Page 139 - Serpent Kingdoms

YUAN-TI CAMPAIGN

gather. At that point, they can extend their infl uence still more Into the Open
by gaining control of warehouses, hiding-caches, and wagons or
ships used in illicit trade. Adventurers are the exceptional individuals in any campaign,
At the same time, other Yuan-ti agents work to establish them- and player satisfaction revolves around accomplishment. Thus,
selves locally as successful merchants or nobles relocating from with good planning and a bit of luck, the PCs should be able
elsewhere. They take pains to become personally acquainted with to uncover a little of what’s really going on early in the game.
local rulers, high-ranking priests, and other infl uential individuals A few interconnected adventures may reveal that Yuan-ti are
while learning all they can about the affairs of such persons. Once lurking under their very feet, or behind the walls of a familiar
they know the weaknesses of those in power, they secretly loan palace, shop, or festhall. Actually coming to grips with their
funds to those who need it, fi x problems for those in trouble, and scaly foes, however, should require years of work.
otherwise make the important folk beholden to them. Nevertheless, the time may come when you as DM want an
Those the yuan-ti identify as foes are eliminated in “accidents” open confrontation between the PCs and the yuan-ti every bit
or framed for crimes. When a local business is ruined in the course as much as your frustrated players do. But you don’t have to be
of such operations, a Yuan-ti agent is always on hand to buy out obvious—letting the PCs hear hissing and so that they can just
or seize the property of the unfortunate citizen. If winning over burst in on an enclave of serpentfolk. Instead, you can stage
a strong-minded individual suits their purposes better than slaying such an event in any number of ways that offer long-term play
him, the yuan-ti set to work with drugs (see Lords of Darkness possibilities and enhance the mystery and intrigue that you’ve
and Book of Vile Darkness for information on drugs). worked so hard to build in your campaign.
Once they are established, the yuan-ti begin looking for
long-term ways to exploit local resources without drawing too PCs in the Middle
much attention to themselves. The vrael olo are particularly
skilled at “milking” communities for decades while keeping their Perhaps Yuan-ti from fi ercely opposed tribes or organizations
economies and citizens healthy. After all, a happy, fl ourishing (such as the Se’Sehen tribe and the Coiled Cabal, or the Se’Sehen
town whose activities enrich everyone (including the yuan-ti) is and Eselemas tribes) both move into an area where the PCs are
a much better asset than a dying, fear-ruled community whose and start to fi ght each other. If the parties involved hate one
resources have been completely drained by greedy overlords. another enough, the confl ict might rapidly escalate to the level
Toward that end, the yuan-ti spirit any troublemakers away into of fi ghting in the open, regardless of who might see.
slavery, invest in local businesses, and continually re-evaluate the All the yuan-ti are likely to view PCs who get caught be-
uses to which their “human farms” can be put. tween the warring forces as either agents of the opposing side
The yuan-ti also groom and foster the local rumor mill as a or stooges upon whom the open battles can be blamed. (“Those
means of infl uencing human behavior. The vrael olo and their serpentfolk fi ghting in the streets? They were brought here by
agents steer the rumors they have planted to keep the inevitable the reckless spells of those no-good outlander adventurers! You
growth and distortion heading in the desired direction. For ex- can never trust folk like that, I warn you! Sooner or later, they
ample, a rumor about hidden gold in a certain location might be always bring trouble, and folk get killed! Killed dead!”). Desper-
twisted to “many evil folk guard ill-gotten riches hereabouts” or ate Yuan-ti may try to gain the PCs’ aid by offering them deals.
“many folk have died without revealing just where they hid their Once the characters have been swept into the confl ict, agents
gold, but it must be close by, and we’re only now starting to realize working for the other side are likely to attack them whenever
just how much there must be.” The second version is appropri- the time or situation seems favorable. If the PCs survive, Yuan-ti
ate for drawing adventurers, speculators, and other greedy folk, from the side that recruited them may covertly show up, asking
especially if augmented by tales of a few young innocents fi nding them to perform a little mission in return for a certain reward.
staggering amounts of gold. When newcomers arrive to investigate Such continued contact with the yuan-ti can give the PCs a
the rumors, the yuan-ti cull out any uncontrollable evil creatures glimpse of the labyrinthine plots and counterplots that underlie
and use their agents to hire craftworkers and establish trade deal- the local community, nearby lands, and all of Faerûn—if they
ings with merchants they want to keep in the community. live that long.
Should the yuan-ti actually wish to shatter a community,
they can do so with the greatest of ease. They can taint the Avenging Snakes
water supply, start the right fearful rumors when the bodies
start to pile up, ruin businesses, and leave foes isolated in their Yuan-ti can come into the open for other reasons as well.
homes or keeps without food or aid. With the resources they Though they are ruthless creatures who are notoriously slow to
have at their disposal, they can turn a thriving community into make friends, even among their own kind, their need for love
a ghost town in a tenday or less. Thereafter, they can use agents and companionship is no less strong than that of any other
to plant rumors that a particular beast or fell organization was intelligent being. Occasionally one Yuan-ti manages to develop a
responsible for the disaster in order to lure adventurers, priests, close partnerships with one or more fellow Yuan-ti. More often,
or rulers to the location to set things right. When the interlopers however, a vrael olo silently idolizes an older, more successful
arrive, the yuan-ti can capture or slay them with ease. Yuan-ti (often an elder of her tribe or an aha’ss) from afar.

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