Ralveran Lore: The Tauninaga

Greetings travelers,

I’d like to set the record straight. A handful of people have approached me after reading the first few chapters of The Oasis Stone and asked, “Jack, you know that snakes cannot echolocate, right?”

Yes! I sure do know that! Your average, boring garden snake cannot echolocate, but you know who can? The cave tauninaga. There are also talking skeletons in Ralvera who breathe fire, yet no one has come to check with me if I think those are real or not.

Maybe they are real. Perhaps my skeleton can breathe fire and yours can’t. That’s a shame for you.

I’ll be talking about the tauninaga in all their reclusive, mystical glory today. May this information keep you from angering the wrong snake on your next journey through Ralvera.

Official art from The Onyx Mask of the jungle and mountain tauninaga, illustrated by John Spencer.

The Tauninaga: Who are the Dream Serpents?

If you stick to the main roads on your journey, you’ll likely never cross paths with a tauninaga. The snakes keep to themselves, rarely venturing forth from their tight-knit clans except in matters of grave importance or shunned exile. While reclusive, they are still quite widespread; their clans can be found all across Ralvera except for the Northern and Southern Ice. It is rumored that the cold does not agree with them.

If you do intent on seeking them out, look for bodies of water. While the tauninaga are not biologically amphibious, they strongly prefer to make their homes near a refreshing oasis, gurgling forest brook, and underground lake. Just remember that if you stumble into tauninaga territory, they will find you first, and if they’re not in a forgiving mood, your blissfully-unaware journey will end in a single strike.

While the tauninaga change with their environment, they are not always confined to such dichotomy, however. Where biomes blend, so do their clans. The city of Savin Actai is the most famous example, located in a high altitude rainforest where both mountain and jungle tauninaga live together. Despite the cohabitation, I have not seen any proof that hybrid tauninaga exist, with hatchlings either inheriting their adaptions from their mother or their father. Some scholars claim that true hybrids exist, but those that do are few and far between and likely unwell in the mind.

Cave tauninaga art by John Spencer.

Weaponry

The iconic blade depicted above is the weapon of choice for many tauninaga clans. While shaped like a sickle, the blade on the outside curve of the weapon denotes it as, in fact, a scimitar. It doubles as a climbing implement, making it a versatile tool for all tauninaga who need to scale rock walls and trees. The only clans who do not bother are the mountain tauninaga, who climb better with their sharp claws, and oasis tauninaga, who have very little climbing to do in the desert sands.

I drew this one!

The Sfa-Zrueen

Those who do not know the ways of the tauninaga may believe they are volcomancers the way they weave the arcane across their scales. While their powers may seem similar to the manifestations of those who wield the Ventix Stratus, the tauninaga do not use the power of the Vents. They wield something else entirely, which they call the sfa-zrueen.

Where the sfa-zrueen comes from, I am remiss to say I have little clue. I have only been able to talk with one tauninaga in my research—a swamp tauninaga named Mevsa who was staying at the Hangman’s Swing—and they seemed quite unenthused by my questions. This is what I was able to gather, however: the sfa-zrueen grows stronger in nature, away from the power of the Vents, and the tauninaga collect it by dreaming. Hence their more scholarly title, the Dream Serpents

Legend says that the tauninaga were the Fae’s closest ally during the Paroxysm—the great eruption of the Ralveran Vents. When the Vents finally calmed, the Fae thanked the tauninaga for their lifesaving alliance by granting them a sliver of their power; the ability to wield sfa-zrueen. To use this power, the tauninaga must dream, and then twist their dreams into reality.

The Fae did not grant the tauninaga all their power, however. Only a portion each. Thus, a tauninaga’s abilities and adaptions can vary on where you find them.

