Nagas from D&D
One of the first monsters that appears in Legends of Windemere are the Snake Fiends, which are based off the Naga. This is a mythological creature, but I wasn’t 100% certain of that when I wrote the story. The name kind of stuck. Sadly, this monster gets very little attention since it shows up so early and doesn’t make another appearance until Book 10. So they remain a mystery and it’s only recently that I did more with them.
Physically, the Snake Fiends have the hooded head of a human and a serpentine body with poisonous spines. A long spike is on their tail and they have multiple hearts, so they are a force to be reckoned with if you’re a young adventurer. More experienced warriors and casters see them more as a nuisance. A constricting snake can’t do much against platemail and the poisonous parts wouldn’t get very far either. So a Snake Fiend in the wild is more inclined to avoid travelers or hiss from a distance. They are only aggressive when they feel safe.
Now the reason the Snake Fiends were used is because that was what appeared in the game and I never thought to change it. Having them being underground creatures and a common treasure horde protector made sense. They can burrow through the piles of treasure and sense movement on the ground. In fact, you’ll learn that their burrowing ability is much more versatile than one would expect. A Snake Fiend in a field or any terrain with deep soil can hold its own against stronger creatures by moving beneath the surface. Using their vibration sense, they can use their tail spikes to stab from below. Their eyesight is better in caves because direct sunlight is too strong, but the hood helps if they face the right direction. There really wasn’t much depth to their design and habits. Sometimes a monster is closer to a simple animal than a complicated threat.
To see the Snake Fiends in action, check out:
Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
Legends of Windemere 
I like it. Lot’s of ways to conceal one, and the unknown is wonderful spice to a story.
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And they keep evolving too. Since they show up so rarely, new abilities that make sense can be brought up in certain situations. Forgot what I just added to them that works off their poison.
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It’s like a threat that’s underwater. There is just something creepy about something that moves where we can’t see it.
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Definitely. I’m reminded of the movie ‘Tremors’ all of a sudden.
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Funny, I had that same thought. It stuck in our minds for a reason.
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Probably the underground thing. I can’t think of any other story that highlighted a threat from below.
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There are a few zombie grabs that worked that way. Dune maybe? (been a long time, so I’m unsure.)
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Been a long time since I saw Dune too. Zombies definitely have done the ground pounce before. Though I think their favorite is to ‘play dead’ and go for ankles.
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And they fit the world very well. It’s nice having creatures who are more of a nuisance than a severely deadly threat.
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And that can be said for basic animals too. A fox can be annoying to a hero, but it isn’t really deadly. I kind of like having a bunch of monsters that come off as animals instead of being there for adventurer fights.
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These Snake Fiends have a lot of potential for creepy mischief.
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Yup. Though I’m sure they’d make great house guards. They’d double as garden tillers too.
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Don’t be pulling up any potatoes though.
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Bye bye groundhog, rat, rabbit, and other small animal problem.
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I love when monsters have “fiend” attached to their name. It instantly makes them sound 100% more … well, fiendish. One of my favorite “insults” is to call someone a fiend. I.e., “Thou devilish fiend!” I get a lot of weird looks, but I still like it, lol.
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It’s a fun word. Definitely makes one immediately think of the creature or person as evil.
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