Nesalli of the Yuan-Ti

Mistress of the Serpentine Trinity, First of the Anathema

Kelaxss hashai ssal keldshull! Dendar, The Night Serpent! I offer you the flesh of unworthy! Sseth, The Sibilant Death! I offer you the ecstasy of the faithful! Merrshaulk, The Master of the Pit! I give you my lifes blood and pledge the eternal servitude of the Yuan-Ti! Shitia ooutss herith shehi Souresh!

— Nesalli

Nesalli of the Yuan-Ti was a young acolyte when her nation was attacked by what would become known as The First Incursion. Seeing her people being forsaken by their Imperial rulers in favor of defending their own lands, she turned against them and their gods and sought the aid of other powers to protect her people. She learned of the primordial being known as Merrshaulk and after many nights of prayer and numerous rituals she made contact with the great serpent and formed a pact. Merrshaulk would protect the people of Yuan-Ti in exchange for the sacrifice of the current priesthood. Nesalli slowly formed a cult of like-minded acolytes, each making a pact with Merrshaulk, and slew the priests upon their altars. Just as Merrshaulk promised the fiends were pushed back and Nesalli and her followers were hailed as heroes by the people of Yuan-Ti, with many abandoning The Old Gods and embracing Merrshaulk and his children Dendar and Sseth, known as The Serpentine Trinity.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Many people would describe what Nesalli became as an unspeakable horror, but to her and the Yuan-ti she was the apitmey of perfection. Towering over her subjects she now had six heads attached to her serpent body and possessed incredible strength and vitality.

Body Features

As a human, Nesalli had the typical olive skin, dark hair and distinctive green eyes of the Yuan-Ti people. When she transformed into an anathema her body was covered in thick purple and blue scales in a reticulated pattern.

Special abilities

Nesalli became one of the most powerful spellcasters in all of Merkia and gained several unique abilities after her transformation. These included a natural resistance to magic, the ability to inflict a fear of snakes and the Yuan-ti into her foes and the gift of shapechanging into the form of a huge constrictor snake.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

After becoming the head of the new religion in Yuan-Ti, Nesalli began conducting more and more sacrifices as she was corrupted by Merrshaulk, and she began to idolize the ophidian form. Eventually, Merrshaulk revealed to her a ritual, known as The Serpentine Rite, that would allow her and her people to be transformed into aspects of the snake.
A great pit was constructed at the top of the central pyramid and was filled with snakes. For three days and nights, slaves were sacrificed and their flesh consumed and blood drained into the pit. The final stage of the ritual required Nesalli to give her own life. As she fell into the pit after cutting her own throat a powerful wave of magic erupted from the pyramid and spread across Yuan-Ti, transforming them into their current serpent forms, and Nesalli emerged as the first of the Anathema.
She ruled the Yuan-Ti for several centuries, overseeing their lands expand far beyond the three cities until she was usurped and slain by her once trusted friend Hessatal, who then herself became an anathema.

Sexuality

Many of the rituals she conducted in the worship of Merrshaulk would include orgies and she was said to couple with men, women, and snakes.

Education

Nesalli was trained as an acolyte under The Priesthood of The Old Gods where she gained a rudimentary knowledge of clerical magic. After making her pact with Merrshaulk she gained a vast amount ancient magical knowledge that was kept in a grimoire known as The Book of Serpents.

Accomplishments & Achievements

As Ruler of Yuan-Ti, Nesalli conquered and enslaved many of the neighboring nations of the Mythic Empire, who were too occupied with the growing number of fiendish incursions to properly confront the Yuan-Ti's rebellion.

Failures & Embarrassments

As an Acolyte, Nesalli had little success in life and failed to grasp much of the core magic a woman of her age should have. Few members of the priesthood thought she would achieve anything of note in her lifetime and encouraged her several times to leave the church.

Intellectual Characteristics

Even before her transformation Nesalli was a considered a particularly cold and uncaring individual by many of her peers with an air of superiority and arrogance that was not befitting of someone of her station. As she began worshipping Merrshaulk these qualities only became more pronounced.

Morality & Philosophy

Nesalli believed that the Yuan-ti people were superior to all other civilizations and races in Merkia, and that she was the most superior of the Yuan-ti. This convinced her that all her actions were just and everything was morally justifiable if it furthered her power and thus the safety of her people.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Misstress of the Serpentine Trinity (Former) Queen of The Yuan-Ti (Former) First of the Anathema

Life

1056 ME 204 ME 852 years old

Birthplace

Tlachae

Gender

Female

Eyes

Green

Hair

Black

Height

5' 2" / 15' 6"

Weight

95 lbs / 285 lbs