Oasis tauninaga concept art by Finn Davidson

Oasis Tauninaga

Notable persons: Zess, the proprietor of the Familiar Tune in Quyntrell

Perhaps the second rarest form of tauninaga you’re likely to encounter—the first being the cave tauninaga, I figure—the oasis tauninaga are recognizable by their tail rattle, as well as their armor-like scales which are thick enough to deflect blades (it doubles its function by preserving the water on their skin). Making their home in the hidden oases of the Ralveran Desert, you may die of thirst long before you die by their hand. The only folk who can reliably find them are the desert raptors; good luck getting them to cooperate.

If their scales cannot block their blade, their sfa-zrueen certainly can. The oasis tauninaga’s dream magic focuses on protection and sanctuary, able to absorb damage and even deflect it back toward the attacker.

Mountain Tauninaga

Notable persons: Uzshon, a healer who served Citadel Marcrest for nearly four decades

The most recognizable adaption of the mountain tauninaga are their fearsome claws, razor-sharp and perfect for scaling a sheer rockface. Living in gorgeous gardened cities on the shores of pristine alpine lakes, the sfa-zrueen of the mountain tauninaga is that of healing. Weaving their dreams into reality, the mountain tauninaga can repair any wound with such perfection, not even a scar is left behind.

Forest Tauninaga

Notable persons: Alactashi Sen, the Great Seer of Savin Actai

Dwelling in deep forest glades, next to shadowed waterfalls and mossy creeks, the forest tauninaga do not share the serenity of their surrounds. Adapted to spit poison with deadly accuracy, the dream serpents use their divination sfa-zrueen to glimpse the future, seeing danger and calamity long before it reaches their clan.

Cave Tauninaga

Notable persons: Srrith, a huntress from the Crimson Tors. She's not famous in the slightest, but she's the only one I've ever met or know about. Thus, she claims a mention. The cave tauninaga are as absent from the history books as they are in the light of day.

Many believe the cave tauninaga to be omens of misfortune. It’s nothing more than common superstition, but the power of their sfa-zrueen does not slow the spread of rumors. The dream serpents of the Ralveran Depths have the ability to weave shadows into their scales, allowing them to slip unseen through the tunnels and strike fear into the hearts of their prey. If a cave tauninaga turns their shadows upon you, I’ve heard the terror is unmatched.

Jungle Tauninaga

Notable persons: Tumelsa Tez, a famous Lockworker of Devar who once saved a vessel from tipping over the Devaros Falls by gliding across the Locks and securing a lifesaving chain to its hull.

The tauninaga of the jungle are the only variant that do not always live near water, as the humidity of the jungle is high enough for their liking. Their sfa-zrueen focuses on communing with the abundant plant life that surrounds their home. While dreaming, they are able to talk long distances with other tribes, asking the plants to carry their messages for them. They are also the most aerial of the tauninaga—flaps of scales underneath their arms allow them to glide with ease through the high canopies they call home.

Swamp Tauninaga

Notable Persons: Oashos, the reigning elder of Savin Vesso

The illusion sfa-zrueen of the swamp tauninaga is arguably the most deadly if used in skilled hands. So deadly, in fact, that the Dreaming Blades assassins are some of the most feared agents of subterfuge in all of Ralvera. When facing a swamp tauninaga, you can no longer trust your eyes. They are not where they seem to be, and neither are you. Even if their sfa-zrueen runs out, the swamp tauninaga is adapted to camouflage with their environment, their chameleon-like scales altering color to seamlessly avoid detection.

Despite their tactics of subterfuge and trickery, these are the tauninaga you are most likely to encounter, if only because they have been a thorn in the side of the Oaken Legion for decades now. If you ask the Legion, they will say they’re not at war; if you ask a swamp tauninaga, they’ll say they are winning, one dead tree at a time.

Play as the Tauninaga in D&D 5e!

The tauninaga cast their most powerful magic while dreaming, making the most of your short rests and long rests. While the rest of your party slumbers, you are preparing for the next fight, protecting your allies and sharpening your mind so your blades can sink deep into your prey.

All tauninaga get the following benefits:

After choosing your subrace, you receive the additional benefits:

Thanks for reading and happy playing. See you in Devar and farther!