The Nazar Frogs

The lore and frogs behind this gang.

The Spawn of The Nazar

To tell the story of the Nazar, we have to rewind back to the days of desolation. Just after the floods retreated and the oasis became a community. The Nazar frogs hadn’t found their shared bond quite yet, but they would soon. As noted in the Book of the Naked Frog, there was a rift between the two main factions of Froglanders.

The founding members of the Nazar Frogs found themselves torn between the factions. They fell quite easily into the role of experimenting, and found great joy in discovering the mysteries of the Magical Hot Springs. They didn’t much care for the worshiping of (FROD). Through this process of inquiry they formed their bonds, they became a bit more specialized in their area of interests, and more interested in settling strife within the springs. It wasn’t by intent that they became a somewhat neutral party in the growing divide between factions - they didn’t care much about clothes or no clothes. It seemed like a stupid argument to be having, honestly. They were simply interested in learning, and finding ways to entertain their friends and families with their discoveries.

The founding Nazar Frogs (NF7 from here on out) were a peculiar type of frog, they weren’t drawn to idealize the (New Creator “FROD”) like the Nude Frogs, nor were they fully drawn to leave the hot springs like the Clothed Frogs. They had come together by friendship, and their bond was strengthened by an unrestrained enjoyment of games. They thought of themselves as discoverers, not explorers. Seeing their quest as an internal drive, they knew they would one day help build something so much more entertaining than the world of the oasis.

They knew the clothed frogs would venture off and spend lifetimes just struggling to survive, living pretty hard lives in the process. The NF7 decided early on they would use the benefits of their time in the hot springs to help others. After all, it was a great environment for thinking and asking difficult questions. They quickly discovered one of the benefits of spending time submerged in the magical waters was they started thinking completely differently than other frogs. Their ideas mixed and blended and built seamlessly on one another. Not only that but they seemed to think more nimbly when submerged. When they were in the waters, the future seemed almost tangible to them.

I’m not saying they were the first to test the waters in NewPangea. It does seem to be where they feel most at home. Some have heard whispers of the district they planned to create one day far in the future.

Immortal or not, something was different this time around - and they all felt it.

The NF7 had all lived completely different unending lives. As if they were someone else's creation - simply the puppets to play those tracks on repeat. They could feel the strings had been cut and saw that NewPangea offered something quite extraordinary: a clean slate. A chance to build something from nothing. They seemed to know it wasn’t thanks to FROD. They were devoted to playing the game that would build the game. They wanted to help the world develop into something fantastically entertaining. They rarely stopped for long. It’s as if their biggest fear from their past lifetimes was boredom. Maybe running from boredom is where they found a common mission, and devoted themselves to protecting the opportunity that NewPangea offered in that respect.

The NF7 was a surprisingly practical group all things considered. They knew they were a small group in comparison to the factions forming. They quickly realized the futility of physical force for anything other than defense. They wanted to protect NewPangea in return for the blessing it gave them, and they wouldn’t be able to do that by strength alone. They wielded something much more powerful. They watched as ideas twisted and shaped the world of the past, and they looked to do something similar. Their mark on the world would be made by planting seeds. As a group, they always found power in ideas. Ideas can spread - they aren’t limited to one person, and when you can give an idea life then allow it to be touched by others. Beautiful things are created.

Disclaimer

Now, I don’t want to go too far without saying the NF7 were definitely not saints by any stretch of the imagination. They do shoot for only doing good but…they aren’t completely selfless, and they definitely haven’t started any nonprofits that weren't mostly for tax reasons. As with many things. There is no black and white. The Nazar Frogs could have just as easily been a force of oppression and torment for the frogs of Frogland.

There was a time they were considered the Froggin Hoods of NewPangea, but who do you rob once you're the richest frogs in the pond? Robbing became mostly a jab at their enemies after that. Nobody could say they weren’t entrepreneurial frogs. They figured out how to turn a fair profit with almost every idea they had, seemingly just to fund their completely unprofitable endeavors. The less romantic of NewPangea boiled it down to "Make money so you can give money." It’s not completely untrue, but it definitely glosses over a bit of the rough edges.

Without question, these frogs aren’t the downtrodden idealist types. When they encounter an enemy it’s like a switch flips. They can be extremely ruthless if diplomacy fails. Just strive to be someone they are protecting, not someone they are protecting others from… They are not a pretty group when provoked.

