In
Legend of the Five Rings, the
Akasha is the name for the
collective consciousness of the
Naga. It is essentially the wellspring of souls from which the newborn
Naga are drawn, and is where their spirits return to when they die- bringing their experiences with them into the pool, enriching the race as a whole.
The Akasha's nature is less that of a hive mind than it is a shared awareness- individuality is encouraged in the young, and is in fact expected of more mature
Naga. In the
L5R RPG, the
Akasha trait is the
Naga analog for the (purely human)
Void trait, reflecting their spiritual harmony with the spirit of their race.
Unfortunately, the fate of the
Naga is inextricably linked to that of the
Akasha. As the years passed in the times before the fall of the
Kami, the
Naga noticed a disturbing trend- fewer children were being clutched, and even fewer hatched. The problem was traced to a fault in the
Akasha, and the cure ended up being their doom. Now, the
Naga have gone to rest once more, after having done their part in two great wars- the world belongs to the humans, now. When it is their time again, they will wake... but who knows what kind of world they will see in the years ahead?
Also, in the aftermath of the
Legacy of the Naga storyline tournament for the
CCG, the
Unicorn Clan was rewarded for their victory with a human Personality who bears the name
Akasha, as well as the legacy of the now-sleeping race.