Page 21 - Serpent Kingdoms

YUAN-TI

form (purebloods into halfbloods, or serpentine features akin to In truth, Sseth is slumbering fi tfully, and portions of his
the grafts detailed in Chapter 10). nightmares have been visited upon his followers since the Time
of Troubles. These disturbing and increasingly frequent dreams
THE ANSWERED PRAYERS OF SSETH have convinced most yuan-ti and non-Okothian sarrukh that
Almost all priests of Sseth are serpent-headed halfbloods, but Sseth is angered or upset. Many of them have performed re-
the most powerful are often multiple-headed yuan-ti. Sseth ac- peated divinations to discover what’s happening. Through their
cepts, ordains, and ranks his priests in dream-visions. No yuan-ti efforts, they have learned that Sseth is distressed and desires
can declare himself a priest of Sseth or remain one without the them to do something, though what that might be is not clear.
agreement of the Slitherer Supreme. If any yuan-ti counterfeits This knowledge has prompted a few yuan-ti to undertake quests
priestly status in any place sacred to Sseth, the god is instantly of widely varying sorts, and vrael olo priests to order an even
aware of it and may inform any true priests on that consecrated greater variety of strange practices.
ground via visions, telepathy, or other remote communication. A very few of Sseth’s followers are aware that the god is
The clergy of Sseth tend and clean the god’s sacred places in some way losing a battle with another deity, and that the
and prevent defi lements and intrusions of nonbelievers other Okothian sarrukh are somehow to blame. Those privy to this
than sacrifi ces. His priests also breed, rear, feed, and train the knowledge are keeping quiet about it for now in hopes of learn-
snakes that serve as temple messengers and errand runners, and ing more about the threat and what they can do about it before
they manage and dispense all temple caches of poisons, osssra they spread the word among the tribes. The Okothian sarrukh
oils, and monetary and magical treasures. Furthermore, they know exactly what Set did, but they have intentionally been
are charged with communicating the will of Sseth to all yuan-ti misleading the yuan-ti and sowing discord among them to delay
within their reach and with giving holy orders in times of tribal vrael olo investigations and prevent any agreement about what
strife or war with Scaleless Ones. In addition, they continually to do.
monitor yuan-ti society for signs of disloyalty to Sseth and perils At present, the yuan-ti who pray to Sseth receive spells
to all vrael olo. from Set, whose domains are Air, Darkness, Evil, Hatred, Law,
Magic, and Scalykind. The real Sseth’s domains are Air, Animal,
THE DEEP TRUTH Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Planning, Scalykind, and Trick-
For at least an age, Sseth has been growing more lethargic, often ery. If Sseth is ever freed, his worshipers will have access to his
sleeping for centuries at a time but continuing to grant spells domains but not those of Set.
to his priests in his dreaming. In the Time of Troubles, Sseth
appeared over the black Jungles as a giant, winged, magic-using Relations with
snake and exhorted his priests to gather their strength. Shortly
thereafter, while asleep in his lair, Sseth was magically bound Other Races
into a deeper captivity by the deity Set, working through min-
ions such as the Okothian sarrukh. The yuan-ti regard most other races as inferior, but their precise
Set “became” Sseth, assuming his portfolio and all of the attitude varies according to the degree of serpent nature each
aspects he’d already subsumed, including Varae and Merrshaulk. race possesses.
He usurped Sseth’s place as lord of the yuan-ti and the source of
their divine magic. To mark his assumption of Sseth’s portfolios, Sarrukh
Set created the creatures known as wereserpents (see Chapter 6).
All yuan-ti now receive divine spells from Set, even though they The yuan-ti recognize that the now-rare sarrukh have power
believe they’re receiving them from Sseth or some other vrael over their race by the will of Sseth himself. After all, the divine
olo deity. Sseth made the sarrukh his personal emissaries and servants
The majority of yuan-ti still believe that Varae, Merrshaulk, many eons ago, naming them the Claws of Sseth and granting
Sss’thasine’ss, Set, and Sseth are all separate entities, and that them the ability to create other serpent races. Not only did the
Sseth reigns supreme. Most either know nothing about the sarrukh create the yuan-ti, but they also have the ability to alter
strife of Set and Sseth (see the Racial History of the sarrukh yuan-ti bodies at will. Thus, the vrael olo typically obey, fear,
in Chapter 5), or don’t want to know anything about it. Those and even fawn over any sarrukh they encounter.
who dare to speak directly about the matter insist that Sseth On the other hand, the yuan-ti also remember the sarrukh
is troubled by disloyalty among the vrael olo, and it must be as lazy and decadent beings—indeed, a few of them were even
rooted out. Beyond that, they leave divine matters to Sseth and found unworthy of Sseth’s favor in the past. Thus, a constant
concentrate on and obeying the priests of Sseth and living their watch must be kept upon them, so that worthy yuan-ti cannot
lives in accordance with the Sacred Way. They fervently believe lose Sseth’s favor or endanger their fellows by following foolish
that if enough yuan-ti focused on those tasks, the troubles would or overly selfi sh sarrukh commands.
end and all vrael olo would rise to their rightful triumph.

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