Page 189 - Serpent Kingdoms

APPENDIX

not even realized they have need of such. This aspect of her DEITIES OF THE SCALED ONES
nature can also make her an unwelcome messenger who forces
Name Favored Weapon/
followers into initiations that can cause them “growing pains.”
(Status) * Alignment Weapon of the Deity
The Seeker: Often represented as a childlike naga, the Seeker
Essylliss (D) N Club/
is fi lled with curiosity. This aspect of Shekinester drives the need
+1 impact club
to explore and study.
Laogzed (D) CE Great club/
The Weaver: This aspect of the Five-Faced Queen is the princi-
+1 vicious greatclub
ple of active destruction—a crone-faced naga who destroys in order
M’daess (D) NG Scythe/
to make room for new life. However, she is also the embodiment of
+1 merciful scythe
connections, bringing together disparate strands of knowledge to
create new understanding. As the Weaver, Shekinester seeks to de-
Merrshaulk CE Longsword/
stroy anyone who enters the lost and decaying places she guards.
(aspect of Sseth) † +1 venomous longsword
The Preserver: Seen as a middle-aged female naga, this aspect
of the goddess is the keeper of the fl ame in the Court of Light
Parrafaire (D) CN Tail scythe /
SK
and the great maintainer of existence. She also has jurisdiction
+1 warning tail scythe
over the spirits of the dead, greeting them with water, fruit, and
Sebek (D) NE Longspear, halfspear, or
bread and protecting them from harm. As the Preserver, Sheki-
shortspear/
nester provides sustenance for mortals threatened by extinction,
+1 keen longspear,
overwhelming force, or some other terrible threat.
halfspear, or shortspear
Semuanya (L) N Club/
Sseth +1 screaming club
Around the time of Netheril’s collapse, a charismatic Yuan-ti
Sess’innek (DP) CE Longsword/
with feathery wings emerged, proclaiming himself to be the
+1 corrosive longsword
avatar of Merrshaulk, who had long been in a state of somno-
Shekinester (G) LG/CG/ Tail scythe /
SK
lence. Serpentes, a great Yuan-ti kingdom, was forged under the
N/LE/CE +1 sure striking tail scythe
rule of this new leader, who called himself Sseth. The yuan-ti
and the few remaining sarrukh began to worship him as the new
incarnation of Merrshaulk. Ultimately, Sseth too sank into a
long slumber, which eventually caused the sarrukh of Okoth to
Sseth (aspect of LE Longspear, halfspear, or
transfer their allegiance to the Mulhorandi deity Set.
Set) (I) shortspear/+1 venomous
longspear, halfspear, or
Ssharstrune shortspear
Another fragment of the World Serpent was Ssharstrune, a ser-
pent god worshiped primarily by evil nagas. Ssharstrune, who
Sseth CE Scimitar/
embodied the acquisitive, power-hungry natures of some nagas,
(imprisoned**) (I) +1 venomous scimitar
was ultimately swallowed by Shekinester, inadvertently causing
her to assume multiple aspects.
Sss’thasine’ss Ssharstrune (aspect NE Tail scythe /
SK
of Shekinester) +1 ghost touch tail scythe
Another aspect of the World Serpent, Sss’thasine’ss was an evil
Sss’thasine’ss CE Whip/
deity once worshiped by yuan-ti, dark nagas, and a few other
(aspect of Talona) +1 sweeping whip
Scaled Ones. He appeared to his followers as a writhing swarm
Varae (aspect CN Scimitar/
of coiled serpents in a crude humanoid shape and typically
of Sseth) † +1 venomous scimitar
communicated through the heads of countless smaller snakes.
Sss’thasine’ss was ultimately destroyed by one of the elf gods
around the time that the Vyshaantaar rose to power in Aryvan-
daar. Talona has since assumed his aspect. Calimshan ( 200 DR to 270 DR). A group of pureblood yuan-ti
from the Chultan Peninsula infi ltrated the cult and spread its
Varae infl uence across Faerûn. One group of cultists migrated north
in search of Ss’thar’tiss’ssun, only to be transformed en masse
A nomadic beast cult made up of humans in the Shining into ophidians when they unleashed an artifact created by House
Plains began worshiping the god Varae during the Fifth Age of Orogoth and left behind by the yuan-ti.
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