Page 51 - Serpent Kingdoms

HIDDEN FOLK

Although most ophidian tribes migrated north into the tion that is almost unknown in their race but also a talent for
Serpent Hills after the fall of Najara, some fl ed to warmer judging the best use of power.
lands to the south. Most of their descendants now dwell in
isolated southern wilderness regions, often led by a handful of Deities of the Ophidians
powerful nagas.
Like many other slave races, ophidians worship whatever deities
Outlook their masters tell them to. Masterless ophidians sometimes wor-
ship nagas, dragons, or other powerful reptiles.
Ophidians perceive the world as a pairing of masters and slaves,
and they happily assume the latter role. An ophidian considers Relations with Other Races
it a privilege to carry out any order from a more powerful
serpentfolk, whether that master is cruel or kind. Ophidians are malicious creatures that delight in the torture and
destruction of other races. Despite their innate cruelty, they are
Ophidian Society fawning and servile in dealings with more powerful Scaled Ones.

Ophidians have little in the way of society. They live to serve Ophidian Equipment
the yuan-ti and never worry about building their own culture.
Ophidians perform much of the unpleasant labor for the Ophidians use whatever equipment their masters provide, but
yuan-ti, and they serve on the front lines whenever danger they make none of their own. Masterless ophidians often use
from the outside threatens their masters. scavenged weapons.
Ophidians that lose their yuan-ti masters immediately seek
some other powerful Scaled One to serve. Should such a master Pterafolk
not be immediately available, they simply wander aimlessly,
fi ghting with one another and any other creatures they happen Created by the sarrukh of Mhairshaulk, pterafolk have always
to encounter. lived almost exclusively on the Chultan Peninsula.

RELATIONSHIPS Overview
Yuan-ti often select mates for their ophidian slaves as part of
breeding programs to improve the race. Ophidians feel no special These violent and primitive lizardkin live in loosely organized
bond to mates or peers within their own race; their strongest tribal communities. The tendency for each pterafolk to place
bond is to the one they serve. her own needs above those of the others results in a confused
and often violent society in which the strong feel free to tread
LIFE CYCLE upon the weak.
Ophidian females lay their eggs in any convenient place and
then abandon them. No ophidian, male or female, feels any Description
connection to its young, or indeed any need to care for them
unless so ordered. A pterafolk resembles a larger-than-normal lizardfolk with no
When the young ophidians hatch, they swarm aimlessly tail. Its small, smooth scales range in color from olive green to
in search of food until an older ophidian or other serpentfolk shades of tan. Its hands and feet are long and thin, ending in
gives them direction. Ophidians are raised in servitude, receiv- sharp talons. Ordinarily it does not have wings, but when it has
ing ever more complex orders in keeping with their age and need of fl ight, it can either turn its arms into leathery wings or
physical power. assume the form of a pteranodon. Pterafolk statistics appear in
Monsters of Faerûn.
Ophidian Characters
Racial History
Ophidian characters are extremely rare, since these creatures
devote their lives to servitude rather than self-improvement. The sarrukh of Mhairshaulk used the lizardfolk as the base crea-
However, an ophidian might join an evil party if it can be ture for creating the pterafolk. They gave their new creations
convinced that at least one party member is a suitable master. fl ight and the ability to shift forms to improve their versatility
in combat. They also made the pterafolk more aggressive than
Magic of the Ophidians standard lizardfolk in order to make them more eager warriors.
But while this alteration did indeed produce more effective kill-
Despite the magic that spawned their race, ophidians have ers, it also made them diffi cult to manage. When added to the
neither talent for nor interest in magic. They rarely become armies of Mhairshaulk, pterafolk units enhanced their killing
spellcasters, since doing so represents not only a degree of ambi- ability at the cost of poorer control.

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