Back To The Story...

They spent a lifetime helping to populate NewPangea. Life of all forms; animals, bugs, and even a batch of two of their own tadpoles (they weren’t the only ones by any means, but those stories are for another book.) The Nazar were particularly skilled at finding workarounds within systems. They figured out the basic functioning of the Magical Hot Springs and started poking and prodding till they knew all sorts of secrets. Some think they had a mystical guide or a higher being channeling them information. Perhaps one day they will explain, but in the eons since their inception that one topic has remained unconfirmed.

They really did enjoy the simple days of the beginning. They spent lots of quality time together, and those bonds kept them close even once they started to venture further from the spring. They had a world to seed. They understood the power of ideas, so they would take turns venturing out from the magical spring and finding the fractured groups of the clothed frogs and teaching them. Sharing ideas, skills, and techniques to help them along their journey.

You see, the beginning was a bit of a scary time for the clothed frogs. There wasn’t much in the way of leadership, most frogs lived in constant fear of being robbed. Nobody really worried about dying - there were fates much, much worse. There was even one group so twisted, they started worshiping torture. They created all sorts of horrible ways to leave a frog wishing they could actually die.

The Nazar sought to give the clothed frogs a better chance at life. As they traveled they saw the bad, the down and out frogs, they couldn’t help but stop and offer aid. It was through these acts at the very beginning that their symbol came to be.

The Nazar Eye.

Some say it’s symbol of the original oasis and the water that saved all the frogs, Some say it’s for their watchful eye and their deep web of “informants.” I guess that’s kinda how legends work, right? If you find a member of the NF7 and ask them directly, they might say it’s more about protection and then charge ya a pretty penny for it. A frog has gotta eat, right. Well, the Nazar has definitely amassed quite a large amount of wealth. They seem to believe if they can take care of themselves it will allow them to give others a leg up on life.

Remember.

They take turns at the hot springs so that none of them will forget how hard the first few lifetimes in NewPangea were. They kept themselves entertained by telling stories and playing games using sticks and rocks to make small wagers. Much in the way tadpoles run around the pool shooting each other with imaginary “guns” (playing cops and robbers). They built funky little houses using sticks and mud. Oh, how far things have come. It’s not all good times and rock n' roll for the Nazar, though. Doing good can create a lot of enemies. Some might be very well versed in how to get rid of an undying problem.

The NF7 always tried to talk first, and fight only if there was no other choice. They knew it was an unforgiving world, and if you're going to travel in it you have to be ruthless in defense of yourself. They knew one thing above all... Your dreams only die if you do.

Well, in that simple fact they seem to be correct. One might wonder though why NewPangea is ridden with crime and problems. Did they become corrupted along the way? Did they decide to put personal greed above their drive to create and share knowledge? Did the power of their insane wealth, and the years of watching frogs fight among themselves sour their belief that NewPangea could be a place of wonder or excitement?

Sadly, that might be a more satisfying story than what really happened. The Nazar had started to see the Froglanders start to learn, start to steady themselves - even the fighting started to die down a bit. Little towns were popping up, trade routes were getting established. The Nazar had established a place for games in each and every one of them. It seemed to be a great way to bring communities together.

(FROD) was "the only god of that time, and none of the clothed frogs thought too highly of him.” It was probably this fact alone that would be the downfall of the Nazar. Slowly in the woods outside each town around campfires, a new gospel was spreading. Poison words mixed with some special enchantments spread around the fires.

The Pond of Assassains

The Pond of Assassins were much more than just a tortuous murdering band of corrupted frogs. They were smart, organized, and lethal. The assassins were commanded by a group of dark sorcerers so extreme, even the magic guild kicked them out. Some think the assassins originally came to be kidnappers to provide fodder for their master's sick experiments.

It seemed the Pond of Assassins eventually grew to be much more. Some were barely frogs anymore. Clearly enchanted, some had unfrodly amounts of strength. It was like the sorcerers found a way to twist the dials of creation through the sacrifice of immortal frogs.

With a group this strong the NF7 would have never stood a chance if they hadn’t gotten their hands dirty as well. They were a group that loved to learn after all. Each time they would defeat an assassin they would bind it, and drag it back to the hot springs to steal its memories, info about hideouts and discover the intentions behind the dark group. The Nazar became quite strong at channeling magic in their own right, enhanced by their close ties to the magical hot springs.

