior was traditionally handed off to one gender but not the other - this time to the males of the species. They were physically stronger and tougher than their female counterparts, and so were simply superior in melee combat. Though many still are, the more recent generations of naga, just as is the case with mages, have been able to break from the restrictive mold of the past and take up the path of warrior regardless of their sex. Serpentking Anord Airbinder is the most powerful warrior of the Splinterscale, and it is believed that the Battlemaiden Nar'jira of Vashj'ir was also a warrior.

Emotes
Emotes for the males and females of the Splinterscale playable character.

Male

Silly: Flirt:
 * "Gah! Bit my tongue! Wont be able to smell for a week..."
 * "So, I tried to rekindle an old flame of mine the other day, but it turns out that when they've spend the past thousand years moving on, getting a job, a home, a family whom they love, and you've been transformed into a monstrous creature of the sea bent on the conquest of civilization and destruction of all those who oppose you, things just can't work out."
 * "Wait... where are my gills?"
 * "Something smells fishy... I like it."
 * "Yes, naga do have a forked tongues. Does that impress you?"
 * "Slimy? No. Smooth? Yes."
 * "I can hold my breath for a long time. How long? Want to find out?"
 * "You know what they say about long tails..."

Female

Silly: Flirt:
 * "You think your hair is hard to deal with? Ever try combing fins?"
 * "Mascara: useless! Runs the moment I go swimming!"
 * "This place smells awful! What is it? Fresh air? Yech!"
 * "Would you like to feel the ocean's spray?"
 * "Mind if I slither in?"
 * "Could I ask you to check if I taste salty?"
 * "Heads or... tails?"
 * "I'm good with my hands... all of them."

=References=