By Tim Earnshaw (shaith@dlcwest.com)
The bloodline originated much farther back in history than most realize. Far from a more recent bloodline, the Nagaraja are one of the most ancient of kindred, with only the Baali and now virtually extinct Childern of Osiris being older in heritage. The first of the Nagaraja came about roughly 3000 years B.C., in the ancient city of Mohenjodaro within what is now known today as India. How these kindred came about echos a similarity of how the clan Tremere first became kindred.
The Nagaraja was originally in ancient times a Craft of Mages. The traditions and spheres having yet not been formed; their magic reflected their beliefs; their Craft was obsessed with crossing the barriers between the lands of the living and the dead and had succeeded through their True Magik to a limited degree. They interacted with the dead much more readily than most others, and gained knowledge of how the afterlife, and the Underworld truly was; it frightened them. But as with all Mages, they were still mortal. While they could prolong their life, they could never be outside the cycle of entropy in the world completely. While they knew they may become wraiths or destroyed by Oblivion, it was not guaranteed, and their studies of the afterlife could very well be put to a halt, or destroyed much too readily being trapped in living bodies. They, as the Tremere, thirsted for immortality to keep Oblivion at bay, and were granted it . . .
Ashur, later to be known as Cappadocius, had long sought knowledge of the soul, the afterlife and death. He came upon the Nagaraja craft in his travels into the Indian continent, and thought he would finally have an answer to The Riddle. He gave his vitae to the unwary Mages, the gift of immortality, in exchange for what they knew. However, the Nagaraja did not fill their end of the bargain in full, only giving sparse, cryptic answers to his questions, half truths with half-lies knowing their survival would rely upon what they knew. Ashur left them, satisfied with the knowledge they gave, unknowing it would later become his downfall with the creation of the Giovanni, using the information given. The Mages then worked their magicks on the vitae given by the Antideluvian, altering it to suit their purposes, denying Oblivion its destruction of themselves in the end -- and succeeded. The leader of the Nagaraja became the first Nagaraja as a bloodline. But with vampiric immortality came a cost; they grew smug knowing they were free from Oblivion and sought to harness it and the Underworld in their fledgling discipline of Nihilistics. They succeeded -- to some degree -- but Oblivion, as always was a voracious force, and the discipline came at a drastic cost to them.
By using Oblivion in their discipline it tainted them. The more they used the force of entropy the more its influence took hold with them until it began eating away at their very bodies. Infused with entropy, they began to weaken as it drained them. In essence they were walking channels of Oblivion on the Living Lands, and while it could not destroy them it made them easy prey for others. They found they needed to consume the flesh of others of the Living Lands more and more to keep themselves free of Oblivion's grasp lest they be subjigated by its power. Even then, as centuries passed, they found they became almost mummified in appearance as entropy robbed them. With age, as Oblivion robbed them of their human appearance, came an added hunger of not only human flesh, but that of other Awakened beings. Nevertheless they established many mystery religions and cults to keep their influence over the city and surrounding area, as well as to keep an ample supply of sustenance.
It was around this time they took the name Nagaraja to be that of their bloodlin. The translation of Naga and Raja separately can mean different things to different people, but together it means King Cobra, one of deadliest of serpents in the world, and more than capable of killing the living with but a single small bite. They found it quite an apt name for themselves as well as fear inspiring. They had the population under their control with fear for their lives, their souls and their ancestors spirits for more than a thousand years. This, however, as with everything, was not to last. In 600 B.C their city of Mohenjodaro was destroyed. Human history blames the invading Aryans for its destruction as well as the city of Harappa. Perhaps it's better humans think that, for in truth it was destroyed by invading kindred of other clans lusting for control of the cities. To rid the country of as many of the intruding Cainites as possible, the Nagaraja, in a joint effort of power harnessed by the First of their kind, sacrificed the city, obliterating most of its inhabitants. They knew the city would rise within the Underworld with an abundant supply of the intruders souls to feast upon. With that the Nagaraja retreated to the Underworld, their oldest and most powerful entering torpor to replenish the power that was lost from the destruction, the others residing within the new city, leaving it only to harvest the flesh they required. Even as wars and invasions occurred in the Living Land, they knew their time to take control would occur once more when the first of them would rise again.
In their time in the Underworld they met with Inauhaten the Mummy as his essence was going on to begin his next reincarnation. The soul fragments spoke to the Nagaraja, telling them of the True Black Hand, as well as the power they could give them if they were to join the sect. A small number of their ranks did and as a sign of goodwill, Inauhtaten taught those Nagaraja the art of Necromancy. In turn, those young Nagaraja pledged themselves to serve the Hand. Not all did join; the majority did not, knowing the sect would keep too tight a reign on them. They remained within Mohenjodaro in the Underworld, staying within India to run it as it should be. Only occasionally did the Nagaraja of the Hand come back with knowledge, and did teach those remaining Necromancy, which later became a discipline the majority knew. Fortitude went on the delcine.
The Nagaraja still wait to this day to awaken and wrest control of India from outside forces, amassing power and influence within the Underworld until they can quash the intruders. Many hope they can count upon the help of other Nagaraja more recently embraced and not of their country to join the effort, as well as that of the Nagaraja of the True Black Hand so they may continue to explore the afterlife.
Deviant and Loner natures and demeanors tend to be common, although Explorer and Scientist natures and deameanors have been seen as well more recently.
All Nagaraja characters should possess at least 2 dots in occult and or 1 dot in Wraith or Underworld lore; Thanatology is quite common as well. Older Nagaraja tend to have Knowledges or Talents Primary or Secondary although increasingly younger Nagaraja have had strong Skills.
Allies (Wraiths), Contacts and Generation are common backgrounds. Most elders possess Occult Libraries as a given.