Long story short: The Nazar had to be disposed of. They posed quite a threat to the Pond of Assassins, and their method of planting ideas was much more effective than the Pond's way of corrupting frogs. Corrupting frogs seemed to freeze their mental state. They could take directions, but once a task was done they just sort of stood there, almost lifeless.

Well, the Pond knew they needed to stop the Nazar from planting ideas, so they devised a war to do it. They had spent years fighting the Nazar all the while searching for a place they could imprison them for eternity. Eventually, as darkness always does, it found a way - or at least that’s what they said happened. Either way the NF7 disappeared from the face of NewPangea. It was a very dark time in the world. Churches popped up everywhere, factions turned into gangs. A frog couldn’t go anywhere without being robbed, and then the robber would be robbed. It was truly pathetic.

Intermission

Eventually, the world found equilibrium. Villages turned into towns, towns into cities, frogs moved (mostly) from hitting each other with sticks to shooting each other. Immortality makes for some real weird moral problems, and every church had a different take on it.

All the while, the Naked Frogs kept collecting memories in the springs; at a couple points, Froglanders seemed to forget about the spring all together. The Naked Frogs would go years without a new visitor to give them a window into what was happening in the world. The dark sorcerers must have even found a way to mimic the effects of the hot springs, because they even started sending frogs with corrupted memories into the hot springs to keep suspicions from developing.

All and all, this was a particularly unmagical time in Frogland. With nobody sure if the sorcerers had found a way to actually kill the Nazar, nobody wanted to rise up to stop them. The world just kinda developed. The dark sorcerer's handiwork could be seen in all places at all levels of government, and even down to the artwork of the time. They were a bit pretentious, if I do say so myself.

They knew the value of a story though, because the only thing keeping them in power was the story that they had killed the NF7. A lot of frogs threw out a lot of thoughts when it came to immortality - some even begged for death, but when it really came down to it. The fear of dying had only magnified during the time they thought it wasn’t possible. When you’ve spent so many lifetimes existing, you don’t love every minute of it. When a frog would think of the idea of existing for so long, and then all of a sudden not existing. Their faces actually started to melt. (Seriously.)

Well, this is where I get to throw in a twist. The Nazar Frogs weren’t killed, and the dark sorcerers had almost no involvement in it.

Return of the Nazar

Remember the myth around a (being) or some entity feeding the Nazar Frog information? Well it was true. I don’t know exactly what or who it was, I just know it was.

Apparently, if you hear one of them tell it, (the being) invited them to his “headquarters” (whatever that means) for a celebratory drink. Apparently, talking through riddles and rhymes was frustrating sometimes. (The being) would want the Nazar to do one thing, so they would do something completely different. Well, after a long time of this, (the being) wanted to speak plainly. “He pulled them into his dimension,” and “they spent a long night chatting about all sorts of things, ideas, and topics. Some specific to the future of Frogland, and some not even worth mentioning,” then, “He just sent us back.”

Well, one would assume (the being) would know how to send the Nazar back to their own time. Or it was all his plan to make more work for the Nazar to muddle through. Who the fuck knows… I’m as confused as anyone about how all this dimensional stuff works.

So...

Yeah, so here we fuckin' are. The Nazar is back, n' rich as shit apparently. (Time value of money - whatever that means?)

Magic is clearly back as well because all sorts of weird shit has been happening. The Nazar said they are a bit disappointed at what happened during their absence, but seem relatively fine being gone for thousands of years. Sometimes they are caught muttering something about gardens and living in the future…

Honestly, they seem hungover, and not nearly the same intelligent frogs that I used to look up to. I hope they can get their shit together because it’s gotten really bad out here.

I’ve heard they realized they won’t be able to effect change now that the world has evolved if they stick to just the original founding frogs.

I’ve seen a couple NF1 tags floating around these days. I’m guessing that’s the namesake they have chosen for new recruits.

The Nazar Frogs

Members & Area of Interest

FrogKing - (casino buildout)

Jack the Ribbit - (undecided)

Frogface Shillah - (Shilla’s Fine Dining Experience)

Froggy Fresh - (unaffiliated), (press affiliations)

Killah Frog - (undecided)

Spot - (PR), Advocate for art, public art installations in Frogland, high end gallery space for Nazar district

Machine Gun Croaky - (undecided)