Krait

From Guild Wars 2 Wiki

The krait are a serpentine, xenophobic, aquatic race that lives along and within the Tarnished Coast, though originally from the Unending Ocean.^[1] They are slavers who build shark-guarded, undersea towers, which house their air-breathing slaves which they keep as a food source.

[edit] Physiology

The krait are humanoid from the waist up, with a lizard-like head with protruding horns and scaly skin, and have snake-like tails. They prefer to live underwater, where their tail allows them to be flexible and excellent swimmers, but they equally able to live on land and are reasonably mobile there. When they come close to death they enter a frenzy which shape-shifts them to another form, this gives them a second wind which makes them particularly difficult to kill.

The krait lay eggs in underwater hatcheries. When hatched they have three stages of existence: larval, adolescent, and mature. The larval stage is weak, fragile and poor at swimming. They are guarded until they are better swimmers and learn life skills. As adolescents they are used as scouts. Mature krait are stronger and are the steadfast fighters for which the species has gained infamy.

Krait are known to consume the flesh of their captive slaves which includes humans and other air breathers.

[edit] Culture

Krait are vicious creatures, completely uninterested in the needs or well-being of others. The krait have never felt threatened by any other the land or other sea-dwelling races. They consider other races have nothing to offer them, so never bother to communicate with them. Never beaten, they are convinced that they are blessed and elevated: the superior species in the world. The krait will seize whatever they want for themselves — slaves in particular — with a ruthless efficiency.

Krait structures stretch from the ocean depths to just above the surface. Their cities are often built around one or more of the great obelisks, elaborately built to incorporate coral reefs and natural caverns. The city usually contains underwater hatcheries, palatial living areas, arenas for gladiatorial combat, and long lines of glowing road markers which can be seen from the surface. Slaves are penned in small chambers at the top of the structures until it is time to be eaten or sacrificed. This top part is often built from shipwrecks or materials stolen from the land. The light from the slaves cooking fires serve as warning to passing ships to be wary of the krait below.

Krait have never developed a written language but have excellent memories and are strong mathematicians. Both males and females are given education and battle training, and both genders perform all general societal functions.

[edit] Religion

Religion is at the heart of krait society, all krait are steadfast and immobile in their beliefs. Their legends say those on land were driven out of the sea by the prophets and forbidden to return. This is seen as false by other races but the krait refuse to listen such things and are happy to kill to ensure that the krait religion is not defamed. All krait are willing to die for the continuity of their species and for the cause of their prophets.

The religion treats rare stone obelisks found on the ocean floor as signs of the "ascension" of ancient krait prophets to a higher realm. The krait follow a doctrine foretelling the return of these prophets, bringing with them massive armies to flood the surface of Tyria and destroy all other species. Slaves of other races are sacrificed to the prophets to serve as their slaves as they expand their otherworldly armies. The krait regularly use magical and mathematical means to attempt to predict the time of the prophets' return. The obelisks are thought, by non-krait scholars, to have non-mystical origins, and are perhaps monuments to past religious figures and societal governors, and that history has warped and changed their meaning with time.

[edit] Government

The krait are governed by a fanatical priesthood known as the Oratuss. Religious "texts" followed by the krait are passed down verbally through these priests and priestesses. The vast length of the texts allows the priests, who have dedicated their lives to the texts, to make subtle changes to the wording and manipulate the interpretation of their legends to serve their purposes and support their power.